Death in Kew Gardens

April 29, 2019
A chance encounter on a London street introduces Kat Holloway, the cook in the Mayfair mansion of the unconventional Lady Cynthia Shires, to Mr. Li, “a polite, well-spoken gentleman” from China, in bestseller Ashley’s intriguing third Victorian mystery (after 2018’s Scandal Above Stairs). One evening soon afterward, Lady Cynthia’s wealthy neighbor, Sir Jacob Harkness, who has spent time in the Orient, returns home from a visit to Kew Gardens and is stabbed to death in his bedroom that same night. The police arrest Mr. Li, who recently helped Sir Jacob in his garden. Kat and Lady Cynthia’s efforts to exonerate Mr. Li lead them to the hangers-on and sycophants gathered around the bewildered widow. There may be a link to the victim’s trip to Kew Gardens and his subsequent murder. Ashley does a fine job portraying urban life among the well-to-do and those who serve them, though the rich characterization and abundance of domestic detail sometimes threaten to overwhelm the unusual and well-thought-out plot. Anne Perry fans will find a lot to like. Agent: Bob Mecoy, Bob Mecoy Literary.

May 1, 2019
Kat Holloway doesn't care what Scotland Yard and Inspector McGregor think, Li Bai Chang didn't murder Sir Jacob Harkness. While it is certainly true that Mr. Li was in the neighborhood the night Sir Jacob was killed, Kat saw Mr. Li leave the area long before the crime was supposedly committed. The authorities, however, refuse to see anything but a strong connection between Mr. Li, a Chinese scholar, and Sir Jacob, a reported expert in and collector of all things Chinese. Well, if the police are not willing to dig deeper, then Kat, with some assistance from her friends and co-workers, will just have to stir the pot in order to find the real murderer. The third winning entry in Ashley's Below Stairs mystery series is another beguiling combination of sharply etched characters, an impeccably realized historical setting, and a cleverly conceived plot that makes excellent use of the Victorian fascination with both botany and China, all wrapped up in writing imbued with just the right dash of dry wit.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)