Death Below Stairs

By: Jennifer Ashley

Narrated by: Anne-Marie Piazza

Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's Summary

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.

©2018 Jennifer Ashley (P)2018 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Unpredictable Mystery Without Sex and Gore

I really enjoyed this book and have already listened to the others. What I loved:

-I did not see the ending coming! I had no idea the death of a maid would lead to where it did.
-The main character, she was no nonsense but kind, and smart. I also liked that she was an adult. This book works for many ages; there isn't immature drama, but it's also not boring.
-The dash of romance; I appreciated that it wasn't the main focus, but in there enough to add some interest and flavor.
-The narrator did an awesome job.
-I felt totally immersed in the time period. This was really well written and researched. I liked the little history tidbits I picked up along the way.
-This wasn't a gory book, and there was no strong language or sex scenes.
For those that care: I'd rate it PG-13 because there were sexual topics that may have teens asking questions, but they were handled delicately and without detail, so I think it's still appropriate (much more so than many movies these days). I think most of it would fly over younger kids' heads if a family were listening to this.

Strong characters and great potential for series

I was immediately drawn into the main characters of Kat and Daniel. I loved the details of Kat's perspective as a cook in a Victorian London household and the cooking methods she used. After a few chapters though, I began to wonder if I actually was listening to the first book in the series to discover that there was a novella that proceeded this book. The reference to the prior story constantly made me feel like I was missing something. I almost stop the book to read the novella but as the novella isn't available on audio and I wasn't at a place I could sit down and read - I continued on with story. There were also a few places where I felt the plot jumped or twisted a little unsmoothly. In fact at one point I even rewound the audio a couple of times thinking I must have drifted off and missed something I enjoyed Anne-Marie Piazza's narration and thought she had some very good accents, especially the Welsh accent. Overall it was an enjoyable Historical Mystery and I look forward to the next book in the series.

Excellent narration, weak story

I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes setting of life below stairs in a grand house. The author included some delicious discriptions of food and cooking. The narration was wonderful. But the story and characters bordered on ridiculous, totally implausible.

Another winning series from Jennifer Ashley

Jennifer Ashley has written a new series placed in Victorian England. Kat Holloway is a cook with her own secrets. Daniel McAdam is a mysterious man who looks after her safety. And more. The murder victim is one of the staff. Soon, she and Daniel discover a tangled web of deceit.

Loved the mysteries as well as the details of life in England of the upper and lower classes. And, oh the descriptions of the food! It's hard to believe people routinely ate so much food daily. I enjoyed the building romance between Kat & Daniel. And James is delightful. I hope we will find out much more about Daniel in the next book.

The worst part of the book? Having to wait until July this year for Book 2, Scandal Above Stairs.

My recommendation? For those who enjoy historical mysteries I think you'll like this series.

NOTE: I suggest reading the prequel, A Soupcon of Poison, before this book. In this novella there are more depth about Kat, her secrets, and how she became a cook. We also meet Daniel and learn a little about he and James.

An Exciting Victorian Mystery

In <strong>Death below Stairs</strong> by Jennifer Ashley, set in 1881, Kat Holloway takes a position as cook in a high class mansion owned by Lord Rankin. She is pleased with her kitchen maid, Sinead, called by the family Ellen because hers is too fancy a name. But the second morning, Mrs. Holloway (all cooks and housekeepers were given the courtesy title of Mrs.) comes down to the kitchen to find the body of Sinead in the scullery, her head beaten to a pulp. Concerned that the murder will get written off as done by a vagabond, Mrs. Holloway summons a local man, Daniel McAdam, whom she hopes can help. The one challenge is that the man she is used to seeing as a local errand boy was with Lord Rankin in fine dress the night before. Who is Daniel really? Whatever he is, he has arranged to work in the manor and help look into the suspicious situation.

The book continues with mystery and intrigue, looking into the death of Sinead. Further, there is the mystery that has brought Daniel to the mansion of Lord Rankin in the first place. Things turn out to have national implications, perhaps even all the way to the throne of Queen Victoria.

I thoroughly enjoyed <strong>Death below Stairs</strong>, with its strong mystery, plenty of excitement, interesting historical details, and relatable characters. The plot has enough details of drama to keep us listening avidly. It is also interesting to hear about the life of a cook in a mansion in Victorian England. The bustle of the kitchen keeps Mrs. Holloway on her toes as she prepares meals for both the family and the servants. The illustrations of classes and issues of sexual morality that affect the employability of the serving class are very interesting.

I enjoyed the characters, who come across as real. Mrs. Holloway, the book's narrator, is clearly the roundest. We see her reveal herself in small bits as the book progresses. Daniel proves to be an enigma to both Mrs. Holloway and us, the listeners, as he seems to move among all classes easily, making it hard to place who he truly is. My favorite character was Lady Cynthia, a woman who refuses to allow society's dictates to control her, so she goes around in men's clothing in an era when it was unthinkable for a woman to wear pants. She proves herself to be sharp and caring as well as independent, making me appreciate her a lot.

Anne-Marie Piazza performs the audio edition of this book. It took me a little while to get used to her voice, but once I got started listening, I got more comfortable with her voice. Piazza uses accents that convey a good sense of the various classes found in the London society. She also creates distinct voices for the different characters that make them come across clearly.

I thoroughly appreciated my experience listening to <strong>Death below Stairs</strong>. The book was fascinating and had a double set of mysteries that led to a real adventure. I enjoyed the creative characters and connected with them. I highly recommend this book to fans of historical mystery and give it five stars.

Kat Holloway Mysteries Book One

Kat Holloway Mysteries Book One

Kat is thrown into a deadly mystery when her new assistant is murdered in the night. She seeks out the help of Daniel McAdam, a previous acquaintance who seems to be able to do anything he pleases. The two begin looking for her murderer, only to find a much deeper plot. During their investigation, Kat and Daniel have several moments of romantic interest. Kat cannot figure out who Daniel is, though, so she is wary of getting too involved.

If you're looking for a new Historical Mystery with hints of romance, this is the book for you!

The first of another great series?

I can't answer that yet, But with Jennifer Ashley's track record I would have to say that it will be. A mysterious chameleon of a man, and a no nonsense cook, and a mystery or two. I love Ashley's Captain Lacy mysteries series, so it was a no brainier to dive into this one. I enjoyed it very much and was sorry when it ended.

Entertaining

Terrific book. I can't wait for the next one. I hope there will be a next one. Death Below Stairs is an interesting mystery, filled with rich descriptions and terrific characters make for a very enjoyable listen. Love the narrator her performance was perfection. I will look for more books from both the author and narrator.

One and two dimensional characters

Best part was the cooking and kitchen routines. Characters were flat and predictable. and the story was pretty unlikely. don't know if I'll follow up, even for simple escapism.

Satisfying Victorian Cozy! More Please!

I found this to be a very satisfying start to new cozy mystery series. There is a slow burn romance element between Kat, the protagonist cook/amateur investigator and Daniel, a sort of mysterious type who is comfortable above and below stairs, but I didn’t find the romance to be at all in the *forefront* of the story. Just something you’re rooting to see work out in the future.

I often seek out historical mysteries with female main characters. I really like it if the women are smart and competent yet still find ways to flourish in time periods and cultures that generally don’t encourage such behavior. Kat’s had a several bad turns in her life up to now, but has become an excellent cook and made a good life for herself and those she loves. I often listen to audiobooks while cooking or baking and enjoyed her discussion of her job cooking for a household in Mayfair (also totally enjoyed while driving...Not for cooks only!).

Also, I avoid gruesome violence and the serial killer celebrations that form so much of mystery fiction. This was a solid cozy with a few twists. Most surprising, the plot builds to an action-packed conclusion like you would see at the end of an action movie. So fun and unexpected.

I haven’t read JA’s other historical series, but will check them out. Loved this narrator for this book. Her voice and accent were very well-suited to Kat and her station, sensible and self confident. Additional note, the book is technically the second in the series as the characters were first introduced in a short story collection from multiple authors. Events from the first story (which also sound action-packed and satisfying) are referred to early on in this book. I don’t think reading the short story first would make any difference (it’s not on Audible), but I liked this so much, I have already downloaded to kindle.