Death Below Stairs
Book Review - Death Below Stairs by Jennifer Ashley
Reading Death Below Stairs by Jennifer Ashley at Sirena del Mar in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
I'll get to my book review of Death Below Stairs by Jennifer Ashley in just a second, but let me take a moment to just say I. Love. These. Photos. I started this blog because I love to read and my friends asked me to write a bit more about each book than what I was able to convey in an Instagram caption. But what started out as just a love for reading, morphed into taking photos for this blog which requires a lot of work that has nothing to do with reading. But sometimes, just sometimes, the stars align and I end up with photos that match my love for reading. I just love how the book cover, my outfit, and the beautiful staircase at Sirena del Mar came together in this photo series. So round of applause for my husband and photographer. *wink!* *kisses!*
Reading Death Below Stairs by Jennifer Ashley at Sirena del Mar in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Moving on to the reason you clicked over - the book review of Death Below Stairs by Jennifer Ashley. This book reminded me a lot of Downton Abbey - especially the story line of Mrs. Patmore, the cook, and her assistant, Daisy. Don't get me wrong, this is not fan fiction, but this book made me wish Downton Abbey had delved a bit deeper into the relationship between the cook and her assistant. Set in the Victorian era, Death Below Stairs begins when Kat (a talented young cook) starts a new position at the Mayfair household. Soon after her arrival, the cook's assistant is found murdered. Kat feels a deep sense of responsibility for not looking after the young assistant and is determined to find her killer.
Reading Death Below Stairs by Jennifer Ashley at Sirena del Mar in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Kat turns to an old friend, Daniel McAdam, for help. He's a bit of a mystery - a jack of all trades but also effortlessly sliding between the upstairs homeowners and the downstairs staff. He and Kat work together to solve the mystery of the young assistant's death but the mystery goes far beyond the Mayfair home - all the way to Queen Victoria, in fact. Will Kat and Daniel be able to solve the mystery before anyone else is killed?
Reading Death Below Stairs by Jennifer Ashley at Sirena del Mar in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
I had fun reading this book. It was a quick and easy read - probably because it tapped into my love for Downton Abbey, although set in an earlier time period. This book is part of a larger Kat Holloway series, which I assume follows more of the cook's experiences (I'm not sure, this is the only book in the series I've read...also the only book I've read by this author.) Because of this, I think some story lines were left open or perhaps would make more sense if I read the other books in the series. Although I enjoyed reading the book, I'm not sure I'm married to reading the entire series. I have series commitment issues when it comes to reading book series - or really long books. I have to REALLY love the characters in order to keep reading about them after one book.
Reading Death Below Stairs by Jennifer Ashley at Sirena del Mar in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Shop local!
To buy Death Below Stairs from Subterranean Books (an independent book store based out of St. Louis) click the book cover below.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive compensation if you make a purchase using this link. Thank you for supporting this blog and the books I recommend!
