Mrs. Jeffries and the Alms of the Angel by Emily Brightwell

Mrs. Jeffries and the Alms of the Angel by Emily Brightwell ISBN-13: 9780451492241 Hardcover: 288 pages Publisher: Berkley Released: September 24, 2019

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Margaret Starling wasn't the sort of woman anyone expected to be murdered. She was on the advisory board of the London Angel Alms Society, she was an active member of St. Peter's Church, and, best of all, she was always willing to lend a hand to a friend or a neighbor in need of advice. She was also a wealthy upper-class widow. But money alone won't protect you when someone decides it's high time you met your maker.

Margaret's next-door neighbor considered her an odious busybody, the Reverend Reginald Pontefract wished she'd never set foot in St. Peter's, and half the advisory board of the London Angel Alms Society heartily hoped she'd come down with pneumonia before the next quarterly meeting.

All in all, Margaret wasn't as well regarded as she'd always thought she was. But Mrs. Jeffries and Inspector Witherspoon know that justice isn't a popularity contest, and they won't rest until they sift through the suspects to catch a sinister scrooge.


My Review:
Mrs. Jeffries and the Alms of the Angel is a historical mystery set in England in the 1890's. It's the thirty-eighth book in a series. You don't need to read the previous books to understand this one, and this book didn't spoil the whodunit of the previous books. The story wasn't heavily historical, though there were enough details to provide a historical feel. The characters were engaging and realistic, though not highly complex.

It's a clue-based puzzle mystery. The main characters asked good questions and followed up on leads. There were enough clues for a reader to figure out whodunit, especially since we know more about how the murder was done than the characters do. There was no sex. There was a minor amount of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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