Historical Mystery Review: Speculations in Sin | Jennifer Ashley

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 in New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Ashley’s Speculations in Sin.

About the Book | Speculations in Sin

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. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

Review | Speculations in Sin

Jennifer Ashley’s Below the Staircase mystery series is a must-read for historical mystery fans. Speculations in Sin is book seven in the series, and it reads as it’s own mystery wrapped up in one book. However, I did feel like I was missing some of the fun seeing character arcs and relationship dynamics not having read the full series. Still, I had no issue jumping into the series here instead of on book one.

Set in the Victorian era, the series centers around a woman named Kat Holloway who serves as a cook in the Bywater family’s Mayfair home. In the most recent book, Kat is visiting her friend Joanna Millburn on her day off and sends her daughter Grace on an errand so she can talk to Joanna alone. It’s clear something is troubling her friend, but Kat doesn’t want to bring it up in front of her daughter. Joanna shares that her husband Samuel Millburn is concerned he may be fired from his job—they’ve accused him of embezzling funds. This would make it difficult for the couple to support their four children and keep the home they are in. This would also mean that Kat’s daughter Grace would be out of the home as well.

Kat agrees to help her friend by looking into the matter and trying to uncover who is really behind the embezzlement. When she returns to the Bywater home, she learns that the butler Mr. Davis was also out for the day and hasn’t returned home. When he isn’t back by dinner, Kat helps with service but puzzles over what could have kept him. The next day Mr. Davis returns to the home and he is furious with Kat for going through his things. Kat was only trying to uncover any clue as to his whereabouts, but Mr. Davis is unwilling to offer any further insight into where he was and why he didn’t come home.

But soon the unsettling argument with Mr. Davis is forgotten when a bigger matter arises. Lady Cynthia (the Bywater’s niece) and Kat are at the bank when they learn that one of the senior clerks has been murdered, and the police arrest Joanna’s husband Sam for the crime. Cynthia’s friend Judith Townsend provides a barrister to help Sam, but Kat must step in to find evidence to set him free.

I enjoyed this book and found that the mystery kept a decent pace, interrupted only by absolutely delicious (and welcome) descriptions of the food Kat is preparing and the wine Mr. Davis is serving. Kat is an interesting character aside from her detective work because she is a single, unmarried mother, which is rare for the Victorian era. Kat keeps the existence of her fatherless daughter a secret from her employers because she would risk her employment if they knew. Heartbreaking to imagine what it was like for women at that time!

There are plenty of characters but only a few viable suspects. I was surprised when the murderer was revealed and thought the scene was thrilling as Kat confronts the culprit. Kat is a resilient and determined person, both in her detective work and as a mother, friend, and colleague. There’s even a bit of a romance that is going on. I assume it is picking up from another book, but that added a nice cheery note to the novel.

Readers who love historical fiction and historical mysteries will sure love this series!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

About the Author | Jennifer Ashley

Jennifer Ashley is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 90 novels and novellas in mystery, romance, and fantasy. Mystery is her first love, which she has been reading since a tender age; her house could double as a mystery bookshop. Jennifer also writes the USA Today bestselling Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries series under the name Ashley Gardner.