A cosy murder story about a chef who is asked by another chef friend to stand in for him at a cookery school for a week long residential course. On the very first night, his friend is savagely murdered. The likely culprit must be someone who is staying in the cookery school. Or could it be an outsider that he somehow got on the wrong side of.
This is a really popular genre of crime stories that comes of the back of the Thursday murder club, but yet again it is another one that doesn't quite hit the mark. The main character is really unlikeable. He's very standoffish, and his behaviour towards the police was really bizarre and made him look incredibly guilty for no reason. He also kept using French words I suppose to make him seem more cultured and intelligent, but I got the impression he was a bit pompous.
The actual crime story was enjoyable with lots of potential suspects that kept me guessing.

Couldn’t put this down, it was smart, funny and unexpected. Great characters with a really fun and interesting plot. I’m really hoping for more in a series, as there’s so much potential here.
I foresee big things, it taps into the current market perfectly and is genuinely worth reading.

2.75 This book definitely caught me at the title. I mean, who wouldn’t want to read a cooking-class-inspired murder mystery? Unfortunately, the blurb led me astray, and my expectations were set a little too high. I finished feeling underwhelmed by a story that seemed undercooked.

The premise follows chef Paul, who reluctantly agrees to stand in for his friend Christian to oversee lessons at a cookery school. While Paul and Christian have their own history, in much need of money, Paul reluctantly steps in for his friend. While initially apprehensive, Paul begins to enjoy his new role. Only until Christian is found beheaded with the cleaver everyone last saw Paul with. As Paul is wrongly accused, he begins a twisty hunt to uncover the real culprit behind this hack of a crime.

While the premise is seemingly fun, the story felt bogged down by unnecessary characters and meandering subplots, such as Johnny and Marcus, who added little to the narrative. Their inclusion felt like a bid for extra drama, but it didn’t land. I had hoped the author would lean more into the culinary world with bold, campy risks—something like a darkly humorous version of Top Chef where contestants are literally “cut out” of the competition. Even with all its happenings, the chances the author took weren’t bold enough or explored enough to really captivate me.

I was glad to have the audiobook, provide by NetGalley & RB Media, for this read. The narrator had charisma and truly put forth an effort. Though with such an onslaught of characters and plot choices, I believe a full cast would have better distinguished the characters and made them more memorable. Additionally, the humorous aspects had there moments, but overall, it missed the mark for me and was just a bit too cozy.

This debut was alright. It will likely appeal to cozy mystery fans, and I’d definitely recommend it to my dad—it has the same vibe as those classic British mystery shows he loves.

Not bad as far as first novels go. There was a too large cast of characters for my taste, and Christian’s back story seemed too convenient for wrapping it all up. The bit at the end about knives (and how to dispose of them) was an interesting part, and I had never heard of tonka beans, so new stuff learned.