Caffeinated Reviewer

The Below the Stairs Mystery series & novellas by Jennifer Ashley are one of my favorites. A Silence in Belgrave Square is the eighth full-length novel, and Kat Holloway, our below the stairs cook & sleuth, looks for a blackmailer and worries about her beau Daniel McAdam, as he takes on a dangerous undercover case.

Valiant cook and amateur sleuth Kat Holloway must uncover the secrets of Victorian London’s most elite noblemen to save the man she loves, from the New York Times bestselling author of Speculations in Sin.

Kat Holloway knows that her beau and confidante Daniel McAdam has a talent for dangerous work as a Scotland Yard agent. At long last though, Daniel’s coldhearted boss has promised that after a final mission, his debt will be repaid, and he’ll finally be free. However, Daniel must risk his life one last time, masquerading as a secretary to an elderly viscount who could be the mastermind behind the recent plots against the Queen and her government.

Using her contacts throughout London, Kat discovers several of her friends and colleagues have been victims of vicious blackmail. They’ll do anything to protect their scandalous secrets, even conform to the blackmailer’s political agenda. If Kat and Daniel wish to save each other and the Crown, they must prove the blackmailer’s identity and evade those who will stop at nothing to eliminate them.

While each of the novels and novellas in the Below the Stairs Mystery contains a fresh mystery, I recommend reading the series in order for the slow-burn romance, character relationships and familiarity one enjoys in a series like this.

Kat Holloway is the cook in a wealthy Victorian London home. She has a daughter named Grace, who lives with her best friend’s family. Kat is visited after dinner by her beau, Daniel McAdam. He visits to tell her he will go undercover locally in a viscount’s home. Kat is immediately worried since Monaghan had told Daniel previously he needed to complete one more mission to be free of the debt he feels Daniel owes for a mission that cost their friend’s life.

Daniel warns Kat not to get involved, and not to acknowledge him should they pass on the street. I knew immediately that our Kat wouldn’t be able to resist looking out for Daniel. Lady Cynthia is distressed when her aunt receives a nasty blackmail letter. She asks Kat to look into it, and soon they discover some of Cynthia’s friends are receiving letters as well.

This was another fantastic mystery with plenty of twists and turns, the Irish mob, political intrigue and danger. I loved meeting Kat’s friend, and seeing how her and Daniel’s friends rally around them to give aid and protection.

While we didn’t get as much page time on our slow-burning romance, the time we did offered movement in the relationship and has me both giddy and sad as I wonder if Ashley is winding down the series.

Even though the mysteries are a pleasure, I think the characters—from Kat’s workplace to Daniel, Lady Cynthia, and Kat’s circle—are what truly make this series. I laughed at Kat’s meddling and admired how clever she was, but not so clever that she didn’t seek help when needed.

For fans of historical mysteries, foodie novels and slow-burning romances highly recommend this series and all of its novellas, which I devour as soon as they publish.

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About Jennifer Ashley

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 won RWA's RITA and RT Reviewer's Choice awards, have been translated into many different languages and earned starred reviews from Booklist and Publisher's Weekly.

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About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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