After a somewhat eventful first day at her new place of
employment as cook to the Rankin household, Mrs. Kat Holloway
expected the following day to be quieter. Alas, it was not to
be as Kat finds her newly promoted assistant cook Sinead dead;
Sinead was bludgeoned to death. Was the young woman mixed with
dangerous people, unknowingly or not? Kat hopes that her friend
Daniel McAdam can have a look before the constables, but Daniel
was otherwise occupied. Who killed a young and innocent servant
and why?
DEATH BELOW STAIRS was such a wonderful discovery! Jennifer
Ashley's recreation of Victorian England feels so accurate,
that I was swept away from the beginning, mostly due to the
author's astounding attention to detail. I loved experiencing
the new inventions and discoveries through the eyes of Kat, and
the mentions of the menus and food preparation are truly
enchanting! The story unfolds at a slower pace, while clues add
up, building to a crescendo and a startling conclusion. There
are really two mysteries that tie in at some point, and of the
two I'm still not sure which was the more exciting. I thought
it quite daring for the author to write in the first person
point of view, that of Kat's in 1881, and Ms. Ashley knew what
she was doing, because she never falters in her use of the
era's language.
The characters are magnificent, be it the enigmatic and
charismatic Daniel; Kat, a woman of her time; the outrageous
and fabulous Lady Cynthia, and the brilliant and charming Mr.
Thanos; I do hope we will see more of these two secondary
characters because they are fantastic. If Kat keeps secrets
from the world, Daniel is a man of mystery, and I'm still not
sure if I know exactly who and what he is. DEATH BELOW STAIRS
is a welcome change from the usual "above stairs" novels; the
plot is clever and intricate, the writing is flawless, and the
romance most convincing. Below Stairs will be a
splendid series!
Highly sought-after young cook Kat Holloway takes a
position in a Mayfair mansion and soon finds herself
immersed in the odd household of Lord Rankin. Kat is
unbothered by the family’s eccentricities as long as they
stay away from her kitchen, but trouble finds its way
below stairs when her young Irish assistant is murdered.
Intent on discovering who killed the helpless kitchen
maid, Kat turns to the ever-capable Daniel McAdam, who is
certainly much more than the charming delivery man he
pretends to be. Along with the assistance of Lord
Rankin’s unconventional sister-in-law and a mathematical
genius, Kat and Daniel discover that the household murder
was the barest tip of a plot rife with danger and treason
—one that’s a threat to Queen Victoria herself.
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