Okay, so The Dead Husband Cookbook was such a wild read! The story follows celebrity chef Maria Capello, who’s finally ready to publish her memoir. And of course, it’s gonna be a bestseller because everyone needs to know what happened to her husband Damien, who was also a famous cook but was presumed dead under weird circumstances. Like?? This sounds like the perfect book! I felt transported right there with the rest of the people trying to find out what’s the deal with this mysterious “secret ingredient” she’s always hinting at.

This book is a mystery/thriller with a lot of juicy twists, and honestly I was hooked the whole time. I loved the addition of actual recipes at the end of Maria's memoir. Loved. Loved. Loved.

If you’re into twisty mysteries with a bit of that dark culinary flair, definitely check this one out!

Thank you NetGalley and Viper publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion! Needless to say, as always, all thoughts are my own and I have not been influenced in any way.

Up on Goodreads now, live on the blog on 7 July:

I became an instant fan of Danielle Valentine’s books when reading my first one, which was Delicate Condition. I read her debut shortly after, and when I noticed halfway through reading The Dead Husband Cookbook that I had missed a book last year, I ordered myself a copy right away. Such is the bookish magic this author wields.

The Dead Husband Cookbook, for me, is reminiscent of authors like Delilah S. Dawson and Rachel Harrison: it has a feminist angle but not in the manner you’d expect. And that might be the best way to describe this entire story: it’s what you expect, but then it isn’t, but then it is, or is it? Confusing? Good! Go in blind, do not even leaf through the book, trust me.

The structure of The Dead Husband Cookbook is like an Italian cookbook. We start off with antipasti to whet our appetites, then we get to the meat of the story in the Meat section, and we end with Desserts, whether these are just or not, that’s up to the reader to decide. There are even a few recipes included, to try at your leisure. Or maybe not.

The Dead Husband Cookbook is mostly told from the POV of Thea. An error of judgement pretty much torpedoed her career as editor, and at this point, editing The Dead Husband Cookbook by celebrity chef Maria Capello is the only thing that may save her. However, this job turns out to be unlike any other editing job Thea has ever had. As she is drip-fed the entire book, chapter by chapter, so is the reader, and I can tell you, I was just as desperate as Thea was to find out more. Are the rumours true? Did Maria actually kill her husband all those years ago? Did he really end up in her meatballs?

Throughout the entire book, there’s an insidious sort of creepiness. Is Thea imagining things or is there something off about Maria, her book, her family? I never quite knew what was true and what wasn’t, until the very ending. Was my own imagination running away with me, or did I have these characters pegged?

I had an absolute ball with The Dead Husband Cookbook! Without ever being overly explicit or particularly gruesome, it is a deliciously dark, horroresque thriller that I would happily recommend.

The Dead Husband Cookbook is out in hardcover, digital formats and audio on 7 August.

Massive thanks to Viper Books and NetGalley for the DRC. All opinions are my own.

Absolutely delicious!
This book truly kept me guessing the entire time and I can’t say that happens very often.
The tension was like a simmering pot, continuously ramping up until it boils over at the end and I loved how the recipes were sprinkled throughout.
I read in almost one sitting, definitely recommend!