Knife Skills for Beginners By Orlando Murrin: Review/Giveaway/Interview

Jan 11, 2025 | 2025 Articles, Food Fun, Mysteryrat's Maze, Sarah Erwin

by Sarah Erwin

This week we have the first in a new series, Knife Skills for Beginners by Orlando Murrin, along with an interesting interview with Orlando. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase the book from Amazon.

Knife Skills for Beginners by Orlando Murrin
Review by Sarah Erwin

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.

Sarah Erwin started her career as a children’s librarian, later becoming a public library director and now she’s a stay at home mom. While her career might have changed, her love of reading has been a constant since 4th grade and she reads over 200 books a year. Read along with her on her blog Sarah Can’t Stop Reading or on Instagram. Sarah lives in St. Louis, MO with her two kids, her husband and a family dog and cat.

Interview with Orlando Murrin:

KRL: How long have you been writing?

Orlando: I did a degree in English Literature at Cambridge University then became a sub-editor on a magazine and worked my way up as a journalist, so my career has been entirely involved in writing. Most of the time, it has to be said, I’ve been correcting other people’s work, rather than creating my own – which is of course an excellent discipline! I have notebooks full of interesting words and phrases I’ve come across – I could write a book all about them.

I started writing with determination three or four years ago when my best friend from Cambridge told me she had written a series of sagas which were about to be published. I told her I was thrilled for her – which I was, of course – but inside I was roiling with jealousy. I told myself, if Joanna can do it, I can, and stuck a note on my computer to remind myself YOU ARE IN DEADLY EARNEST.

KRL: When did your first novel come out, what was it called, and would you tell us a little about it?

Orlando: Knife Skills For Beginners just came out in the United States – on 24 December. It’s a murder mystery set in a posh London cookery school, and our narrator is chef Paul Delamare, who steps in to teach a course at short notice. As in reality, the students are a bossy, argumentative bunch, and when something terrible happens and Paul is blamed for it, he observes them carefully as they sharpen knives and knead dough for clues whodunit.

Orlando Murrin
Photo by Adrian Sherratt

I’ve heard it described as a ‘modern cozy’ or ‘modern Gothic’ but it’s not modeled on any particular genre or writer. Although a lot of cooking happens during the story, it’s not about cooking and you don’t have to be a keen cook to get embroiled in the mystery.

KRL: Have you always written mysteries/suspense and if not, what else have you written?

Orlando: Many years ago, I entered the BBC MasterChef competition and won through to the semi-final. This changed the direction of my career, and before long I found myself editing the UK’s most successful food magazine, BBC Good Food, as well as writing recipes and cookbooks.

Food writing is totally different from fiction: it’s technical work, involving a lot of logistics, and usually involves compiling multiple short projects (recipes) into a larger work (the cookbook.) For fiction, you are working on one enormous project, with multiple intertwining strands. You need great patience, persistence and self-belief.

KRL: How interesting! What brought you to choose the setting and characters in your latest book/series?

Orlando: Architecturally speaking, my favorite London district is Belgravia, with its sweeping terraces of white stucco and magnificent gardens, interspersed with chic shopping streets and quaint mews, where in olden days servants and horses were accommodated. As I’m unlikely ever to live there, I thought I’d do the next best thing and set my story there.

The cookery school itself is in a huge mansion in Chester Square, and by a fluke of fortune, Paul has inherited a tiny cottage a few streets away, nicknamed ‘the smallest house in Belgravia’.

As for the characters, I’ve both attended and taught a lot of cookery classes, and I’ve noticed that when students walk through the door, they tend to become exaggerated versions of themselves. This bunch arrived fully formed in my imagination, already bickering over who gets which workbench, and who can make the fluffiest brioche.

KRL: Sounds fun. Do you write to entertain or is there something more you want the readers to experience from your work?

Orlando: Great question. One reviewer wrote that Knife Skills For Beginners made her smile as well as shiver. I didn’t set out to write a funny story, but chef Paul is quite waspish – he uses humor as self-defence – and he gets himself into funny situations. Poor guy – at one point he finds himself trapped in an antique silver carving trolley.

On the other hand, murder is a serious business, and as someone who hates violence of any kind, I do not wish to make light of it. During the course of Paul’s investigation, he learns that all the characters have buried secrets – I think we all do, to a greater or lesser extent – but in most cases, redeeming characteristics. The greatest compliment I received was when a newspaper reviewer wrote that she found the story ‘unexpectedly moving.’

KRL: Do you have a schedule for your writing or just work whenever you can?

Orlando: When I’m writing or rewriting, I empty my diary as much as humanly possible. Unfortunately, household standards fall through the floor, because I don’t want the distractions of tidying, shopping and cooking. I work solidly from after breakfast ‘til mid to late afternoon, with a short break for lunch. Oh yes, when Benjamin the cat jumps onto my desk, I brush and tickle him till he’s satisfied. He’s the feline equivalent of those executive massage toys you squeeze to relieve tension.

KRL: What is your ideal time to write?

Orlando: I used to think I could only write in the morning, but this Christmas I was asked to write a feature about cooking turkey for a national newspaper, and they needed it done overnight. To my surprise and delight I discovered that even after dinner and a couple of glasses of wine, the words still flowed.

KRL: Do you outline? If not, do you have some other interesting way that you keep track of what’s going on, or what needs to happen in your book when you are writing it?

Orlando: Knife Skills For Beginners is my first work of fiction, and I outlined it very carefully, to give me the confidence to persevere to the end. The same with my second book. In each case I also planned in a humdinger of a last scene, which I was absolutely itching to write; it was my reward for getting that far. I don’t see how anyone could write a plausible, tightly plotted story without careful planning. On the other hand, it’s much more charismatic to say you just sit down and let your imagination flow, so maybe I should answer that when asked in future.

KRL: Did you find it difficult to get published in the beginning?

Orlando: I had been hoping that my cookbook agent would also represent my crime writing, but she couldn’t because of a clash of interests, so I had to do it the hard way, and submit to agents like any other unknown writer. It was a nail-biting few weeks, but with a happy ending – and I couldn’t be happier than I am with Kensington Books.

KRL: Do you have a great rejection/critique or acceptance story you’d like to share?

Orlando: One agent turned me down on the basis that she found chef Paul Delamare totally unappealing – all he cared about was food and money. The book is written from Paul’s point of view throughout, so it’s true that if you don’t like him, you won’t like the book. Fortunately, most people do – and one fellow author told me she’s slightly in love with him.

KRL: Most interesting book signing story-in a bookstore or other venue?

Orlando: After my magazine career I went to France for five years and set up a gastronomic maison d’hôtes. People are always rushing up to me at events and saying, remember me? We visited you in France in 2009! In our last season – it was a great success – we had 900 guests through the doors, so my memories are alas dim. Also – I was the chef, so I was mainly in the kitchen.

KRL: What are your future writing goals?

Orlando: There are a few more mysteries Paul Delamare needs to solve, and I have ideas for a couple more cookbooks.

KRL: Who are your writing heroes?

Orlando: My favorite food writer is Dorie Greenspan – I also love Paula Wolfert, Laurie Colwin and Cooks’ Illustrated. In terms of fiction, I’m very old-fashioned – Dickens and Daphne du Maurier.

KRL: What kind of research do you do?

Orlando: My food knowledge and experience is already vast, which is handy, as Paul spends most of his time in the kitchen. But he’s a very curious guy, with lots of pockets of esoteric knowledge (everything from ornithology to cricket) so I spend a lot of time in my husband’s study. He’s an academic, so we have an in-house library.

KRL: What do you like to read?

Orlando: Since being published, my reading is supplied in the form of proofs sent by publishers. New crime books of every time arrive constantly – I’m very lucky, though it’s hard to keep up.

KRL: What are your favorite TV shows or movies?

Orlando: We mainly watch movies old and new, with mini-series for light relief. I’m looking forward to the new series of The White Lotus. The second in the Paul Delamare series is set at sea, so Doctor Odyssey was a bit of fun.

KRL: Have you any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?

Orlando: Get on with it – don’t put it off and say you’ll do it next year. Form friendships with other writers, go on courses, become part of the writing community.

KRL: What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

Orlando: Well, I’ve touched an item that has touched the surface of the moon, and when I was 14 our house burnt to the ground. Also, my grandfather was a famous spy-catcher. You can find a few more surprises here: orlandomurrin.com/post/six-things-you-never-knew-about-me

KRL: Do you have any pets?

Orlando: You bet. Benjamin and Maxim are a pair of very demanding rescue cats, originally from Romania. I serve them fresh organic chicken tartar every evening, as they well deserve.

KRL: Is there anything you would like to add?

Orlando: It’s a particular pleasure to be published in the States, as I was born in Connecticut. Although we moved to Europe when I was very little, my parents taught me to be proud of my American heritage, and I am.

KRL: Where can our readers find you online?

Orlando: Easily. My website – orlandomurrin.com – is my pride and joy, and if you fill in the ‘keep in touch’ box you’ll receive a friendly monthly update from me. I’ve lots of American subscribers already, which gives me a real thrill.

I’m on all the usual social media channels – Facebook, Instagram, Threads, BlueSky, X, either as @orlandomurrin or @orlandomurrinauthor. Please come and say hello.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

To enter to win a copy of Knife Skills for Beginners, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “knife skills” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen January 18, 2025. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.

5 Comments

  1. Love stories that keep you guessing
    who is the culprit. British helps too.
    thanks. txmlhl(at)yahoo(dot)com

    Reply
  2. Sounds like an interesting read. Adding to my TBR list.

    Reply
  3. I can’t wait to read this book!

    Reply
  4. Sounds like a great mashup of my favorite subjects- mystery books and food!

    Reply
  5. We have a winner!

    Reply

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