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    Death Below Stairs
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    Death Below Stairs
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    Death Below Stairs
    Audiobook9 hours

    Death Below Stairs

    Written by Jennifer Ashley

    Narrated by Anne-Marie Piazza

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Highly sought-after cook Kat Holloway takes a position in a Mayfair mansion and soon finds herself immersed in the odd household of Lord Rankin. Kat is fine with the family's eccentricities as long as they stay away from her kitchen, but trouble finds its way below stairs when her assistant is murdered.

    Afraid for her life, Kat turns to the mysterious Daniel McAdam for help. Daniel takes a position in the house as a footman and stand-in valet so that he can investigate covertly, but Kat cooks up a suspect list of her own. Together, they uncover crime in places low and high—including a plot that may threaten even Queen Victoria herself.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDreamscape Media Audio
    Release dateJan 2, 2018
    ISBN9781520090856
    Unavailable
    Death Below Stairs
    Author

    Jennifer Ashley

    Jennifer Ashley is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Kat Holloway Below Stairs Mystery series, the Shifters Unbound series, and the Mackenzies & McBrides series. Her novels have won several awards, including RT Reviewer's Choice awards and a RITA.

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    Reviews for Death Below Stairs

    4/5

    95 ratings12 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Solid victorian mystery. But I do have a hard time believing that a head cook in a large household would have had the amount of time necessary to do the things this one does. I will probably have to read the 2nd Kat Holloway mystery to see where the series goes.
    • 5/5
      Kat Holloway is a young woman who is a cook. She has worked for a number of homes in Mayfair. Now she has accepted employment in the house of Lord Rankin, a prominent financier and his wife. Also in the household is his sister-in-law Lady Cynthia who enjoys dressing like a man. She is only in the household one day when she steps into her larder and finds her cook's assistant Sinead beaten to death. Kat immediately contacts her mysterious friend Daniel McAdam who can mingle with all layers of society and who helped her with an earlier problem.Daniel confesses to her that Lord Rankin's household was already under suspicion. He might be investing for the Fenians who are trying for a free Ireland and using terroristic attacks to advance their cause. A mysterious scrap of paper found near Sinead leads Kat, Daniel, Lady Cynthia, and others on a wild chase to protect Queen Victoria.Kat tells the story in the first person and we gradually learn some of her secrets including that she was once married to an abusing bigamist and has a ten-year-old daughter living with friends. We also learn that Kat is quite curious both about what is going on in Lord Rankin's home and about her friend Daniel McAdam. She has a strong sense of right and wrong and notable common sense. Daniel is a wonderful hero too. He is some sort of investigator but says he isn't with the police. He is protective both of Kat and his teenage son James. He has contacts all over London and can transform himself into anything from a man-of-all-work to a dapper middle class gentleman. I really want to know who he's working for. I like the growing relationship between the practical Kat and the secretive Daniel. It is a romance though between two people who both have secrets to keep. The mystery was engaging and action-packed. I felt when I began this one that I had missed a previous book which detailed how Daniel and Kat met. There were quite a few references to something that had happened earlier between them. The Aurhot's Note at the back says there is a short story A Soupcon of Poison that does give this information and can't wait to read it. I also can't wait to read more books about Kat and Daniel.
    • 4/5
      I didn’t have strong feelings about the mystery, but I was entertained by the story unfolding, and I enjoyed the characters and their relationships.
    • 4/5
      It's 1881 London and cook Kat Holloway has taken up a new position in the household of Lord Rankin. But on her second day of employment she discovers a body in her pantry. She involves old friend Daniel McAdam, but the death is only the beginning of the mystery.
      I enjoyed this well-written story, and liked the characters and their interplay. I hope to read more about them in the next book.
      I would recommend reading the prequel novella to get some background on the characters.
      A NetGalley Book
    • 4/5
      I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I guess I liked it because I kept reading but sometimes I felt like I was dropped into the middle of something and didn't understand why or what was happening. It starts with the murder of a kitchen maid and our heroine, Mrs. Holloway, feeling responsible and determined to find out who did it, chases off after Irish Feinians with her friend Daniel to Cornwall. She spent inordinate of time away from her position as cook in a wealthy household and in the last two chapters we are given a summary of the young maid's life and what probably caused her death.
    • 4/5
      4.5*I received an eARC at no cost from the author. Although I already knew (and loved) Jennifer Ashely as a historical romance writer, I had never read a mystery book from her, so this was my first attempt. Our main character, Kat, is a cook with a lovely young daughter and a past. She goes to work in a house where a young girl (a scullery maid) dies. And so she decides to get Daniel’s help – he’s someone she knows from her past, but that neither she nor us know much about. And that doesn’t really change throughout the book. It might be the only thing I would like to change – I would have liked to have known just a little bit more about Daniel and his son James, but I’m guessing Jennifer Ashley will start lifting the veil a bit more in the next book. It was full of mystery and I usually find out right away who killed whom, but in this book I was kept on the edge of my chair trying to find out who planned to kill the scullery maid. In the end, it made perfect sense, and I really enjoyed finding out what was happening alongside with Kat and Daniel. It was a very pleasurable read, with a small touch of romance between our main characters. I can’t wait to see what happens next to our Kat, and if she and Daniel upgrade their romance status (I’m sure they will!!).
    • 4/5
      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 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.
    • 5/5
      When I heard this book was a like a Downton Abbey murder mystery it did not disappoint! I was so wrapped up in it that I turned the audio on to listen to it every chance I got. I loved it!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      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 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.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Death Below StairsByJennifer AshleyWhat it's all about...Mrs. Holloway...chef extraordinaire...is also a woman with many secrets. Mrs. H. is a chef in a lovely London home. However...barely a dinner into her job her young helper is found dead in the larder. Mrs. H. throws herself into the task of finding this murderer. There are quite a few mysteries in this book. Daniel...friend of Mrs. H. is a mystery. Lady Cynthia...the cigar smoking pants wearing sister of the Lady Of The House...is a mystery. In fact...the comings and goings of many of the staff working in this house were very mysterious! Who stole Mrs. H’s dinner? Who trimmed the cheese? Who is threatening the Queen and national security? Mrs. H. Is determined to find these answers! Why I wanted to read it...I loved the concept of this book. I loved the kitchen descriptions. Who knew people living in the mid 1800’s ate so many different kinds of fish and joints and puddings? What made me truly enjoy this book...I truly did love the writing and the concept of this book. I loved reading about Mrs. H’s strength and fearlessness as well as her weaknesses! Why you should read it, too...Readers who love sort of historical mysteries should love this one. I loved the author’s note about this book. Mrs. H. was on her mind for a long time and sort of rediscovered in her notes after quite a few years. She brought her to life when the time was right! I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley and Amazon. It was my choice to read it and review it.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This is a fantastic start to a new series. I loved getting to know Kat and her friends. I love the time period. I love how they could solve murders without dna and other things that we rely so heavily on. I am really looking forward to the next book in this series. I received a copy of this book from Firsttoread for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Kat Holloway is employed as the head cook for Lord Rankin in London. She finds the family members to be a bit odd with Lord Rankin spending his time involved in secretive financial matters. His wife rarely leaves her bed and appears to be depressed. His eccentric unmarried sister in law also lives with them and enjoys dressing in men’s clothing. Kat accepts her employer's faults and continues to excel at her job. When she gets a day off, she travels to visit her young daughter. One day Kat’s assistant is found murdered at the estate. The reaction from her employers seems peculiar and Kat sets out to understand what really happened.This book is a mystery filled with interesting characters and suspense. Scandal Above Stairs, book two in this series, is set to be released in July 2018.

      1 person found this helpful