Neil Flambe is 14 years old. He’s also one of the best chefs in the world, and he knows it. He’s incredibly arrogant, egotistical and is only interested in himself. He occasionally is called upon to put his incredible talents to use for something other than cooking, in this case, fighting crime. Part of Neil’s ability comes from his highly developed sense of smell. When local chefs keep turning up dead, Neil is recruited by the police department to sniff out the problem. But the clock is ticking and as Neil gets closer to finding the killer, the danger is getting closer to him!
I felt this book had a lot of potential, blending mystery with gourmet cooking. I was also thrilled to see another offering where it is totally acceptable for a boy to be in the kitchen. Something about it just fell flat for me. Neil wasn’t exactly a lovable character (although he does improve greatly throughout the book) and I just never got fully drawn in, except a little at the end. In particular, the prologue is very dense with both set up and historical information. It may be off-putting to some readers.
Because of vocabulary and complexity of plot, I would recommend this for teens or tweens. Despite the number of murders and deaths, it’s not particularly scary so it shouldn’t bother readers to much in that respect.
Sex, Nudity, Dating – A princess is sent to Persia for an arranged marriage. Larry has a date and flirts with girls. Kublai Khan had close to 1000 wives. Angel once had a girlfriend. Neil likes a girl and has a date with her. A girl is “attracted to” a boy.
Profanity – “crap,” “Hell” in the context of naming the show Hell’s Kitchen, “tick me off”, “heck,” “what the fudge,” “jerk,” “shut up,” “idiot,” “stuff it,”
Death, Violence and Gore – Marco Polo is on his deathbed; he coughs up some blood. Kublai Khan was nearing death. Hundreds died on Marco’s voyage to Persia. Someone grabs Antonio by the neck. A trap is set that will release a spring-loaded knife. A man is shot and killed. Like any top chef, Neil Flambe owns a dazzling array of knives. A man threatens to wallop Neil with a broom. Chefs are being murdered. One is described as turning blue. A lawyer reports that the complainants in her case keep threatening to kill each other. A lawyer defended a carjacker in court. A prior murder case included a woman being stabbed to death. Her murder threatened to kill the person who figured out the culprit. Neil tells someone who is eating junk food that he’ll die of a heart attack. He is threatened by a bully who also tried to hit and kick him. The process of force-feeding geese to fatten them up for foie gras is described. A man makes a joke about what a human’s liver would taste like. In trying to figure out what happened in Angel’s past to make him sad, Neil suggests that maybe he cut off someone’s finger, gave someone food poisoning, killed someone or robbed a bank. Neil competes in a cooking competition held by a mafioso. A gun is held to his head. Neil threatens to beat Larry over the head with a tuna. A woman tries to stab Neil with a knife. A librarian is shot. A man died in a deep-fryer accident. A murderer gets injured running into a door and is bleeding. A murderer threatens someone with a gun. Two more people are shot.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – A man is offered an aperitif.
Frightening or Intense Things – A mother briefly leaves her baby unattended. Larry gambles. A character is framed for murder and arrested.
