Chef Paul Delamare finds himself suddenly recruited by his old friend, celebrity chef Christian Wagner, to substitute-teach a week-long cooking class in a mansion. Christian gets in touch with him out of the blue—conveniently omitting details like how much and when Paul would be paid—to explain that he is injured and needs someone to help with the hands-on aspect of the teaching. Thus Paul ends up at a stately manor, where the staff and students are all quirky and everyone is disappointed to see him instead of the star they were hoping to meet. It isn't long before a corpse is found and Paul has to figure out what’s going on while formulating lesson plans and keeping everyone occupied. The culinary details are entertaining, and the book even includes a few recipes. The variety of well-defined personalities makes for a good suspect pool. It doesn't make a ton of sense that the show would go on after a dead body turns up, and the going gets slightly slow in the middle, but the mystery is entertaining even when you see where it’s heading.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for a digital advance review copy.

Knife Skills for Beginners is the first in a new cozy crime series by journalist, food writer, and chef-hotelier Orlando Murrin. This is a delightful treat for readers who enjoy humorous British mysteries.

Currently unemployed chef Paul Delamare is between jobs and grieving the passing of his husband. An old acquaintance, Christian, talks Paul into filling in for Christian as the instructor at local residential cookery school in Belgravia. The first night, however, there is a murder, and the police are convinced Paul is the culprit. Paul must find the true murderer before he’s locked up for good.

What a wonderful debut that kept me turning the pages and chuckling out loud as I read. The mystery is almost Clue-like as there is a quirky set of characters all staying in the school that create an entertaining suspect pool for Paul. There are twists and turns that caused surprises as I read. The writing is so vivid I almost felt like I was watching a show as I read.

Orlando also does an excellent job plotting the mystery while also providing readers with glimpses of Paul’s past. I got a true sense of Paul as a person without any details bogging down the mystery. He’s a lovable sleuth, funny and clearly struggling with grief in a touching way. So many great details showing his strengths and flaws made me love Paul so much.

The students and workers at the school, along with Paul’s best friend Julie, round out the cast of quirky and engaging characters. They made this such a fun story to read as they navigated their way through the cooking lessons and time at the school. The school setting was described so well that I could easily picture this grand house that has seen better days.

Knife Skills for Beginners is a strong start to a new series that readers are sure to enjoy.

This is billed as top chef meets knives out and it really intrigued me since I love both. I didn't really feel like it was a locked room mystery but it was close. I also didn't feel like the cooking aspect was super relevant to the story. It was there to include recipes and a setting but didn't contribute to the story as much as I would have expected. The mystery aspect was really interesting, I kind of predicted the solution but it all panned out in an unexpected way which was interesting. There were a lot of characters but we didn't get a full view of them since most of them were just here to be additional suspects. I felt there were a few loose ends that weren't wrapped up but I wasn't so invested that I felt let down by this. Overall it was a fun read and the mystery aspect was good but don't go in expecting a lot of character development.

Thanks to Netgalley, Orlando Murrin and Kensington Publishing and RB media

This is a charmingly British debut. It's cozy, but in the more traditional mystery style with characters who are a bit more reserved and cagey versus many contemporary cozy mysteries. Paul is an excellent lead character in this one, and the stories about his past throughout the book make him more intriguing and complex. The clues are well placed, and while I felt that I figured one part out alongside Paul, there was an element to it I didn't see coming. The author has a great knowledge of food and food writing that lends a lot of authenticity to this story.

"Knife Skills for Beginners" by Orlando Murrin is a delightful culinary caper that had me hooked from the very first page. I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of this book and I must say, it did not disappoint.

When Chef Paul Delamare is called upon to fill in for his friend Christian at an exclusive cookery school in the heart of Belgravia, he expects a challenging but rewarding experience. However, his first night on the job takes a shocking turn when Christian is found brutally murdered.

Suddenly thrust into the role of both teacher and reluctant detective, Paul must navigate the treacherous waters of suspicion while simultaneously guiding a class of aspiring chefs through the finer points of knife skills and French cuisine. As he peels back the layers of his friend's life and delves deeper into the school's intriguing past, Paul uncovers a web of secrets, rivalries, and hidden agendas among the students, faculty, and even the school's enigmatic owner.

Murrin masterfully blends the warmth and camaraderie of the culinary world with the intrigue of a captivating mystery. The setting, a posh but slightly faded cookery school in the heart of London, provides a charming backdrop for the unfolding drama. "Knife Skills for Beginners" is a delightful read for fans of cozy mysteries and food lovers alike.

Rating: ★★★★☆

#KnifeSkillsForBeginners #OrlandoMurrin #CozyMystery #FoodMystery #CulinaryMystery #BookReview #TrueCrime #Bookworm #MysteryLover #Bookstagram #MysteryReader #BookwormLife #BookRecommendation #BookAddict #MysteryThriller #CozyMysteryLover #MysteryBookworm #BookishLife #MysteryBooksOfInstagram #ARC #AdvancedReaderCopy

I requested this for consideration for Book Riot's All the Books podcast for its release date. After sampling several books out this week, I decided to go with a different book for my review.

4.5/5 Stars
My regular readers might have noticed that I’ve been asking for more cozy mystery novels. That said, I don’t like the ones with titles that are some sort of pun, and if they’ve got cartoon animals on the cover, I try to avoid them. This is more because of my own prejudices – it just seems to me that this puns and puppy cuteness is a lazy to show you’re clever, and frankly proves the opposite for me. But that’s neither here nor there. Add to this my proclivity for culinary fiction, and you can see why I’d ask for this book instead of one with cartoon kittens cavorting in dripping blood. So, here’s what I thought of this story.

I must say that our Paul felt like a pretty reluctant sleuth in this novel. Yes, his friend (who he’s not all that close to) is murdered early on, but while he obviously wants to know who did it, he doesn’t seem as worried as he could have been that he’d be pinned with the crime. He seems a bit too calm about the events unfolding around him, for my taste. Plus, I kept wondering why, after only one note early on in the story, Paul never seems to mention that the main reason he should be eliminated as a suspect is that he didn’t have a drop of Christian’s blood on him. It seems to me that everyone ignores that fact, both the police and Paul himself, throughout the book. Maybe things are different in the UK, but that didn’t ring true for me.

One thing I can say about this book is that it does have a pretty slow burn, with plenty of rabbit holes and suspects to keep our interest. It also has everyone stuck in the same place because once the murder is discovered, the police won’t let anyone leave. This type of containment serves to focus the investigations, both amateur and professional, and avoid any manhunts or car chases, which was fine with me. Furthermore, I have to admit that although I had a tiny inkling of suspicion as to who “done it,” I really wasn’t sure, and Murrin did surprise me with the solution, which was pretty good. All this comes together with a final action scene which was really well written, and quite exciting. Of course, a good reveal needs to get your blood pumping, and Murrin delivered that with aplomb.

That said, it was a bit on the weak side as far as the culinary part was concerned. I’m afraid that I’m not tempted to try any of the recipes included here, and they were also a bit too few and far between for my taste. There’s one in there that actually sounds pretty disgusting, if you ask me, and I’m glad I never stock one item in it that appears to be one of the most necessary of all the ingredients. Mind you, it did make me laugh, but it also made me cringe.

Overall, this was a really nice read, with a good plot, and a satisfying ending. I liked Paul a great deal, and although there were quite a few holes in his backstory, he was a sympathetic protagonist that made me want to see how he finds the answer to this murder. Murrin also populates this novel with some very colorful characters (some literally so – with some odd hair and clothing choices), that are easily distinguishable from one another. That’s important for me, since I can often get confused with a larger cast of characters. So, I’ll recommend this book, and say that it might have gotten only four stars, but the last 10% really pushed it to the level of 4.5 stars. That said, the epilogue was a bit mundane in comparison, but it did tie up all the loose ends very nicely. This is Murrin’s debut work of fiction (although he’s published many cook books), and this is certainly a very good start. And yes, apparently he does intend to write a sequel to this, and yes, I would like to read it as well.

It’s the last Wednesday of December (and the year!), so that means it’s book review time! This month, I decided to go with a new cozy mystery book (there’s potential for a series, but it’s unclear if that’s the plan). Knife Skills for Beginners by Orlando Murrin was released yesterday (the 24th) from Kensington Books. As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Let’s get to it!

Knife Skills for Beginners follows Paul Delamare, a chef who recently lost his husband and is currently in “avoid all things” mode. When an old friend (Christian) recruits him to help out at a cooking school, Paul hems and haws, but eventually gives in. What’s the worst that could happen? Being in the frame for his friend’s decapitation is apparently one of those worst case scenarios. Rather than go down for murder, Paul decides to try to solve things on his own, but the deeper he gets, the more he regrets his impulsive choices. Especially deciding to take the job in the first place.

The plot is pretty standard, but it’s one of those books that throws every trope into the story and just kind of hopes it works out. It doesn’t. Everything is muddled together and convoluted and I’m still not entirely sure about what happened. Christian’s broken arm, for instance. Was it from a fall or was it broken on purpose or what? We get a few scenarios about what might have happened, but no clear answer in the end. The whole plotline with Paul’s stepson was useless. It didn’t move the plot forward and there was no resolution of it in the end. His introduction could have waited until he was going to play an active part in the story (maybe the next book). The two tiny things he did could have been accomplished a number of ways without muddying the actual plot of the book. It was an overly complicated story when it shouldn’t have been, so it was disappointing.

As far as the characters go, they aren’t great. Paul is basically a caricature of a gay man. He’s borderline absurd. I wanted to like him, but he didn’t feel real. The other characters were flat and lacked personality. They all sounded and behaved the same, so I had difficulty keeping track of who was doing what. The only reason I could keep track of the murderer was because it’s exactly who you should expect it to be if you’ve read any cozy mysteries at all. Yes, there’s a twist you’ll see coming as well, but only because it’s a typical one, not because the character was fleshed out and subtly hinted at.

There’s also a lot of continuity errors that muddle things even more. I normally don’t mention minor errors (typos, dropped words, extra words, etc.) because ARCs aren’t the final, polished versions, but these were glaring errors that would take another round of decent edits to fix. The final fight scene made no sense half the time. It was pretty clear that the author decided to take certain scenes in different directions, then forgot to go back and weave everything together. I hope these are fixed before the final release, but I’ve rarely seen it this poorly edited in an ARC that wasn’t from a self-publishing author, so I have doubts.

The writing is fine as far as rhythm and pacing goes. It’s a quick read despite the convolutedness of it. As per food themed cozies, there are some working recipes (stuff you’re supposed to actually be able to make), but none of them were particularly tasty sounding. I just didn’t get into it the way I was hoping to.

Ultimately, I didn’t care for Knife Skills for Beginners. I had no idea the author was a famous chef (I don’t watch cooking competition shows), but it wouldn’t have helped even if I did. It’s a mediocre book at best and I probably won’t pick up any future books if this is a series.

Overall, I gave it 2 out of 5 stars. One and a half, really. If you just devour all things food cozy mystery, pick it up. Otherwise, it’s not going to hurt to give it a miss.

If you expect the standard culinary cozy mystery this is not the right novel. There's element of a cozy story but there's also grief, sharp social remarks, and a sort of satirical portrait of a superstar chef
I enjoyed it even if Paul, the MC, grated on my nerves at time. It's a story with a darker side, humorous moments, a groups of characters fleshed out.
There's no scarcity of suspects and there's a amateur sleuth that have to understand who did it.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

DNF at 20%. I found the intro to this book woefully boring. The character seems to be of inferior moral character and makes bad decisions then complains about the consequences. Not my type of book. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for an e-arc to read and review voluntarily and honestly.

When they said "write what you know", Orlando Murrin took them seriously. His extensive knowledge and skills in cooking shine through in this mystery. The title was sure to pique interest, add in a synopsis to die for.....and I had to read this book. It's not only a mystery to test your investigative skills, it's an entertaining look into the world of how far a "name" can take you in the cooking world.
Paul needs money so he accepts a temporary teaching job pitched to him by a well known competitor who might be a friend and might not be. He's enjoying himself more than he thought possible when the friend is found with Paul's cleaver in his head. OOPS! The suspects are many but the police are sure they have the criminal....Paul. So investigate he must. The story gets even better from there. I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. 5 easy stars.

I LOVED this book! First of all Paul was a fabulous, interesting, flawed and surprisingly funny sleuth. I loved learning more about his past and seeing how he handles both the cooking school and the mystery. Then the setting - a slightly run down, old school cooking school with an interesting cast of students (and don’t forget about the people who work there). This story was completely immersive and I was absolutely hooked and shocked by every twist and especially the ending.

I really hope this is a series with more to come!

Paul, a chef, agrees to step in for his celebrity chef friend, Christian, to teach at a cooking school for a week. When Christian ends up murdered, Paul is a suspect. He sets out to find the real culprit before he is the next victim.

I thought this started out pretty intriguing. Once it got past the murder though, the writing just was slow. It didn't really draw me in with investigating like I want. I'm not sure if it is just the way the author wrote Paul's voice? I'd give another one a go if this ends up being a series, but not my favorite.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I felt invested in this mystery right away, it combined things I love which are cooking and mystery / thriller which kept it exciting for me.

While this book certainly qualifies as a mystery, I wouldn't categorize it as a thriller. Yes, there’s a murder at the heart of the plot and a lingering question about the killer’s identity, but I found the pacing much slower than expected. The tension and suspense didn’t build as I anticipated. That said, I did appreciate the quirky and well-developed characters, which added a unique charm to the story. The ending was a pleasant surprise and had a welcome twist to add to the mystery. Overall, while it didn’t quite meet my thriller expectations, the book delivered a satisfying mystery with an unexpected conclusion. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reader’s copy.

A big thank you to Publisher's Weekly for awarding me a copy of this ebook as part of the Grab-a-Galley event! What seemed like a solid premise unfortunately fell flat for me, and I found Paul to be so utterly unlikeable that it was difficult to finish. I especially didn't appreciate various characters making out of pocket comments on other races/ethnicities/cultures, or Paul commenting on women's bodies. While I understand the need to make a group of people unlikeable, for me, there are better ways to go about showing that without it hitting too close to home for readers. All in all this was a solid idea and I really like the concept of a cooking class murder mystery in a big old mansion, and that overarching premise was the strongest part of the book, but unfortunately I wasn't the correct reader for this book.

A nice start to a new series. Paul's in the dumps and could use an infusion of cash so he takes a job teaching at a cooking school in London. But there's the question of what he will be paid and then there's the murder. The murder he's suspected of committing. This is classic cozy in many ways. Since it's the initial outing it's a little light on character development and it might seem a tad hectic, But- there are cooking tips and recipes woven throughout the story. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Looking forward to the next one.

Present day, London: Chef Paul Delamare is still grieving the loss of his spouse when an old friend asks him out for a drink. He’d gone to school with Christian and later worked with him on Christian’s cooking show. Now Christian had a request: he’d broken his arm (‘Disagreement with an escalator’) and could Paul fill in for him at the next session at the Chester Square Cookery School? Paul initially hesitates, but, encouraged by his friend Julie, decides to help. It’s only a short walk from his house, so he can even sleep at home. Things quickly go off kilter when Christian is killed, stabbed with one of Paul’s cleavers. To make matters worse, Paul was the one who found the body and quickly becomes the primary suspect, leaving him to work to clear his name as he works to teach about tempering chocolate.

I highly enjoyed this book. I love cooking shows and mysteries individually, so it was fun to read a book that involved both. The mystery may have been a little light, but it was still engrossing enough to keep the plot moving. Overall, the combination of cooking and mystery elements were entertaining, especially with the the subtle humor thrown in (as Paul battles the villain during the climax, he notes how, because he’s using a sharpening steel, he’s inadvertently sharpening his opponent’s weapon; when the police ask if anyone can verify that Paul used the cleaver in class, he pulls up the latest social media video of one of the students which clearly shows him demonstrating with it.) I’m looking forward to further adventures of Paul!

Highly recommended. I received a copy of this from netGalley.com that I voluntarily reviewed.

3.75

Both unique and a classic with a catchy title is a solid first novel by a successful food writer and chef.

They say write what you know. I’m going to hope that the author has no personal experience with murder, especially such a gruesome one. He does, however, seem to know enough about food and cooking that it can’t just be a passing interest.

Like any cozy/cozy-adjacent mystery, there are some recipes, but I was more interested in some of the tips thrown into the story as part of his attempt to train a bunch of lonely people there under the guise of wanting to learn classic cooking. I almost whipped out a notepad and started taking notes. I may even go back and do that

This is both a well crafted mystery and a little over baked in a few areas. That means there is a lot going on to distract, but a lot of people and back stories to follow—and not all of them as gripping as others. I wish I knew more about Paul and his life and I love his friend Julie, even though—or maybe especially because—she largely appears via coded emoji text messages.

Most important of all, what does the smallest house in Belgravia look like?

Thank you to Orlando Murrin, NetGalley, and Kensington Publishing for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book for my unbiased review.

This was a cozy mystery with a good twist at the end, I enjoyed the premise of the story and the way the author wrote the murderer reveal. I think the characters could have been a little more exciting and developed and there could have been more interesting recipes throughout. However, I think that for a fun read with a satisfying ending it was worth my time to read and I would recommend it to anyone who likes food writing and cozy mysteries.