A thoroughly wicked thriller! This is truly a must read! Lots of twists and turns, complex, interesting characters and a story that will keep you turning the page and you will not want to put it down. Unbelievable! I received a copy from netgalley and this is my honest review.

3.75 This was a fun unique thriller, O really enjoyed the writing and the descriptions but the mystery never quite grabbed my attention and the ending felt a bit predictable to me. With that said the writing was amazing it was atmospheric and the food descriptions were mouthwatering and horrifying at the same time.I was honestly expecting more of a cozy mystery but really enjoyed this book instead my only wish was we just sat more with the characters and focused less on the who dunnit.I really enjoyed this authors writing and can’t wait to pick up more from them in the future. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for and honest review.

This book had me gripped almost immediately — which is amazing because lately I’ve been having a hard time staying focused on anything. It was mysterious and I was on the edge of my seat for most of it. The big twist was something I truly didn’t expect and loved it! I was extremely satisfied by the final page.

The situation surrounding Maria’s, a famed chef’s, husband’s death was mysterious to say the least but Thea’s, a disgraced editor’s, agent made it clear that she needed the good publicity after a secret was leaked to the press that she revealed at a party. Without being able to argue much, Thea finds herself at the mercy of Maria and her troubled past. With many things adding up to cause her to be concerned and without the ability to escape, will Thea dig up the secrets of Maria’s past or find something she wish she had never uncovered?

I’ve read several novels by this author under her various names (Danielle Valentine is also Danielle Vega), and as a self-described author of books for “tweens, teens, and adults,” she’s definitely covered a lot of ground. However, over time I’ve realized that while her YA horror is fun, it’s her adult novels that really grab me. With The Dead Husband Cookbook, she’s once again proven that point, delivering the same kind of thoroughly absorbing and addictive suspense that made Delicate Condition such a standout for me.

The story follows Thea Woods, an editor whose career is hanging on by a thread after costing her publisher a lot of money in the wake of a very public scandal. In fact, her boss has all but admitted to planning to fire her, except out of nowhere comes a second chance. Maria Capello, a celebrity chef whose own life has been marked by plenty of sordid rumors and scandal, has apparently decided to write a tell-all memoir, and for some reason, she has handpicked Thea to edit her book. Because this would be the opportunity of a lifetime for their small publisher, Thea is allowed to keep her job—for now. However, she can’t afford to make any mistakes. One wrong move, and it could ruin her completely.

Otherwise, Thea is actually quite thrilled to be working with Maria. She has no idea why she was chosen—they’ve never even met—but Thea has admired Maria since childhood, faithfully following her cooking shows and recipe books, which idealized the picture-perfect home life. Still, Maria comes with some difficult conditions. First, Thea must travel to the Capello’s remote upstate farmhouse to do the work. Second, she will surrender her phone and live with no reliable internet connection while she’s there. And third, she will only have access to the manuscript one chapter at a time, handed over at a pace set by Maria.

Despite all this, Thea tells herself it will all be worth it. After all, the memoir is all but guaranteed to be a sensation, not just because Maria is a household name, but because everyone is still obsessed with the decades-old mystery of her missing husband, Damien. Officially, Damien Capello’s death was ruled a suicide, backed by a note and Maria’s alibi the night of his disappearance, but that hasn’t stopped people from talking. Did Damien really kill himself, or was it something darker? Thea knows Maria’s memoir might finally reveal the truth, but how much does she really want to know about her idol? Is she truly ready to learn Maria’s secrets? And what will it cost her if she does?

From the description of the novel to its unnervingly vivid cover, I just couldn’t let this one pass me by! What really worked for me was the way the story uses its structure to build interest and tension. The bulk of the narrative follows Thea in the present day as she navigates life’s challenges—a demanding toddler, an oblivious husband, a financially strapped mother, and now a tanking career. But once Thea arrives at Maria’s farmhouse, the tone shifts, tightening into the claustrophobic, controlled atmosphere the older woman has created.

It’s here we begin to see excerpts from the memoir itself, and I thought these sections were brilliantly done. Packed with juicy behind-the-scenes details, each chapter also included delicious sounding recipes with clever titles that directly relate to Maria’s stories. I loved how these parts gave us Maria’s perspective, not to mention making my mouth water! At the same time, they raised more questions than answers. What exactly are Maria’s motives for writing the book, and why now after so many years of remaining guarded about her past? Is she being as candid as she claims, wanting to set the record straight? Or is she in fact choosing her words carefully, trying to reframe how the public sees her?

Another highlight for me was how nearly every element clicked right into place. Especially the food angle! Each recipe and culinary detail felt authentic and thoughtfully integrated, and not just a gimmick. Cooking tied directly into Maria’s storytelling and character, deepening the themes of memory, family, secrets, and even control. I couldn’t help but wonder if Danielle Valentine is a connoisseur herself, because it’s that, or she poured hundreds of hours of research into the culinary world. Either way, it paid off beautifully, contributing to just how well the entire novel was planned and put together, even when the plot ran full speed into realm of outrageousness. And yet, it worked because a good foundation had been laid, and of course it was also fun as hell.

Overall, The Dead Husband Cookbook is exactly the kind of addictive and slightly unhinged thriller that’s easy to devour in just a few sittings. Danielle Valentine has once again delivered a novel that feels both meticulously plotted and wildly entertaining. If you loved Delicate Condition or are simply in the mood for a dark and twisty page-turner, this is the perfect place to dig in.

Thank you SourceBooks for this ARC!

While I kind of knew where this novel was heading pretty quickly, it still made for a fun, mysterious read--but I think the title and cover area bit misleading. One, I thought this book was "NightBitch" based on the cover alone at a first quick glance. That might be a good thing...since I hear that book was a hit, but again--just SO close.
Two, I guess I was expecting more cringey scenes and possible body horror given the nods to cannibalism. That the horror reader in me, I need to feel something--and I just didn't with Maria and her possible culinary escapades.

Did she/didn't she kill and cook her husband?! Honestly, by the end, I just didn't care all that much.

Not a bad read by any means, but it just didn't quite scratch the itch I was looking for in the feminine rage era we currently find ourselves in.

I have never read a book quite like this and don’t think I knew what I was getting myself in to, but YES! 🙌🏼

Slowly, but surely reading more and more horror books (I’m typically just a horror movie person) and this book mixed with the “cookbook” theme was so fun. A good blend of 2 my favorite things - horror and cooking 😉🙃

Thank you Netgallery for the ARC!

Read it a bit late as it was recently published, so highly recommend everyone who loves this genre to go buy this book! 🙌🏼

This was such an easy read and interesting book. I was GLUED to the pages. Loved the story told in two timelines showcasing what we're being told and what we're being shown, and when the two don't match. The writer's husband twist was a bit far-fetched to me, and the title is a bit of a giveaway right from the start. But overall it was a fantastic read that gave me just enough information to keep me hooked until the very end.

Okay soo..... this was 7 husbands of evelyn hugo with details changed. The concept of the story was just that of TJR's.

A famous whatever wants her memoir out for the public, gets this "random" writer to learn and write her story. Not so random because they turn out to be the mistresses child!!!! In this case the wife of that said child. It did take me a while to get into this story, but once the family drama started i was hooked. Until the similarities started popping up. 🙄

I guess the only thing i enjoyed was some of the mystery of did she or didn't she kill her husband?
Did she or didn't cut him up and use him for her famous meatballs. And of course the recipes. Those pastas sounded delicious.

I was shocked at the end tbh.

This was a wild ride that I could not put down. The story is told in two parts - one in the present and one through the memoir Maria is giving to Thea. Each POV was unique but I was pulled in by Maria’s story. Both Thea and Maria were fantastic characters - layered, flawed but highly relatable. The mystery of what happened to Damien was well done and kept the pages turning. I adored the recipes throughout and have a few on my list to try (the easier ones lol).

Thank you, #Partner @bookmarked and @netgalley for my gifted copy.

Well, this one sure was entertaining. It was a thrilling ride and I loved the food aspect. I recommend this one!

This is my first book by this author, definitely unpredictable! Incredibly entertaining and I think I would really enjoy the audiobook!

This was a really good mystery/suspense book!

Thea Woods is an editor at a small publishing company who is on thin ice due to a recent major mistake. Out of nowhere, the most famous chef in America, Maria Capello, decides Thea should be the one to edit her new tell-all memoir. This opportunity is huge! Why? Maria's husband disappeared decades before and no one knows what really happened. Did he run away, commit suicide, or did Maria murder him?

We follow Thea as she uncovers truth, but even more mysteries.

I would definitely recommend this to people who love a twisty family drama!

Unpredictable, entertaining, fast paced. I enjoyed this one. I’ve never read anything by this author before and I plan to add her to my auto buy list!

This novel is over the top and silly fun. If you like crazy and self-indulgent characters then this book is for you. I thought the concept was creative and clever. I enjoyed the author’s writing style. She has a wicked sense of humor. This book is not meant to be taken seriously, it is campy and enjoyable satire.

I really enjoyed Danielle Valentines last book, so I was so excited when I saw she wrote this book. I was originally drawn to the cover and was immediately intrigued. The book itself was great. This author is definitely going to be an auto-read for me from now on. The celebrity chef aspect of this book was very original to me. The whole book was creative and all around a good read. Also, this book gets points because the Catskills are close to home for me.

This was slow for my liking, but it was an intriguing premise. The slow burn still kept me hooked to the last page to see what is going on with the cookbook and the story that this famous chef is trying to tell.

The story is two fold - an editor is specifically invited to write a mysterious story of this famous chef and her husband's dissapearance. Everything seems just so sinister, and the conspiracy theories are never ending since the husband disappeared, and maybe her secret ingredient in the famous meatballs is darker than one thinks. But what this editor is finding - a strange family, a strange personality, and definitely a strange story that is just not adding up.

When the investigation deepens, the editor starts to fear for her own life. She is very far away from anyone, no phone, no internet, no contact. The deeper she dives in, the more untruths she finds. But she would have never guessed what the real truth is.

Like I stated, the slow burn was agonizing, but at the end worth. Though I did want this to turn a bit darker a lot sooner. I did not guess the plot, so that was (and always is) exciting.

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy.

Maria Capello is a celebrity chef and household name. Her cookbooks, tv show, and best-selling supermarket sauces and frozen dinners are in homes across the country. But she use to be the quiet wife behind the scenes to famous chef and restaurant owner Damien Capello. It was only after his disappearance twenty years ago that she stepped into the spotlight. For the past two decades Maria has never spoken publicly about her husband's case and rumors have always been in the background of if he left her or did, she get rid of him?

Thea Woods is a book editor that is on the verge of losing her job after private details on a book got leaked. When her boss calls her into the office one morning, she knows the time to be fired has come. She never expected to be told that Maria Capello is writing a new memoir and has requested only Thea edit the book. Why does she want Thea? While Thea is a huge fan of Maria, she has never met her and has no connections to her. With the goal of getting details about Damien's disappearance for the book, Thea accepts the invitation to Maria's remote farm to work on the manuscript. She may finally learn if the rumors are true and what is Maria's legendary "secret ingredient".

I really enjoyed this audiobook. I went into it expecting horror, and while there are horror undertones, this one is pretty mild. Things are more suggested than described. The story was a dark, twisty thriller/mystery with good suspense build ups. As Thea dives into Maria's world, she starts to turn up details from the past and it creates a whodunit storyline. The narration was great, and I like the book within a book style. You read things from Thea's POV, and you read chapters from Maria's memoir building the past and present story. Such a fun read!

Thank you to NetGalley book for review.

This was so good! I loved the writing style and that it was a unique story. It wasn't something that has been done over and over again. I also loved it was a book within a book. Such a dark and twisty story. I would definitely recommend.

This book started off enjoyable enough but it just went slowly down hill the more I read

Now I should admit I don't typically read the whole "domestic thriller" kinda vibes, I find them boring and predictable but the premise of this one had me thinking maybe it would be different. Obviously based on the two stars I was wrong.

I'm not the kinda reader who goes out of my way to try and figure out what the twists in a story are gonna be, I'm just here for the adventure. But even I could see basically all the twists coming from a mile away. Which would have been fine if anything actually happened in the story.

Add in the recipes placed in every 2 chapters pulling me out of the story and I just can't say I liked this book.

What a fun ride! I definitely enjoyed all the in's and out's of this one; it kept me on the edge of my seat!