I didn’t read the novella beforehand and was not put out by any means. Kat Holloway and Daniel McAdams were first introduced in the prequel novella- A Soupcon of Poison. Not everyone can be nobility and not everyone’s HEA is found by marrying into it. I enjoy historicals that build around the working class. Set in the Victorian era, Ashley focuses her story on those who live beneath the stairs, taking a considerable amount of time to describing this world while paying special attention to the kitchen, the menus, and the effort involved in feeding a large household. With the help of the elusive Daniel McAdams, his son James, Lady Rankin’s cross-dressing sister Lady Cynthia, and a math genius, Kat and her friends soon discover a treasonous plot that threatens life, limb, and liberty.ĭeath Below Stairs is the first in Jennifer Ashley’s historical mystery series featuring a young, single, intelligent working woman to whom trouble seems to actively seek out. When the scullery maid/kitchen assistant is bludgeoned to death in the pantry, Kat is determined to discover who killed this bright young woman and why.
Formally trained and hiding a few secrets of her own, Kat has no qualms in dealing with the reclusive Lady Rankin, the authoritarian Lord Rankin, or any member of the particular household as long as they stay out of her way and allow her to do her job. Kat Holloway, a talented cook, has been hired on by the Mayfair residence after leaving her former position due to a small matter of her employer dying. No wonder she puts on trousers and behaves boorishly. She must beg for room and board from her friends and family, be the poor relation, the spinster no one wants. Lady Cynthia has no prospects unless she marries and no inheritance unless some benefactor provides it for her. I have the option to take a job to keep myself fed, no matter how menial the position.
Favorite Quote: “I often pity the upper classes.
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