ARC Review: Speculations in Sin by Jennifer Ashley

Speculations in Sin
Author: Jennifer Ashley
Series: A Below Stairs Mystery (Book 7)
Publication: Berkley (March 5, 2024)

Description: To save an innocent man’s life, amateur sleuth and cook Kat Holloway must expose a financial scam that could ruin the most powerful aristocrats in Victorian-era London, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Secret of Bow Lane.rev

Kat Holloway is distressed to learn that Samuel Millburn, husband of the woman who looks after her daughter, has been accused of embezzling funds from the bank where he works as a clerk. The accusation is absurd, and Samuel’s wife fears that her husband will not only lose his post but be imprisoned. Kat vows to uncover the truth.

When she discovers the bank is involved in shockingly murky business dealings, Kat realizes she’s treading in dangerous waters. She turns to her confidante and handsome suitor, Daniel McAdam, for help. To exonerate Samuel, Kat and Daniel may have to expose the unseemly financial dealings of prominent aristocrats and government officials, and even those working to bring down the royal family. Kat will risk everything to protect the man who has sacrificed so much for her daughter, even if it means endangering herself and the friends she has come to love.

My Thoughts: In the seventh Below Stairs mystery, cook Kat Holliday needs to prove that her best friend Joanna's husband didn't embezzle from his work at a bank or murder the chief clerk. The stakes are high. Joanna and Sam Millburn have been providing a home for Kat's daughter for many years. If she can't clear Sam, the consequences will spiral into disaster not only for the Millburn family but for Kat too. 

Luckily, Kat has made a number of friends in her time in London. She'll need to call on all of them to solve this problem. She has been wary of trusting Daniel who does some mysterious work for Scotland Yard, but he has never failed her. She also needs the help of her employer's niece Lady Cynthia and Lady Cynthia's circle of influential women if she wants to learn more about the bank where Sam Millburn worked.

Besides the person at the bank who is framing Sam for embezzlement and murder, an old enemy of his resurfaces from his boyhood in South London and wants to draw Sam back into his circle of criminals. 

This was an engaging story. I love Kat's dedication to her career as a cook and the pride she takes in her work. I also love that she is starting to get over her wariness and build a new relationship with Daniel. I even enjoyed the tension felt by the working class who are just one short step away from economic disaster. Kat's viewpoint makes the danger very clear and real.  

Favorite Quote:

He'd said not many moments ago that we needed to find joy in the small corners of life. I decided to savor this moment, of Daniel and me sitting at the table together in the quiet of the night, basking in each other's company. The circle of lamplight shut out the darkness, and the glowing stove pushed aside the cold.

In this slice of time, happiness prevailed, in a warm sanctuary that the howling terrors of the world cold not invade.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.