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by W. M. Akers
Tender at the Bone meets Finlay Donovan Is Killing It in this hilarious, fast-paced mystery about a feisty food critic in 1970s NY who finds her chef friend murdered and realizes she might be the only one to find the killer.
Nobody in Manhattan eats better than Bernice Black. It's 1972, and she is the city's busiest restaurant critic, juggling her fiance and his two young sons with demands of fine dining. Bernice talks fast, walks faster, has a razor-sharp wit and no patience for anything--or anyone--that gets in her way.
When she stops by the famed restaurant of her favorite chef and mentor, Laurent Tirel, early one morning, she stumbles across a horrific scene in the kitchen: Laurent's severed head, perfectly preserved in a flawless mold of jellied aspic.
Her meeting with the cops assigned to the case proves only one thing–they know nothing about food or the seedy underworld that BB Black has made her home. With layoffs looming, Bernice makes the gamble of her career—she promises her editor she can catch Laurent's killer before the week is out.
To Kill a Cook is a delicious, witty, fast-paced mystery with a lovable, unforgettable protagonist at it center.
"A delectably unhinged mystery served with wit, bravado, and a generous splash of gourmet chaos." —Kirkus Reviews
"[A] witty, fast-paced mystery...Akers's evocation of the grit and glamour of 1970s New York is pitch-perfect, and Bernice is a wonderfully winning protagonist. This is pure fun." —Publishers Weekly
"Akers has crafted an excellent story, and the reader will enjoy trying to anticipate its twists, [but] it's Bernice who's the big draw here. What a great character: smart as a whip, a straight-shooting, cuss-like-a-truck-driver, take-no-guff-from-anyone woman who is instantly and immensely likable. There have been many mysteries about food writers, but it's probably safe to say none of them have been anything like this one. Here's hoping we'll see more of Bernice Black, and soon." —Booklist
"W.M. Akers blends murder mystery, vintage New York grit, and feminist screwball comedy this darkly entertaining romp. Bernice Black is the kind of tough heroine readers love—foul-mouthed, street-smart, and brimming with badass bravado—and her messy personal life plays out against the funky glamour of the 1970s Manhattan restaurant scene. Packed with nostalgic detail and razor-sharp wit, To Kill a Cook is as delicious as a perfect soufflé." —Susan Seidelman, director of Desperately Seeking Susan
"Like reading Ruth Reichl, but unhinged, To Kill A Cook is a deranged and utterly delicious romp through New York City's restaurant scene in seedier times." —Amy Thomas, author of Paris, My Sweet: A Year in the City of Light (and Dark Chocolate), and Brooklyn In Love: A Memoir of Food, Family and Finding Yourself
This information about To Kill a Cook was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
W.M. Akers is a novelist, playwright, and game designer. He is the author of the mystery novels Critical Hit, Westside, and Westside Saints; the creator of the bestselling games Deadball: Baseball With Dice and Comrades: A Revolutionary RPG; and the curator of the history newsletter Strange Times. He lives in Philadelphia, but hasn't traded in his Mets cap yet.
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