Stevie‘s review of A Soupçon of Poison (A Below Stairs Mystery, Book 0.5) by Jennifer Ashley
Historical Mystery published by JA/AG Publishing 15 Dec 15
Three novels into Jennifer Ashley’s Below Stairs mystery series, I finally got around to reading the novella that started it all. Most of the familiar characters are there – no Lady Cynthia or her friends, sadly – and the situation Kat Holloway finds herself in at the start is by no means unfamiliar either. She’s taken up a new position that will allow her the unusual number of days off that she requires, but has to contend with awkward demands from her employer and fellow staff members alike in return.
This time around Kat is working for Sir Lionel Leigh-Bradbury, who demands seemingly impossible-to-prepare meals and then complains about them, and alongside a butler, who is well-practised at appropriating his employer’s alcohol while not above blackmailing anyone he thinks he might have power over regarding their secrets. When Sir Lionel’s demands for his meals become ever more elaborate, Kat is able to turn to her friend Daniel McAdam, and it’s Daniel, along with his son James, who once again comes to her rescue when Sir Lionel is stabbed and his friends fall ill after eating one of Kat’s meals, leading to Kat’s imprisonment under suspicion of murder.
Kat and Daniel set out to find the real culprit, which isn’t easy given the number of people who had means, opportunity or motive, but not necessarily all three, for one or both crimes. As part of their investigation, they recreate the meal served on the fateful night, giving readers a chance to see Kat in action at her regular job and to learn a little of how Victorian food was prepared, as well as how it tasted. We also get to see just how easily Victorians could obtain poisons, as documented in a number of popular history series on TV over here, and to follow Kat as she carries out her investigations in a number of districts, which are home to different strata of Victorian society.
The solution to the mystery was not as satisfactory as that of some of the later stories, but it was good to see Kat and Daniel in the very early days of their friendship, and watching them in action – together and separately – is always a delight.
Grade: B
Summary:
London, 1880
Kat Holloway, highly sought-after young cook to the wealthy of London, finds herself embroiled in murder when she’s accused of poisoning her employer, the loathsome Sir Lionel Leigh-Bradbury. Her only help as she works to clear her name comes from the mysterious Daniel McAdam, a handsome man-of-all-work who seems to know everyone and always happens to be in the right place at the right time. Kat and Daniel investigate the crime, but the mystery of Daniel’s background might be just as elusive and dangerous as the poisoner bent on framing Kat for murder.
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
