Max Wilde is the sort of man who seems to make a success of everything he turns his hand to. Celebrity chef, television presenter, and bestselling crime writer Max Wilde is about to hold his annual dinner party. Invited are four other successful crime writers as well as Max’s assistant and John Finney, a retired police detective-inspector. Even before they sit down to dinner it becomes clear that most guests at the dinner party have a reason to hate their host as does Gemma, Max’s assistant, and Robert, his brother.

Despite the menu on the night being murder themed with dishes named The Poisoned Quail, Red Herring, and Murderous Mushrooms accompanied by a bottle or two of Sparkling Cyanide it isn’t until the next morning that Max is found dead in his bed as a result of Hemlock poisoning. With almost everybody having both a motive and the opportunity to put the poison in the glass of water on Max’s bedside table, there are no easy answers. And while the police are on the case, the group of crime writers, led by John Finney, start their own investigation. But it won’t be until more deaths have followed that the culprit is unveiled in an action-packed finale.

This story is a bit of a slow burner. The book starts with introductions of the various characters followed by events on the night of the dinner party and it isn’t until we are about 40% into the story that Max is discovered dead in his bed and the investigation starts. In the hands of a lesser writer that relatively long introduction might have been boring, but I flew through it because all the characters are unique and interesting individuals. What’s more, as far as I can tell, this is the first book by G.S. Revel Burroughs, and I’m impressed. This is a clever, well-written, and captivating mystery. I enjoyed it from start to finish and found it difficult to put my Kindle down. The story is written from a third-person omniscient perspective, which isn’t easy to pull off but works remarkably well here. It was always clear whose head I was in and the transitions from one character to the next were smooth and flowed easily. Since among those characters is a murderer, we know that at least one of them has to be an unreliable narrator, but that only added to the reading fun for me.

Long review short: A Recipe For Murder is a special treat for anyone who enjoys a well-plotted mystery. I look forward to reading whatever G.S. Revel Burroughs may write next.

Famous chef invites crime writers over.
Someone kills the chef.
And the incidents do not stop there.
Certainly witty and entertaining, and I quite liked the third person POV.

3.5 rounded to 4.
I liked this book! I liked the Agatha Christie vibes that it gave, though it did take me awhile to adjust to there not really being an identified narrator. I did suspect the murderer for most of the book but still enjoyed the journey the book took me on!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC! This opinion is my own.

I enjoyed an e-ARC copy but this is an honest review.

This was an enjoyable and fast paced murder mystery with some of the cosy tropes, but not too much to be overly sweet.

Centred around the dinner party of the outrageously rich although not especially talented author/chef/TV personality Max Wilde. It's not a spoiler to say that but everyone who attended the dinner makes it out alive.

The characters were well described and easy to distinguish, not always the case for a plot like this, I was able to keep straight who was who all the way through. The women were written to be more captivate than the men.

I did guess the ending part way through but it certainly wasn't obviously and it was a satisfying conclusion.

Title: A Recipe For Murder
Author: GS Revel Burroughs
Pages: 330
Rating: 5/5*

Arc Copy - review left voluntarily
Publish date - 5th September 2024

Max is a well known TV chef and crime author. Every year he holds a dinner party for the most famous and successful crime authors that year! With a menu fit for revenge, everyone becomes a suspect in this fantastic crime novel!!

Oh my goodness. I needed to shake it up a little bit with my genre and this book did not disappoint. As usual for me when it comes to crime books it takes a while to get in to however, as the pace quickened, so did my reading.

I loved the idea of the poison garden. The red herrings (not just as a starter) it was so cleverly written and I thoroughly enjoyed guessing who the killer was.

The deaths were brilliant and I hope that Burroughs search history isn't being investigated any time soon with all the poison research.

A great book. A great change of pace.

Will you be reading it??


*Note from me: I never want to dim people's shine. It's brave for the author to put themselves out there in the public eye. Books/stories are personal preferences. What might be my cup of tea may not be yours. And vice Versa! Keep on creating!

A Recipe for Murder is a fun locked-room mystery that is reminiscent of Agatha Christie. Celebrity chef Max Wilde hosts a select, invite-only dinner once a year; to be invited to this meal is an honor that only the elite crime-writing authors get to enjoy. This year, Max invites some familiar authors along with new stars and one special guest. His theme for this particular dinner is poison, and Max goes all out to even include Fugu. When Max is discovered dead the next morning, a dark cloud hangs over the manor. Did he die from something he ate? Did one of the fellow guests kill him? Soon, it becomes apparent that everyone has a secret that they're trying desperately to hide. Are one of these secrets the reason for Max's death?

A Recipe for Murder is a fun locked-room mystery. I absolutely enjoyed all of the characters and thought the author did a great job developing them. Unfortunately, I can only give this book three stars due to its predictability. I knew who the killer was from just a third into the book. And while the reasons I knew who it was are the same reasons that the mystery is solved (and, yes, that does give me some pride), it's quite obvious. The reason I kept reading was because of the characters and their fun banter and relationships. I feel like the clues could be a bit less obvious. I would have liked to have been stumped/guessing for longer. No matter, it is still a fun read that I could totally see turning into a movie. Also, the food all sounded delicious! I loved the inclusion of the meal's menus!

Thanks to #netgalley for allowing me to read this publication.

When I requested this book, I imagined it to be Christie-esque but it unfortunately didn’t flow as easily or smoothly.

It is written as by a third person and is very disjointed. Various tales of crime-writers lives all cut and shunted together around an invitation to dinner at a local celebrities house. A lot of characters to remember and the lead up to the dinner party was slow and laborious.

The initial idea of the plot was pretty decent but it was carried off to its full potential.

I heartily recommend this story as it drew me in straightaway.

The characters are well-formed and the relationships are interesting. I started reading a few pages each day - the first part of the book sets up the murder and all the suspects. The second part contains all the investigations.

I loved this book, it certainly is a recipe for murder.
Max Wilde is a famous chef and TV personality and crime writer, he is famous for his intimate annual dinners at his house, Burnham Manor with celebrity crime writers eager to receive an invite. This year is no exception with a gust list of both established and new writers. There is a difference this year as he has also invited one of his neighbours, an ex DCI famous for solving a famous poisoning.
The dinner includes a dish prepared by a renowned Japanese chef, Fugu, from the poison puffer fish.
When Max is found dead the following morning, all the guests are suspects, along with his brother Robert, but who is responsible?
Well written and absolutely gripping with a few nice twists in it.

crime-fiction, TV-film-industry, TV-personality, cooking-show, writers, poisons, law-enforcement, multiple-deaths, multiple-authors, multiple-perspectives, sardonic, secrets, sly-humor, snarky, suspense****

The publisher's blurb is a dandy hook, but the story itself is a Gordian Knot of innuendo and mischief among the crime writing chefs. Verrry interrresting. But strrrange. Verrry strrrange.
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Mr E Entertainment via NetGalley.Thanks.

An interesting murder mystery with a hatful of possible murderers to choose from each with their very own motive - but whodunnit?
Great fun and recommended.
My thanks to NetGally and the publishers for this arc in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mr E Entertainment for the ARC

I love, love this premise! How could a book about crime authors, isolated in a house when a murder occurs possibly go wrong? Spoiler; it can't. At least not in this book. I really enjoyed the suspense in the book and liked the mystery concept. The characters were fascinating and secretive. You never knew who you could trust, which calls for a perfect crime novel. Highly recommend.

Really great book featuring an impressive range of characters interwoven through a great who done it mystery. Every character has interesting traits and back story. I loved the book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a murder mystery.

This was a fantastic story, full of laughter, tears and criminally good minds, very well written characters that sent the story on it's way, I must admit I knew from the start who the perpetrator was but it was such fun finding out how, bravo!

Initially, the story seemed light-hearted almost reminiscent of an Adam Sandler-style murder mystery—amusing, entertaining, but perhaps lacking in serious depth. However, Burroughs cleverly weaves subtle clues throughout the narrative, keeping readers guessing and second-guessing every character's motive. The revelation of Max Wilde's death, accompanied by the increasing body count, transforms the seemingly playful setup into a gripping whodunit.

The charm of A Recipe for Murder lies in its ability to blend satire with suspense, making it not just an enjoyable but also an intellectually engaging experience. It's a cleverly written, easy read that keeps you hooked with its subtle clues and unexpected turns. Whether you're a seasoned mystery fan or just in for a good laugh with a dash of danger, this book is a deliciously wicked treat.

A very enjoyable mystery. I may have guessed wrong but the ending was quite amazing regardless. Every character brought as much joy as they did suspicion.

I really enjoyed this gorgeous old fashioned "who dunnit" which felt heavily influenced by Agatha Christie and I mean that in a good way
Lots of suspects in fancy surroundings. All the authors were crime writers so they each took a different view of who the killer was in the multiple murders.
I did work out who the killer was so for that reason have only given it four stars.
I loved the menus for the dinner party and the theatre of the puffer fish. The whole book had an air of theatricality which I really loved
Would recommend

4.25

Don’t let the title fool you. This is no cozy mystery. Okay, it’s technically a cozy mystery just like technically Agatha Christie’s books are categorized as such, but it’s not something that you could easily see as a Hallmark movie, and not because of language or graphic sex scenes.

I didn’t know what to expect, and, in fact, I was dragging my heels just a little bit. It was next on my virtual shelf, with several books I was anxious to read further down the line. Well, I am glad I acquiesced. This is a story that can be a bit baffling to get your head around to start. Not the mystery itself yet, but, after a sort of prologue introducing the main character and victim, you carry on meeting these different authors, seeing them from their own point of view. You don’t know how many of these are coming until, at last, they either circle back to an existing one.

I didn’t know how this mystery would be solved. Part of that is because, to my knowledge, this is Burroughs’ only mystery, and I didn’t know how cunning or masterful the mystery would be. I believe I suspected the murderer at some point, but not because I necessarily saw it in the clues or because it was obvious. It really does come down to the very end and, not knowing how clever the author is, was upset by the red herring.

That’s as much as I’ll give away, other than to say that I don’t believe this is a the start of a series, though that door isn’t shut. Much stranger things have happened. I’m talking about you“Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone”!

Bottom line: It’s not Christie, but is unique among modern mysteries with interesting, varied characters to love and hate. There is a long set up leading to the murder, but it’s engaging enough to keep things moving there and beyond. You’ll learn much more than you’ll (hopefully!) ever need to know about poisons. A delightfully disturbing read!

Thank you to the author GS Revel Burroughs, NetGalley, and publisher Mr E Entertainment for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

Celebrity chef, crime writer and tv presenter Max Wilde invites a number of crime novelists to his manor for an exclusive sumptuous evening of amazing food and company. Also on the guest list is retired DI Jack Finney who lives locally and is renowned for having solved the infamous Painswick Poisoning case.

The next morning, the host is discovered dead in his bed, with a glass of water poisoned with hemlock by his bedside. Who is responsible? Each guest from the evening before had their own motive for wanting Max dead and suspicion turns to each of them in turn. Is it Max's angry brother who was going to have his business sold out from him? The spurned ex lover or her angry mother ?His PA who secretly wrote his successful crying novels that he was planning to replace? The crime writer whose tv series has been dropped in favor of the station paying Max more for his lucrative and successful TV show? Or the grieving and pregnant widow that no one knew about? The strange gardener who works at Burnham Manor ?

The body count soon starts to rise and panic sets in to find the person responsible before someone else dies. Sydney Fletch, a young successful author who attended the dinner party at Max Wilde's home teams up with retired DI Finney to solve the crime

What a fabulous whodunnit! I truly enjoyed this fun, witty storyline with its likeable (and deliciously unlikeable) characters. Everyone has a motive and a secret they would rather keep from coming out. This story was coming together so beautifully and I could see the penny starting to drop for Sydney as the story progressed however I felt the story came together a little too quickly in the end. Perhaps I'm being a little harsh in this judgement! An enjoyable overall read, I'd definitely read something by this author again ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

This book is just plain fun. I loved it. Great characters. Wonderful thought out mystery. It's everything you could hope for in a cozy mystery. If you are a fan of Agatha Christie, I think you will love this book as well. Definitely 5 stars for me