Thanks to Netgalley and Severn House for this copy in exchange for my review.

The Bear meets the Sopranos was honestly the vibe I got from this book. It was entertaining, a quick read, and balanced well between the chaos of a restaurant and the pace of the mystery.

Mix The Bear with a Russian mob thriller, a cook blacklister by almost all top restaurant, murders and a plenty of surprising twists.
A book that kept me turning pages and guessing.
Enjoyed it and had fun.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I really enjoyed reading this book, it uses the Mob elements perfectly and had a great overall story. I thought this started the A Shadows of Chicago Mystery series perfectly and I thought they had a great introduction to the world and was invested in the characters. It had a great mystery element going on and I wanted to figure out what was going on. Wendy Church has a great writing style and I'm glad to read this and look forward to more in this series.

I enjoyed this chef centered, Russian Mob shenanigans story. It was written with dynamic flair when it came to the food and kept just the right pace for the thriller/mystery elements. Only criticism is there was no need for further fullness. It was a good time read.

Thank you to Severn House and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

This was an interesting murder mystery book. A blacklisted chef, murder, black mail, a Russian gang and a stalker - that’s just the highlights!
If you like to read in detail about food while you read about murder and blackmail then this is the book for you.

The book is well written and moves at a good pace with lots of twists and turns and surprises - if you are looking for realism in the book don’t read this but if you are looking for an entertaining read then this is the book for you.
I will be happy to read a sequel.
Thanks to Severn House and Net Galley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

A different sort of cozy and a nice start to a new series! Sagatine, a chef, finds herself tied up with the Russian mob in Chicago after she finds her new boss dead in the walk-in. That's quite a way to begin a job! She's an entertaining character and there's welcome humor here. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Looking forward to the next one!

"Knife Skills" presents a dual experience that leaves me torn between the captivating allure of Sagarine's culinary world and a desire for a more pronounced focus on the core mysteries. The narrative often indulges in detailed descriptions of Sagarine's cooking, at times overshadowing the central enigmas. However, the delectable surprise awaiting at the end, devoid of direct clues throughout the book, showcases the author's adept storytelling. Ekaterina, a character of profound intrigue with my sentiment towards her character waned towards the end, leaving me with a sense of disappointment. Despite the occasional imbalance, the novel weaves an intricate tapestry of gastronomic delights and unexpected twists, earning it 3.5 stars.

This is how I like my cozies. A sharp female main character with just as sharp supporting women. A fun city, this time Chicago and a great profession such a a chef.
This is a fast paced smart cozy mystery which I read in 24 hours. The food sounded delicious and I loved the main character Sagatine. I also learned a bit about Chicago and the Russian mob. If you are looking for a fun new cozy I would pick this up. It appears to be the start of a series. I will be awaiting the second book.
Thank to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for a honest opinion. 3.5⭐️

Interesting and well written. I look forward to the second installment.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity.

Knife Skills is a hard novel for me to rate. I have a lot to say about this novel, both good and bad, but unfortunately even though I enjoyed reading it the downsides were enough to drag down the rating for me a fair bit. I think that experiences will vary for different readers depending on their own opinions, so I would not discourage anyone else from giving this one a go.

On the positive side, I can tell that Wendy Church is clearly a good author. The novel was well written and detailed. There were a lot of excellent elements in this novel and it kept me turning the pages until I tore through it quite quickly. There were multiple plotlines woven through the story and I thought they were juggled quite well while intersecting in interesting ways. The volume of story elements was ambitious and I think Church succeeded in their execution.

On the downside, I found that this novel made some choices I didn’t particularly like, and it overall just simply didn’t work with me. I can’t get into much detail without significant spoilers, but some of the plot decisions and character’s choices I couldn’t get behind. All of my issues are concentrated near the end of the novel, and unfortunately did a lot to downgrade my previously very high opinion. I also don’t like the way the novel ended as I didn’t find it was much of a resolution, with lots left up in the air. Once again, these are some personal opinions of mine, not objective facts, and other readers may not agree.

The novel also had some great twists and mystery elements, which I love, however I dislike it when the big reveals come out of nowhere without foreshadowing. I read somewhere once that a good mystery should have sufficient clues throughout such that its possible for a keen reader to solve it themselves before the reveal, and I agree. There were a few big reveals in this novel however none of them had a satisfying amount of build-up. This is more of a nitpick that I wanted to mention, but wasn’t too bad.

Thank you to NetGallery for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Strong work and really really fun protagonist who worked really well. the twist reveal was stunning. thanks so much for the arc. 4-4.5 stars

Knife Skills starts off with a bang. A dead grabby executive chef found dead in his freezer by one of he’s sous chiefs, Sagarine.

Not a lot of sympathy going on for the murder victim and Tuesday evening’s special dinner must go on.

The recipients? A group of wily Russian mobsters who happen to be in business with the dead chef.

From here we slowly get into Sagarine’s love of cooking and run in’s with her new criminal bosses.

Despite the early murder, the pacing is a little slow. Lots of descriptions of molecular gastronomy and the science behind it.

I enjoyed the detailed descriptions early on but soon grew a little weary of it as the story went on.

Otherwise, it was a fun introduction to a new series. And I’m interested in what our destructive chef Sagarine will get up to next.

Thank you to Severn and NetGalley for this digital arc in exchange for an honest review.