The Blurb
A dying man. The painting within her reach. What’s a thief to do?
Talented London milliner Emily Gates creates amazing hats for Society ladies, but to collect from those who don’t pay her bill, she burglarizes their homes. She needs every penny to send her deaf brother to school. Late one night, she sneaks in to find Lord Kaldaire badly injured in his study. Unwilling to abandon him, she calls for help.
When Kaldaire dies without revealing who attacked him, his widow agrees to keep Emily’s secrets ― if Emily will help find her husband’s killer. A bigger danger is a Scotland Yard inspector who threatens to arrest Emily — unless she spies on her father’s family of swindlers and conmen. Worst of all are the attacks from an unknown assailant. What will Emily face first, jail or death?
This cozy mystery is set in the era of My Fair Lady and Mary Poppins, of early automobiles and aeroplanes, and of King Edward VII and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. If you enjoyed the Victorian Bookshop Mysteries, you’ll like Emily Gates and the collection of aristocrats and thieves in her world as they step into the 20th century.
Talented London milliner Emily Gates creates amazing hats for Society ladies, but to collect from those who don’t pay her bill, she burglarizes their homes. She needs every penny to send her deaf brother to school. Late one night, she sneaks in to find Lord Kaldaire badly injured in his study. Unwilling to abandon him, she calls for help.
When Kaldaire dies without revealing who attacked him, his widow agrees to keep Emily’s secrets ― if Emily will help find her husband’s killer. A bigger danger is a Scotland Yard inspector who threatens to arrest Emily — unless she spies on her father’s family of swindlers and conmen. Worst of all are the attacks from an unknown assailant. What will Emily face first, jail or death?
This cozy mystery is set in the era of My Fair Lady and Mary Poppins, of early automobiles and aeroplanes, and of King Edward VII and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. If you enjoyed the Victorian Bookshop Mysteries, you’ll like Emily Gates and the collection of aristocrats and thieves in her world as they step into the 20th century.
The Killing at Kaldaire House by Kate Parker
Series: The Milliner Mysteries, #1
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: JDP Press
Publication Date: April 2, 2018
Paperback: 318 pages
ISBN-10: 0997663715
ISBN-13: 978-0997663716
File Size: 3009 KB
ASIN: B079ZBJ935
The Review
I just read an amazing book, y'all — The Killing at Kaldaire House by Kate Parker, the first book in the Milliner Mysteries series. Let me tell you why I think it’s so great.
Emily Gates is such a joy to read about. She captured my interest immediately, with
If I hadn't been desperate, I wouldn't have been creeping around the ground floor of Kaldaire House late at night.
Having learned hat-making from an early age by her mother and Uncle Noah, her mother's brother, Emily took over the millinery shop upon her mother's death. Emily also learned things from her father, and his family of conmen and thieves. She uses this knowledge to her advantage, when she tries to collect on her overdue bills by kidnapping one of their valuable objects. I enjoyed reading how Emily uses what she's been taught by both families.
The snippets of hat-making details are particularly appealing, as is the blend of history with mystery. The action of The Killing at Kaldaire House takes place in 1905 in England, primarily London. Motorized omnibuses and horseless carriages are now sharing the roads with horse-drawn buses and carriages. There are even motorcar races, and one such road rally, visited by Emily, is featured in The Killing at Kaldaire House. Since Emily and Lady Kaldaire are motoring to the rally site, Emily devises an ingenious "motoring veil" for them to wear so they are protected from dust and bugs. The veil is adjustable for hats with low or high crowns, and wide or narrow brims. Every lady at the rally who sees it wants it for herself, and Emily is happy to take their orders.
The plot of The Killing at Kaldaire House is quite entertaining and imaginative. Emily and Lady Kaldaire come up with several plausible suspects for the murder. I wasn't sure whodunit until the big reveal, following a thrilling climax.
The conclusion of The Killing at Kaldaire House is fantastic. I love it! The only thing I didn't like about The Killing at Kaldaire House is that it ended too soon. I didn't want to stop reading about Emily, her shop, her friends and family. I can't wait until Book #2 of The Milliner Mysteries is released!
I recommend The Killing at Kaldaire House to all fans of cozy mysteries, historical mysteries, and British mysteries. I think it will have special appeal to readers who are fans of the Eliza Doolittle & Henry Higgins Mystery series and Kate Parker's Deadly Series and Victorian Bookshop Mysteries. I absolutely adored The Killing at Kaldaire House by Kate Parker, and hereby grant it our highest rating of Five Kitties!
Five out of five kitties
Note: I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of The Killing at Kaldaire House.
All opinions shared are 100% my own.
The Author
About Kate Parker
Kate Parker has wanted to travel to 1930s England since she read her mother’s Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers mysteries when she was a schoolgirl. After many years of studying science, she decided a time travel machine was out of the question so she found herself limited to reading about the period and visiting historic sites. Her love of this fascinating and challenging period led her to the research from which the Deadly series grew. Eventually, she found it necessary to spend several days in the British Library reading old newspapers, which meant another trip to England. Near Christmas. A sacrifice she’d gladly make every year.
Find Kate on the web at
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