Neil Flambe and the Marco Polo Murders: The Neil Flambe Capers #1
Grade 5–8—Neil Flambé is an interesting teen—a passionate chef, ignored son of a lawyer mom and an ad-executive dad, overwhelmed student, and the "Nose" to Inspector Nakamura, who relies heavily on him to help solve cases. When chefs across town turn up murdered, Neil sniffs some strange spices at the crime scenes, but he can't quite put his finger on what they are, which is unusual for him. When he stumbles upon a journal once owned by Marco Polo, he gives it to his cousin to transcribe. As the journal unfolds, it becomes more and more evident that the deaths are somehow tied to Marco Polo's long-ago journey to take a princess to her betrothed. Polo went to his grave with that secret, thinking no one would ever discover his terrible mistake. A romance between Isabella, the daughter of a chef, and Neil is a little mature for a 14-year-old but it probably won't bother middle school readers. This would be a great book-club choice. Participants could create the perfect seven-course meal as an accompaniment to discussing such an engaging and lively read.—Julie Shatterly, W.A. Bess Elementary School, Gastonia, NC(c) Copyright 2010.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.