Description (from cover): “A mystery of stolen antiquities has Kat Holloway setting aside her apron once again for the intrigues of the upper echelons of Victorian London.
Priceless artwork has gone missing from the home of a wealthy baronet, and his wife stands to take the blame. When Kat’s employer asks for help in clearing her friend’s name, Kat trades her kitchen for the homes of Mayfair’s wealthiest families. Soon antiques are disappearing not only from the extravagant households of connoisseurs and collectors, but from the illustrious British Museum.
As the thefts increase in frequency, Kat calls upon her friend Daniel McAdam, who has already set himself up in a pawnshop on the Strand as a seedy receiver of stolen goods. When a man is murdered in the shop, Kat must use all of her wits to see that the thieves are caught and justice is done.”
My Thoughts:
Kat Holloway is a cook in a wealthy household in London who has a penchant for solving mysteries and finding herself involved in dangerous situations. When her employer Lady Cynthia, asks for her help with clearing her friend’s name of theft of antiquities, Kat is eager to be of assistance. She uses her connections with the households of Mayfair and her mysterious friend Daniel McAdam to investigate the thefts and finds herself promptly in the middle of a murder investigation. Using her connections and her bright wits, she must help her friends and solve the case before someone ends up getting hurt or worse.
This is the second installment in the Below Stairs mystery series and there is a lot of potential for this series. I have come to love the characters, however, the ending of this book left much to be desired. I felt the ending was a little rushed and was confusing. Everything didn’t come together as smoothly as I would have hoped and I was left scratching my head at the head trying to figure everything out. The author did provide some character development in this book, as the reader is not entirely sure of Daniel McAdam’s mysterious past. The author gave us some clues into his past, but did not give away everything. That alone keeps me hooked on this series.
While this wasn’t my favorite read, it wasn’t absolutely horrible either. I really enjoyed the author’s attention to historical details and her knowledge of food and cooking. As a cook and foodie myself, I found that to be very interesting. I am not quite ready to give up on this series and will see what the future of the series holds. As of the writing of this post, there appears to be five books in this series. As this is only book two, I am hoping that the series shows some improvement. The characters are really what brings me back to this series and I am curious to see what the author has planned for them in the other books. If you have read this series, let me know your thoughts in the comments. I am eager to see how others feel about this book and this series.
Overall Rating: 2.5 stars
Author: Jennifer Ashley
Series: Below Stairs Mystery #2
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: July 3, 2018
Pages: 316
Genre: Historical Mystery
Get It: Amazon
Disclaimer: This book was selected by myself at the library, and I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.
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