The Dead Husband’s Cookbook by Danielle Valentine is a fast paced thriller that will have you guessing until the end.


Thea Woods has been having a rough time lately. After getting drunk and letting out information about a client, Thea pretty much has lost all chances at a promotion at the Publishing Company she works for. She’s one step from being fired, is overwhelmed with family issues, and is burning both ends of the candle trying to keep up with her little girl. When she get this opportunity to go to Maria’s home, she’s excited. Have you ever watched a television show and felt that you were a part of it? That a Chef like Gordon Ramsey or Emeril could teach you their secrets? That’s the way Thea is about everything Maria Cappelle.

Maria Cappello has known tough times as well. When she decides to write her memoir about her cooking, career, and most of all the secrets surrounding her deceased husband, she chooses the publishing company that Thea works for. But things aren’t always what they appear and Thea slowly starts to notice odd behavior in the Capelle home. And as juicy as the meals Maria makes, this book is even juicier.

If you are a fan of books that will keep you in a choke hold until the end, then this is for you. I read almost of Freida McFadden, Spencer Guerrero, and Kiersten Midglin, and I believe that fans of those authors will find themselves hooked on Danielle Valentine. This was a fairly fast read, and I hated having to stop reading. This is definitely dark with some interesting twists. .

This one was a wild ride, but I loved it! The plotting, pacing, and character development were excellent. I had no idea what was really going on until the very end.
My only criticism would be a few unresolved threads; I believe by design, and honestly, I am fine with that.
This is one of those mysteries with a lot more going on than solving a murder. This one has a lot to say about the nature of fame/celebrity and the business of cooking, and the way women fit into those spheres.
A really interesting story, one people will be talking about, if only for the more grotesque moments. The author can really set a scene, I had almost visceral reactions to parts of the story.
Seriously, read this one.
Highly Recommend.

I love the cover art for this book. It is what really drew me into wanting to read this story! I found the plot and story interesting and easy to follow

I was gifted an eARC copy of this book and this was my first read by Danielle Valentine. I really enjoyed this book! Danielle completed captured the characters and the setting of this story and as a reader I was able to visualize everything about this story.

Thea Woods is a blacklisted editor and just got offered the assignment that could put her back in the game. Maria Capello, a famous chef and household name, is writing a memoir about her life and the death of her husband from decades ago. Maria seeks out Thea to be her main editor and as a fan of Mrs. Capello, Thea could not be more thrilled. Thea, enthralled in the mystery of Maria, is learning whether deceased Mr. Capello committed suicide, ran away or was murdered and used in Maria's famous meatballs.

I could not put this book down and the storyline flowed very well. Each chapter had a new surprise, and the ending was a complete shocker. I had never read a novel with possible cannibalism in it, and I quite enjoyed the creativeness of the author. This book would be a highly recommended and I encourage everyone to pre-order for when it is released
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the eARC

Rounded up from a 2.5.
This sadly didn’t land for me. It was too cliche and had me rolling my eyes. I’m sure some people could enjoy it but I didn’t like the MC so it was hard to feel for her being scared.

What’s your families secret ingredient?

I received this ebook as an ARC from the author and publisher in enchanted for an honest review.

This book was So good! I was hooked from the very beginning. Format kind of reminded me of Verity but very different. I was afraid the author was going to leave a plot whole and unanswered questions but she didn’t! And the twist?! 🤯 i also loved how the author put actual recipes throughout the novel; i think I’ll actually try a couple of them.

.I highly recommend The Dead Husands Cookb if you like dark thrillers, protagonists in way over their heads, and food metaphors with existential dread. I came for the cover, stayed for the story.
The story immediately caught my attention. The book lands as a thriller with dark humor. Maria portrays herself as the ideal celebrity chef with a perfect life, but Valentine does a fantastic job of creating suspense and a creepy atmosphere once Thea arrives to stay in Maria's home. As the story unfolds the reader gets a picture of a more unhinged Maria, than what the public sees.
I highly recommend this book and will recommend.

THIS BOOK….. where do i start. it was so good, i was hooked from the very beginning, and the plot twist on my god. this was so fun, easy to read, and I absolutely could not put it down. 5/5

“One husband, well done.” First line in the description and I was instantly hooked.

Came for the cover, stayed for the story. The story immediately caught my attention. Maria is a famous chef who’s done it all - written cookbooks, had her own cooking show, but all anyone can talk about or what happened to her husband.

I loved how we were learning the story of Maria through Thea’s POV and small breadcrumbs at a time. The recipes between all the chapters were a fun addition as well. I especially loved the change in POV when we got to read from Maria’s perspective.

Some of the twists were a little predictable but some were done just right. I highly enjoyed every chapter of this book and didn’t want to put it down.

Thanks NetGalley for the arc!

First, a moment of appreciation for the cover and title of this book. *chef's kiss*

It feels like every book I've read this year has been about cooking or writing, or some combination thereof. Aftertaste, Food Person, The Ghostwriter, and now this one (okay, so not *every book*).
The Dead Husband Cookbook does a good job setting itself apart. It's a quick read, and while it definitely feels familiar-- a down-and-out writer on a mysterious assignment; being isolated in a creepy, old house with a possibly-deranged murderer-- Valentine gives us some major twists at the end. While I'm not sure the biggest twist was particularly motivated, and I definitely questioned its believability, I really liked that it wasn't forecast early on. It's rare that I'm genuinely surprised by a twist, and this one got me. I also really liked that the end is unlike most other books, which wrap things up in a pretty, little bow. (view spoiler)

Oh, and I really liked that Valentine found a realistic solution to the problem of 'we can't have the character read the entire book in one sitting'... It always drives me nuts in books when the MC is given a book to read, or tapes or videos or a diary, and they string it out over the course of several days or weeks (looking at you, Verity). That is *SO* unbelievable. Who wouldn't plow through it in a single sitting? Or maybe a few days. It's completely unreasonable for the author to drag it out for the purpose of the plot. But here, it's Maria who is handing over materials a chapter at a time. Phew.

If you like twists and deranged women-- and, let's be honest, who doesn't?-- add this to your TBR.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

Thea is a recently disgraced editor for an indie publishing company, who is called on to edit the memoir of Maria Capello. Maria, famous for her family style Italian cooking show, various cookbooks, and widespread fame is actually best know for her husband, Damien. In 1996, Damien mysteriously disappeared from a party the couple were throwing and the only things of his discovered were all his clothes and a suicide note. The internet has always had theories, but no one truly knew until now. Maria is centering her memoir on her and Damiens relationship. Thea's boss has given her the ultimatum: find out what happened or you're fired. Desperate, Thea complies with all of Marias conditions including, staying at her mansion in the woods, surrendering her phone, the internet being turned off, only getting a chapter at a time, and the utter refusal to change any of the above. On top of all this, an NDA prevents Thea from telling her husband anything. As things begin to get strange around the house, Thea begins to question why Maria chose her, why she brought her here, and why it seems like everyone is lying. This is a really creepy and well written book! I definitely would say it's predictable but its creepy, engaging, and a totally fun read for those who like a little murder with their cookbooks.

4.5 Stars

Thea Woods knows she's on the brink of being fired from her job as an editor, following a disastrous fall-out from the unprofessional way she handled a previous client's book deal. So when the opportunity to edit the memoir of her cooking idol, Maria Capello, falls into her lap she can't resist the offer, even though it comes with some peculiar stipulations. Maria is a household name, and a celebrity icon from her Italian cooking show and multiple cookbooks. But Maria's rise to fame has always been followed by speculation and rumors following the death of her husband Damien Capello, twenty years ago. Now, Thea has the chance to work with Maria and tell the story of what happened the night Damien died, but Thea soon finds there are more secrets in the Capello family, than just the secret ingredient Maria uses in her recipes.

The Dead Husband Cookbook is a creepy, suspenseful thriller, that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire story!! Valentine tells the story through Thea and Maria's POVs, as well as chapters from Maria's book manuscript. The book also includes recipes from Maria, which I didn't necessarily need to make the story interesting, but I did love the creative titles for each one of them.

The book definitely lands as a thriller with dark humor. Maria seems to be the ideal celebrity chef with a picture perfect life, but Valentine does a fantastic job of creating suspense and a creepy atmosphere once Thea arrives to stay in Maria's home. As the story unfolds the reader gets a picture of a more unhinged Maria, than what the public sees.

I would recommend checking the trigger warnings before reading the book. It does include gore, animal death, and references to cannibalism. It also covers heavy subject matter including cheating and spouse/parental abandonment. Valentine does a great job showing dysfunctional family relationships, and I enjoyed the way she brought Thea and Maria's family backgrounds together.

If you love books with suspicious circumstances, unexpected twists, suspense, questionable characters, and the food and publishing world, then I would highly recommend The Dead Husband Cookbook.

"I'll let you know if it's a thriller or horror," I told my book club.

It's definitely a thriller, but oh my gosh, if you're vegetarian, it's a horror.

Thea is an editor whose career has taken a bad turn. Maria is an infamous TV chef whose husband disappeared years before. Maria says Thea is the only editor who can work on her memoir. Thea has no idea why.

Maria is known to be exacting, but Thea never expected her demands, or to see a very familiar face at the dinner table...

This book has a lot of twists and turns. Its one flaw is that it leans a little heavily on an extra creep factor in the writing that it frankly doesn't need. The story is scary enough!

**4.5 stars rounded to 5**

I ate this book up!!!! The writing grabbed my attention from the very beginning and the pacing was perfect. I loved that the author included the chapters from Maria’s memoir and I really loved all the recipes…I wonder if they’re real??? Someone will have to test it and let me know 😂

I knocked half a star off because i’m picky and I like to be surprised. I guessed the “secret ingredient” way before it was revealed, and a lot of my theories were correct. This book definitely took some twists & turns but it was predictable for me.

I really enjoyed this book—it pulled me in right away and kept me hooked. The writing style was easy to connect with, making it a smooth and engaging read. While some moments felt a bit on the nose and I had a sense of where things were heading, that didn’t take away from the experience. It was still a thoroughly enjoyable ride, delivering exactly what I was looking for in a thriller. Strange in all the right ways—unique, memorable, and a lot of fun

This is such an attention grabbing book!
Danielle Valentine wrote a compelling and intricate story that I could vividly see while reading in my head.

The plot had me hooked and I never knew what to expect. The addition of Maria's recipes throughout the book, was a wonderful touch.

YES YES YES!!!
I loved The Dead Husband Cookbook so much. Right from the very beginning, I was absolutely hooked. While it definitely did not feel like a thriller novel for the greater part of the book, I still loved every single aspect of it. I really felt like I was in Thea's shoes, slowly realizing the odd behaviors of the Capello household.

The recipes and excerpts of Maria's memoir between the chapters were so fun. I cannot wait to see someone trying out the recipes or even trying some of them out myself. Even in moments where I believed I had all the answers and figured everything out, some new twist would be revealed and throw my theories out the window.

I cannot wait for everyone to get their hands on this book. The concept of this one is so unique and I truly believe that so many people will love it as much as I did.

4.5/5 stars!

This book is packed with suspense and surprising twists, but I couldn't help but feel like it's treading familiar ground. Maria’s character is an intriguing mix of Miranda Priestly and Giada De Laurentiis, exuding an unsettling charm that casts a dark shadow over the story. The alternating chapters between her memoir and Thea’s perspective add an interesting structure, though Thea’s constant dwelling on her personal issues can get a bit tiresome after a while.

The author’s use of vivid, sometimes grotesque imagery, like screaming pigs and skull soup, gives the novel a popcorn thriller vibe, but it also feels like it’s leaning a little too heavily on a style that’s been done before—Nightbitch, A Certain Hunger, The Vegetarian—where body horror and dark humor take center stage. Still, there’s a layer of family drama and deception that keeps the plot grounded amidst the shocks and grotesque imagery. Overall, it’s a fast-moving, creative story, but with a sense that we've seen this kind of dark, surreal exploration of character before. 3 stars for an entertaining, though somewhat familiar, ride.

Loved this thriller. Couldn't put it down! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Great cover. Great story with multiple juicy surprises.