Kale to the Queen
Dollycas’s ThoughtsA fun debut for this series. It reminds me of Julie Hyzy’s White House Chef Mysteries.
Nell Hampton takes us behind the scenes of Kensington Palace as Chef Carrie Ann Cole leaves the U.S. to become the personal family chef for the Prince, Princess and their 2 children. She leaves her boyfriend of 6 years back in the States as they take a break so she call follow her dream. She hits the ground running preparing her first meal for the family soon after arriving at the palace. Then the next morning she finds one of her assistants dead and the other one is quickly arrested as the killer. What has she gotten herself into? She didn’t know her assistants well but she just can’t fathom that one would kill the other. So in addition to serving spectacular meals to her Royal Family, she now is trying to find a murderer. Head of Security Ian Gordon is not happy with her chopping her way into the case. His job is too keep everyone in the palace safe, including her, and she is making his job very difficult.
I liked Carrie Anne immediately. At first I thought she was going to in over her head with this important job, but as soon as she got into her kitchen she was in control. The other chef in the palace, Royal Chef Butterbottom, dislikes her immediately, first because he thinks he should be the only chef and second because she is an American. He has his own kitchen and takes care of the events and dinners at the palace. Carrie Anne cooks for the family. Due to circumstances beyond their control is becomes impossible to avoid each other. This adds a little unexpected drama to the story. The author introduces several other members of the palace staff. The Royal Family stays pretty much in the background.
The palace itself and the area surrounding it are new to Carrie Anne, so the reader gets to follow along with her as she learns all the floors, rooms, hallways and even some local pubs. She also takes “the tube” to get to the markets and interesting other places. The descriptions are stellar, even telling us what a trek it is to use the stairway instead the elevator when reaching her stop in the city. The kitchens, Carrie Anne’s suite, and traveling to and from are all written in a way that makes us feel like we are there or maybe a fly on the wall.
The mystery is so well plotted. Everything is new to our chef. She really knows no one, who can she trust and who would even listen to her ideas? Ian Gordon, the Head of Security, seems friendly enough but will he just humor her or take her seriously? The story progresses at a nice pace and Carrie Anne makes some questionable decisions. She really surprised me the way she didn’t hold back, she was going to find the truth no matter what.
This series is off to a fantastic start. Chef Carrie Ann Cole evolved ten fold from the first page to the last with just a couple of moments of doubt in between. I am very excited to see where the author takes us in future stories. The core characters have my attention. I can’t wait for my next visit across the pond.
