Murder in the East End by Jennifer Ashley – a Review
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Description:
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.
Review:
Murder in the East End by Jennifer Ashley is the 4th book in her Below Stairs Mysteries series. Brief refresher on this series: The story takes place in Victorian, England, with Kat Holloway, our heroine, who is a cook extraordinaire and a great detective. She is a smart, confident, independent, and very loyal and protective to the household staff, where she reigns. What I love about this series, is the Downton Abbey feel of above and below the stairs, as well as this being historical time.
In Murder in the East End, Kat becomes involved in a mystery involving missing orphan children. Daniel comes to Kat to ask for her help, as some children from the Foundling Hospital have disappeared. We get to learn more about Daniel, as we meet his brother Errol, who is a vicar, with a troubled past. One of the nurses at the hospital is also missing, which Errol pushes Daniel and Kat to help him find the girl and the children. In a short time, the nurse will be found dead, with everyone fearing for the lives of the children.
Kat continues to work around her full-time job as cook, with Tess becoming an excellent assistant. Cynthia, the niece of the lady of the house, continues to be a good friend to Kat, as well as wanting to help on the new case. We also get to meet a new character, Miss Townsend, an artist, who starts sketching the ladies in the kitchen; she befriends Kat, as she is also smart, and wealthy. It is fun to see Kat cook for the family, and all the delicious food she makes. I love the upstairs downstairs feel of this story, with housekeeper, cooks, maids, footman, butlers, etc.
In between, she visits the hospital to talk to other staff about the children, and finds that perhaps board members may be embezzling money. What follows is an interesting and intriguing mystery, which kept us unable to put the book down. It was a lot of fun to watch Kat and her friends work together in helping her find the children.
Murder in the East End was a nice cozy suspenseful mystery, with Kat in the forefront in solving the crimes. I also like that Daniel and Kat’s slow build romance is starting to heat up (though still in the background), with both having feelings for each other. 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
