Mrs. Holloway’s Christmas Pudding

Mrs. Holloway’s Christmas Pudding (2023) Jennifer Ashley (Kat Holloway Mysteries)

Set in London in 1882

There have been two Mrs. Holloway novellas this year, and this one is focused more on Mrs. Holloway.

It’s almost Christmas and everyone is getting ready for the holiday.

We’d had an excess of the fruit, which Mrs. Bywater had found at an agreeable price and spontaneously ordered several crates of. Plenty for the plum puddings for Christmas and New Year’s, she’d said.

In vain had I pointed out that “plum” pudding didn’t actually have any plums in it. Currants, raisins, citrus peel, and other dried fruits, yes—these held together with plenty of breadcrumbs, suet, spices, and brandy.

A man falls ill at dinner and Mrs. Bywater blames the food. Both to prove her innocence and because Mrs Bywater is awful, Kat decides to find out why the man really fell ill.

“If every disgruntled servant doctored their master’s soup or tea or sherry, there would be an amazing number of deaths in Mayfair,” I said.

I enjoyed the story and I think it should be readable by someone who has not read a Kat Holloway story before, so it might be a good jumping in places to the series (especially as these books rarely seem to go on sale, and are at the higher end of ebook pricing).

Publisher: JA / AG Publishing. Cover design by Kim Killion

Rating: 8/10

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