The pandemic is rough, y'all, and we need to take pleasure when we find it. Knowing that a new installment of Jennifer Ashley's fantastic Kat Holloway series was coming this year helped buoy me through the first few months of 2021; I was ecstatic when I saw it was available on Netgalley.

Like the earlier installments in this series, Death at the Crystal Palace does not disappoint: a lovely blend of competence porn (main character Kat is an accomplished chef in the home of a wealthy and at times capricious family) and compelling mystery.

Ashley does her research, and the historical period in which these books are set (late 19th-century) feels realistic and lived-in.

I hope she continues writing these forever!

Is there any better setting in Victorian London than the crystal palace? I think not. I love how Jennifer Ashley’s Below Stairs novels allows Kat, and through her the reader, to become immersed in common and iconic Victorian venues. Besides the crystal palace there were definitely some “squee!” moments, but I won’t spoil them for anyone. In this new installment the large and varied cast of characters are back in action and I love getting to know them more. I hope there will be many more Kat Holloway novels to come.