The Kensington Kidnap is the first book in the new Epiphany Bloom Mystery series. This cozy mystery introduces an engaging new amateur sleuth, Epiphany ‘Pip’ Bloom.
Title: The Kensington Kidnap
Author: Katie Gayle
Series: Epiphany Bloom Mysteries #1
First Published: December 2, 2020
Publisher: Bookouture
Genres: Mystery,
Acquired: from the publisher via Netgalley
*** Thank you to Bookouture, for providing me with an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. ***
A missing teenager, a mysterious cult and a case of mistaken identity – just another day’s work for Epiphany Bloom.
Epiphany ‘Pip’ Bloom is down on her luck. She can barely afford cat food, and just because Most has three legs doesn’t mean he eats any less. So she absolutely can’t afford to mess up her latest temp job. But when she walks through the door of the private investigation firm, her new boss mistakes her for a missing persons expert. He then charges her with finding Matty Price – the teenage son of two A-list celebrities – who has mysteriously disappeared from his home in Kensington.
It ought to be a disaster, but Pip reckons it’s actually an opportunity. She’s always been curious (nosy, her mother calls it) and has an uncanny knack for being at the wrong place at the right time (she doesn’t want to know what her mother thinks of that). After years of trying to find something she’s good at, has Pip managed to walk straight into the job she was born to do?
She owes it to herself and poor missing Matty to find out.
But searching for Matty takes Pip into the strange, intimidating world of the rich and famous. And it soon becomes clear that some of these people’s love for themselves doesn’t extend to their fellow humans.
As Pip investigates further, she realises the question isn’t whether Matty ran away – it’s whether Pip will find him alive and make it home safely herself…
Epiphany Bloom is a character that grows on you fairly quickly
Pip at first appears to be an accident-prone, scattered, spoiled rich kid who’s set adrift when her mother cuts off all her credit cards. Instead of looking for the job that she desperate needs, she spends her days reading gossip magazines and daydreaming about her cute flatmate. I wasn’t sure how much I’d like this mystery considering the main character didn’t start off being very likeable, but Pip definitely grew on me.
She heads to an interview at a private investigations firm, where she’s mistaken for someone else. To be fair, her arrogant ‘boss’ doesn’t really give her a chance to correct him so she ends up working for them under her ‘assumed’ identity. Her case is a big one – she needs to find Matty, teenage son of a famous actress, Madison Price.
But, as luck has it, Pip has a natural talent for investigating (and she really needs the money). So she takes on her new job with enthusiasm. Along the way, Pip has some of hilarious adventures, takes on several different personas and relies on what she’s learned from TV to become a full-fledged amateur detective in her own right. Her inner monologue made her more likeable and relatable as the book goes on and I found the ending quite satisfying.
This is a terrific start to a fun, new cozy mystery series. There’s lots of humour, solid secondary characters (I particularly like Pip’s sister Felicity and Pip’s adorable 3-legged cat, Most) and a good set-up for future adventures. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
Meet the authors of The Kensington Kidnap, Katie Gayle
Katie Gayle is the writing partnership of best-selling South African writers, Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. Kate and Gail have, between them, written over ten books of various genres, but with Katie Gayle, they both make their debut in the cozy mystery genre. Both Gail and Kate live in Johannesburg, with husbands, children, dogs and cats. Unlike their sleuth Epiphany Bloom, neither of them have ever stolen a cat from the vet.
You can follow Katie Gayle on on Twitter.
Read The Kensington Kidnap for yourself
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