Did she kill him?

That's the question that is the crux of this story, and there is enough twists and bends that leave you guessing until the end.

Thea, a disgraced editor, lands the job of a lifetime - being the editor for famous chef Maria Capello's memoir. The job comes with some strict rules, and things get unnerving shortly after Thea steps foot into Maria's home.

I thoroughly enjoyed the recipes throughout the story, adding a dash of humor with the recipe names throughout. The book leaves you guessing and unsure until the very last page, and is absolutely worth a read!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.

This was such a unique premise. I really enjoyed the book. It was a really good thriller. Keep me turning the pages to see what was next. Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

Clever premise a surprise. Different narrators-different twists. Just like a recipe-add different “ingredients “ give different results/conclusions. Solid read.

Maria Capello is a lauded celebrity chef with a husband who disappeared decades ago, under somewhat mysterious circumstances. Thea Woods is a book editor whose career is on the outs.

For no clear reason, Maria wants no one but Thea to edit her new celebrity, tell-all memoir. While Thea cannot believe (or understand) her good luck, things start to take a somewhat more sinister turn when she arrives at Maria’s secluded country home.

Will Thea find out that the grisly rumors about the ingredients in Maria meatballs are true? That you’ll have to read to find out.

The book did fall a bit flat for me in the final third and I was able to guess some of the twists but it was nonetheless a very fun ride and as a bonus the book actually contains several real recipes from “Maria’s” collection. Now if I could only find someone to cook them for me *sigh*.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC!

I was unable to finish this and thus will not be posting a full review. It felt off from the start -- a good premise but clunkily told. I appreciate the opportunity.

This book was deliciously suspenseful! (See what I did there?😝) but no seriously, this book was super suspenseful from beginning to literally the very end. I was hooked from the very first chapter. This story dabbles into a little bit of everything..like betrayal, family drama, and a little bit of unreliable narrator 🤫 which I like because you don’t know who or what to believe which makes the thriller all the more suspenseful, mysterious and everyone is suspicious! I really liked the story..makes you wonder how far you’d go for the ones you love! Also, the recipes that were thrown in between the book? Best believe I tabbed some because I want to try to make them😆

Thank you sourcebooks and NetGalley for the arc!

I started reading this book with the thought in my head that it was going to go in one direction and the more I read it would turn and go in another direction. Before too long the author would lead me down another path. I really enjoy mystery books that is not easy to figure out who did what and why. And to toss in recipes that sound good.
Thank you NetGalley, Danielle Valentine and Sourcebooks Landmark for the copy of The Dead Husband Cookbook. This is my personal review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book.

This was fantastic. I sort of went into it blind other than guessing from the cover it had something to do with chopping people up and eating them? It was so much more than that. Thea is a new mom and she's trying to juggle a work-life balance. She isn't exactly in the good graces of her boss due to a recent mistake she has made in letting a story out that should not have been shared. When the opportunity comes up to be the editor of a memoir of the infamous Maria Capello, she has no idea why she of all people would have been chosen. Maria has specifically asked for her but Thea's excitement when she arrives to Maria's farmhouse to start working on the story quickly starts to dissolve when she realizes there are some strange things happening around the house. The atmosphere is creepy, and parts of this book really did have me on the edge of my seat, but I couldn't stop reading wanting to know what happened next.

The chapters are told in perspective of whichever character is speaking, there are Italian recipes mixed in too which was a fun addition. The reader gets to read the chapters of Maria's memoir about what happened to her husband all those years ago as well as the present day unraveling of family secrets. How far will this family go to protect each other's secrets? Thea starts asking questions and realizes there is much more to this story than what Maria is telling for the memoir and that everyone who is claiming to know nothing, is lying.

Mysterious, suspenseful and some parts endearing. You will either love Maria or hate her, maybe a mix of both?

4.5/5 Stars - This five course fever dream is equal parts culinary memoir, cookbook and psychological thriller. Danielle Valentine whisks readers into the telenovelic world of Italian American Chef, television personality and widow, Maria Copelli - a woman whose past is as rich and dark as her ragu. The story begins with Thea Woods, disgraced editor and long time Maria Copelli fan who jumps at the chance to work with Mrs. Copelli and her "tell-all" memoir. Pulled in like a cartoon character being wafted with the scent of a good meal, Maria's book taunts details of her early life with her late husband, her rise to fame and the mysterious surroundings of said Celebrity Chef husband's "suicide" - a topic Maria has put hard lines in the sand to NEVER speak of. In true thriller fashion, Thea is requested to stay at Maria's sprawling mansion-like family farm in rural upstate New York in order to keep the memoir out of the hands of potential prying eyes, or out of the mouths of loose lips. This of course turns out to be as slow to simmer as it is unsettling. What begins as a dream job (albeit slightly mysterious) quickly curdles into a nightmare. Maria's charm is equal parts intoxicating and manipulative. The small amount of staff she employs are as tight lipped as ghosts, and the industrial sized freezer under lock and key in the basement is large enough to fit more than just leftover lasagna and a few slabs of meat (if you know what I mean). As Thea begins her work, she quickly realizes there's more to the fast paced love that was Maria and Damien - so much in fact it soon becomes abundantly clear why conspiracy theorists have taken to the internet to relay theories of crimes of passions and cannibalism. But surely that's just internet nonsense, right? The story itself is deliciously atmospheric, blending the gothic with gastronomic.
But let's take a second to talk about the cons, because no book is without it's burnt edges: first, the pacing. Suffering from what feels like burnout in an attempt to juggle both her immediate home life, her disgrace at work, and past history with an estranged father, Thea's narration tends to wander a bit. After partaking in unknown digestifs and sleep remedies (offered by Maria herself), along with the back and forth narrative of Thea's own narrative paired with Maria's book chapters, time itself has a habit of stretching and warping so often that you're never quite sure whether she's been on the Copelli estate for 3 days or three lifetimes. The prose is lush, yes, but at times I felt myself wanting to shake Thea and say, "you're not in a trance, you're on a deadline!!"
Second, the stakes at home feel suspiciously undercooked. Thea attends the extended weekend stay in an attempt to both save her ass at work as well as provide for her husband and small daughter back home - who unbeknownst to said husband - are barely scraping by and affording childcare thanks to Thea's need to protect and save her mother from the estranged gold-digging father of her own childhood. But throughout the story Thea mentions more about her own boss and the deadline than she does about the potential consequences of her husband finding out their bank account has been cleared out. To be honest, you'd expect a bit more guilt in my opinion. Instead, she's almost oddly detached in the focus of her own strained relationship with her mother than she is with ensuring she is able to pay for her own daughters childcare, rent and groceries next month. It's a weirdly convenient emotional blind spot.
Still, The Dead Husband Cookbook is an unsettling tale that blends a bit of true-crime vibes with culinary decadence. (Seriously, the included recipes are the the top of my to-do list!) It's the kind of book you'll want to devour in one sitting - preferably with a snack that doesn't come from anyone's freezer. And while you may see the ending coming, or feel the reveal was a tad less than "wow" worthy, it is still a fun and quick read to add to your "Read" pile - I mean, who doesn't like a hint at some cannibalism?
Final Thought: If your hostess has a walk in freezer she won't let you near, and gets a little cagey when you ask her for her meatball recipe, maybe find a quick way to skip out until dessert.

A slow-roasting, jaw-clenching thriller that serves up family secrets, murder rumors, and one seriously sinister chef with a side of rosemary and regret. Think: The Menu meets Knives Out—if the knives were sharper, the secrets darker, and the vibes more “coastal grandmother but make it carnivorous.”

Thea Woods thinks she’s landed her dream gig ghostwriting the memoir of legendary chef Maria Capello, a woman whose name is as spicy as her rumored past. But when Thea arrives at the Capello family estate—a remote, picturesque farm that smells suspiciously of lavender, lemon zest, and long-buried lies—things start to go from “quirky rich family” to “girl, run.”

Maria is magnetic, manipulative, and hiding something meaty. Thea’s unease ratchets up with every unsettling family dinner and every mention of the mysteriously missing husband. And when the knives come out—figuratively and literally—you’ll be clinging to every page, heart pounding, stomach churning, appetite ruined in the best way.

This is horror with a five-star palate: eerie, elegant, and absolutely unhinged. You’ll never look at a tasting menu—or a coastal grandmother aesthetic—the same way again. And trust me, by the time you reach the final chapter, you’ll be screaming: check, please. 🍷🔪🔥

Five stars. Rare, bloody, and hauntingly unforgettable.

This was just a no for me. Nothing about the book made me want to continue reading it. I didnt like the plot, the characters.

Okay okay… A little mystery, murder, jealousy, betrayal and a lot of secrets!

Good and quick read. I enjoyed how every single character was included even in the smallest of ways in to whole story building of it all.

And the author did great by including the secret recipe at the end 🤭

In all fairness to this book, I went into it a little fatigued of all the murderous memoir stories I’ve read in the past year. And much of this book did play out like a TV thriller movie that plays in the background while I scroll brainlessly on my phone, looking up every now and again.
The ending was good. The audacity and payoff of it makes the book memorable. I just wish it could’ve been more a more engaging experience. 3.25 stars.

Rough start, I felt I missed a couple of chapters (the set up) when I started the book which begins with a recipe. I got caught up, but still feel the book couple have started more conventionally. The POV also flips back and forth, plus there are events which take place in different times to further make this a move difficult read.

Still, after I understood better what was going on, I was interested to see what was happening. I did think it strange Thea missed noticing something initially about someone close to her, no spoilers.

The book felt a little short to me despite it saying the book was 290 pages.

I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

A woman scorned, right? That's really what this book is all about. The story is intercut with articles about Maria and chapters of her memoir, plus her recipes. They sound good and I'm wanting to try some when I get a chance (though I'll use a more traditional meat.) The premise and layout reminded me of a joke I see go around and then- "a recipe blogger who confesses to murder on every recipe on their website, but never gets caught because nobody reads the pages long text before the recipe."
I did question some of the choices of the characters. I've never been a fan of the woman sticks her head in the sand trope. Never understood it in fiction or real life. And Thea's "big mistake" seemed both deliberately stupid of her and "that's it?" at the same time.
There's a ton of foreshadowing used that made it quite easy to see where the story was going. If you're looking for a book with lots of twists and shocking reveals this isn't it. The author does try to cast doubt on the obvious but it wasn't especially effective. But the story itself is a good one, the details and pacing keep things interesting, and a hint of the creep factor now and then.

I honestly read this book because of the cover and title. I’ve not read this author’s previous work, but I will be seeking it out after finishing this incredible story!
I loved how this story was set up. Thea is an editor who is working with famous celebrity chef, Maria Capello to edit her memoir. It’s told in chapters from Thea and Maria, but also book pages from Maria’s memoir and there are some recipes tied in, which I thought was so creative.
I thought the story was really fast paced, one of those books that you just can’t put down. I was really invested in the characters, as well as trying to piece everything together. The twists were unexpected and worked so well. Nothing, in my opinion, was predictable.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Quite the mystery, weaving past and present and interrelated stories and versions - a lot going on! And not much is as it appears. Fun that recipes are included with a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor - but clearly the meatballs will never come out the same.

3 stars

(thankyou netgalley for the arc )
( published August 5th 2025)

the premises of this book was excellent . I felt the characters were well developed and it was such a unique storyline , however the plot department was lacking as I did predict one of them ( and I never guess plots ) I did really like the anticipation of who's killed him ?
a very interesting book and I was genuinely terrified to death during some parts .

What started as an unlikely match for me by outlining the many terms for meatballs in various countries, quickly turned into something more compelling even by the end of its introduction, and I found myself wanting to dive into this story fully.

I found a little of myself in the protagonist, Thea (namely our penchant for wanting to impress older women). But at times I also found myself questioning her choices. Though, upon reflection, I could potentially see myself making the same ones out of the curiosity’s sake. A need for answers to something you’ve been obsessed with your entire life can definitely make you make some stupid decisions.

I thought I had the plot of this figured out so many times, but so many times I was wrong. I did figure a couple of small details along the way, which was nice, actually. Made me feel like I wasn’t completely stupid, but it kept just enough mystery that nothing felt remotely predictable.

Note that the book contains a fairly descriptive scene depicting the butchering of animals, but rather than feeling gratuitous, it enhances the atmosphere of dread and secrecy that permeates the story, showcasing the author’s skill in setting an unsettling mood.

The inclusion of recipes was a fairly unique addition, at least among books I’ve read. I’m no cook myself, but I can see how they add an extra flair for people who do enjoy the hobby. All in all, I was pretty impressed. It wasn’t quite one I’d consider among my favorites, but it was good enough that I’d definitely recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for giving me an ARC of this book (ebook version).

Family issues galore in this delicious book!

Maria Capello was the woman behind the man, celebrated chef Damien Capello, before he disappeared during a dinner party at their secluded mountain home. Silently moving on to build her own food empire after her husband's disappearance, she has refused for years to comment on what happened that night...until now.

Thea Woods is a book editor, one who made a huge mistake and went from being her boss's confidant to being on the cusp of being fired. On top of that, she's keeping secrets from her husband about their financial situation and trying to keep her mom afloat financially as her deadbeat dad pops in and out of her mother's life.

Thea has no idea why Maria Capello has specifically requested her as the editor of her memoir, but she jumps at the opportunity. After all these years, Maria is going to reveal what happened to Damien and Thea will be the one to bring the memoir to life.

Never mind that Maria insists Thea come to her home to read the book. Never mind that Maria gives Thea one tiny chapter at a time. Never mind the rumors that Maria killed Damien and used his body in her meatballs. Never mind that Maria demands Thea hand over her cell phone the moment she arrives, keeps shutting off the internet, and that a nail has mysteriously appeared in Thea's car tire.

This book is a twisty, deceptive ride. I did not see the final few revelations coming.