So I went through they whole book a bit confused, then learned in the afterword that the author had previously written a novella prequel to this story.

There were certain plot points that I felt as if I’d missed or didn’t fully grasp. I found myself to be slightly confused while reading - it reads like a sequel, but it is the first book in an upcoming series. I especially enjoyed the delicious and lush imagery of the cook’s recipes and cooking and my mouth was watering the whole time I read. It is less of a whodunnit and more of a slow moving, character driven suspense. This is a historical mystery which shows a great deal of research and thoroughness from the author. As always, it was a pleasure reading with these lovely ladies!Ī big thank you to Edelweiss, Berkley Books and Jennifer Ashley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!Įxpected Date of Publication: January 2, 2018. We each felt similarly on this one, with one of us not even being able to finish. This was a Traveling Sister Read with Brenda, Diane and Holly. The author, Jennifer Ashley, did a fantastic job creating the Victorian atmosphere and characters. I really liked the cook’s character and enjoyed her dealings with the house staff and family, but I lost interest in the crime solving side of the book which was the main storyline. How could a head cook of such a household have time to run around town on a daily basis investigating a crime? It just didn’t make sense to me. The novel revolves around a cook of a high power household investigating a murder.

Unfortunately, my connection was short lived, as the plausibility of the story became highly unrealistic once the crime was committed (about 1/3 of the way in). It had such a “Downton Abbey” feel to it that I couldn’t help but love it. I immediately loved the characters and found myself captivated by the Victorian mansion household and how it was run. I had an instant connection to this novel. This book started off much stronger than it finished.

Death below stairs