Death Below Stairs keeps you guessing…..

Death Below the Stairs is about a cook named Kat Holloway who is solving the murder of an Irish servant named Sinead with the help of her love interest Daniel McAdam, his son James and the sister in law of the lord of the house Cynthia. I enjoyed the writing and the characters and of course the story keeps you guessing as to who could have possibly killed this girl its exactly what a mystery should do. Death Below Stairs is the first book in a trilogy that may or may not become a full fledged series. As of right now there are 3 books but if more come out I will let you know. If you don’t want to know spoilers don’t read past this point.

The Characters

Kat Holloway is a detective and a cook with a past. She had a daughter with a man who she thought was her husband though apparently his marriage with her was a sham.

Sinead we don’t know much about her other than she’s Irish and at one point in the beginning Kat tell’s her to use a different name because many of the English had negative views of the Irish.

Daniel McAdam is a detective doing all sorts of odd jobs on the side and has a son named James.

Lady Cynthia is an eccentric character but I like her. She and Kat become fast friends. Her sister and brother in law Lord Rankin are a different story.

The Writing

The writing is fast pace and very descriptive. It takes place in 1880’s England. It did well with being historically accurate especially with how negative the English were toward the Irish. At one point Kat tells Sinead while she was alive, to use a different name because of it. Kat even finds a rosary after finding the deceased Sinead. The killer ends up being the Lady of the house because Sinead knew that she and her sister Lady Sinead weren’t as aristocratic as they thought.

Is it worth the read?

Yes. If you enjoy fast paced quick read historical mysteries I recommend this. It keeps you on your toes guessing.