What a great read. At the very start I didn’t like Pip at all. I thought ‘oh no this book isn’t for me, what a pain she is’ but after a couple of chapters she really grew on me and by the end I was a complete fan. The storyline is totally unbelievable but brilliant all the same. It looks like this is the author’s first book but it certainly doesn’t feel like it.. her writing style was funny and assured and the storyline moved at a great pace. I can’t wait to read more books by her.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a preview copy of this book. I really hope it does well and that we don’t have a long wait for the next instalment!

Refreshing when you discover a new series where you can’t decide which character you adore more. Usually, the reader is subjected to annoying personalities just so they can find one or two that they like, but not so with this first in a new series book.

Epiphany (Pip) Bloom tends to get into awkward situations, the kind that can happen to anyone if anyone would involve arms dealers and things going up in flames. Pip is once again down on her luck, and with her mother cutting her off from the finance train, Pip must scrounge for another job to pay for rent and cat food. When a temporary file clerk position opens at a local private investigation agency, Pip paints on her best smile and opens the door to this next in a long line of failed jobs. Instead of the job that she was expecting, she is mistaken for a missing persons expert.

Before she knows it, Pip has found herself a seat at the table, and with her expert knowledge of the celebrity gossip pages, she is the perfect, according to her, fit to find the missing son of an Angelina/Gwyneth actress currently preparing for a movie role in England. As Pip digs into the case and takes on her daft sister’s blog persona, she encounters oddball characters and possible love interests. A twisted tale of green activists, pro-plastic activists, a cult-ish retreat, a boxer, chemical engineer, and anything else offbeat and wacky that the writing team of Katie Gayle can think up.

It all sounds absurd, but it works. The authors have created endearing characters, and besides, who could not love a central character who has set her mother’s ring tone as the Flight of the Valkyries.

I’ll admit it I judged a book by its cover! I expected a kind of romcom type book. I was pleasantly surprised by a lovely mystery. This is (hopefully) the start of a very long detective series and I am here for all of it!

This book is a quick and very enjoyable read. I love cosy mysteries and I was very excited about The Kensington Kidnap, I wasn't disappointed! The main character Epiphany "Pip" Bloom becomes a private investigator by mistake and has to find the missing son of an actress. I didn't like her much at the very beginning but she grew on me very quickly. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cosy mysteries and can't wait for the next book!

Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a fun quirky read. The main character is Epiphany Bloom , she becomes a private investigator by mistaken identity. She is a happy go lucky character , who I didn’t initially like., but she became more likeable through the book. Her characteristics developed and she became more serious but still with a hint of quirkiness.
Her first case is to find an actresses missing son , which she successfully does with a few capers on the way . The supporting characters are well rounded and have room to grow in further books in the series.
The story had an happy ending and left me looking forward to the next mystery, a great fun, enjoyable read.

Thanks to Bookture and Netgalley for the arc copy.

We are introduced to Epiphany Bloom, Pip to her friends, well everyone really. What kind of a name is Epiphany? She has been cut off from funds (again) by her mother and needs to get a job.. The trouble is that she is not very good at being employed. Various little "incidents" have narrowed the avenues to employment and it is only the benevolence of Sharon at the Agency, that she gets a temp job filing at a detective agency. Cue a case of mistaken identity and a missing teenager. Will Pip finally find something that she is good at?
I enjoyed reading this cozy mystery. To begin with I really wanted to throttle Pip, but she grew on me and I was rooting for her by halfway through. With some other equally eccentric characters thrown in, it's an enjoyable read.

Epiphany Bloom is my new favourite female sleuth! Pip seems to be a failure: unable to hold down a job (mainly due to her ditzy nature). Mummy has cut off her allowance, and she on the verge of being evicted. What a wonderful character this author has created. There is an actual mystery for Pip to solve, after finding herself in a job as an investigator. I am looking forward to more from this author!

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The Kensington Kidnap is a fun read following the escapades of Epiphany Bloom. This book features a missing teenager, a cult and a case of mistaken identity. It’s a lighthearted and fun read that I read in just over a day. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

So, at first I did not like the heroine. She seemed a lazy, rich girl unable to keep a job. The first chapters I was not impressed. But then I got into the story and slowly started to like and respect Pip. Maybe it was when I read how she saved her cat, Most, as I love cats and it showed Pip has a good heart.

Pip needs a job and fast. She has to pay rent and her mother has cut her off from her creditcards. She goes for a filing job and - due to a misunderstanding - walks out with a task to find the son of a celebrity couple. They think she is someone else, but Pip is determined to find the boy and earn the money she is given. And you know what: she has a knack for sleuthing.

I kind of liked the British humor and the way Pip went about finding Matty. She used knowledge from television shows to follow clues and make a 'murder board'. It is kind of hilarious.

Near the end I did get a bit lost in the whole plot as it was a bit intricate and OTT but overall I really enjoyed this story. Liked Pip and the other characters and hope to read more (and maybe there will be a proper love interest?)

The Kensington Kidnap by Katie Gayle is the first book in a new cozy mystery series set in London.

Epiphany "Pip" Bloom is quite a quirky heroine who seems to have a history of poor choices when it comes to jobs and men. Her inner dialogue often made me laugh as she is mistaken for a juvenile psychologist and joins a team of investigators to find a missing teen. The secondary characters were fun to meet. I especially liked Pip's sister, Felicity. A smoothly paced plot kept me turning the pages.

Quirky, Fun Mystery.....
The first in the quirky Epiphany Bloom mystery series. Epiphany is rather a walking disaster. Being mistaken for a missing persons expert by a private investigator Epiphany finds herself on the job and decides that she will grasp the opportunity rather than admit to the mistake. A catalogue of disasters ensues. Enjoyable, fun reading with a likeable protagonist in Epiphany whose heart is always in the right place even if she isn’t.

A quick ready about a young woman who seems to end up in weird situations time after time. She’s a quirky character, but so is everyone in this book. I got drawn into the story around halfway through when things started moving forward. In the beginning there was a bit too much of how things always seem to go wrong for Pip, the protagonist.

Even though there were quite a few people in this book I never lost my way in the jungle of different characters, which is great. Cozy mysteries are lighter than general mysteries and the first book in this series fits the bill very well. Because cozies are so heavily relying on characters and character development it’s usually a bit too early to know if it’ll be a great series or not, since you don’t know the characters that well yet. I do believe this series has potential though.

The Kensington kidnap introduces the reader to a new amateur sleuth. Epiphany (Pip) Bloom is a bit of a liability. Living in Kennington, London with flatmate/landlord Tim and her three legged cat Most, she somehow manages to screw up every single job opportunity that comes her way, incurring the wrath of many. But with rent to pay and unable to rely on an allowance from mummy she needs to find a solution to her financial worries and fast. Pip reluctantly seeks help from temp agency boss Sharon, despite their less than cordial relationship, given the disastrous ending to her last position at a vets practice. No wonder then that she is surprised to be offered the temporary vacancy at Boston Investigations, a private detective agency, a role which according to Sharon even Pip can’t mess up (watch this space). Expecting to fulfil some menial office tasks, Pip is taken aback, upon arrival, to find herself slap bang in the middle of a meeting concerning the disappearance of American teenager Matty Price, son of famous actress Madison and celebrated author Ben. In a case of mistaken identity but deciding to keep quiet, Pip assumes the role of Ms Du Bois, an expert in the field of missing children and so begins a comic caper, the first in this cozy mystery series.

It’s a giggle a minute joining Pip in her adventures as she endeavours to solve the case of the missing Matty Price, in her own inimitable style. Although she’s accidentally fallen into the role of the hapless amateur sleuth, she may have finally found her niche in life and relying on mummy’s handouts may become a thing of the past. Ably assisted by boxing gym owner and gentle giant Jimmy and flirtatious flatmate/landlord Tim, she approaches this private investigating lark with gusto. Definitely two opportunities on the horizon here for a future romance maybe? But back to the matter in hand. Where is Matty? Since all attempts to contact him go unanswered and with no presence on social media for a while, Pip has few if any clues to follow but harnessing the detecting powers of her heroine Miss Marple , she is determined to locate the missing teenager. Go, Pip!!!
Sister and successful blogger Felicity (Flis) also plays her part in providing a cover story for the undercover Pip, proving to be just as loveable as her sister thanks to her tendency to punctuate her sentences with a malapropism or two. You’ll either find her hilarious or irritating but I’m happy to say I think her character fits in perfectly with the wacky nature of the storyline. Taking Pip on a journey through London in her ‘too small for her frame’ Mini to the depths of rural Kent, our amateur sleuth meets some celebrities along the way and plenty of influential youngsters dedicated to the cause of saving the environment who unwittingly attract the attention of some fanatical, possibly dangerous people. It’s up to Epiphany to save the day and reunite Matty with his parents. This is a storyline that verges on the farcical with slapstick humour, assumed identities and more than a few gaffes all amid an ongoing battle to save the planet. Can Epiphany Bloom find Matty, without causing harm to herself or others, dismissing the notion once and for all that she’s a complete liability?

I found this lighthearted if ridiculous mystery both addictive and amusing. It feels current with all the social media, blogging influences as well as all the discussion around deforestation and plastic use. I didn’t have any idea until reading the acknowledgements that this new series is actually a joint effort but it seems to have worked. It might be slightly silly, slightly bonkers but it is definitely entertaining and I just loved Epiphany Bloom. She’s a fabulously funny,frivolous character who can make the sun shine even on the most gloomy of days. I shall be following this series without a doubt and can’t wait for Pip’s next crazy adventure. Fans of cozy mysteries should find this book a sheer delight! My thanks as always to the publisher Bookouture and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

The Kensington Kidnap is the first mystery novel from Katie Gayle (actually, two South African ladies: Kate and Gail). Epiphany Bloom (who, for some reason, vastly prefers to be known as Pip!) has failed at everything she’s tried to do. There are references to several previous unfortunate accidents / incidents / misunderstandings, like the event involving the hive and the tractor. Pip is currently out of work; behind with the rent; and Mummy has made it clear that there will be no more financial support. Fortunately, as she starts working through her contact list to see if anyone can offer her a job, she strikes lucky and trots off to an office 15 minutes’ walk away. There, due to yet another misunderstanding, she finds herself responsible for tracking down a missing teenager.

I like Golden Age detective stories, set (and preferably written) well before the 1960s, ideally before 1950. I expected to be irritated beyond words by a book set in 2020. Instead, I was enthralled and I couldn’t put the book down. (Thank you so much, NetGalley and Bookouture, for letting me have an advance review copy.) This was my first mystery where the “detective” analysed Facebook, Instagram, Twitter for clues and used Google. Just like Sherlock Holmes could deduce stuff from tobacco ash or the way a character walked, his modern counterpart will interpret tweets and posts.

Just to clarify, though, Pip is not Sherlock Holmes! She is an accident-prone but fast-thinking woman who is fortunate in her sister and her friends, because they have useful skills that she can draw upon. Her sister, Flis, for example, is a blogger and is almost making money from social media, completely at home with the relevant apps. Pip’s making it up as she goes along but does ask the right questions and is determined to solve the case. (If she doesn’t, she knows she’ll have to give back the advance fee.)

There were a few too many fortunate coincidences for the plot to be 100% realistic, but who cares? Just accept this as cosy escapism and enjoy it. There were several moments that made me snigger. One cruel example was a 20-something saying to Pip (perhaps a 30-something, although we’re not told precisely), “Your generation doesn’t get that.” Ow, meow! My other source of enjoyment was Flis. Flis’s vocabulary is somewhat idiosyncratic, to say the least…I think my favourite phrase was “modular opera” rather than “modus operandi” but farming lemurs for their fur rather than llamas was a close contender.

I believe Katie Gayle has signed a three-book contract. I can’t wait to read the next two.

#TheKensingtonKidnap #NetGalley

This was a great read! Epiphany (Pip) Bloom was a very accident-prone but likeable character. She ends up being mistaken for someone else in a private investigations firm, and has to solve a missing persons case. Of course, this is not any missing persons case! The missing person in question is the teenage son of a very famous actress, Madison Price.
It was a good time following Pip in her adventures as a fake detective, her skillset relying mainly on what she has seen from tv. I’ve heard there was a sequel to be announced for this book?? Im looking forward to it.

Pip is a fun and quirky character. She gets a part time job but a mixup leads to her tracking down a missing son. She isn’t great at the job but gives it her best shot. I enjoyed the mystery and the characters.
#TheKensingtonKidnap #NetGalley

Epiphany Bloom, Pip, can’t seem to hold down a job and Mummy is none too happy, having cut off all money. So when Pip gets a part time filing gig, she heads on in and is quickly mistaken for an expert in juvenile psychology who can track down the missing sone of a Hollywood actress. While Pip tried to clear up the misunderstanding, she is left with an envelope of cash and a small file of information to work from.

While Pip may not be an expert, her heart is in the right place and she does her job to the best of her ability. But soon she finds herself in a sticky situation and has to wonder if she too will disappear like other young people have before her.

I love British mysteries, they truly take you away for while and always seem to have quirky characters, like Pip herself. I’m looking forward to the next entry in this series as only Pip can get herself into these kinds of messes and come out smelling like a rose.

I really loved this book, and super excited to know its book one of a series! Pip is such a likeable character, she is such an accident prone woman but her heart is in the right place. She’s desperate to do well at a job, making it so she has her own pay cheque instead of asking mummy to bail her out. She strumbles across a job with a mistaken identity but is gripped to solving the problems. Such a quirky story keeping you gripped, making you want more and more. I can’t wait for book two! Highly highly recommended.

I had a great time reading this book. Pip is such a quirky character, and her antics made me laugh out loud.
Looking for a job isn’t easy for anyone, so when Pip decides to jump at the opportunity offered her, she has no idea what she’s in for.
I’m looking forward to reading more in this delightful series.