Part of Below Stairs Mystery
First published 2020
Kat Holloway works as a cook in Victorian London when disturbing news reaches her about the Foundling Hospital. Children have begun vanishing from the institution, and someone has killed one of the nurses. Kat refuses to ignore the crimes. She turns to Daniel McAdam, her mysterious ally who maintains connections at Scotland Yard, asking for his assistance. Daniel brings along Errol Fielding, a questionable figure from his own troubled history. The three begin tracking the murderer through London's stark social divisions. Their search leads them from the elegant mansions of Mayfair into the harsh poverty of the East End. As Kat pursues justice for the vulnerable children, she discovers unexpected truths about Daniel's background and the complicated circumstances that shaped him. The investigation forces her to navigate both the external dangers of hunting a killer and the personal revelations about the man she thought she knew.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, crime, adult-fiction, thriller, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotionally-complex, gritty, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, found-family, mysterious-ally, slow-burn-romance
Setting: Victorian London, Foundling Hospital, Mayfair, East End, Scotland Yard
Period: Victorian era, 19th century
320 pages · Paperback · Penguin Publishing Group
Content warnings: child-death, murder, violence