Although I've never been a huge fan of cozy mysteries, they're perfect for when I've grown weary of blood, gore, shoot-'em-ups and books with "girl" in the title. But usually, by the 50 percent mark - sometimes even sooner - the heroine has annoyed me so much by poking her nose (and the rest of her body) where it doesn't belong that I'm more inclined to smack her upside the head than finish the book. What a joy it was, then, to read about the delightful, entertaining and very capable Carrie Ann Cole, an American chef who works for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (think: William and Kate) at Kensington Palace.
It is, I must add, not the first in the series; but I had no problem whatsoever following this one despite not having read the other. In fact, Chef Cole isn't a stranger to murder - she once found an assistant dead under a bed of kale. Here, though, everything seems to be going smoothly, at least until she sees a man peeking into her kitchen window. Not long thereafter, that man is found not only dead, but apparently from an unusual cause: Poisoning by eating one of Carrie Ann's delicious pies. He was found in the Orangery at Kensington Palace following a bridal shower that Carrie Ann had been called in to cater.
Readers, of course, know Carrie Ann is innocent; still, with her fingerprints on the pie pan, she's got to find a way to prove she's not a murderer lest the Royal Family sends her packing. For the moment, she's got support from a couple of hunky guys (oh, did I mention Carrie Ann is beautiful and single?), namely the palace head of security, Ian Gordon, and Jasper Feldman, the kitchen gardener. But following a pie-making contest that generates jealousy from her chef peers, her primary rival and a few of his staff become ill (another suspected poisoning). And when yet another chef is iced, guess who becomes a prime suspect once again?
Through it all, Carrie Ann's behavior never once insulted her intelligence (or mine), nor did the story challenge credibility (though I do wish the characters could find another way to react to situations besides wincing - roll their eyes once in a while, perhaps?) And if I must nitpick, I'd say there was an overabundance of the characters' speculating about whodunit and why. But the twists, turns and kneads were plentiful and fun (no, I didn't guess the ending), to the point that unquestionably, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read it in exchange for an honest review.
Lord of the Pies by Nell Hampton (Crooked Lane Books, April 2018); 320 pp.
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