Sophia Rose Reviews: Death at the Crystal Palace by Jennifer Ashely

Today I welcome Sophia Rose back to the blog this time to review #5 in Jennifer Ashely's Kat Holloway Mysteries, Death At The Crystal Palace. This series has been on my wish list for a while and every time I read one of Sophia Rose's fantastic reviews it goes up a rung or two on the ladder.
Enjoy!

Death at the Crystal Palace by Jennifer Ashley

#5 Kat Holloway Mysteries

Historical Mystery

Publisher:  Berkley

Published: 7.6.21

Pages:  336

ASIN:  B08KST53G5

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: eARC

Source:  Net Galley

Sellers:  Amazon/ Barnes and Noble /Kobo

ADD TO: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57837035-death-at-the-crystal-palaceGoodReads

 

GoodReads Blurb:

While attending an exhibition at the Crystal Palace, young cook Kat Holloway is approached by a woman in distress. Lady Covington is a wealthy widow convinced that her entire family is trying to kill her. Kat feels compelled to help, and she escorts the lady home to discover whether she is delusional or in true danger.

It is quickly apparent that the threat is all too real, and Kat promises aid. Her charming confidant Daniel McAdam is busy infiltrating a plot against the Crown, and she worries he will not have time to lend his sleuthing expertise. This might be for the best, as Kat fears her growing emotional entanglement with Daniel can only lead to disaster. But soon, Kat faces a more serious threat when her involvement in both investigations plunges her into peril.

 

Sophia Rose's Review:

A scared aristocratic woman claiming she is being poisoned sends Kat down the sleuthing path once again even while danger and complications lurk in other aspects of her life.  A Victorian era cook who keenly observes and questions is the heroine of a fabulous series of historical mysteries that keep me coming back for another helping.

 

Death at the Crystal Palace is the fifth of the Kat Holloway historical mysteries and work best when read in order so the reader can get to know Kat, her friends, and the interweaving of relationships and situations that carry forward through the books in the series.

 

I love that the author chose to write a complex and layered main character who hails from the working classes, is a woman, and a woman who has a past relationship failure and a child she loves deeply.  Kat is a stellar cook, as can be noted by the delicious descriptions of her cooking, but she is also a clever investigator the way she works to unearth the truth in the Covington household and nose out the matter in Daniel’s Irish case.  She is parts unorthodox in thinking which is why she has a wonderful, eclectic group of friends from all classes and ways of life, but also concerned about upholding her reputation after nearly having lost it.  As a mother, she wants what is best for Grace and tries to be resigned that this means living apart for her daughter and not always being there for her. 

 

The romance takes baby steps forward and, while I get impatient because I love Kat and Daniel together on the case and romantically, I also appreciate that someone like Kat and also like Daniel need time because of their pasts- and his current occupation.

 

Another of the mysteries that I couldn’t put my finger on the culprit, but was thrilled to tag along with Kat through the author’s well-drawn Victorian London, upstairs and downstairs in the households, and in and out of the kitchen to get to the heart of the matter.  The Covington household was a boiling caldron and not surprising that murder happens there, but it made it tricky for Kat to discover the truth since she had to have help and Daniel unavailable while chasing down his own troubling matter for his secret employers.  Though Kat does end up involved in Daniel’s case, too.  With the arrival of Lady Cynthia’s parents pressuring her to come home and wed and Cynthia adamant about not marrying the eligible men paraded by, Kat must figure out that ticklish situation, and Cynthia is always game to help with her detecting.

 

All in all, another sensational time with Kat and the others.  Kat had so much going on and still she managed it all even if it got a bit harrowing at times.  With development on the personal front, time spent with Kat’s delicious food, and a solved mystery, I was left satisfied.  Definitely a historical mystery series that I can recommend.

 

Author’s Bio:

NY Times Bestselling author Jennifer Ashley writes historical, contemporary, and paranormal romance, historical mysteries, and urban fantasy as Jennifer Ashley, Allyson James, and Ashley Gardner.

Jennifer's novels have been translated into many different languages, and earned starred reviews from Booklist and Publisher's Weekly. More about her books at http://www.jenniferashley.com and http://gardnermysteries.com.

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/jennallyson

Sophia’s Bio:

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, and gardening. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

Sophia’s Social Media Links:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/sophia.rose.7587

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiarose1816

GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose