Death at the Crystal Palace by Jennifer Ashley - Series: A Below Stairs Mystery (#5)

Kat is at an exhibition when a lady comes up to her and tells her she's being poisoned.  She's not sure if it's true or not, but she goes home with her.  It's true.  How can she save her?

Berkley and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published July 6th.

Kat has a boyfriend that spends time under cover helping the police solve crimes.  She talks to him about the investigation she's going to do and he warns her to be safe and take care.  He has his own case and won't be around to help her.

Kat is a cook and a good one.  She takes a lemon cake to the house where people get ill and sees what she can find.  Life is very different from where she lives.  These people have titles and money and sometimes they have disagreements, too.

It takes a lot of work with help from her friends to determine who is trying to kill the Lady.  One of the family members dies because she ate the food that was supposed to be the Lady's.

Kat finally narrows it down but the killer has a knife and she is defenseless.  Will she survive?

Murder in the East End by Jennifer Ashley

When Kat finds out children are missing from the foundlings home, she's upset.  They're young, small and can't protect themselves.  Where did they disappear to?

Net Galley and Berkley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

As she questions staff, they tell her they've been adopted.  But the addresses that have been given are either empty lots or new development going up.  When the little nurse living there and taking care of the children disappears it's another concern.  Kat gets her boyfriend to help.  He finds the nurse but she's dead.

Kat meets Daniel's older brother.  He was in love with the nurse.  She learns a lot about both of them as they look for the killers and the children.

They find themselves visiting the wrong side of town looking for the children.  Kat gets roughed up.  Soon Daniel has got the police helping them.

Will they find the children alive or dead?

This is a busy story with complications, but it's a good read.

Death in Kew Gardens by Jennifer Ashley

It all begins when she runs into Mr. Li on the street.  She knocks him down with her parcel and she apologizes.   He does, too.  Then he brings her a present in apology.  She didn't want to take it because she knocked him down.  He insists.  It's a beautiful box of tea.  It tastes like ambrosia.  She loves it. She's shocked when the man next is knifed to death in his bed She is even more shocked when Mr. Li is accused of killing him!

Berkley and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (Thank you).  It will be published June 4th.

She's insistent that it wasn't him because he was visiting her at the supposed time of death.  However a witness saw a Chinaman leave the house near that time so Li gets arrested.  Then a Chinese boy is killed in the Kew Gardens.  It was the man's son.  Had he killed his dad?  Kat doesn't think so.  She and Daniel start their own investigation.

In the meantime a new housekeeper has been hired and she's a real pain.  She dislikes everybody and threatens to fire everybody.  They are thinking of quitting anyway.  Kat tries to keep her team together and get rid of this housekeeper as well as try to solve this mystery.

She does solve the mystery but it turns into a knife fight in Kew gardens and you're not sure who's going to be alive at the end...

I had no idea who the killer was.  This was a good mystery! 

Scandal Above Stairs by Jennifer Ashley

Someone is stealing paintings and Kat's employer asks her to investigate.  She enjoys solving mysteries and says yes.  It's even better when her love interest is involved.

Berkley Books sent me an ARC of this book to read for review (thank you).  It will be published July 3rd.

Despite suspicions, it appears this is a crime above stairs, not below.  And there is more crime tied to it.

The crime is in the background in this story.  You learn a lot about the working of the servants, how many meals are served, the various menus and more since the detective is the cook.

Whoever the thief is, they're vicious.  One man shows up dead.  Both Kat and David are threatened.  Knowing the truth does you no good if you won't live long enough to tell anyone.

It's full of English history and food as well as a mystery.  Look at all you can learn...

Death Below Stairs by Jennifer Ashley

She's a cook, a good cook.  When she goes to a new house, she knows she'll have to see who the other servants are and how they act.  But she didn't expect to land in a hotbed of illegal activity...

Berkley and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It is being published today so you can grab a copy now.

This is a Victorian read with servants below and the family above.  The first odd note is that the older sister (who is a spinster) wears men's clothing.  She hates being confined by a dress and she likes to pop into men's pubs and the like and pretend she's male.  Kat is not sure what to think of her.  

The man of the house is out most of the day but expects dinner to be ready upon his return.  His wife stays in bed.  The servants are varied.  Some are nice, some are greedy, and some have been there for years.  Her cooking assistant is pleasant enough and when she finds the master of the house likes to take advantage of her, she takes his tea up instead.  She's astonished to find an old friend up there with him but she says nothing. That evening, her cooking assistant is killed...

I enjoyed the story as a whole.  Kat is smart and she begins investigating.  Her friend is also investigating, so they work together.  Daniel is a mystery.  He can act like he's a member of the Ton or he can be a common street laborer.  He won't tell her who he works for.  But they are beginning to care for each other and that was the best part of this book.

When the murder leads to a plot to kill the Queen, the tension and danger both ratchet up.  It's not until the end that you find out just how big the plot was and how many people were involved.

I'd read another book in this series.  Ms. Ashley has a fresh look at the past with honest emotion.  I want to see how this romance turns out and how many more cases Kat and Daniel solve.