by Linda Kay Hardie

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it.

As I scrolled into The Dead Husband Cookbook, I wondered: is this a murder mystery, a thriller, or a horror story? Or is it a tasty ragu that stirs together all three?

A suspenseful opening shows boutique publishing house editor Thea struggling up the stairs to her apartment carrying too much, including her toddler daughter and the fear she’s about to lose her dream job after a horrid mistake. Initially, the scent of someone’s dinner permeating the hallway energizes Thea. But the aroma sours, like Thea’s career and marriage.

When her picky four-year-old calls the smell yucky, Thea notices something nasty under the spices and other lovely aromas, as if spoiled meat was the main ingredient. To cap off this bad day, she discovers her husband relaxing after claiming he was too busy to help with her burdens. He even left dinner for her to tackle.

The next morning, Thea’s boss summons her to an exciting job editing the tell-all book from Maria Capello, celebrity restauranteur and woman accused of murdering her chef husband and turning his body into meatballs. Thea hides her fangirl excitement about how her favorite cookbook author wanted only her. Even stranger, contract terms require Thea to edit sequestered in Maria’s remote home with no phone or Wi-Fi to spill the beans on her husband’s death and the secret ingredient never shown in Maria’s recipes.

Danielle Valentine’s novel is superbly written, with the tension cranked up to 11. When Thea finally gets the first chapter of Maria’s book, the narrative shifts, allowing us to read Capello’s own words. Is the celebrity TV chef/accused cannibal/cookbook author really just a misunderstood, folksy, grieving mom? Is she a menacing and unscrupulous black widow? Or a greedy opportunist seeking more money? An innocent bystander victimized by one of her beyond-quirky family members and friends? Or––and here’s where the horror peeks through––something wilder and stranger? Why are so many pigs being slaughtered at Maria’s own slaughterhouse?

As Maria’s memoir reveals the cracks in her relationship with her husband, Thea is forced to face her jagged relationship with husband Jacob. Did Maria choose Thea because of her marital problems? Why? Rumors painted Maria as a murderer for years, despite a suicide note in her husband’s handwriting and video evidence Maria was far away when Damien died.

Whenever I thought, “I see where this is going,” Valentine swerves into new avenues I never saw coming. Is there a hero or a villain? I doubted both protagonists. Does Thea see and think clearly? Is Maria a grieving, damaged wife? Is either woman a reliable narrator? Thea lies to her husband, hiding financial issues about her emotionally absent mother. Maria’s stories and behaviors seem off-kilter but there’s nothing blatant to point to. Does Maria flash between warm, friendly farm wife and cold-hearted and calculating businesswoman? Or is Thea imagining that? I didn’t feel either woman was a reliable narrator I could really trust. Was truth to be found between them?

The chapters of Maria’s memoir feature recipes with gruesome names. Is she subtly confessing to murder or poking fun at the conspiracy buffs? The authentic-looking Italian family recipes look delicious. That much is true.

But does truth exist in this tantalizing adventure? Read and find out.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

To enter to win a copy of The Dead Husband Cookbook, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “dead husband” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen October 4, 2025. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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Linda Kay Hardie writes horror, crime, historical, and SF/fantasy stories and poetry, plus essays (often about cats but sometimes baseball) for adults and children. Her writing has won awards starting in fifth grade, with first place for a fire safety essay. She received a trophy, and the fire chief bought her and the other winners lunch and all the penny candy they wanted. In 2022, she was honored with the Sierra Arts Foundation’s Literary Arts Award for fiction in Reno, Nevada. That came only with a check. No candy. Her latest humorous crime story appears in Gag Me with a Spoon (White City Press, 2025), available at whitecitypress.com/product/gagme/MM/12. See other publications at sierraarts.org/user/linda.kay.hardie/?profile

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.