Review: Speculations in Sin by Jennifer Ashley

 

Speculations in Sin (Below Stairs #7) by Jennifer Ashley

Publication Date: March 5th 2024 by Berkley

Pages: 320

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Kat Holloway’s cooking prowess affords her the best spots in wealthy houses, but she stays in the London area because of her daughter, Grace. There’s a whole backstory there that I won’t elaborate on. In this installment there’s trouble with the family Grace stays with while Kat is working. Sam Millburn, the father has been accused of embezzlement and it’s up to Kat to help the Millburn’s, who’ve been a godsend to her and Grace.

As they investigate, someone is murdered, upping the stakes even higher.

There's a lot of danger and action in this installment! Of course, Kat has Daniel, Cynthia, Mr. Thanos, Tess, and her other gang of friends she’s accumulated along the way. Kat inspires loyalty with her kindness and cleverness in tackling problems for those she loves. As usual, I wanted to thump Mrs. Bywater more than a few times! Kat is too good for that awful woman’s house!

I’ve been devouring the Below Stairs mysteries centered on Kat Holloway, a cook in the 1800s solving crimes while wowing people with her food. Speculations in Sin is the seventh book in the series, and so now Kat has made a name for herself in sleuthing. Each book has a separate mystery to solve, but the continuing story arc is her relationship with Daniel McAdam and the friends she’s acquired along the way. I’ve loved every book! The series is best started from the beginning. I’d start with the novella: A Soupçon of Poison, which introduces Kat and Daniel.

I read an e-copy of Speculations in Sin, but I’ve been listening to the audios of the previous books. Anne-Marie Piazza’s performance is fantastic!

5 Stars

Book Description:

To save an innocent man’s life, amateur sleuth and cook Kat Holloway must expose a financial scam that could ruin the most powerful aristocrats in Victorian-era London, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Secret of Bow Lane.

Kat Holloway is distressed to learn that Samuel Millburn, husband of the woman who looks after her daughter, has been accused of embezzling funds from the bank where he works as a clerk. The accusation is absurd, and Samuel’s wife fears that her husband will not only lose his post but be imprisoned. Kat vows to uncover the truth.

When she discovers the bank is involved in shockingly murky business dealings, Kat realizes she’s treading in dangerous waters. She turns to her confidante and handsome suitor, Daniel McAdam, for help. To exonerate Samuel, Kat and Daniel may have to expose the unseemly financial dealings of prominent aristocrats and government officials, and even those working to bring down the royal family. Kat will risk everything to protect the man who has sacrificed so much for her daughter, even if it means endangering herself and the friends she has come to love.

About the author:

Jennifer Ashley is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Below Stairs Mysteries, the Shifters Unbound paranormal romances, and the Mackenzies historical romances. She also writes as USA Today bestselling mystery author Ashley Gardner.