Kale to the Queen

Written by Nell Hampton

Narrated by Romy Nordlinger

When a dead body is found underneath the kale bed in the Kensington Palace greenhouse, newly hired personal chef to the royal family Carrie Ann Cole must prove her innocence in Kale to the Queen, Nell Hampton's tasty mystery debut.

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 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 Kensington Palace Chef mysteries.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Aug 21, 2018
• ISBN: 9781541448100

Reviews for Kale to the Queen

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Carrie Ann Cole is following her dream of being a personal chef when she takes a job working for the duke and duchess of Cambridge in Kensington Palace. But to reach her goals, she has to leave behind her boyfriend of six years who is pursuing his goal of becoming a Michelin chef. They have agreed to take a break in their relationship.Everything is new to this Chicago girl when she gets to the palace. She certainly wasn't expecting to find one of her assistants murdered under the kale in the greenhouse attached to her kitchen on her second day in London. And, when her other assistant is arrested for the crime, Carrie Ann launches her own investigation to try to clear him of blame.Between her rivalry with another chef at the palace and her run-ins with the security chief, Carrie Ann learns a lot about the people who work at the palace. Of course, we get tantalizing glimpses of the meals that she is preparing for the Royal family too. This was a fun mystery of the cozy variety.

[mom2mandj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a cute cozy with a very interesting setting. I did figure out who the murderer was halfway through the book, and I didn't feel like I got to know the characters well, but maybe in the next book they develop more.Carrie Ann, a chef in Chicago, gets the chance of a lifetime to become personal chef to the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge (who are never identified by name.) First day on the job, one of her assistants is found dead in the greenhouse. Not a good start.

[carlathelibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book in a new series and I enjoyed it. Carrie Ann Cole is the new personal chef for the Duke and Duchess of Kensington and their two children. She leaves her boyfriend of six years back in Chicago for her dream job. He determines that they should use this time for a break from their relationship. The second there, she finds one of her assistants dead in the greenhouse and her other assistant is quickly arrested for the murder. Chef Cole doesn't really know her assistants that well, but she has a feeling that someone else is responsible. She begins to ask questions and develop a theory about the crime.

There were several things I really liked about this book. Most of the cozies I have read that are set in Britian are historical, so it was nice to have this one in present day. I also liked that the main character is not just an amateur sleuth, but has a job, a job that keeps her very busy. It was interesting to see how strict the household was run and all the security measures. It felt a bit Downton Abbeyish with the head of the staff being rather staid, but she did soften as the story went on. Carrie Ann is a very likeable character who makes friends easily. She is generous and others seem attracted to her. Even the crotchety Chef Butterbottom softens to her a bit. I like that there are a couple of male characters who could possibly be romantic interests in the future. The mystery was well paced with Carrie Ann getting into a couple of dicey situations. There were a couple of minor issues such as, some of the dialogue was a bit stilted at the beginning of the book, but it seemed to be fine as the story went on and I didn't need to know every single thing the family and children ate, although it would be nice to see some of the menus. Overall this was a well paced story with a mystery that was interesting. The culprit was not on my radar, but it certainly fit when the reasoning was given for his murder. I am looking forward to the next book in this series. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via netgalley.

[ethel55_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a pretty strong beginning to a new series. I was hesitant at first to believe how this chef was found and tapped from the Midwest to become the personal chef to part of the royal family. But, as I read on, I realized that Carrie Ann was a gal worth rooting for and I didn't mind how unlikely the actual appointment may have come about. When one of her assistant chefs is found dead in the palace greenhouse almost immediately, the story ramped up as we met multiple suspects for the first time, right along with Carrie Ann. I liked the descriptions of the city around Kensington too, and the family ties to the local pub, for instance.

[kris_anderson-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Kale to the Queen by Nell Hampton is the first book in A Kensington Palace Chef Mystery series. Carrie Ann Cole from Chicago, Illinois has just been hired to be the personal chef to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Carrie Ann arrives to work early the next morning and enters the greenhouse attached to the kitchen to pick what she needs. In the kale section, Carrie Ann stumbles upon Frank Deems, one of her assistants. It is obvious that Frank is dead, and Carrie Ann rushes to get assistance. Ian Gordon, the security chief, swiftly arrives on the scene. Blame is quickly laid on Michael Haregrove, Carrie Ann’s food prep assistant. Though she has not known Michael long, Carrie Ann knows he did not kill Frank. Carrie Ann is determined to clear Michael’s name so he can return to work. Her investigation time is limited because meals still need to be cooked and served to the royal family. Carrie Ann is off to a bumpy start in Kensington Palace, and Chef Butterbottom is less than friendly. Chef Butterbottom does not like American’s and is very particular about his kitchen (likes the floor to be scrubbed with a brush by hand). A further wrinkle in Carrie Ann’s new life is Chicago boyfriend, John. John’s cooking star is on the rise and he had no wish to relocate with Carrie Ann. But then he shows up in her quarter’s one night with unexpected offer. Carrie Ann will need to make a decision. To see how Carrie Ann investigation turns out and her choice, check out Kale to the Queen.I enjoyed reading Kale to the Queen. It has a wonderful setting, lovely descriptions of food and London, and a delightful main character. The book is well-written and has a good pace. I did find Carrie Ann a little too chatty with regard to the mystery. She should have been more discreet with her investigation. I also did not feel we needed a description of every item of food that Carrie Ann made for the royal family. I can understand some food imagery, but not every single dish (especially those made for the children). I liked how Carrie Ann evolved over the course of the story. It was nice to see her grow from her experience and face some realities about her relationship with John. I give Kale to the Queen 4 out of 5 stars. While the mystery was interesting, there was a very limited suspect pool. I thought the identity of the killer was apparent. I wish the author had made it a little more complex (added more depth/layers). There is a new love interest for Carrie Ann, and he seems to be a mysterious fellow (much better than the Chicago boyfriend). I just hope that the author develops the relationship slowly and keeps it playing softly in the background (it is a mystery not a romance novel). Kale to the Queen captured my interest right away and held it throughout the story. I thought this was a good first book in the series and I will definitely be reading the next book in A Kensington Palace Chef Mystery.