Mrs. Jeffries and the Yuletide Weddings (Mrs. Jeffries Series #26) Book

It was probably a mistake to read this book from the middle of a series. The characters weren't introduced properly and I am still wondering who on earth are Luty and Hatchet and why they act like a couple of modern day roommates rather than mistress and servant. I am also not sure who Ruth is and why she is so close to the servant crowd at the Witherspoon residence. The only characters introduced properly were Smythe and Betsy and her family.

I wish authors would do some research if they are writing mysteries set in a historical time period. In this book, there are a bunch of servants who are very 'modern' and equal, and are extremely progressive. They are also befriended by the cream of society for some strange reason and get all sorts of help with the case. Poor Inspector Witherspoon is apparently a dumb bloke who can't be trusted to sort out his mysteries himself, while his super time-travelling servant team help him and ensure he gets all the credit. And did I mention that some of the servants are richer than their master? And the author also seems unaware that Victorian England did have laws to prosecute aristocratic people if they committed a murder and there was enough evidence. It's not hard to do some simple research considering you are actually writing a story based in the time period.

The writing is mediocre. The author shifts from one viewpoint to the other too quickly for the reader to get invested in the story. There are also uses of phrases that doesn't ring true at all. What on earth does 'Blast a Spaniard' mean? I doubt any Victorian ever used that phrase. And I was close to feeling that if I have to read Wiggins say 'Cor blimey' once again, I shall rip off that page. There were simply too many characters involved in the Mary-Sue servant team.

The plot itself was actually rather good and entertaining and I would have enjoyed it if it were not for the inconsistencies of the depiction of the Victorian period. The author might have done better to set this story in modern-day England or America. As it is, I simply couldn't believe how these people behaved like they were born in 2020, without any kind of repercussions.