FRENCH KITCHEN A novel

In 1943, Kat Harris' brother Gavin is in the OSS (which would later become the CIA). When she doesn't hear from him, Kat herself joins and is placed in the kitchen of the Château du Broutel. She is not the only agent there, because the château is now lodging Nazi officers. To aid her cover story, the chef teaches her French cooking. When Kat ultimately leaves France, she fears Gavin didn't make it. In 1951, Kat receives a telegram saying that Gavin is alive, and she returns to France. She later meets Julia Child, who, after she served in the OSS, lived in Paris with husband, Paul. As in some off her other books (like The British Booksellers, 2024), Cambron reveals the past through flashbacks, adding suspense. She includes themes of sacrifice for others, doing the right thing, honesty, and trust. Kat Harris is an unforgettable character readers will root for. This novel has appeal for a broad range of historical-fiction readers, including those who liked Diana R. Chambers' The Secret War of Julia Child (2024).

In this energetic historical, Cambron (The Italian Ballerina) whisks readers along on a woman's harrowing quest to track down her soldier brother in WWII France. It's 1943, and Kat Harris is content repairing cars in her late father's auto shop when her brother Gavin enlists in the army. After months go by with no word from Gavin, Kat receives a mysterious letter inviting her to join the same "subversive operation," headed by the U.S. Office of Strategic Services, that he was supposedly a part of. Kat joins the mission, which brings her to France, where she poses as a chef at a chateau frequented by powerful Nazis. By war's end, she still hasn't reconnected with her brother, but she retains an uncanny faith that he's still alive--and when she meets Julia Child in a French cooking class after the war, new clues emerge that might help her unravel the mystery. Kat's multiple code names can be difficult to keep straight, but Cambron paints a textured portrait of wartime France, balancing action-packed scenes with entertaining appearances from Julia Child and mouthwatering descriptions of French cuisine. The author's fans are sure to savor this. (Aug.)