I enjoyed this break from the usual format. Smythe finds a desperate Blimpy, one of his main informants, needing him help. In this case, the trial is over, and a hanging is in the offing. Now, not only do they need to find the killer, they have to get their Inspector to reopen a closed case. ( )

In this installment in the Mrs. Jeffries mystery series, Smythe's friend, Blimpey Groggins asks Inspector Gerald Witherspoon's household staff, to investigate a murder. His friend, Tommy Odell, has been found guilty of killing a woman and is scheduled to hang for the crime in a few weeks, but Blimpey is convinced that Tommy is innocent. The staff agrees to help, but they realize it's going to be difficult to find clues in a case that is considered already solved. To complicate things further, it wasn't Witherspoon's case; it belonged to Inspector Nivens, Witherspoon's nemesis. Mrs. Jeffries and the rest of the staff have their work cut out for them if they wish to save an innocent man from hanging.

Emily Brightwell has done it once again. Even after writing over 20 Mrs. Jeffries books, she manages to keep the series from going stale. Having the staff investigate a murder that is considered already solved was a great plot device and worked well. It also ups the animosity between Witherspoon and Nivens and opens up lots of possibilities for plot developments in future books in the series. What makes this series so good is how the characters continue to develop in each book and especially Inspector Witherspoon in this book. Some fans of the series will be disappointed that there's no Luty and Hatchet in this entry, but there is plenty of Ruth Cannonberry in exchange. It was also nice to see more of Blimpey and Brightwell adds a neat twist at the end of the book to make his character even more likable. The mystery is nicely plotted and while I thought I knew who the murderer was, I was pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong.

Highly recommended! ( )