OMGoodness! This series just gets better and better! We have learned more and more about the supporting characters – the mysterious and enigmatic Daniel, James his son, quirky and fun Tess, Davis, the stuffy (not) butler, Lady Cynthia who chafes at having to dress and act as a woman is expected to, Daniel’s friend, the very intelligent scholar Thanos, Kat’s daughter Grace – and just maybe we’ve added a new regular – Mrs. Redfern as the new housekeeper. Together, they are quite a crew and you’ll love them all. We didn’t learn too much new about Daniel in this book, and that was a disappointment. I’m really anxious for the further development of the relationship between Daniel and Kat as well.

Kat Holloway is young for a cook, barely 30, but she is one of the best cooks in England. She is very careful about who she works for and has very, very specific requirements for her employment. Luckily, her employment for the last eight months has been in a household she enjoys and that accommodates her requirements. She’s happy there even if she and Mr. Davis have been splitting the duties of housekeeper since the last one left. This sets up a fun subplot for the book – and tells you a lot about the author’s abilities because I quickly learned to detest Mrs. Daly, the new housekeeper. My reaction to her was very strong and it takes a good author to evoke that sort of reaction from me. So, the sub-plot was a great addition to the story.

Just as an FYI, there is also a second sub-plot flowing around Lady Harkness – and that makes it sound like there is too much going on in the story, but that isn’t the case. The sub-plots fit into and add to the story rather than detract from it.

The main plot of the story revolves around the murder of the next door neighbor, Sir Jacob Harkness. He was a very wealthy man who had been granted a knighthood for services to the empire. He was an expert in all things Chinese and had lived there for many years before returning to England. His collection was eclectic and large. He collected what took his fancy rather than only what was valuable – but – he had many valuable things in his collection. When he was found in his bed, stabbed to death, and an open window in the drawing room, it was assumed that the robbery was the motive - if there was a robbery. Except – a Chinaman had been seen just outside the house . . . What could that mean?

Kat was hurrying to run some errands one day and wasn’t paying attention and plowed right into an older Chinese gentleman, knocking him to the ground. She apologized profusely and helped him up. They spoke briefly, introduced themselves, and she liked Mr. Li very well. Later, he turned up at the home where she worked and presented her with a lovely gift to thank her for her kindness.

When a witness places a Chinese gentleman near the victim's house at the time of the murder, and Mr. Li is arrested, Kat has to stand up for him because she is convinced that he is not the guilty party. The investigation takes us through lies, deceit, another murder, a very valuable stolen item, and an unexpected villain. The author throws a lot of red herrings at you – and you may suspect who the perpetrator is, but you won’t know for sure until it is all wrapped up.

This book is part of a wonderful series, but it could be read as a stand-alone – although you would be missing (and possibly a bit confused) about some of the relationships and back-stories of various individuals. It would be my suggestion to read the series from the beginning – especially since this is only the third book.

I definitely recommend this well-written and interesting book. You’ll love the characters and puzzle over the mystery.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After the danger of the last case, Victorian cook, Kat Holloway, didn't complain about a hot summer in the city helping the butler make up for the lack of housekeeper, but the promise of the cooler fall temps and a murder next door involving a new Chinese acquaintance livens things up nicely.

Death in Kew Gardens is the third in the historical cozy mysteries set in the Victorian period. There is a continuation story of Kat and her friends that makes it best taken in order even if there is a new mystery offered up in each book.

I do enjoy stories with an upstairs-downstairs element to them and I was taken with this series from the beginning because of the unlikeliness of a cook playing amateur sleuth. It has been fun to learn more with each book about the world of the serving class below stairs particularly the realm of Kat's kitchen. There's some unlikely modernity to the books and Kat's character, but it can be chalked up to eccentricity on the part of her employer and I can buy into the possibility of an independent, self-educated cook with a penchant for mysteries.

Kat has taken up with jack of all trades, Daniel McAdams, as her mystery solving partner and he does have expertise that aids them and has an 'in' with the authorities that gives them a leg up on their fact finding expeditions and behind the scenes access on their cases. Daniel is much more than he seems and an intriguing mystery to Kat in his own right. Each book has her drawing a little closer to opening her heart again and trusting Daniel not to be a tosser like her dead fake husband who tricked her.

In this latest, Kat encounters a Chinese man who soon after is accused of murdering Sir Jacob next door maybe for all the Chinese treasures he's brought back in his dealings in the Far East. Li Bai Chang is a scholar and man of principal, she believes and she engages herself on his behalf. Meanwhile, she is learning about the dicey removal of goods from China and how the British played a role in impoverishing many Chinese when they started planting their own China tea in India thus flooding the market. The connection with the Asian plants section at Kew Gardens is made and now the hunt is on for a killer.

Meanwhile, Kat and Davis need to find a way to get rid of the impossible woman Cynthia's aunt hired as housekeeper particularly when the woman steals from almost everyone even the people above stairs, skulks about and does no work, drinks herself into stupors, and threatens people to keep quiet because she nosed out their secrets.

I always learn something new from these, in this case it was about growing tea and its value in that time period, which is why I enjoy the historical element and I felt the mystery itself was engaging enough. I didn't guess the villain, but I wasn't trying that hard either. I confess I was more taken up with Kat's domestic troubles, Cynthia's antics, and the descriptions of British-Chinese relations and how the British exporting affected China.

I found this one entertaining and enjoyed it, but also felt it needed a little zip. Much of the exciting stuff happened offstage though, there was a suspenseful climax scene. I recommend these to those who enjoy cozy mysteries in historical settings.

I rec'd this book from Berkley via Net Galley to read in exchange for an honest review.

Gaaah! How can this series keep being so good?! I still love Kat, the indomitable cook/fixer, and the drama below stairs was just as fun to read as the murder mystery. I look forward to more of Kat, her cooking, and her compassion.

I’m a sucker for a great historical mystery and the Below Stairs Mysteries have not yet disappointed. This is the third novel in the series and as each mystery is solved the reader learns more about Kat, Daniel, Tess and the other characters in these books. These tidbits have helped keep my interest making me eager to read the next novel to see what new bit of knowledge will be revealed. Daniel is the biggest mystery still unsolved. He’s a handyman, yet is also a bit of a gentleman making the reader feel as if he’s trying on parts for each investigation. Which is the real man and once that mystery is resolved how will he and Kat’s relationship play out? I will definitely keep reading to find out.

The mystery in this novel was just a little lackluster for me. I enjoyed the new cultural references and found the history of tea to be really interesting, however, I wasn’t as invested in some of the new characters as I had been in the first two books of the series. Not to say it was bad, it really wasn’t! I enjoyed the interaction between Kat, Cynthia, Thanos and Daniel more than I did the mystery and sped through the investigation to get to the meat of their relationships. I’m sure it’s because I’m such a huge fan of romance novels, so I focused on that part of the book more than the mystery.

Do you like historical mysteries with a hint of romance? If so, then this novel and series should be added to your TBR. Each book can be read as a stand alone but they’re so much more enjoyable if you have some back story for the main characters. I’d recommend reading the other novels before picking this one up. Once you do, you’ll really enjoy your trips to Jennifer Ashley’s historical London.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a free copy of the ARC through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest!

I originally picked this book because I thought the cover was beautiful. That seemed to be the best part of it for me. I think it's possible that this type of book just wasn't written for me. I don't think it was a matter of not reading the previous books. It was just really hard for me to follow. The story seemed a little slow and by the end I had lost interest. I would be open to reading another of her stories to see if the disinterest was purely this story, because I did enjoy the character Kat.

The 3rd installment in Ashley's latest historical mystery-The Kat Holloway series- gives readers a greater insight into the affairs of a great house through the eyes of the servants and into the protagonist herself-Kat Holloway. Dastardly deeds are revealed when a murder occurs next door, and Kat is reluctantly pulled into its orbit. When Kat's deepest secret is inadvertently revealed., she soon learns who her true friends are as she struggles to save her job and her reputation.

Death in Kew Gardens by Jennifer Ashley is the 3rd book in her Kat Holloway Mysteries series. This series takes place in Victorian England, and Kat is our heroine and cook extraordinaire. She is a smart, confident, independent, and very loyal and protective to the household staff, where Kat reigns. Kat makes a great detective, as she is always helping solve crimes. What I enjoyed the most about this series is the wonderful feel of ‘Downton Abbey’, with the normal household staffing with housekeeper, cooks, house steward, maids, footman, valet, butlers, etc.

Once again, Kat becomes involved in a murder mystery. When she finds out there was a murder next door, Kat becomes fully involved to find the murderer. It is always great to see Kat’s friends work with her to solve the crime; such as Daniel, Tess, Cynthia, Thanos, and James just to name a few.
The top suspect in the murder is a Chinese gentleman (Li Chang) that Kat met earlier in the day, as she accidently bumped into him. Later that day, he stops by to give Kat a gift for helping him. Kat recognizes that there is prejudice against the Chinese man, and does everything in her power to find clues to help clear him.
In a side story, there is a new housekeeper where Kat lives and works, and everyone hates her. I loved how strong Kat is standing up to this arrogant and mean person; this was a nice added element to the story, especially with everyone below the stairs join hands against the housekeeper.

The mystery heats up, as another person related to the victim is murdered. Kat discovers that Li Chang was looking for special tea plants from his homeland, and this was the reason for the deaths, as these plants were very valuable. What follows is an interesting and intriguing mystery, which had a number of suspects, and quite a few twists along the way. It was a lot of fun to watch Kat and her friends (I loved Tess taking a more active part) play a big part in helping her solve the murders. The slow built romance between Daniel and Kat took a back seat, but we will be seeing more of this in future books.

If you enjoy Victorian stories, with a mystery theme, a Downton Abbey background, two very good leading characters and very well written by Jennifer Ashley, I suggest you start this series.

Kat makes fast friends with a Chinese gentleman the police suspect of the murder next door, but she is adamant it couldn't have been him. Suspicious people surround the widow and her home, while Kat fights her own battles in the house of her employment.

Based much on the prejudice towards the Chinese in London at the time, and how the English unjustly pillaged goods from China, every time you think you have this mystery figured out, something happens to prove you wrong or throw you off!

But the characters are what make this series so great. As swoon-worthy as Daniel and Kat's relationship is, I've also enjoyed watching Lady Cynthia and Mr. Thanos's budding relationship too, as well as seeing how Kat and Cynthia try to navigate the socially complicated friendship between Lady and servant. At first, I wasn't too keen on Tess, but even she has grown on me now. The latest antagonist within the household had me wanting to scream.

Just as with the Captain Lacy series, this story just keeps getting better and better with each installment.

Death in Kew Gardens is the third full-length Kat Holloway mystery, and they just keep getting better. Kat once again finds herself in the middle of everything after her neighbor is murdered and the prime suspect is a Chinese man she recently befriended. What I love about these books is that the setting, characters, and writing all feel realistic to the time period (to me, anyway), but Ashley also weaves in issues that - while no doubt important at the time - are not usually explicitly in these types of books - issues of race, class, and gender identity among them. (Class is probably the issue most often highlighted in other books, but I find Kat's attitude about "her betters" always interesting, especially in relation to Tess's rebellions. Class is where she seems least progressive, perhaps out of self preservation.) I also just love the characters that populate these books - Tess, Cynthia, Daniel, and of course the warm but sometimes prickly Mrs. Holloway. (It was really fun to see her butt heads with a new housekeeper in this one.) The mystery was interesting but for me almost beside the point - I just wanted to spend time in this world. Highly recommended.

It all begins when she runs into Mr. Li on the street. She knocks him down with her parcel and she apologizes. He does, too. Then he brings her a present in apology. She didn't want to take it because she knocked him down. He insists. It's a beautiful box of tea. It tastes like ambrosia. She loves it. She's shocked when the man next is knifed to death in his bed She is even mor shocked when Mr. Li is accused of killing him!

Berkley and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (Thank you). Itwill be published June 4th,

She's insistent that it wasn't him because he was visiting her at the supposed time of death. However a witness saw a Chinaman leave the house near that time so Li gets arrested. Then a Chinese boy is killed in the Kew Gardens. It was the man's son. Had he killed his dad? Kat doesn't think so. She and Daniel start their own investigation.

In the meantime a new housekeeper has been hired and she's a real pain. She dislikes everybody and threatens to fire everybody. They are thinking of quitting anyway. Kat tries to keep her team together and get rid of this housekeeper as well as try to solve this mystery.

She does solve the mystery but it turns into a knife fight in Kew gardens and you're not sure who's going to be alive at the end...

I had no idea who the killer was. This was a good mystery!

Murder, suspense, and tea await you in the newest Kat Holloway Murder Mystery! I love this series and its colorful cast of characters. Now I am left longing for the next installment. Each book works as a standalone mystery but the characters, their friendships and more will have you wanting to devour them from the beginning!

You can read my full review on June 6th at Caffeinated Reviewer. A review will also post to Goodreads and Amazon. Review will be shared on social media for 90 days.

First off, there are racist terms used in this book in relation to anyone from China. So if readers prefer not to read these, this is one to avoid.

Kat meets "Mr. Li" when she helps him up after being knocked down in their street. He later drops by and thanks her with a box of tea. After her neighbour is murdered, he is accused of the crime and she finds out his real name and why he wanted to meet Sir Jacob so badly. The expert of China, it turns out, gained his expertise by stealing whatever he wanted during his Chinese travels and suffering no consequences because he's English. He stole something from Li Bai Chang's family, and Li wants it back.

Daniel is also back and investigating for his own reasons. Kat and Daniel decide to help Li find what was stolen so it can be returned. In the meantime, Kat's working life is made more difficult by a nightmare of a new housekeeper. There is also a mystery surrounding the helpful "friends" of Sir Jacob's widow next door.

Death in Kew Gardens is a nice addition to the series that does examine the affects of the English on China (where they continued their complete disregard for any other race, culture or language, yet stole whatever they considered useful from them whether it be arts or plants). There's a little movement in some of the ongoing stories of the main and recurring characters.

Death in Kew Gardens is Jennifer Ashley’s third book in the Below Stairs Mysteries, featuring the fantastic Kat Holloway. The book starts with Kat, a cook who works for a wealthy family in Victorian England. One day Kat receives a gift from a mysterious Chinese man in return for an act of kindness. It is a rare box of tea, and that same night Kat’s next door neighbor, Sir Jacob Harkness is found dead. The secret Chinese man becomes a prime suspect, and now Kat and Daniel must run against time to find the murderer.

I did not read book one or book two and some of you, who have followed my reviews, know that I don’t particularly enjoy reading books that belong to a series I’ve never read before. Let me tell you that Death in Kew Gardens is an exception to that rule. Although it would’ve been lovely to know more about Kat and Daniel, I felt this story holds on its own just fine. Kat is such a robust character that I was able to get a sense of her even though I barely knew her background.

Death in Kew Gardens reminded me of both Downton Abbey and Grand Hotel, with a touch of Agatha Christie. I will definitely be reading the forerunners in this series and anxiously await for book number four.

I would like to thank Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This third Below Stairs mystery has Kat Holloway looking into the death of her next door neighbor Sir Jacob Harkness. She quickly finds herself deep into the case when a Chinese man that she recently met is accused of the crime.

Kat met Li Bai Chang when she literally ran into him on the street. She meets him again outside her home in Mayfair when he presents her with a gift of very fine Chinese tea. Sir Jacob was a well known China Hand who gained all sorts of riches in his many trips to China. His home is packed with all the goods he gathered and Kew Gardens has been the recipient of many, many strange and wonderful plants that he gathered on his journeys.

Mr. Li has come to speak to him to get back something precious that Sir Jacob stole from his family which would seem to give him a motive for murder. Kat is certain that he is not guilty and needs to convince Daniel MacAdam of her opinion. Daniel is a man of mystery still but Kat does know that he has influence on the police which is strange for a man whose accent and occupation seems so changeable.

Meanwhile at home, Kat and the rest of the staff are dealing with a new housekeeper who is stealing things and digging for secrets to blackmail all of them. She quickly ferrets out the existence of Kat's greatest secret - her daughter Grace. Kat's past as the supposed wife of a bigamist has colored her trust in men and could destroy her new respectable life if her employers learn of it.

I loved the descriptions of Kew Gardens. I also loved the interesting characters that surround Kat - Lady Cynthia, who wants the freedom men have and dresses in masculine attire; the mysterious Daniel; Mr. Thanos who is Daniel's friend and a scholar of some note and falling for Lady Cynthia; Tess, who is Kat's kitchen assistant and a girl from the street who has potential as a cook. Most of all I like Kat who is proud of her role as a cook and happy with her place in society even if, I feel, her role might not be a great fit for her intelligence and acuity.

I can't wait for Kat's next adventure.

3.75 stars

Spunky and confident Kat Holloway is back for another adventure. She is cook in a big Victorian London household and apart from the mystery, the downstairs servants are in an uproar when a nasty new housekeeper is hired who makes everyone's lives miserable.

Kat is helping her "friend" Daniel McAdam investigate the death of a neighboring toff. The murder victim was an Old China Hand and had collected a houseful of porcelain and other objects. There is a link to a Chinese gentleman Kat befriends, and she wants to make sure he is not railroaded into being a suspect.

Kat is an enjoyable character - highly intelligent, strong, and brave. Her interactions with other staff and with Daniel are well-drawn. The historical background is nicely integrated and interesting as well. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The third book in the Below Stairs Mystery series, Kat Holloway is back as the cook for fancy London house. She stumbles, quite literally, into scholar Li Bai Chang in her neighborhood. Accused of her neighbor’s murder, Li Bai Chang disappears into the streets of London. Kat does not believe the kind gentleman she met would have done the henious crime and of course takes it upon herself to investigate further. With the help of the Lady of the house, her intrepid kitchen maid Tess, and her dashing “friend” Daniel, Kat stumbles onto a scheme involving rare tea from China.

I enjoyed Kat’s steadfastness, and she provides a welome change from the bigoted members of London town. She even starts to learn the art of chinese cooking! And plus, Daniel…*swoon*.

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The Kat Holloway series os getting of my favorite mystery series right next to Veronica Speedwell and Maisie Dobbs! I think most of the appeal is Daniel McAdams for he is my favorite character! I can’t wait to find out who he actually is! The mystery itself is very compelling, and I love Kat’s amateur detective skills! I also love the recurring characters like Lady Cynthia. Overall, this is a mystery that you do not want to miss, and I can’t eat for more! Full review to come!

Kat and Daniel are back and once again murder comes on the scene. Death in Kew Gardens continues the push/pull between the two as they work to find a valuable plant may be the reason for murder. I love the characters in the series. The plot and the action is hard to put down. Finding out more about tea and what has happened in China during this time period adds richness to the story.

A great mystery for fans of Downtown Abbey or PBS Victoria. An interesting look at life below stairs and the social struggles of the British serving class. This time the author brings in Asian culture as an element of her mystery. I really enjoy this series.