Death at the Crystal Palace by Jennifer Ashley

Death at the Crystal Palace
by Jennifer Ashley

ISBN-13: 9780593099391
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Released: July 6th 2021

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
While attending an exhibition at the Crystal Palace, young cook Kat Holloway is approached by a woman in distress. Lady Covington is a wealthy widow convinced that her entire family is trying to kill her. It is quickly apparent that the threat is all too real, and Kat promises aid. Her charming confidant Daniel McAdam is busy infiltrating a plot against the Crown. But soon, Kat faces a more serious threat when her involvement in both investigations plunges her into peril.


My Review:
Death at the Crystal Palace is a mystery set in 1882 in England. This is the fifth book in the series. You do not need to read the previous novels to understand this one, and this book didn't spoil the mysteries of the previous books.

This story had very little investigation of the mystery. There were questions Kat could have asked to narrow down possible suspects (like who, if anyone, left the train compartment before the food was eaten), but she never did. She learned scandalous secrets, motivations, and even what the poison was, but she didn't more than superficially explore who had the opportunity. The final, critical clues weren't provided until the very end.

Instead, much of the book involved Kat "helping" her undercover boyfriend. Her one job was to prevent anyone from discovering that he wasn't who he claimed to be. Yet she told an untrustworthy con artist his true name when there was absolutely no need to. Sigh. Kat wasn't at her best in this book.

The historical details (mostly about cooking and acceptable behavior for servants) were woven into the story. There were no sex scenes. There was occasional use of use of bad language.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.