4 Stars from me.

This is book one in the series Kat Holloway Mysteries.

Kat Holloway is a successful young cook that recently took up a new position in the household of Lord Rankin, which includes his sickly wife and her flamboyant eccentric older sister, along with the staff. Not long after her arrival, Kat discovers the body of her young assistant in the pantry one morning. It is clear that the girl was murdered. Along with the very mysterious Daniel McAdam, Kat sets out to find the culprit.

It is clear that Kat and Daniel have a history, but at the moment they are just friends, with feelings for each other that they are not acting upon. Kat has her own reasons for not falling into a romantic relationship with Daniel, and Daniel is a complete mystery. He wears many hats in this book and changes his appearance and demeanor as different situations demand. He keeps promising Kat that he will tell her his story, but it did not happen in this book. Something to look forward to, I guess. Daniel is a very capable man and knows how to get things done. Kat is a great character. She is mature and responsible, and she takes her job very seriously. She provided excellent insights into solving the crime.

The eventual real crime had a very tenuous connection to Sinead’s murder that happened at the beginning. But Sinead served as a great motivation for many of the character’s actions. I also really loved the secondary characters, Lady Cynthia, Mr. Davis, and Mrs. Bowen. They each contributed a different perspective and had very varying personalities.

I enjoyed the writing style, and the author’s description of the times were vivid and interesting. The characters were well developed.

Was I hooked by this book? Oh yes, I can’t wait to continue Kat and Daniel’s journey.

Genre: Mystery, Suspense