Below Stairs Mystery by Jennifer Ashley – Series Review

Tags

5 stars, Anne-Marie Piazz, Book Review, historical, Jennifer Ashley, mystery, romance, series, Victorian England

The World of Kat Hollway

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 often finds its way below stairs.  

Below Stairs Mystery Series summary adapted from the book blurb for Death Below Stairs.

Review

I was introduced to the Below Stairs Mystery series in 2018 when I read Death Below Stairs, the first book in a new series. The Victorian era historical mystery had a unique appeal because of its working class heroine, Kat Holloway, who solves mysteries while she whips up sauces, bakes seed cake and pours tea. Kat’s friend, Daniel McAdam, is another working class character whose mysteriousness is as appealing as it is annoying to Kat. Kat and Daniel help each other out – often – and enjoy a little very slow burning romance along the way.

The series is full of wonderful secondary characters that complement every aspect of the story. Lady Cynthia, who lives in the house where Kat works, is the eccentric, yet charming upper class cross dresser who always has Kat’s back. Daniel’s friend, Thanos, is super smart and is also awkwardly sweet on Cynthia. Daniel’s son James is the youth-nearly-a-man that wants to be like his father. With the second book, Kat takes on an assistant cook, Tess. Her rough beginnings lend her a charm that works because she devoted to Kat. Mr. Davis, the household butler is gruff, yet oddly helpful at times.

All the main and secondary characters are likable and intelligent. And of course, they all love to solve a good mystery.

The author’s attention to detail often includes mouth-watering dishes as prepared by one of the best cooks in London, along with colorful descriptions of the kaleidescope setting of London and the people that inhabit the city.

Typically, each book has an intricately woven plot that strings out details until the very end, sustaining the reader that likes to keep guessing but doesn’t really want to figure out the mystery until the very last page.

I listened to the audiobooks of books 2 and 3 (Scandal Above Stairs and Death in Kew Gardens). Anne-Marie Piazz is a fine narrator whose subtle voice changes for different characters were unaffected and perfect.

I was able to download the most recent installment, Death at the Crystal Palace, from my library’s digital collection, so check your library to save some $$$. I skipped #4, Murder in the East End, due to the unavailability of a low cost option, but I’ve put it on my TBR. Book #6, The Secret of Bow Lane, will be released in August and it is on my NetGalley review list.

A Soupcon of Poison is a series prequel and the e-book is currently free in the Past Crimes anthology.

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A Treacherous Trade (Fiona Mahoney Mystery, #2) by Kerrigan Byrne – Review

Tags

5 stars, Book Review, historical, historical mystery, Jack the Ripper, Kerrigan Byrne, mystery, series, thriller, Victorian England

Review of A Treacherous Trade

Fiona’s job of cleaning up after dead bodies (postmortem sanitation specialist) pays well, especially when it leads to not-quite-legal side jobs for a crime boss.  It allows her to be independent in an era where single women are generally not taken care of.  It also puts her in contact with the death of prostitutes.  Which causes her to get involved with finding justice for the women, since the police have no interest in solving the murders. 

A Treacherous Trade contains plenty of twists and turns to lead Fiona down several trails, following up on leads.  Just about everyone she comes into contact with falls under suspicion.  This keeps the reader guessing – just like this reader likes it.

This book has many fascinating characters, including a cop, an organized crime boss, an assassin, Oscar Wilde, and a psychic aunt. Each deftly carries out their vital part in the story.  There are no less than 3 men who seem to be attracted to Fiona who is steadfastly single, with no intentions of marrying.  Fiona may end up fighting some small attraction to one or more of them.

Jack the Ripper, who was responsible for the murder of Fiona’s friend (backstory) is in the background in this book.  The Ripper is always on Fiona’s mind though, and will be in the picture for the foreseeable future – if my guess is correct.

Book 2 in the Fiona Mahoney Mystery series has all the same exquisite, sinister qualities that I appreciated in the first book:  1) a protagonist with a dark side, 2) supporting characters that are eccentric, fascinating, vital, and often equally dark, 3) and the gloomy, shadowy city of London for the story setting.  A Treacherous Trade is completely stand alone.  But, like the first book in the series, the last chapter is a teaser for the next book which looks to be due out in October.   

Thanks to the publisher who provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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About A Treacherous Trade by Kerrigan Byrne

Nothing interrupts a good confession like a murder.

Fiona Mahoney stands in the ashes of her hopes facing her tempting adversary, Inspector Grayson Croft. Her sins are about to spill from her lips, when he says the one thing that could dispel all thoughts of revelation or redemption.

Someone is leaving the corpses of prostitutes in the streets, and a name is being whispered in the fearful shadows. The name against which Fiona would sell her very soul for vengeance.

Jack the Ripper.

Only the promise of justice could entice Fiona to do something as reckless and daring as infiltrating the ranks of elite courtesans who accept the threat of violence as a nightly norm. She quickly learns that sin and scandal are powerfully compelling motives for murder, and that the secrets of the dead are sometimes worth keeping… if only to avoid becoming the next victim.

When the danger becomes too deadly to face alone, Fiona is forced to call upon old enemies and new friends including “the Hammer” a charismatic gangster, and “the Blade” an enigmatic assassin, and maybe even the Ripper, himself. Who better to help pursue a relentless evil than the devil you know?

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The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart by Nancy Campbell Allen – Review

Tags

5 stars, book club, Book Review, mystery, Nancy Campbell Allen, romance, Victorian England

About The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart by Nancy Campbell Allen

Amelie Hampton is a hopeless romantic, which makes her the perfect columnist to answer lonely heart letters in The Marriage Gazette. When Amelie plays matchmaker with two anonymous lonely hearts, she also decides to secretly observe the couple’s blind date. To her surprise, the man who appears for the rendezvous is Harold Radcliffe—a grieving widower and a member of Amelie’s book club.

Police detective Michael Baker has been struggling ever since his best friend and brother-in-law died in the line of fire. Because he knows the dangers of his job, he has vowed never to marry and subject a wife and family to the uncertainty of his profession. But when he meets Miss Hampton, he is captured by her innocence, beauty, and her quick mind.

When a woman’s body is pulled from the river, Michael suspects the woman’s husband—Harold Radcliffe—of foul play. Amelie refuses to believe that Harold is capable of such violence but agrees to help, imagining it will be like one of her favorite mystery novels. Her social connections and clever observations prove an asset to the case, and Amelie is determined to prove Mr. Radcliffe’s innocence. But the more time Amelie and Michael spend together, the more they trust each other, and the more they realize they are a good team, maybe the perfect match.

They also realize that Mr. Radcliffe is hiding more than one secret, and when his attention turns toward Amelie, Michael knows he must put an end to this case before the woman he loves comes to harm.

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Review of The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart

From the beginning of this story, sparks fly between Amelie and Michael.  Though at first, the sparks at not the romantic kind.  More like sparks cause by friction.  Their first meeting, in the rain, while they are both spying on the same person, leads to less than ideal first impressions.  But they agree to work together even if their goals do not align.  While Amelie wants to prove Mr. Radcliffe is a good person, Michael feels he may be a murderer.

What follows is a story of discovery of personalities.  While they both figure out who Mr. Radcliffe is, they also get to know each other.  The romance is slow and comfortable.

Amelie, the heroine, is very young and a little naïve.  So, not my favorite type of heroine.  But she is a fast learner, so as the story progresses, she becomes more interesting.

The author used admirable restraint with Michael.  She could easily have made the hero either more charming or more antagonistic.  But the low key detective makes a great hero as a man of honor, intelligence and grace.

All through the story, the reader pretty much knows who the bad guy is.  What keeps the reader interested is watching Michael and Amelie prove the guilt of someone who seems to be a just grieving widower.  Mystery is woven into the story since you never know where the bad guy will strike next. 

The Victorian England setting is light on historical details, so the mystery is the focus of the story.  For avid readers, there is a book club in the story.  The meeting and its members add interest and provide a little humor.

The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart is perfect for readers of historical fiction who like a little romance with their mysteries. Thanks to the publisher who provided a copy through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

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