Murder in the East End

Murder in the East End (Kat Holloway Mysteries #4)

by Jennifer Ashley
Setting: England
Published on August 4, 2020
Pages: 320
Format: eBook Source: Library

When young cook Kat Holloway learns that the children of London's Foundling Hospital are mysteriously disappearing and one of their nurses has been murdered, she can't turn away. She enlists the help of her charming and enigmatic confidant Daniel McAdam, who has ties to Scotland Yard, and Errol Fielding, a disreputable man from Daniel's troubled past, to bring the killer to justice. Their investigation takes them from the grandeur of Mayfair to the slums of the East End, during which Kat learns more about Daniel and his circumstances than she ever could have imagined.

I reviewed the first three books in this series in June of this year. I was excited to get to read this one as soon as it came out.

Kat Holloway is a cook in an upper class London home. She has developed a relationship with a man who is an investigator of some type. He isn’t able to tell her exactly who he works for. However, she helps him on some cases because she can go into places and talk to servants in ways that he can not always do.

I like this series because it gives you a great look into what it is like to keep a household running at this time. Every day meals need to go out on time. There is breakfast and lunch and tea and dinner in addition to feeding the staff. There are dinner parties to plan for. I can’t imagine trying to do this all without refrigeration and modern appliances.

In addition to helping investigate the missing children, Kat is under scrutiny for her easy relationship with the unmarried woman in the house. The lady’s aunt feels that she shouldn’t be associating with staff. She wants her niece to get married. It is past time for this in her mind. But Lady Cynthia has attached herself to Kat, a male companion who her family might not approve of, and to a group of lesbian artists. She has no interest in getting married. However, Kat may be the one to pay the price.

I love this setting and can’t wait to read the next installment.

TW: Child neglect and abuse