Neil Flambe And The Marco Polo Murders: The Neil Flambe Capers #1

fourteen-year-old Wunderchef Neil Flambé Can Cook Anything, And Patrons Pay Top Dollar And Wait Months For Reservations At His Tiny Boutique Restaurant. What Many Of Neil’s Patrons Don’t Know, However, Is That He’s Also A Budding Detective, Code-named “the Nose.” It All Started When He Used His Knowledge Of Cooking And His Incredible Sense Of Smell To Acquit His Mother’s Client Of Murder. Now, However, Some Of The Best Chefs In Town Are Turning Up Dead, The Cops Are Stumped, And The Crime Scenes Aren’t Helping. The Only Real Clues Are A Mysterious Smell And Some Equally Mysterious Notes — In Italian! — That Have Something To Do With The Great Explorer Marco Polo. As More And More Chefs Fall Prey To The Killer, And More And More Notes Turn Up, Neil Finds Himself Working Not Only To Solve The Murders, But To Eliminate Himself As The Prime Suspect!

publishers Weekly

sylvester (gold Medal For Weird) Takes Readers Into The Culinary World Of Vancouver, Canada, And Into The Kitchen Of Neil Flambé, Aka “the Nose,” A 14-year-old “wunderchef Wunderbrat” With His Own Restaurant And Line Of Cooking Pans. Despite Neil's Oversize Ego, His Highly Sensitive Nose Makes Him A Valuable Tool For The Vancouver Police, Who Ask Neil To Help Them Crack A Series Of Murders Targeting The City's Famous Chefs. Self-centered And Arrogant, Neil Is Amusing If Not Likable (“i'm Just Trying To Help Ignorant Slobs Like You Eat Real Food,” He Tells The Class Bully). The Mystery Itself, Connected To Marco Polo's Final Journey To Venice In The 14th Century, Is A Tad Overcomplicated, And Readers May End Up Wondering If All The Pieces Ever Really Fell Into Place. Still, The Antics Of Neil's Cousin And Sous-chef, Larry, Are Chuckle-worthy, Sylvester's Spot Art Sketches Add An Exuberant Note, And The High-end Cuisine Will Intrigue Budding Chefs. As Pressure Mounts For Neil, Readers Will Hope This Insufferable Young Chef Is Innocent, But Mostly They'll Wish They Could Sample His “pommes De Terre A La Flambé.” Ages 9-12. (apr.)

Author : Kevin Sylvester

Publisher : Key Porter Books

Published Year : 2010

Format : Hardcover, 304 pages

ISBN : 1554702666

ISBN13 : 9781554702664