Mrs. Jeffries and the Merry Gentlemen
by Emily Brightwell

The holiday season brings a mix of merriment, mayhem, and murder. And it falls to Inspector Witherspoon—with a significant portion of help from the ever-watchful Mrs. Jeffries—to find the culprit...

THE BUSINESS OF DEATH

Orlando Edison is a stockbroker using London’s infatuation with foreign mining ventures to make a fortune. He has curried favor with the nation’s most respected aristocrats, even inviting three of the most influential investors in England—known as the Merry Gentlemen—to be part of his latest enterprise.

Despite his mysterious past, Edison is now welcomed in the highest circles and moves with ease among the rich and powerful. Yet a few days before Christmas, he is found sprawled across his doorstep, murdered. Charismatic and charming, Edison was kind to his servants and generous with his friends. Why would someone want him dead?

Inspector Witherspoon and his household are all looking forward to the festive season. Witherspoon is eager to spend time with his godchild. Wiggins, the footman, is infatuated with football and would rather cheer goals than chase down clues. And Mrs. Goodge longs to bake recipes from the latest cookbooks. But they all know their duty, and led by the intrepid Mrs. Jeffries, they plan to see justice served for the holidays....

Other Books by Emily Brightwell

Mrs. Jeffries and the Three Wise Women
Victorian Mystery Book 36

Mrs. Jeffries Wins the Prize
A Victorian Mystery #34

Mrs. Jeffries Serves at Six
Victorian Mysteries

Mrs. Jeffries and the One Who Got Away
A Victorian Mystery #33

Mrs. Jeffries and the Merry Gentlemen
A Victorian Mystery #32

Mrs. Jeffries Pleads the Fifth
Victorian Mysteries

Mrs. Jeffries Sallies Forth
Victorian Mysteries

Mrs. Jeffries Turns the Tide
A Victorian Mystery #31

Mrs. Jeffries Takes Tea at Three
Victorian Mysteries

Mrs. Jeffries & the Mistletoe Mix-Up
A Victorian Mystery #29

Mrs. Jeffries Takes a Second Look
A Victorian Mystery

Mrs. Jeffries Defends Her Own
A Victorian Mystery #30

Mrs. Jeffries and the Mistletoe Mix-Up
A Victorian Mystery #29

Mrs. Jeffries Forges Ahead
A Victorian Mystery #27

Emily Brightwell's Bio

Emily Brightwell was born in West Virginia, the middle sister to Nanette and Linda. Her family moved to Los Angeles in the early sixties, where she graduated from Pasadena High School.

After her high school years, Emily went to California State University Fullerton and earned a Degree in American Studies.

On a visit to England in 1975, one January morning in Leeds, Yorkshire she met the Englishman who would become her husband, Richard. They were married in May 1976 and returned to California in September 1977.

In 1988 Emily decided to try fiction writing and make a new career as a writer.

This was always a dream of hers so she began by writing romances and became a member of the Romance Writers of America. After her entry in the "unpublished authors" contest run by the Orange County chapter of the RWA, was a finalist, she was delighted, but the editor who read my manuscript was scathing in her criticism.

She was crushed for a day or so, but it hardened my resolve to continue writing. It was her very next proposal that sold to Silhouette and was published as a Special Edition under the pen name of Sarah Temple.

Emily wrote two more Special Editions for Silhouette but always wanted to write other kinds of fiction so when her agent asked if she would be interested in writing a Victorian mystery series for Prime Crime she jumped at the chance.