A Sharp Edge…
The first in the Italian Chef mysteries finds Tessa deep in hot sauce when she’s advised that her late husband’s death is not the accident that they had thought it to be. Doing a little investigation of her own, however, may not be the best way forward - secrets have a way of worming their way out. With a well drawn cast and a pacy plot this is a cosy mystery with a sharp edge.

Penne Dreadful is the first book in a new series by Catherine Bruns, and the first book of Catherine's I've read - I was not disappointed.

Tessa Esposito is recently widowed, her husband having died in an auto "accident", an outstanding Italian cook, and is wondering what comes next in her life. Her well-meaning cousins tell her of a job as a chef in a pizza parlor, which Tessa jumps on as soon as she discovers there is a connection with the pizza parlor and her deceased husband. Tessa learns that her husband Dylan's accident was not an accident and she immediately wants answers. Through her own investigations she learns that her husband had a lot going on of which she was not aware, and she begins to question her entire marriage. By the end of the book Tessa discovers the reasons her husband was deceiving her, gets herself out of several dangerous situations, identifies the murderer, and develops a new outlook for the future - things begin to fall into place.

Tessa, her cousins Gino and Gabby, Dylan's friend Jason, and of course Luigi the cat, are vivid characters that you immediately like when you meet them. It's difficult to figure out, at first, who the bad guys are, and there is a pleasant surprise at the end when you realize that a character you may have disliked throughout the book is really one of the good ones!

There is much talk of Tessa's award-winning sauce and the secret recipe throughout the book - so much so that you could almost smell it as it cooks! It was a pleasant surprise to find a recipe for it, and many others, at the end of the book!

This book has everything in it a reader of culinary cozy mysteries enjoys - I would highly recommend this series and look forward to reading the next installment.

I saved this book to read for a rainy day, and now that we are all socially distant, I'm glad I did. This book made me hungry. Hungry for the next installment and for the amazing food mentioned throughout the mystery.

I read this book expecting it to be a quick, cozy read which would lighten my mood. This title defied my expectations. I found it to be the perfect balance of cozy mystery featuring an amateur sleuth with just the right pinch of domestic noir to hold my interest.

Tessa Esposito struggles with the grief that has consumed her for the past few months. Her husband, Dylan, died in a fiery car crash, and his death ended their dream of a beautiful life together. A life which included plans for Tessa to open a restaurant.

When her cousin, Gino, who is a cop, breaks the news to Tessa that Dylan's death wasn't an accident, but murder, it sparks life and determination back into Tessa's gray existence. She will find out the truth behind Dylan's murder. As Tessa digs into the last few weeks of Dylan's life, she discovers that he may not have been the man she thought he was. The revelations she uncovers makes her reevaluate the past ten years she had spent with the man who was her everything.

Catherine Bruns interweaves intrigue and emotions seamlessly throughout the story. I love the descriptions of the food. Tessa takes a job at a local pizza dive (yes, I know bars are dives, but this pizza joint makes a greasy, honky-tonk bar look positively amazing!) to ferret out why her husband had been such a frequent visitor there before his death. As she mixes together the ingredients for her signature spaghetti sauce, she also stirs the pot with the suspects. This story had a red herring in it that I followed all the way to the end I love that I was wrong on guessing the villain!

Catherine has shared some of the recipes mentioned in the story at the end which I consider a bonus. Once this self-isolation is over, I'm rushing to the store and trying the sauce recipe, as I'm sure it will be amazing.

Tessa Esposito is a wonderful main character. I instantly felt drawn to her story and how all of her family and friends came together to help support her and help her get back on her feet. There were times in the story that made me laugh, times that made me tear up, and other times that I wanted to yell at her and say "don't do that." I was surprised at all of the things that Tessa was finding out about her husband and wondered how it would all tie together. But it did in a wonderful way! And all of the cooking made me hungry for Italian food. I'm so happy that there were a few recipes included at the end. Tessa has many adventures ahead and I can't wait to be along for the ride.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Penne Dreadful

by Catherine Bruns

A cozy mystery about a chef whose heritage and passion is Italian cuisine? Count me in! Penne Dreadful by Catherine Bruns is filled with food references from the beginning “Italians are passionate about almost everything in the world, and food is at the top of the list” to recipes for sauce, pizza, and stromboli at the end. In between, you will find a solid plot and interesting characters.

Five weeks prior to the story’s action, Tessa’s husband, Dylan, was killed in a car accident. Tess walks around in a trance until she learns that the crash may not have been an accident and neither her husband nor her marriage was what she thought they were. Secrets and evil minded souls abound, and it seems her husband was one of them. The discovery jolts Tess out of her grieving stupor and into action putting herself and her friends in danger as she tries to uncover the truth.


I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Sourcebooks Landmark for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: #1 in the Italian Chef Mystery Series

Publication: July 30, 2019—Sourcebooks Landmark

Memorable Lines:

Luigi’s V-8 engine noises continued while I filled his food dish with star-shaped kitty crunches, and then he couldn’t scramble out of my arms fast enough.

“…you don’t ever want to get on Izzy’s bad side. That broad has enough venom in her to make a snake jealous.”

That was one of the beauties about New York weather. It might be ninety degrees one day, and forty the next. Unpredictable, the same as life.

A Life of Lies

Everything she thought she knew wasn't true, but what was? Cooking. But was her sauce really worth killing for? Very emotional heroine balanced by excitable cousin and lots of suspects as she struggles to make sense of her life--and to keep it. Some fascinating twists and turns.

Penne Dreadful by Catherine Bruins is about Local Chef Tessa Esposito who is struggling to get back on her feet following her husband’s fatal accident. Things get worse when the police come calling. They want to ask her about her husbands no so accidental accident. Tessa was a likeable character who wore her emotions on her sleeve. Many shady characters in this book. Tessa had to find out what was going on before she met a fatal accident of her own. I enjoyed reading this book. Since pizza is mentioned many times, be sure to have a snack ready.

I am always curious to see how a new mystery series starts. It will either capture my attention and I will want it to continue or it will leave me figuring out the mystery and not attaching to the characters. This one was definitely the first! Tessa is such a well written character inside a mystery that kept me interested from the first page. I can’t wait to see what the next book holds.!
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

Tessa is barely holding on after the death of her husband. She is putting all of her energy into making a lot of her tantalizing pasta sauce for herself and her family. Her world is rocked even more when she is told that her husbands tragic car accident was not an accident at all. It is recommended that she take a job at the local pizza shop that her husband frequented regularly called Slice.

Tessa isn’t sure if Slice has anything to do with her husbands death but something is definitely going on there. The majority of the staff is hostile towards her and she can’t figure out why.

I really enjoyed this book. I love the characters and I adore Tess! The story is well written and flows smoothly. I can’t wait until the next book comes out!!

Penne Dreadful is the first book in An Italian Chef Mystery series. Tessa Esposito is from a large Italian family and she is known for cooking up a delectable tomato sauce. She lost her beloved husband, Dylan five weeks ago and she has been holed up in her home ever since. When her cousin and police officer, Gino Mancusi tells that Dylan’s car had been tampered with, Tessa is determined to find out who committed the crime. As Tessa searches for the guilty party, we are introduced to a variety of characters (townspeople, Dylan’s co-workers, Tessa’s friends and family). I liked Gino, Gabby, Vince, and Justin. They enhance the story especially Gabby. Tessa also owns a tuxedo cat named Luigi. Tessa was a hard person for me to like from the way she acted in Penne Dreadful. She is determined to get answers no matter what the cost. We follow her as she makes enquiries and “sneaks” around looking for clues. Tessa is blunt when she asks questions and her snooping is not sneaky. Tessa frequently gets herself into sticky situations and takes unnecessary risks. I did not know if she had a death wish or was oblivious to the danger. I did not find some of the situations to be unbelievable, but, of course, this is fiction. I hope Tessa improves her questioning technique in future books along with her stealth. The mystery was multifaceted with red herrings, multiple suspects and a twist. Those who are not avid cozy mystery readers will be surprised by the guilty person’s identity. I thought Penne Dreadful was a slow starter, but the action does pick up in the second half of the book. There were repetitive details that could have been eliminated along with the foul language. I was surprised there was a love interest for Tessa so soon. I hope that the author will let the relationship progress at a relaxed pace. I enjoyed the descriptions of Tessa’s Italian dishes and there are recipes at the end of the book. Penne Dreadful has pizza pies, family meals, unexpected revelations, simmering sauce, suspicious suspects, and one determined widow.

This new series is off to a great start. It has everything I look for in a mystery and even more. It has a big heart. It's about love, loss, betrayal, lies and a loving family to catch you when you think you can't go one more step. Tessa thought she had the perfect life but before she's 30 her beloved husband dies in an automobile accident. She wrestles with her grief by turning to cooking. Her speciality is a mouth watering pasta sauce and she has made enough, so far, to feed the proverbial army. Tessa is a very talented chef. One day her cousin Gino, comes by and drops a bombshell on her. He's a cop and tells her that her husband's death was not an accident, a fact that the family had known about but had kept from her. Finding out was like a hit with a blunt object. Who would want him dead?
I liked the way Tessa was brought into the investigation. Her husband was last seen at The Slice, a restaurant he favored. Turns out they have an opening in the kitchen and Gino sees it as an opportunity to have her nose around. In her fog of widowhood, Tessa takes some risks and pokes around with sometimes little concern for where those questions might lead. They lead to answers that turn things upside down, again.
Besides the very well crafted mystery with wonderful characters, including a great cat, and the food.....oh the yummy food. There are lots of twists and turns, some red herrings, too and a satisfying ending. I'm all ready to read the mystery to see how Tessa moves on with her life. In the meantime I'm going to try my hand at making Tessa's Tantalizing Tomato Sauce.

This is the first in the Italian Chef series. Tessa Esposito is devastated when she learns from her detective cousin Gino tells her that her husband Dylan’s death (who died just six weeks earlier in a car accident) has been ruled as suspicious. Her cousin recommends she get a job at the pizza place where he frequented as his car had been there last before his accident. Tessa is a great cook and is now determined to help her cousin investigate Dylan’s death and find the responsible party. The restaurant has issues and everyone is treats her nice until they hear her last name. Why did everyone there not like Dylan? She contacts his place of employment only to find out that Dylan had been fired because he embezzled from the company. Tessa’s world is turning upside as she is learning her husband was not all that he seemed and he was keeping secrets from her. Gabby her cousin is helping her in finding clues and when they get into some trouble Gino tells Tessa that his goal in convincing her to go to work at the restaurant was really to get Tessa out of her depression than to investigate. Too late. Tessa is determined to get to the bottom of what Dylan was involved in and who killed him. There are plenty of suspects. Justin, Dylan’s best friend is looking out for Tessa but is also in love with her. I was a little troubled how casually her Mother and others seems to be about Justin being in love with Tessa and pointing in out. Her husband has just died. Why would anyone want her to move on that quickly. Lots of bad guys in this one and Tessa and Gabby almost end up in the Hudson river. I did enjoy this book but was bothered by a couple of things. How out of character Dylan’s actions were before his death and the possibility of a romance connection this early after his husband’s death. I do look forward to the next installment in this series.

This book was so good that I devoured it in almost one sitting. It was so sweet in some places especially at the end when everything came together for Tessa. This was a complex case with a couple of different mysteries going on that sort of tied together. I don't want to say too much or spoil anything, but there was an exciting showdown where Luigi the cat came in very handy! The ending gave me leaky eyes, but happy ones! I really love the characters of Tessa, her police detective cousin Gino and his sister Gabby who happens to be Tessa's best friend. I'm really anxious now to read the next book!

Great beginning to a new series!
I really love how vulnerable and determined Tess is to find out what happened to her husband and what he was keeping from her. The characters are very realistic and the story is well written with lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end. I cannot wait to see how these characters evolve in coming books and which characters are featured. I definitely recommend this book. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

My goodness, Tess has so much to deal with in this story. The hits just keep coming. How would you handle all these things? It is a very interesting story and the characters are great. Love the relationship between Tessa, Gino, and Gabby. I would love to sample any food Tessa would like to cook or bake. I think there is more story to come from these folks. I hope I can hang with them again and see what happens next. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

If you’re looking for a new culinary mystery series, you may want to check out The Italian Chef Mysteries, written by veteran author Catherine Bruns who writes several other cozy mystery series. Penne Dreadful introduces Tessa Esposito, a young chef whose husband Dylan has recently died in a fiery auto accident. When she hears rumors that Dylan’s death wasn’t an accident, she starts investigating why someone would want her beloved husband dead. Dylan hung around a pizza parlor often, so Tessa gets a job there so she can investigate and see if she can get to the bottom of it.

Bruns knows how to tell a good story; the cozy is well-organized, and the characters are likeable – well, most of them, that is - and while the scenarios aren’t totally believable and Tessa is a bit pushy, it’s okay, since this is, after all, fiction. Tessa gets herself into some difficult jams, and may not survive long enough to find her husband’s murderer. Readers will have suspects throughout, but in the end, they will be surprised. Readers will also look forward to subsequent novels in this series, and of course want to try out the Italian recipes.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this novel.

Penne Dreadful by Catherine Bruns is the 1st book in the Italian Chef Mystery series, and it is off to a good start. Tessa Esposito is mourning the death of her husband, when she is informed by her cousin, a police detective, that he was murdered. Tessa is learning that her husband had a lot of secrets, but she is determined to find out who killed him. I found this book to be exciting and fast-paced with a well developed plot and characters. I can not wait to read the next book in this series. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys mysteries, especially cozy ones.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

This is an excellent cozy mystery, well written and engrossing.
It does not match the classic cozy mystery standards and I appreciated the originality and the well developed plot.
The cast of characters is fleshed out, well written and likable.
The mystery, full of twists and turns, kept me guessing till the end.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Really enjoyed this novel. The writing flowed and the characters were depicted very well. Couldn't wait to find out what happens next.

This is such a delightful first in series that I can say 5 stars with a high recommendation as a must read !
The author has created charcters and a plot that truly kept me turning pages into the night Well done to the author. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with a arc for review. My happy opinion is my own., .
Penne Dreadful by Catherine Bruns is the first book in her new An Italian Chef Mystery series . I loved how the book started with a murder that had already occurred . Our protagonist Tessa has just lost her husband to a terrible accident that is now decidedly listed as murder. His car was tampered with and she is devastated with the news. The reader will find that Tessa's grief is palpable and realistically portrayed. I appreciated how this was handled with such sensitivity. Having handled many deaths in my family this did not affect me and I enjoyed the process of the writing of this subject. .

As Tesse investigates with the help of a police officer ,, she is soon finding multiple clues and her investigation takes off in multiple directions. She takes a chance and returns to the business where her husband last frequented by taking a job to go undercover. This is a very brave move as she dives into asking questions. I like how the author created this multi layered plot and sleuth to the end with a surprising conclusion. The food mentioned throughout the book is sublime and you will be hungry reading this. I look forward to the next in series and seeing how Tessa starts over in life as a new widow. A very good start to a fun cozy mystery series. Well done to the author.