The Chester Square Cookery School in the heart of London offers students a refined setting in which to master the fine art of choux pastry and hone their hollandaise. True, the ornate mansion does not quite sparkle the way it used to—a feeling chef Paul Delamare is familiar with these days. Worn out and newly broke, he would be tempted to turn down the request to fill in as teacher for a week-long residential course, if anyone other than Christian Wagner were asking.

Christian is one of Paul’s oldest friends, as well as the former recipient of two Michelin stars and host of Pass the Gravy! Thanks to a broken arm, he is unable to teach the upcoming session himself, and recruits Paul as stand-in. The students are a motley crew, most of whom seem more interested in ogling the surroundings (including handsome Christian) than learning the best ways to temper chocolate.

Yet despite his misgivings, Paul starts to enjoy imparting his extensive knowledge to the recruits—until someone turns up dead, murdered with a cleaver Paul used earlier that day to prep a pair of squabs. Did one of his students take the lesson on knife techniques too much to heart, or was this the result of a long-simmering grudge? In between clearing his own name and teaching his class how to perfectly poach a chicken, he will have to figure out who is the killer, and avoid being the next one to get butchered.

Knife Skills for Beginners was a solid debut. It was so well written and I was impressed. There were some good elements to the mystery, false leads and plenty of secrets to unveil. The premise is engaging, but the pacing sometimes feels uneven. The first third of the book details a lot of cooking techniques and student interactions, making me kind of forgotten that I was reading a murder mystery. The middle section does pick up as secrets emerge and suspicions deepen, but the final part of the book feels somewhat rushed and relies on coincidence. There were, however, a large number of characters, which I was not the biggest fan of. If you are remotely interested in cooking, this book has a handful of recipes with some tips and tricks and you will probably definitely enjoy this cozy mystery. I would probably still read the second book in the series when it comes out.