Paris Secrets

by Sean Vogel

How do a baking contest and a mission from World War II combine? With a whisk . . . and some risk!

The wit and charm of The Great British Bake-Off meets the action and camaraderie of Raiders of the Lost Ark! This story about the unbreakable bonds of family will appeal to young readers who love history and adventure and who relish a mystery filled with twists and turns, fun puns, mouth-watering desserts, and friendship.

This third book in the Jake McGreevy series finds Jake and his best friend, Ben Meyers, as partners in a televised baking contest at the famed Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris during spring break. In their spare time, the two are determined to search for answers regarding a 1940 photograph that belonged to Jake’s late mother. Who is this family? Are they related to Jake? And what does the cryptic note that is written on the back mean? As they discover clues and make new friends along the way, Jake and Ben find themselves on the journey of a lifetime.

Hidden tunnels, stakeouts, drones, and clandestine ops will hook even reluctant readers in this Seine-sational adventure!

Genres: Fiction

168 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2021

About the author

Growing up in a small town in Michigan during the 1980s, Sean was provided with an excellent garden for cultivating his writing career. With only a few simplistic video games and three television channels, he became an accomplished daydreamer and a creative outside adventurer.

A son of a garbage truck driver, Sean often received “gently used” items from his father’s route. With a bit of imagination and a little tinkering, these items were reborn as tools for battles against backyard bandits. These childhood experiences would later serve as the foundation and inspiration for Jake McGreevy’s gadgetry expertise.

Seeking his own adventures, Sean joined the Army via an ROTC scholarship at Colorado State University. Living in Germany for several years gave him the opportunity to travel extensively in Europe. During his time in the Army, he served in the Field Artillery and Signal Corp, rising to the rank of Captain and receiving the Bronze Star Medal for his service in Iraq.

Sean started drafting novels to fill downtime during long deployments in the military; a pen is easier to carry than a guitar. But he soon fell in love with the frustrating yet satisfying science called writing and has been hard at work ever since.

When he’s not helping Jake get out of tangles, Sean is a department manager for a large aerospace company. He lives in Denver with his wife, two daughters, and a crazy wirehaired dachshund.

Reviews

[Ileana Renfroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh boy, I loved reading Paris Secrets. It has all of the ingredients - hidden tunnels, stakeouts, drones, and clandestine ops. It's a charming read with great well-crafted characters and a fun and easy storyline.

This third book in the Jake McGreevy series. Can't wait to read more from this author!

[Sylvia Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paris Secrets
By Sean Vogel
A Jake McGreevy Novel


This is the third book in the Jake McGreevy series. This is a stand alone book. It is about a boy who is 15 years old and his name is Jake McGreevy. His father was an architect and now his son Jake is taking an art class in the hopes of becoming an architect in the near future. Jake and his best friend Ben won a spot as partners in a baking contest for teens at the Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. They would go to Paris over spring break by themselves. They would stay in Paris over spring break with Ben’s aunt who lived there. They will dig into Jake’s late mom's past in their free time, while they are there. Jake will be showing an old photograph around Paris from the 1940s that has his mother in it as he has questions concerning it. Are the people in the photo with his mom related to him? There appeared to be writing in the back of the photo in a foreign language, what does it mean? The suspense is building,will they find out?

The positive of this book is that it is for ages 10 and up and that it teaches children a bit about history. It is filled with adventure as well.

The only negative of the book was reading about the delicious pastries that were baked for the contest and getting hungry while reading about it.

This book deserves 5 out of 5 stars for the mystery, pastry description, and the history lesson. It will definitely hold the interest of a 10 year old and older.

[Ravenclaw Library Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jake McGreevy and best friend, Ben Meyers, are in Paris to participate in a televised baking contest for teenagers at the Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School during their spring break. Jake also wants to solve the mystery of a family picture from 1940 taken in Paris that belonged to his mother who died when he was an infant.

A great story encompassing the past and present and how the resistance fighters in France were able to get Jewish children to safety and save people's possessions.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in either cozy mysteries or WW2.

Received a review copy from the publisher and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

#ParisSecrets #NetGalley

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-written mystery intended for the young reader. It combines the fun of two young boys enjoying an adventure in Paris with an old family mystery. I think it is a nice way to introduce the excitement of travel with the historical information about WWII. It a fast moving story with some interesting and likable characters that will keep the reader interested to the end.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a lot more too it than I initially expected. I hadn't read any of the others in the series so I just jumped into the middle. But there was plenty of background and exposition to figure out Jake and Ben. They were very likeable characters.

I didn't expect how well the mystery would be done and how well it would bring in the past. I really enjoyed the writing and the book felt well thought out and plotted.

[Beth Livingston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank NetGalley for an eARC. Paris Secrets by Sean Vogel is a awesome read. I haven't read the first 2 books in the series but I will soon. As a librarian I would definitely recommend this books to young readers. I'm giving this a 4 out of 5 stars. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Eleanor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book in a Goodreads Giveaway auction. This book is a fun, light read deliciously set in Paris, one of my favorite cities. It is part baking contest, part mystery, mixed with a little history and lots of fun escapades. This book would be a perfectly enjoyable beach or vacation read.

[Barbara Waloven · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun, fast paced and entertaining book. There’s not a wasted word in it yet the descriptions of people and places made me feel like I was in the story. Packed with action and filled with a lot of little known historical elements.

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

An international baking contest with 2 boys as the USA team is pretty cool. That they find family and make friends is interesting and fun. They are on a mission to locate lost family treasures. This is a fun story with interesting characters. I liked the story. It was a good book.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Give this a read if you enjoy historical fiction like Al Capone Does My Shirts and mysteries like Nancy Drew. The fast pace, enjoyable characters, and historical context had me enjoying this book more than I expected.
(This book was won in a Goodreads giveaway.)

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received this book as a Goodreads give-away.

This was a fast-paced mystery that would be great for young readers. I also appreciated that the author added historical context and shared where it came from.

[MELISSA CORTEZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute read

[Nikki Sowell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Received this as a Goodreads giveaway. Review to come soon.