Chef Carrie Ann Cole is about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime—an assignment as the new Personal Chef to the Royal Family at Kensington Palace. But no sooner has Carrie Ann touched down across the pond and donned her apron than a dead body crops up beneath the royal kale beds.With one assistant dead and the other soon under suspicion for his murder, Carrie Ann is scrambling to keep her … keep her kitchen up and running. Not to mention she gets off to an immediate bad start with the tempestuous Royal Chef Butterbottom, who has a bitter taste in his mouth since the prestigious position in the Royal Family’s kitchen was given to an “over-privileged, under-educated American chef.”
But the Royal Family’s appetites wait for no one, and Carrie Ann must solve the murder and still get supper on the table on time—even with the annoyingly handsome Head of Security Ian Gordon tracking her every move like an MI6 agent. Suspects abound as an American chef adds a bit of spice to the traditional royal household in the first in Nell Hampton’s charming and tasty Kensington Palace Chef Mystery series, Kale to the Queen.
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I really enjoyed this new series by Nell Hampton! The characters were fun and well developed…and of course, you loved some and hated others. Carrie Ann gets into a big mess as soon as she takes on the position as family chef to the duke and duchess. And you are floating along in the midst of chaos, mystery, and delicious meals. I wish Carrie Ann was cooking for me!
This was a delightful and easy read. But it was also very enjoyable. I am looking forward to the second book in the series.
4 stars to Nell Hampton’s Kale to the Queen, the first book in the new “Kensington Palace Chef” mystery series. I thoroughly adored this book and am very excited to see how this new series does in the coming years. A definite read for cozy fans, especially those who love a mystery set in England.
Story
Carrie Ann, a mid-20s American chef from Chicago, has a chance meeting with the English Duchess, and finds herself with an invite to become the royal family’s new personal chef. She moves to London and sets up shop in Kensington palace, where she serves the future King of England, in her own kitchen with two assistant chefs. After meeting several colleagues, and finding a few a bit too snooty and some with a grudge against her already, Carrie Ann settles in; however, she soon finds one of her assistants dead on her kitchen floor. She gets to know 5 or 6 key staffers at the palace, deciding for herself who to trust and who to steer clear of. After several days of minor sleuthing, trying to clear her second assistant who is accused of murdering the first assistant, Carrie Ann finds herself embroiled in quite a mess of black market gambling. As she learns the ways of the palace, she gets to know the victim’s family, learning his wife was in love with someone else and sick with cancer. When she comes closer to solving the case, and putting her job in jeopardy, Carrie Ann unwittingly stumbles upon the killer and finds a way to escape with little harm. Along the course, her boyfriend of 6-years, whom she took a “break” from at his suggestion when she moved to London, tries to maintain their relationship, but she’s finding others she might be attracted to in her new role. How will she get out of this dilemma? Just you wait…
Strengths
1. From the moment I picked up the book until the end, I found every page easy to read, every character interesting and each plot line solid. It’s a strong opening cozy. Not once did I stop to think “which character was that?” as each one is clear and memorable. And there are at least 10 supporting players to keep track of. Nice work, Miss Hampton!
2. You’d think it would be a bit tedious dealing with all of the rules in the palace. But it’s woven together in such an easy way, you find it believable. And kinda fun, trying to figure out how Carrie Ann would adapt to the barricades set around her entire day, from no men in the bedroom quarters, to home by 11pm or sleep elsewhere, to not speaking unless spoken to when near the duchess. Craziness!
3. The relationships between everyone are so fun! Carrie Ann battles with almost everyone on different levels, but she also bonds with everyone at some point, too. I can’t decide who I want her to end up with… the gardener, the royal chef, the head of security, the gardener’s brother! It’s a feast of options.
Suggestions
The ultimate culprit and plot were fine, but possibly a little weak. I’d have liked to see a few more layers of complexity thrown in. It was good, and I enjoyed it, but I think it could have been a little better. For example, maybe there were some different red herrings that led us further astray. Or maybe the family connections were a little more surprising.
Final Thoughts
I’m really surprised at how much I loved this cozy. It certainly wasn’t perfect, but it was very strong for a new series, and I’m a bit sad I’ll likely have to wait a whole year before the next one. Noooo!!!
Chef Carrie Ann Cole is about to begin her dream job as a personal chef to the Royal Family. She has left behind her boyfriend in Chicago for a one in a lifetime opportunity. In less than 24 hours Carrie Ann has another new experience, discovering a dead body in the royal greenhouse, one of her assistants.
Before long Carrie Ann’s second assistant is the prime suspect in the death of his best friend. The Chef’s life is complete chaos and she is ready to work hard to right the wrong by proving the only suspect innocent.
I read this book because the author writes one of my favorite cozy series under another name. I was not disappointed. The book is filled with characters who are well-developed and believable. I found one flaw in the protagonist, she seems too trusting of all of the new people she is meeting. She discusses suspicions about the crime and possible suspects with people who are strangers to her. She has no idea if they are tied to anyone. Every time Carrie Ann began to over-share I cringed. The story was very engaging. Once I started I didn’t want to stop. The setting is interesting for a cozy. Rather than a small town the story takes place in London, however the palace is much like a village unto itself. I recommend this book and I am ready to read the second book.
Note: I listened to the audio version of this book. The reader was very good. She was able to make distinctive voices for each character.
This is an exciting book that takes the reader along for a fast fun ride where you are not only cheering for Chef Cole to accomplish her dream, but you also get caught up in the mystery and trying to put the many pieces together to come up with the solution right along with her.