Sunday, March 24, 2019

Review - Scandal Above Stairs

Author:  Jennifer Ashley
Series:  Kat Holloway Mysteries #2
Genre:   Mystery/Thrillers
Publisher:   Berkley Books
Format:  Audio
No. of Pages:  309
Date of Publication:  July 3, 2018
My Rating:  4 Stars

DESCRIPTION:
Priceless artwork has gone missing from the home of a wealthy baronet, and his wife stands to take the blame. When Kat's employer asks for help in clearing her friend's name, Kat trades her kitchen for the homes of Mayfair's wealthiest families. 

Soon antiques are disappearing not only from the extravagant households of connoisseurs and collectors, but from the illustrious British Museum. As the thefts increase in frequency, Kat calls upon her friend Daniel McAdam, who has already set himself up in a pawnshop on the Strand as a seedy receiver of stolen goods. When a man is murdered in the shop, Kat must use all of her wits to see that the thieves are caught and justice is done.


MY THOUGHTS:

The last time cook Kat Holloway investigated a crime, it was murder. This time around she is looking for the person responsible for the theft of extravagant antiques from a number of places, including the British Museum. Currently Kat's good friend Daniel McAdam is working in a pawnshop and Kat enlists his aid to retrieve the stolen artwork. Very curious about the thefts, Kat is very inclined to make things right and get the stolen items returned.

Kat and Daniel have become very close friends and he has helped her before. In this story, their relationship grows stronger, though remains platonic. Other than Kat and Daniel, this story has fine characters, such as Tess, Kat's assistant, and Lady Cynthia. I loved Cynthia in the first story and she is just as delightful in this one. 

Just as in the first story, Daniel's past remains much of a mystery. Nonetheless, Kat trusts him and they work well together. Victorian England definitely has its rules and styles, and they all played together in this excellent story. I enjoyed this story very much and actually went ahead and read the third book in the series. 

Although Scandal Above Stairs  is the second book in the Kat Holloway Mysteries, it is a singular story and does well as a standalone. Kat and Daniel's past, as well as Kat's relationship with Grace is explained. However, if you enjoy series, no doubt you will enjoy reading Death Below Stairs. The next book in the series is Death in Kew Gardens.


Review for Death Above Stairs,
https://www.robinlovesreading.com/2019/03/review-death-below-stairs.html


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jennifer Ashley / Allyson James

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Jennifer Ashley has lived and traveled all over the world, and now lives in the Southwest. She writes historical, paranormal, and contemporary romance as Jennifer Ashley; mysteries as Ashley Gardner; and paranormal romance and urban fantasy as Allyson James.

Jennifer’s/Allyson’s/Ashley’s more than 100 novels and novellas have won RWA’s RITA award, RT Reviewer’s Choice awards, and the Prism award, among others. Jennifer’s novels have been also been translated into French, German, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, Norwegian, Hungarian, Italian, Thai, Indonesian, and several other languages.

Jennifer enjoys writing and reading above all else, but her hobbies include cooking, hiking, playing flute and guitar, painting, and building miniature rooms and dollhouses.

If you have any comments or questions, e-mail Jennifer from the contact page!


No comments:

Post a Comment