Death Below Stairs

Death Below Stairs by Jennifer Ashley
A Death Below Stairs mystery series #1. Historical. Female protagonist as main lead.
Kat Holloway is hired as the head cook at the Mayfair mansion owned by eccentric Lord Rankin. Shortly after she starts, she finds her young Irish assistant murdered in the pantry. In the times when servants simply won’t talk to the constables, Kat finds herself investigating alongside Daniel McAdam, who is more than the delivery man he appears to be. With the help of a few more of their friends, Kat and Daniel discover a threat to Queen Victoria and do their best to save the queen.

An interesting group of individuals adding their unique talents into a pot and coming up with a good enough dish to prevent disaster. show more The way they worked out the time tables and plan was impressive and creative.
For me, there was a lot of “telling” rather than action but other members of the bookclub liked that aspect of the story and thought it worked well.
A surprising twist makes the conclusion a winner.
My favorite piece in the story really had nothing to do with the mystery but rather Kat stopping the Lord of the mansion from having his jollies with the maids that weren’t in a position to say no. Well done Kat. show less

The first in a new series, Death Below Stairs is well written with better developed characters than often seen in a new series. It takes place in London in 1881. Kat (Katherine) Holloway, an accomplished and experienced cook, has been forced to look for a new job because her previous employer moved from London. Because Kat's references are excellent she becomes the cook in the home of Lord and Lady Rankin. It isn't long before Kat realizes all isn't as it should be in the Rankin household and when the body of her assistant is found in the larder, Kat takes part in untangling the mystery.

I've discovered there is a prequel to the series and it will probably fill in some blanks in Kat's history. The second book in the series is available show more and I will definitely read it, I think this is a series I'll enjoy. Love the cover art too! show less

Cook Kat Holloway, a victim of a marriage scam and mother of a young girl in the care of friends, embarks on a new adventure in the home of Lord and Lady Rankin. The next morning she discovers her assistant's murdered body and a fragment of paper with some interesting numerical figures. She calls upon an old friend Daniel McAdam to help discover who killed the young woman because she realizes no true investigation will occur. The paper leads them to suspect a Fenian plot against the queen herself. The main characters of Kat and Daniel as well as Daniel's "son" James and Lady Rankin's sister Cynthia are all interesting and well-developed. It is, however, inconceivable that Kat would have been allowed to get away so early in her work for show more the Rankins. Daniel is somewhat of a mystery as he's comfortable as a servant or as a gentleman. Kat must also make a decision that will impact her future with her daughter. Although this is the first in the series, I felt I'd missed the backstory. There is a prequel novella I wish I'd read first. The series holds promise. I want to read the prequel and then move to the second book. show less

Death Below Stairs is the first book in a new historical mystery series from Jennifer Ashley. If you are reading this because you like to read a series I would suggest getting the novella Soupcon of Poison which is a prequel to the series. This book can be read as a standalone or as a first book but expect a few instances where you'll feel like you missed something. If you're reading this mainly because you like the description the prequel is less important though you'll still have the feeling of being lost a few times, but nothing major or too intrusive.

This serves as a good first volume as much for establishing the characters as for the story itself. The feeling of being back in the period will be strong and the characters are both show more fun and interesting.

The mystery seemed almost secondary to being immersed in the workings of a Victorian era mansion but was still sufficient to keep a reader engaged. The main type of reader who may not like it, based on a couple of reviews I have seen, are those who don't want character development or a truly historical novel but just a plain and simple mystery. If you prefer cookie-cutter mysteries without thought given to other story elements you might want to skip this, the novel is as much about Kat Holloway as it is about the mystery.

I was probably more drawn into Kat's story and the wonderful descriptive passages about the setting and about cooking. I was interested in the mystery but after a certain point it became a bit more of a whytheydunit than a whodunit. Through it all I enjoyed the ambience of the time period and the setting. show less

It's a new series to get hooked on if the rest will be as good as this one. Thank you GoodReads and Berkley Random House books for this giveaway it is one to keep and reread. This Victorian era mystery has a wide range of interesting characters. The head cook seems to have layers of mystery added to the dead body found in the pantry. All are handled with class by the common sense hand of a good cook. I look forward to reading more of this series. My only complaint is there seems to have been a mini prequel novella in e-books. I will not tell more about the book because I do not wish to spoil it for the next reader.

Wonderful first book in a series (excluding the introductory ebook short [b:A Soupçon of Poison|27878312|A Soupçon of Poison (Kat Holloway Mysteries, #0.5)|Jennifer Ashley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1492656794s/27878312.jpg|47871263]) featuring Kat Halloway, a skilled domestic chef in Victorian London.

This book combines an accurate, vivid daily life background, realistic characterization, constant food description, cooking competence, class/status commentary, a strong heroine who knows her mind, a plot against Queen Victoria, and a murder below stairs.

Yes, it does have a lot, and it works very well. The pacing is mainly steady, at times a bit slow, and then exploding into movement. Their is a bit of romance between our show more heroine and a mysterious-yet-familiar hero, but that generally takes a back seat to both the demands of working in service in a grand house and the complications of the traitorous plot and in house murder.

In my mind, there were two unresolved issues, and a questionable inconsistency in characterization, but overall the book was really enjoyable, and Kat Halloway is a heroine that I could grow to love.

*eARC Netgalley* show less

This Victorian murder mystery featuring Mrs. Katherine Holloway had me glued to my chair until I finished the novel. I love this era and if you are a fan of “Upstairs, Downstairs” or “Downtown Abby” as I am, you’ll be hooked as well. Kat who is one of London's premier cooks has just started her new post on Mount Street for Lord and Lady Rankin. She’s already questioning her judgment in taking this post on her first day of work due to a few oddities that rub her the wrong way. Could it get even odder? Yes, it does the following morning when she goes downstairs to her kitchen to start the morning tea she finds the body of a young woman in her pantry.
One thing for sure Kat's not going to let this murder go unsolved. She show more enlists the help of her friend, Daniel McAdams who she had met at her last post. Mr. McAdam’s is a mystery all to himself, she’s not sure what to think of him, one minute he’s dressed as a Lord himself then the next he’s a lowly stable hand. He’s proven to be a good friend and ally to Kat, even though he keeps her off guard. I can’t wait to see where their relationship goes.
Lady Rankin’s older sister, the eccentric but fun Lady Cynthia even offers her services to help solve this mystery. They find themselves involved in something more sinister than any of them could ever imagine.
This mystery has several plots going so there isn’t a dull moment, like the relationship between Kat and Daniel, plus something is brewing besides tea in the household of the Rankins.
I wasn't aware that there was a novella "A Soupcon of Poison" which if I had read it first I would have understood the ties between the main character’s better. But it’s not necessary because it’s still good as a stand-alone. I purchased the novella and enjoyed it as well. I’m looking forward to reading the next installment to this series “Scandal Above the Stairs” which is to be released sometime in June.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary ARC from the publisher through NetGalley. My Opinion and ratings are my own. show less