It turns out that that information is found in a prequel novella. There are many instances where it is made clear that Kat and Daniel have a past-a deep, tangled history-but it is never explained. However, many aspects of the plot just don’t seem to mesh or matter at all-the death of the house girl could have been omitted completely, and the resolution to her death just falls flat. First, let me say that the Victorian setting, dialog, and characters are well-written. However, they find themselves in a deeper plot involving Fenians and the Queen herself. Together with Daniel, his eccentric math genius friend Thanos, and Lady Cynthia-Lady Rankin’s sister, equally eccentric in that she loves to dress in men’s clothing-Kat sets out to uncover those responsible for the murder. Added to the fact that the mysterious Daniel McAdams is loitering around the house, it becomes clear to Kat that there is more going on in the Rankin household than meets the eye. All too quickly, Kat finds herself embroiled in the murder of a house servant and the intrigue surrounding it.

(Jan.Kat Holloway, a well-respected cook in Victorian England, lands a job in the stuffy house of Lord and Lady Rankin. Agent: Bob Mecoy, Bob Mecoy Literary Agency. Readers will look forward to this fascinating lead’s further adventures. Kat’s displays of her knowledge of food and preparation techniques add to the story’s appeal. Meanwhile, Kat, a single mother, must deal with the possible loss of her 10-year-old daughter, who lives with a couple who now propose to adopt the girl. Kat and Daniel, aided by James and Lady Cynthia, investigate the murder of a young servant, battle Fenians, and race to thwart an act of terrorism.

The cast of distinctive, well-drawn characters includes Lady Cynthia, Lord Rankin’s cross-dressing sister, who embodies the plight of Victorian women forced into lives that don’t fit them Daniel McAdam, a charming, secretive delivery man who helped Kat in a time of great need before she joined Lord Rankin’s household and James, Daniel’s sweet, fiercely independent 15-year-old son. Set in 1881, this exceptional series launch from Ashley (the Shifters Unbound series) introduces Kat Holloway, a brilliant cook employed in the lavish London home of Lord Rankin.

Death Below Stairs by Jennifer Ashley