Murder in the East End (Below Stairs Mystery, #4)

by Jennifer Ashley

A new upstairs, downstairs Victorian murder mystery in the Kat Holloway series from the New York Times bestselling author of Death in Kew Gardens.
 
When young cook Kat Holloway learns that the children of London's Foundling Hospital are mysteriously disappearing and one of their nurses has been murdered, she can't turn away. She enlists the help of her charming and enigmatic confidant Daniel McAdam, who has ties to Scotland Yard, and Errol Fielding, a disreputable man from Daniel’s troubled past, to bring the killer to justice. Their investigation takes them from the grandeur of Mayfair to the slums of the East End, during which Kat learns more about Daniel and his circumstances than she ever could have imagined.

• ISBN10: 0593099370
• ISBN13: 9780593099377
• Publish Date: 4 August 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Berkley
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780593099377

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

Kat Holloway is a clever nonsense cook working below the stairs in a London home. She has secrets but turns out a fine dish, runs a tight by fair kitchen and loves solving a good mystery. In this installment, her friend and romantic interest Daniel McAdam introduces her to his brother. Children have gone missing from the London’s Foundling Hospital and a nurse turns up dead.

Kat, Daniel, James, kitchen staff and friends from above the stairs all work together to find these children and solve the murder.

The case was an interesting one that took us into some seeder sections of London, exposing brothels and even the quirks of the ton who donate to the hospital.

Of course, while all this is going on, Kat must visit her daughter and run the household kitchens. Things were topsy-turvy in the house, and I worried for Kat. It showed just how close-knit those below the stairs have become.

We learned more about Daniel and saw some movement with the romance. It was enough to tease and perhaps clarify intentions, but not nearly enough to satisfy. I enjoyed spending time with Thanos, Cynthia and our newest acquaintance and ally, Judith. She proved to be quite an asset and supporter of Kat.

I’ve grown fond of these characters, even the prickly ones. The case took a clever turn and ended on a high note. We will have to wait until the summer of 2021 for the next installment. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer