Mrs. Jeffries Pinches the Post

When Oscar Daggett believes that he is dying, his biggest concern is that he must confess to something he had done some 15 years earlier and to beg forgiveness of his victim. He writes a letter and has a maid deliver it to a particular house, which turns out to be empty at the time, and then learns that he is not, in fact, dying at all. Desperate to retrieve the confession, he turns to Harrison Nye, a business partner, and in so doing sets events in motion, starting with the murder of Nye. Now Inspector Gerald Witherspoon must investigate - and so must his housekeeper, Mrs. Jeffries, and the household staff…. The 16th book in this series is much like the previous ones: the Inspector investigates in his bumbling way, the household show more investigates in their gossipy way and after misdirections and stumbles, the truth comes out. What sets this series apart from many like it, I think, is the relationships between the principles and the obvious affection that they all have for each other - their investigations are truly a “family affair,” even if the Inspector doesn’t know it! These books are best read in order, of course, but it’s not absolutely vital that one do so; recommended. show less

A light hearted read that is a real page turner. As I read I could imagine the domestics with the characters from Downtown Abbey.. Such fun.
After looking up the author and finding another 67 in the series, it makes the books seem rather formulaic, which did dampen my enthusiasm for this initial venture into the Mrs Jeffries series by minus half a star. In any case whenever I need a break with something lighthearted, these stories will do just fine.

Finished in Amsterdam on my overseas trip with Mum. Cried at the end. It's so easy to write these off as formulaic, 'a light read' & cosy mystery when they're all that and so much more!