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The Neil Flambé Capers #3
Neil Flambé and the Crusader's Curse
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 a dark curse that has plagued Flambé chefs for centuries. Has Neil finally met a mess he can’t smell his way out of?
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 a dark curse that has plagued Flambé chefs for centuries. Has Neil finally met a mess he can’t smell his way out of?
304 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2011
15 people are currently reading
186 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Sylvester
48 books156 followersKEVIN SYLVESTER is an award winning illustrator, writer and broadcaster.
His new sci-fi series MiNRs is now out from Simon and Schuster. MINRs was named a 2017 Honour Red Maple and Manitoba Reader's Honour book and a 2015 CLA Honour Book. MINRs2 is out. MINRs3 will be released in 2018.
His series The Neil Flambé Capers is already a bestseller and critical success. Students across Ontario picked 'Neil Flambé and the Marco Polo Murders' as the Silver Birch winner for fiction in 2011!
There are 6 books in the series so far, Neil Flambé and the Duel in the Desert is the latest.
Super-chef Gordon Ramsay calls the series “Good Fun”.
Kevin also does picture books - "Super-Duper Monster Viewer" is out from Groundwood. GREAT (with the Gretzky family) is out from Penguin.
Kevin’s first picture book 'Splinters' was published in fall 2010 by Tundra. It’s about a young girl who only wants to play hockey, but the mean coach and her daughters won’t let her. Can her fairy goaltender come to the rescue?
Kevin non-fiction titles include Follow Your Money, Baseballogy, Basketballogoy, Sports Hall of Weird and Gold Medal for Weird.
Kevin has been a broadcaster on national radio in Canada for years and years and has covered eight Olympic Games. He also produced documentaries on topics ranging from racism in hockey to the history of church bells in Canada.
He now splits his time between his attic studio in Toronto and the radio. He was named a Massey Journalism Scholar in 2007 and used the time to study theology at the University of Toronto.
His new sci-fi series MiNRs is now out from Simon and Schuster. MINRs was named a 2017 Honour Red Maple and Manitoba Reader's Honour book and a 2015 CLA Honour Book. MINRs2 is out. MINRs3 will be released in 2018.
His series The Neil Flambé Capers is already a bestseller and critical success. Students across Ontario picked 'Neil Flambé and the Marco Polo Murders' as the Silver Birch winner for fiction in 2011!
There are 6 books in the series so far, Neil Flambé and the Duel in the Desert is the latest.
Super-chef Gordon Ramsay calls the series “Good Fun”.
Kevin also does picture books - "Super-Duper Monster Viewer" is out from Groundwood. GREAT (with the Gretzky family) is out from Penguin.
Kevin’s first picture book 'Splinters' was published in fall 2010 by Tundra. It’s about a young girl who only wants to play hockey, but the mean coach and her daughters won’t let her. Can her fairy goaltender come to the rescue?
Kevin non-fiction titles include Follow Your Money, Baseballogy, Basketballogoy, Sports Hall of Weird and Gold Medal for Weird.
Kevin has been a broadcaster on national radio in Canada for years and years and has covered eight Olympic Games. He also produced documentaries on topics ranging from racism in hockey to the history of church bells in Canada.
He now splits his time between his attic studio in Toronto and the radio. He was named a Massey Journalism Scholar in 2007 and used the time to study theology at the University of Toronto.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
July 6, 2012
His books always leave me feeling hungry for another book and some gourmet food.
March 7, 2013
I thought this book was okay. I found the whole story line was really boring and confusing because some chapters were set in present day and talking about Neil and other chapters were set back in the 1600's and talking about a guy named Pierre, I kinda liked the ending A little bit but otherwise this book was not my favourite.
May 26, 2012
I enjoyed this one the most of the three books in the series so far. It felt as though Neil learned a few things this time (and maybe some humility) and I'll be interested to see where it goes in book 4.
January 10, 2013
i thought Neil Flambe was a great book! It really was a type of book that you could not put it down. I had lots of fun reading this book and i would reccomend this book to many people! I thought it was really cool at the end.
January 2, 2021
A good follow up to the other books with perfect mystery twist and adventures, and as always leaving you with wonder what can I create in my kitchen.
This humorous piece of work is perfect for adults and kids, with back and forth of present and past story, you wouldn’t want to put the book down.
The previous books would help understand the plot better but still in itself is a good read.
In short, enjoyable!
This humorous piece of work is perfect for adults and kids, with back and forth of present and past story, you wouldn’t want to put the book down.
The previous books would help understand the plot better but still in itself is a good read.
In short, enjoyable!
November 29, 2021
Neil flambe and the crusaders curse is such a good book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the first 2 books in the series and is looking for a new Neil Flambe mystery. In this book Neil has to stop a curse set on his family many many years ago, will he end it? You will have to read it to find out. I loved this book and cant wait to read the next books in the series!
I hope this review was helpful and can help you make a decision on a next book you can read!
I hope this review was helpful and can help you make a decision on a next book you can read!
December 12, 2018
The Neil Flambé books are enjoyable. This one was a bit more complicated from an action stand point and I fear was not as interesting regarding the food and cuisine. But the mystery! That was delicious.
August 24, 2020
I found this one a little bit all over the place and a little too over the top as to the circumstances near the end of the book. I think, though, that Neil is growing up a little bit each book, which is nice to see.
February 1, 2019
This, in my opinion, went slower than the other books and took longer for me to finish. Good plot though and a fun read!
January 6, 2022
Love it
September 20, 2022
Still love this series, but the duel against a super computer seemed kind of weird and the climax was a little over the top. The characters and relationships are getting better and more defined.
February 25, 2023
Contrived fun. I started reading it to my daughter, and only continued because she liked it.
May 3, 2024
it is so bad
May 23, 2024
Good book with cooking fun and mystery
May 31, 2013
This book was 10 times better than the first one and second one added up together. Sometimes the author writes one good book then make it a series and the rest of them are "try hard" books but this clearly isn't the case. There are many points that make this book so much more interesting and exciting to read than the first and second ones. Firstly, it starts off with a problem and many books aren't written like that, usually taking up at least 1/3 of a book without a big problem as the climax. This book however, starts off by Neil having troubles with his food and critics aren't satisfied and his dishes weren't sent back. And of course he goes crazy with this news because he's THE Neil Flambé after all and his dishes were never sent back untouched. He then receives a book full with recipes made from weird ingredients such as seagal and seaweed but the book helped him win his competition with DBC (a programmed computer that cooks) because of the out of the ordinary recipes. But Neil's restaurant and career as a chef have been turned upside down and he thinks it has something to do with DBC but DBC told him that he's not the mastermind of all this and that the person who's behind all of this is in Paris. So of course Neil sets off to go to Paris, ALONE, and wounds up in trouble. The person who was all behind this was named Jeanne Valette and she was an ancestor of the Valettes and apparently they were going to rule the world and was so close but Neil's ancestor Pierre Flambé put an end and stopped them and that's why there's a curse on the Flambés and Jeanne wants revenge. The one thing though (not bad nor good) is that whatever the situation might be in this book Neil will always be saved no matter how close to death he is because clearly there's a fourth book. But I really liked the ending though because I was so touched when Larry just came in to save Neil and also that Neil and Larry was going to give up their lives to save a person named Jean-Claude Chili that helped them. I really really really like Neil's character now too. He changed a lot since the first book and I definitely think it's a good change. He's gotten less cocky and more caring especially to all his loved ones and people he cares about. Overall I really enjoyed this book and especially the ending even though I knew everything was going to turn out well.
I picked this book up because someone told me that this series is good and also everyone was reading it so I decided to give it a try. I read the first and second and this is the third. I was actually not planning to read this one after reading the second one because I thought it was horrible but I decided to give it a try and to my surprise this book is definitely the best out of the Neil Flambé books so far. This is probably going to be one of my all time favourites.
I finished it because it was so good. I think this author, Kevin Sylvester, is very good at ending chapters. They always end in a way that you just have to know what happens next; always ending at the good part. And I really wanted to know how Neil and Larry will survive when Jeanne has the whole building they were in booby trapped and was about to explode but luckily Isabella and her body guard Jones were able to turn all the booby traps and explosions off. YAY! Girls always save the day.
I recommend this book to anyone who have read the first and second book, even if you didn't enjoy them doesn't matter, just drop them and read this one. This is in my opinion the best one and the most interesting and exciting one with a whole new twist in the plot.
I picked this book up because someone told me that this series is good and also everyone was reading it so I decided to give it a try. I read the first and second and this is the third. I was actually not planning to read this one after reading the second one because I thought it was horrible but I decided to give it a try and to my surprise this book is definitely the best out of the Neil Flambé books so far. This is probably going to be one of my all time favourites.
I finished it because it was so good. I think this author, Kevin Sylvester, is very good at ending chapters. They always end in a way that you just have to know what happens next; always ending at the good part. And I really wanted to know how Neil and Larry will survive when Jeanne has the whole building they were in booby trapped and was about to explode but luckily Isabella and her body guard Jones were able to turn all the booby traps and explosions off. YAY! Girls always save the day.
I recommend this book to anyone who have read the first and second book, even if you didn't enjoy them doesn't matter, just drop them and read this one. This is in my opinion the best one and the most interesting and exciting one with a whole new twist in the plot.
August 20, 2015
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?
This book I liked but it's not my favorite in the series because I thought the beginning of the book was slow but then it picked up and then it got creepy but it's supposed to be creepy it's based on a curse that happen with the flambe and back in the middle ages. I will be talking about the plot, the characters, and what I thought.
The plot: I actually loved the plot and history of the plot and they went very well together to add the creepy and historical aspect of the book. It takes place after Mexico a few days after Neil birthday when something bad already happens and Neil has to go on an adventure with a duel and other stuff to find the based why his family was cursed to not become great chefs and fail at 15.
The characters: The characters were really good but not as funny as the last book I didn't laugh as much in this one but the character that I like the most is Isabella because she was very tuff and strong and should Neil a little thing or two.
What I thought: I liked it the thing I that I liked the most is the history cause I love the history kind of like Larry I thought this was interesting but I like the last one better but it was nice to learn about the middle ages and other different era's and what happened but the then book is in Tokyo and I'm excited for that one.
Off to the next book!.
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?
This book I liked but it's not my favorite in the series because I thought the beginning of the book was slow but then it picked up and then it got creepy but it's supposed to be creepy it's based on a curse that happen with the flambe and back in the middle ages. I will be talking about the plot, the characters, and what I thought.
The plot: I actually loved the plot and history of the plot and they went very well together to add the creepy and historical aspect of the book. It takes place after Mexico a few days after Neil birthday when something bad already happens and Neil has to go on an adventure with a duel and other stuff to find the based why his family was cursed to not become great chefs and fail at 15.
The characters: The characters were really good but not as funny as the last book I didn't laugh as much in this one but the character that I like the most is Isabella because she was very tuff and strong and should Neil a little thing or two.
What I thought: I liked it the thing I that I liked the most is the history cause I love the history kind of like Larry I thought this was interesting but I like the last one better but it was nice to learn about the middle ages and other different era's and what happened but the then book is in Tokyo and I'm excited for that one.
Off to the next book!.
November 18, 2014
As the ever clueless Neil Flambé tries to get his cooking business up and running (Mr. Sylvester doesn’t hold back when he shows what a difficult and expensive endeavor it is to run a restaurant, even one as seedy as Chez Flambés), he is beset by a new problem—a seemingly ancient curse set upon him by a deceased Crusader.
The problems mount in a dizzying pile but the characters, now well established and alternately endearing, frustrating and funny, handled them with their usual flair. They are now more or less a well oiled team—except for Neil who insists on flying off half cocked (or is that half baked?) in order to deal with matters on his own. Neil’s abrasive tone has become a little more tempered but we recognize the passionate heart that beats beneath that gruff exterior and it makes him oddly appealing. Even when he storms, rages or snaps at his irrepressible cousin (a brilliant foil for him), we know that there’s no real malice or hatred beneath it.
This new mystery takes the reader through history and across the globe. Mr. Sylvester’s books educate as well as titillate; each one opens a new chapter on the world, sprinkling interesting tidbits about various subjects. They are sly attempts to educate the reader as well as the fuming Flambé who is reluctantly coming to realize that all his schooling isn’t necessarily a waste of time.
These are adult books cleverly cloaked as children’s fare and thus a treat for readers of any age.
The problems mount in a dizzying pile but the characters, now well established and alternately endearing, frustrating and funny, handled them with their usual flair. They are now more or less a well oiled team—except for Neil who insists on flying off half cocked (or is that half baked?) in order to deal with matters on his own. Neil’s abrasive tone has become a little more tempered but we recognize the passionate heart that beats beneath that gruff exterior and it makes him oddly appealing. Even when he storms, rages or snaps at his irrepressible cousin (a brilliant foil for him), we know that there’s no real malice or hatred beneath it.
This new mystery takes the reader through history and across the globe. Mr. Sylvester’s books educate as well as titillate; each one opens a new chapter on the world, sprinkling interesting tidbits about various subjects. They are sly attempts to educate the reader as well as the fuming Flambé who is reluctantly coming to realize that all his schooling isn’t necessarily a waste of time.
These are adult books cleverly cloaked as children’s fare and thus a treat for readers of any age.
March 2, 2022
Funny and mysterious this is the book for chefs!
October 12, 2015
Neil Flambé, a fourteen-year-old world class chef is back, and as cocky as ever.
But suddenly, his usually perfect dishes start getting sent back into the kitchen, a bunch of food critics leave unsatisfying reviews for Neil, and his restaurant even gets shut down by the Departement of Health. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.
On Neil's fifteenth birthday, he recieves a notebook containing entries and recipies from his ancesters. He discovers that the past Flambé chefs have also stumbled upon unfortune as soon as they turned fifteen. With closer inspection, he uncovers a curse that has been plaguing Flambé chefs for centuries.
Will this be the end of Neil Flambé?
I picked this book up because it is part of the Neil Flambé series, and I want to finish the series.
I finished this book because I wanted to find out if Neil ended up breaking the curse. And also of course because it's a good book and it kept me interested throughout the whole book.
I'd recommend this book to Jocelyn, because I know she's also planning on reading the Neil Flambé Capers, and I think that she'll like it alot.
This one is my favourite so far!
But suddenly, his usually perfect dishes start getting sent back into the kitchen, a bunch of food critics leave unsatisfying reviews for Neil, and his restaurant even gets shut down by the Departement of Health. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.
On Neil's fifteenth birthday, he recieves a notebook containing entries and recipies from his ancesters. He discovers that the past Flambé chefs have also stumbled upon unfortune as soon as they turned fifteen. With closer inspection, he uncovers a curse that has been plaguing Flambé chefs for centuries.
Will this be the end of Neil Flambé?
I picked this book up because it is part of the Neil Flambé series, and I want to finish the series.
I finished this book because I wanted to find out if Neil ended up breaking the curse. And also of course because it's a good book and it kept me interested throughout the whole book.
I'd recommend this book to Jocelyn, because I know she's also planning on reading the Neil Flambé Capers, and I think that she'll like it alot.
This one is my favourite so far!
March 18, 2013
I really liked this book because of all the adventure in it. In the beginning I thought it was really hard to understand it wasn't even talking about Neil. It was talking about some one named Pierre, to me that didn't make any sense at all. Also it was kind of confusing how they kept talking about how Isabella got takin by who ever in the other book. Other silver birch readers from previous years would understand. I really thought it was kind of weird but funny how if you didn't know Larry then you would think he was a teenager by the way he acts. But like I said in the beginning I really liked all the action in it, my favourite part was when they were at the building battling the lady I would tell all about it but I don't want to spoil everything. But I will tell that I liked how it wasn't just from Neil's point of view it also had Larry's, Isabella's, and all the other people that were talking in it.
September 11, 2015
Neil Flambe returns not food for the stomach but, food for the mind. instead of just any mystery he brings one very close to home., his home or house that is. in this book Neil discovers that things are going terribly wrong for no reason. after his big battle in Mexico he has just reopened his brand new store with brand new things. his food is making people get food poisoning and stomach aches. the health department shuts him down. the store across the street is opening a new building that may be a restaurant but, the worst part is that everything happened on his 15TH BIRTHDAY!!!!
how can he solve the problem when even his friends are starting to leave him???
plus, what is the mysterious book that Angel gave to Neil with extraordinary and amazing recipes!!!??? were there really Flambé chefs in the 1800's? are they really related to Neil? HOW DOES THIS MAKE ANY SENSE!!!
read it to find out.
how can he solve the problem when even his friends are starting to leave him???
plus, what is the mysterious book that Angel gave to Neil with extraordinary and amazing recipes!!!??? were there really Flambé chefs in the 1800's? are they really related to Neil? HOW DOES THIS MAKE ANY SENSE!!!
read it to find out.
April 12, 2013
Neil is trying to start a new restaurant but something has made his dishes taste terrible. All of the food critics send it back and Neil can't figure it out. Then there is the building across the street with the blue light. What confused me was the going back and forth between centuries of Flambe's only not all were Flambe's and not all were fifteen when they started having problems. One of my biggest concerns was..where in the world are Neil's parents and how did they not know he took off to France. This book stands on it's own from the other two but the background material would be very helpful.
September 19, 2013
It is a very good book and I really enjoyed it a lot. I would recommend this book to my classmates that are already reading this book. Good for them!! This book is about Neil Flambé the famous teen chef. His A/C got ruined by Deep Blue Cheese. DBC (Deep Blue Cheese) is a computer and was lost by Neil is a duel. DBC tried to ruin Neil by a fake health department coming in and closing down the restaurant. I am not gonna ruin this book. So I recommend you (whoever is reading this)to read this book!!
March 24, 2016
In this third instalment of the Neil Flambé books, Neil is cursed with not being able to cook starting on his fifteenth birthday.
Again, there is some history about the crusades in medieval times, but nicely interwoven is some Flambé history as well.
With his brilliant, if goofy, sous chef/cousin Larry, plus all the usual cast of characters, he figures out that there is a curse on the Flambé line of chefs, dating back many centuries, and it also explains why his parents are how they are about food and work.
Another marvellous , fun read.
Again, there is some history about the crusades in medieval times, but nicely interwoven is some Flambé history as well.
With his brilliant, if goofy, sous chef/cousin Larry, plus all the usual cast of characters, he figures out that there is a curse on the Flambé line of chefs, dating back many centuries, and it also explains why his parents are how they are about food and work.
Another marvellous , fun read.
June 12, 2012
The third Neil Flambé adventure continues on the same vein as the first two. Neil is in trouble, critics have returned his food and given him poor reviews. This time, the action switches back and forth to medieval times, and we learn bits of information about the Flambé ancestors which helps move our understanding of Neil's current predicament. A fun read!
April 30, 2013
I thought this book was pretty good though not my personal favourite and moved a little bit to fast for me. I liked how it changed from Neil's point of view to some one else's. I don't understand why so many people found the swiching so hard to understand and would appreciate it if some one could explain their thoughts to me.
March 21, 2013
Wow, just wow. This book was amazing. I was like "I don't want to stop reading, this is an awesome book." I gave it 5 out of 5 becasue it was just an amazing book. If you like the Neil Flambe Series or you really like alot of action in a book this is a good book for you. The one thing is that it is a little boring at the start of the book but it is really a ton of acti0on at the end.
July 10, 2014
This is an imaginative book aimed at children but full of puns and humour appealing to adults who enjoy food and its preparation. The book encourages not only the joy of reading, but the joy of cooking, eating good food, experimenting with the many ingredients the world has to offer, and the value of drawing and illustration in expressing ideas. Very enjoyable.
December 29, 2012
A great addition to the Neil Flambe series. I don't know where the author gets his ideas or how much research he has to do, but in my opinion, he creates very complex stories that both young and older readers can enjoy!
June 26, 2012
This is a wonderful series for both young and old. It should be read in order as you need the background material from the book before to really get the book you are reading. Has a lot of history and cooking folklore, which is really interesting.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews