Kevin Sylvester Knihy

Profiles twenty individuals who, while not professional athletes themselves, work to keep the sports industry running for the players and fans, including a baseball park groundskeeper, a Zamboni driver, and a cameraman

A fourteen-year-old crime-solving chef finds mayhem in Mexico in this full-flavored mystery. Teenage wunderchef—and budding detective—Neil Flambé heads to Mexico City to take part in the Azteca Cocina, a two-week battle of the chefs. But he’s off to an unsettling start: His box of secret ingredients contains a note that says his girlfriend, Isabella, has been kidnapped. He must lose in the final, or else she’ll be killed. Fortunately, Isabella is clever, and the locks of her hair that accompany follow-up ransom notes have been saturated with smells to help him track her down. But even Neil’s keen sense of smell can’t tackle this case alone. He’ll have to delve into Aztec history, symbolism, and the ancient ruins buried under the modern city. And time is ticking….

The sudden disappearance of Neil’s skills in the kitchen is the real mystery in this culinary caper. Is a curse to blame? World-class chef—and royal pain in the neck—Neil Flambé is used to serving his dishes to resounding applause and overwhelming approval. And Neil’s super-sensitive nose does more than enable him to cook sophisticated meals and run his own restaurant; it also allows him to help local police solve mysteries in his spare time. Then things start going wrong. His plates are returned. A group of critics visit the restaurant and leave completely dissatisfied. Worse yet, Chez Flambé is closed by an order of the Department of Health! Suddenly, Neil finds himself amid the cook-off of his life—and his entire reputation is at stake. Then he discovers the root of all his problems: a dark curse that has plagued Flambé chefs for centuries. Has Neil finally met a mess he can’t smell his way out of?