Death in Kew Gardens by Jennifer Ashley – Review & Giveaway
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Description:
In return for a random act of kindness, scholar Li Bai Chang presents young cook Kat Holloway with a rare and precious gift—a box of tea. Kat thinks no more of her unusual visitor until two days later when the kitchen erupts with the news that Lady Cynthia’s next-door neighbor has been murdered.
Known about London as an “Old China Hand,” the victim claimed to be an expert in the language and customs of China, acting as intermediary for merchants and government officials. But Sir Jacob’s dealings were not what they seemed, and when the authorities accuse Mr. Li of the crime, Kat and Daniel find themselves embroiled in a world of deadly secrets that reach from the gilded homes of Mayfair to the beautiful wonder of Kew Gardens
Review:
Death in Kew Gardens by Jennifer Ashley is the 3rd book in her Below Stairs Mystery series. This series takes place in Victorian England, and Kat is our heroine and cook extraordinaire. She is a smart, confident, independent, and very loyal and protective to the household staff, where Kat reigns. Kat makes a great detective, as she is always helping solve crimes. What I enjoyed the most about this series is the wonderful feel of ‘Downton Abbey’, with the normal household staffing with housekeeper, cooks, house steward, maids, footman, valet, butlers, etc.
Once again, Kat becomes involved in a murder mystery. When she finds out there was a murder next door, Kat becomes fully involved to find the murderer. It is always great to see Kat’s friends work with her to solve the crime; such as Daniel, Tess, Cynthia, Thanos, and James just to name a few.
The top suspect in the murder is a Chinese gentleman (Li Chang) that Kat met earlier in the day, as she accidently bumped into him. Later that day, he stops by to give Kat a gift for helping him. Kat recognizes that there is prejudice against the Chinese man, and does everything in her power to find clues to help clear him.
In a side story, there is a new housekeeper where Kat lives and works, and everyone hates her. I loved how strong Kat is standing up to this arrogant and mean person; this was a nice added element to the story, especially with everyone below the stairs join hands against the housekeeper.
The mystery heats up, as another person related to the victim is murdered. Kat discovers that Li Chang was looking for special tea plants from his homeland, and this was the reason for the deaths, as these plants were very valuable. What follows is an interesting and intriguing mystery, which had a number of suspects, and quite a few twists along the way. It was a lot of fun to watch Kat and her friends (I loved Tess taking a more active part) play a big part in helping her solve the murders. The slow built romance between Daniel and Kat took a back seat, but we will be seeing more of this in future books.
If you enjoy Victorian stories, with a mystery theme, a Downton Abbey background, two very good leading characters and very well written by Jennifer Ashley, I suggest you start this series.
Reviewed by Barb
Copy provided by Publisher
Jennifer’s publisher is offering a paper copy of DEATH IN KEW GARDENS to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.
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