Death at the Crystal Palace by Jennifer Ashley – a Review

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Description:
While attending an exhibition at the Crystal Palace, young cook Kat Holloway is approached by a woman in distress. Lady Covington is a wealthy widow convinced that her entire family is trying to kill her. Kat feels compelled to help, and she escorts the lady home to discover whether she is delusional or in true danger.

It is quickly apparent that the threat is all too real, and Kat promises aid. Her charming confidant Daniel McAdam is busy infiltrating a plot against the Crown, and she worries he will not have time to lend his sleuthing expertise. This might be for the best, as Kat fears her growing emotional entanglement with Daniel can only lead to disaster. But soon, Kat faces a more serious threat when her involvement in both investigations plunges her into peril.

Review:

Death at the Crystal Palace is the 5^th book in her historical Kat Holloway/Below Stairs Mystery series. This series takes place in Victorian, England, centered around our heroine Kat Holloway, who is a cook extraordinaire, as well as a great detective.  Kat is smart, savvy, independent, loyal and is very protective of her below the stairs staff.  As I have noted previously, this series has a wonderful feel of a historical Downton Abbey.

While Kat attends with her friends, and her daughter Grace an exhibition at the Crystal Palace, she is approached by a wealthy widow, Lady Covington.  Seems Lady Covington has not been feeling well and is convinced that someone in her family is poisoning her.  She tells Kat that she has heard about her detective skills from others and wants her to investigate who is threatening her.

When Kat visits Lady Covington, she uses the guise of giving their cook a special lemon cake recipe, and meets many of her family and staff.  Kat begins to suspect that the threat is indeed real, and starts investigating what poison is being used; and why. Lady Covington is very wealthy, having been widowed twice, with a daughter and son; as well as a stepson and step daughter, who all may have financial reasons to try and kill her.  She finds many of the family members, as well as staff are not overly friendly.   In a short time, at an outing, Lady Covington’s step daughter eats a basket of food that was intended for the Lady, and dies from the poisoned food.

What follows is Kat escalating her investigation to find the killer, before they strike again. She sends Lady Cynthia to stay for a few days with the Covington family to keep an eye on them all.  Kat will also help Daniel, who is very deep undercover to infilter a plot against the crown; both of these cases will put Kat in danger.  

Death at the Crystal Palace was a wonderful suspenseful mystery, with Kat finding herself on the forefront in not only trying to solve one threat, helping Daniel on another, but also in helping out her friends, and trying to spend time with her daughter.  The slow build romance between Kat and Daniel was still in the background, but we can see both of them very much expressing their feelings for each other.  What makes this a wonderful series, is not only how great Kat is, but the scenes where she and Tess are preparing all these wonderful dishes for the upstairs family, as well as learn more about below the stairs. 

Once again, Jennifer Ashley gives us another fabulous story revolving around our heroine, Kat Holloway.  Death at the Crystal Palace was very well written by Ashley. If you enjoy Victorian stories, with a mystery theme, a Downton Abbey background, two very good leading characters and great secondary characters, you should be reading this series. If you have not read this series, I suggest you start with the first book.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher