The French Kitchen - by Kristy Cambron (Paperback)

About the Book

As Paris rebuilds in the aftermath of World War II, Kat Fontaine never expected the skills she learned in a French château kitchen to be the key that unlocks the secrets swirling in her new post-war life.

Book Synopsis

"In The French Kitchen, award-winning author Kristy Cambron weaves multiple characters and storylines into a tapestry of secrets, betrayals, and redemption. Full of mouthwatering culinary scenes and peppered with several appearances from famed chef Julia Child, who worked in intelligence during World War II, this story of spies and lovers zips between the coast of northern France during the war and Paris in the early 1950s . . . Delicious!" --Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau

As Paris rebuilds in the aftermath of World War II, Kat Fontaine never expected the skills she learned in a French chateau kitchen to be the key that unlocks the secrets swirling in her new post-war life.

Paris, 1952--Still haunted by the years she spent serving in the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during WWII, ex-pat Kat Fontaine, now living in Paris, finds a simple cookery class led by indomitable chef Julia Child unearths the tangle of gut-wrenching memories of war. Determined to find her brother who went missing during the war and is presumed dead, Kat questions everything, especially her high-ranking society husband whose past is as murky as her own. But when the puzzle pieces start to come together--and her carefully crafted Paris world begins to fall apart--Kat must confront her own secrets against the mounting suspicions of the husband she thought she knew . . .

Rue, 1943--Deep in the heart of Nazi-controlled northern France, Manon Altier shifts between working for the enemy by day--as a French chef at the famous Chateau du Broutel, where names like Himmler, Rommel, and Goebbels frequent the guest list--and running with underground networks against the Vichy regime at night. Working undercover to filter critical information to agents within the burgeoning OSS presence in France, Manon digs deep into the glitz and glamour of a Nazi stronghold that has her teetering on the edge of being discovered at any turn. But when an intriguing stranger appears at the chateau claiming to work with the French Resistance, Manon must lean on her instincts to judge whether to run and hide or stand firm--even as a terrifying discovery tests her resolve to continue the fight.

From the heights of culinary cuisine in 1950s Paris society to the underbelly of a WWII spy network embedded deep within Nazi-controlled Vichy France--and the spy backstory of the world's most famous would-be French chef, Julia Child--The French Kitchen turns up the heat on the pasts of women whose worlds collide, and forces each to question what she thought she'd planned for a perfect future.

Review Quotes

'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).'--Booklist

'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 . . . 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.'--Publishers Weekly

'Be prepared to get swept away by this gripping, meticulously researched, and sumptuous story. Such a feast for the senses. Cambron writes with her whole heart and soul. I adored THE FRENCH KITCHEN.'--Kate Thompson, author of THE LITTLE WARTIME LIBRARY

'In THE FRENCH KITCHEN, award-winning author Kristy Cambron weaves multiple characters and storylines into a tapestry of secrets, betrayals, and redemption. Full of mouthwatering culinary scenes and peppered with several appearances from famed chef Julia Child, who worked in intelligence during World War II, this story of spies and lovers zips between the coast of northern France during the war and Paris in the early 1950s as a former American intelligence operative desperately searches for answers about a loved one lost during the war--and in the process, finds the possibility of love where she least expects it. Delicious!'--Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of THE STOLEN LIFE OF COLETTE MARCEAU