Book Review
Knife Skills for Beginners by Orlando Murrin
Cozy Mystery | Food
When it comes to cozy mysteries, food-based stories are one of my favourite themes. And this debut mystery from Orlando Murrin makes it clear that the author knows his way around a kitchen!
Knife Skills for Beginners features a grieving chef, Paul Delamere, who is looking to get back into steady work. When Paul bumps into an old friend, he finds himself reluctantly convinced to teach a course at a residential cooking school in Belgravia. Unfortunately, not long into the course, his friend winds up murdered. Motives and suspects are plentiful amongst this quirky cast of characters and Paul needs to track down the culprit before he finds himself behind bars.
This read had all the hallmarks of a classic cozy mystery — red herrings, hidden motives for each character, and lots of clues and twists. It was a lot of fun to read. The book was well-written and had plenty of cooking-based descriptions and interesting facts.
Paul initially comes across as quite pompous and naive (traits I find annoying in amateur sleuths) however, I still really enjoyed his character as a whole. I appreciated the slow reveal of his backstory and I think some intriguing foundational aspects were being built for future books in this series. He’s got some quirky traits, snarky humour, and character flaws that rounded him out nicely, and overall he was quite likable.
While I was able to put together some pieces of the mystery, it kept me guessing until the very end. There’s a wide cast of characters with some familiar archetypes, making for a familiar but fun crime cozy. Some suspension of disbelief was required for the final reveal but I don’t have a problem with that in this genre, and I thought the plot made for a quick and entertaining read.
The food theme was what really invested me in this story and I look forward to seeing what Chef Paul gets up to next!
Recommended for:
Cozy mystery fans / readers who enjoy cooking themes
This post contains affiliate links; as an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Advance copy of the book provided courtesy of the publisher, Kensington Books. All opinions expressed are my own.
About the book:
(From the publisher): At a Belgravia cookery school, murder is on the menu.
A recipe for disaster.
When chef Paul Delamare agrees to help his old friend Christian by teaching at an exclusive residential cookery school in Belgravia, the only thing he expects his students to murder is his taste buds. But on the first night, the unthinkable someone turns up dead.
The school rests on a knife-edge.
Could one of his students be the killer? Or could it be Rose—the owner of the school, a woman with secrets and a murky past? The police are convinced Paul is the culprit. After all, he’s good with a blade, was first on the scene—and everyone knows what chefs are really like.
It all boils down to murder.
The students are sharpening their knives, and if Paul can’t solve the mystery fast—as well as teach them how to make a perfect hollandaise sauce—he’ll be the next to get the chop.