Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

Mrs. Jeffries is one of my favorite Victorian era British sleuths, one who could easily have been a detective. The widow of a policeman, Hepzibah Jeffries was Inspector Gerald Witherspoon’s delightful housekeeper. He had inherited an estate several years ago, and the home was large enough to require servants. He was excellent to work for, and those in his employ would do almost anything to help him.

Witherspoon worked in the records room of Ladbroke Station until Mrs. Jeffries joined his household. Unbeknownst to the Inspector, Mrs. Jeffries, his staff, and a couple of their friends began to help him solve homicides. They and their sources were from various backgrounds and social tiers, including his dear lady friend. Their help was invaluable, and when the inspector had a case, Mrs. Jeffries met with the group daily to discuss updates and plans.

It didn’t take many solves until Gerald had the attention of the higher ups, and he left the records room to become the inspector who solved more homicides than anyone in the Metropolitan Police Department. He is humble, unassuming, and respectful. His servants and even some of their informants fondly call him “our inspector”.

Archery was a popular sport with both men and women, and many top archers competed. The archery club in West London was conducting local competitions. The winning archers move to the next level, with the potential of going to the nationals. An all-out thunderstorm explodes during a competition, with skies as dark as night. When there was a brief lull in the storm, two archers on the back porch noticed Jeremy Marks near the targets, carrying a lantern and looking closely at the ground. They are convinced he is finding arrows to steal, some of them costly, that had not been collected when the skies opened. One minute they saw him looking at the ground, then he was lying on the ground. He had been shot with two arrows, either of which would have killed him. It would require an excellent archer to accomplish those shots with the wind speed and darkness.

Police learned quickly that Marks was not liked by anyone at the club. Due to his dishonesty, he lost his membership months earlier. He was only allowed to come in with his fiancée, a member, and would become a member again after he and Hannah got married. Even if he had not been shot, however, the wedding was off. Hannah learned several things that day from his last fiancée, including confirmation he was marrying her for her money. She became one of the top suspects; his prior fiancée was also high on the list. Marks had totally ruined families and finances of several business partners, increasing the suspect list. Even Marks’s attorney wasn’t surprised he was murdered!

I enjoyed learning about or catching up with the three-dimensional characters. With colorful backstory included about the primary people, one doesn’t need to read the entire series in order. The new or returning reader can be comfortable whether they start with the first or forty-first mystery. This time I noticed how encouraging Mrs. Jeffries is to Gerald. She can tell when his self-confidence is failing and is quick to show him how well he is doing with the mystery.

The friendship “our inspector” had with his housekeeper fascinates me. Perhaps it was because her late husband was in law enforcement, or that he recognized her as a good sounding board. When he is on a case and gets home from work, he invites her to have glass or two of sherry with him. He tells her what he learned about the case or people involved with it. When Constable Barnes, with whom he was partnered, arrived to walk to the station with Witherspoon each morning, she told him anything that the staff uncovered and he inserts it into plans with the inspector.

There were so many pieces to this puzzle, it seemed as if it wouldn’t be solved as quickly as the chief superintendent pushed for. Mrs. Jeffries had something in the back of her mind that she couldn’t quite remember on time to tell Barnes that day. When it did come together, it was quite a surprise, and happened in a such a way to injure a couple people. I was very pleased with how it ended, and highly recommend this novel and series!

📖My Thoughts📖

I haven’t read many cozy mystery books that are set in the Victorian era, but this was a good one to dive into! They didn’t waste any time with the murder which gave me a sign it was going to be a fast paced one. I was right! It was fast paced, easy and entertaining to read and had the perfect amount of twists in it to keep me engaged. I ripped through this one in a day. It would have been more like a couple hours, but you know, adulting. This was my first book by Emily Brightwell. It’s book 41 in A Victorian Mystery series. I had no problem keeping up with the story despite not having read the first 40 books, but I’m sure if I had, it would give me a little more insight on each character. In a nutshell, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a good cozy mystery. Maybe pair it with some good English tea and a scone!
Thank you Netgalley, Emily Brightwell and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love this series. I like how the characters move forward in their lives. The mystery kept me guessing.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stephen Whitfield is poisoned at his own dinner party and Scotland Yard wants Inspector Witherspoon and Constable Barnes to solve this murder by Christmas!
Mrs. Jefferies and the gang to the rescue. Mrs. Jefferies, as always, feels bound to help her employer solve the mystery. (Without his knowledge of course!) With the help of friends and the household staff: Mrs. Goodge, Betsy, Smythe, Wiggins, Phyllis, Luty, Hatchett, and Ruth, Mrs. Jefferies gets to work.
With multiple suspects and possible motives, the gang works hard to come up with the best or most useful information each day. I love the good-natured sense of competition that moves the story along!
I love all of the Mrs. Jefferies Mysteries! Definitely recommend!

Emily Brightwell brings us another adventure with Mrs. Jeffries, her crew of "below stairs", and the hapless but beloved and respected Inspector Witherspoon. These are always a delight to read. I keep hoping that after enough of these installments, I would be better at guessing the plot twist and the "whodunit" but I'm always wrong! I think that's a sign of a good author, that they didn't make it obvious. Brightwell paints a vivid and immersive picture of Victorian London seen through the eyes of many. I won't spoil the twist, but ooooh boy! I can hardly wait!

This was fine but not my favorite in the series.

I enjoyed the archery club based plot, but the rest of the setting and historical detail felt a bit thin compared to the best books in this series.

Series regulars excepted, it’s an obnoxious cast of characters, and the solve just furthers that based on how it’s rooted in their relationships and actions toward one another.

The mystery itself is fine, well-structured with a logical solve, though nothing especially unusual.

The pacing remains good, as it always is with this series, and I appreciated the subtle humor of the dialogue.

Emily Brightwell continues her Victorian mysteries with Mrs. Jeffries Aims to Win. Jeremy Marks, an unpleasant businessman who ruined his partners and ditched his fiancees for richer women, is shot dead at the West London Archery Club. There are many suspects who hated him at the club. Inspector Witherspoon is on the case with the help of Mrs. Jeffries and his other employees or friends. Witherspoon's nemesis, Nivens on the police force, wants to show him up. Whodunit? Read and find out.

When the shady businessman is shot dead at the local club during an archery competition the inspector isn’t short on suspects it seems the victim was previously kicked out of the club for cheating and that the only one there who really liked him with his fiancé. To make matters worse it was during a break due to thunderstorms and the two men who reported him for cheating were the two that found him Inspector Weatherspoon gets a clue however when he is told that only an expert could’ve shot Mr. Marks from such a range with a long bow but at a women’s archery competition who could that be? This is the series 41st book and although I haven’t read all 41 the ones I have read have been so funny that includes the latest. I love all the servants and inspector Weatherspoon‘s house I love how excited they get when there is a murder a foot in the links they will go to to help make their master look like a brilliant detective. If you love cozy mysteries and have yet to read these books you really are missing out these are books I highly recommend and have yet to write one less than five stars. I want to thank Berkeley Annette galley form I free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Top Pick - 4.5 Stars

Inspector Gerald Witherspoon has solved more homicides than any other Scotland Yard detective, but he didn’t accomplish that alone. The inspector and Constable Barnes have had assistance from Witherspoon’s household and a few close friends without his knowledge. In his newest case, two of those friends, Luty Belle Crookshank and her butler/friend Hatchet, are first on the scene. A man with many enemies is murdered at the archery club where Hatchet was participating in a competition. Hatchet and Luty are able to give Mrs. Jeffries, Witherspoon’s housekeeper and super sleuth, first-hand knowledge of the crime to help her deduce who the killer is.

I’ve been reading this series for a long time and have come to care about these characters. The mystery itself works as a standalone, but some of the things that occur in the book will be more meaningful to those who have read at least a couple of the prior books. Jeremy Marks, the victim, was an unwelcome guest to the archery club, and his numerous enemies mean there are plenty of suspects with a motive to kill him. The method of the murder is an arrow, so that gives most everyone on the scene the means. Therefore, the investigation is all about figuring out who had the opportunity to commit the murder. I really enjoyed how Witherspoon and Barnes, and Witherspoon’s friends all work together to get the clues needed to solve the case. In addition to working on the case, Mrs. Jeffries is also trying to find out what Nigel Nivens is up to. Nivens is jealous of Witherspoon’s success and has been newly reinstated to the force and is always out to discredit Witherspoon.

This case is interesting, and I like it when the household members work together, with each person contributing to the investigation. Hatchet participated more than usual this time, but I enjoyed that. Even though I’ve been reading this series for a long time, it was nice getting to know him better as an individual and not just as Luty’s sidekick. I enjoyed the interactions of the characters, who have become like family to each other and like old friends to me. In addition, the author does a great job of including bits of history from the Victorian period in the story. There are some developments at the end of the book that fans of the series won’t want to miss. I was very surprised but happy over the way things turned out.

~ Christine

This is such a fun series! In this latest entry a truly hateful man is killed by being shot by two arrows and the question isn't who would want him dead but more of all the people who wanted him dead who had the strongest motive and opportunity. Inspector Witherspoon, Mrs. Jeffries, Wiggins and the rest of the below stairs staff have their hands full trying to get that figured out.

I really enjoy the classic mystery feel of this book. The characters investigate based off their strengths and who they have access to and little by little the reader (and the characters) get all the pieces of the puzzle. It's not the fastest paced mystery but it's an enjoyable investigation from start to finish and I very rarely can put the pieces together completely before Mrs. Jeffries and her team help Inspector Witherspoon get to the solution. The upstairs/downstairs element also adds a fun element as the characters investigate and question people from all walks of life. I really enjoyed that Luty and Hatchett have such a front and center role in this book. They are both so entertaining and I never know what Luty is going to say next.

I really enjoyed this latest Mrs. Jeffries book and catching up with all the different characters. If you enjoy a nice cozy with a classic mystery feel this is a great book to pick up. You can jump in at any point with the series with no problem as the whos and hows are explained pretty easily.

Mrs. Jeffries Aims to Win is book 41 in the Mrs. Jeffries series by Emily Brightwell.
My first time reading Brightwell’s work and I loved this cozy little mystery.
This is such a fun and entertaining story, with some great twists and turns that I didn't see coming.
The mystery I found it to be well plotted and it moved along at a steady pace.
Remarkable characters and a masterful mystery.
I will now have to read more of her work.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Berkley for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Even though this is the latest in a long series, it says fresh by having the characters develop and grow with each book, This specific book takes a twist you don’t see coming,