A most enjoyable story that follows on from Waiter. The hero has now been promoted to be the cook of the Indian Restaurant in Brick Lane at the heart of the Bangladeshi community with its diverse ethnic Asian population. The family that runs and owns the restaurant is joined by two relatives: student nurses from back home. When one of nurses is murdered, the cook an ex-detective from Kolkata, the daughter of the family and the remaining nurse join forces to solve the murder. Things get more complicated when a healthy street sleeper that they have been feeding is found dead with no reason. What transpires is a complex story of illicit love and mistaken good deeds.

I had to read the first book to get a good background to the story and was so pleased that I took the time to do so. Great detective story but also you get a guided tour around part of London that I know a little. You really get immersed in the story and have empathy with the players within the book. Can't wait till the next one.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel. The Cook is the second in the series of books featuring Detective Kamil Rahman, following on from the Waiter. Kamil is working as a chef in the Tandoori Knights restaurant where he is concentrating on his cooking and keeping his head down from his former career as a detective. However, he is in a semi-relationship with Nailsa, who has come to the UK from Pakistan to escape a stifling marriage. The plot develops beautifully but, for me, the joy in the book is between Kamil and his close colleagues and friends who have a warmth of character that seems very much based in their heritage. A very good read and an author to watch.

I was enthusiastic about the first book, The Waiter, this follow up doesn’t disappoint at all.
A downtrodden wife escapes from Pakistan, her husband is controlling and coercive, all her freedoms have gone. She goes to London to train as a Nurse, and takes with her a ledger, full of financial details, that gives her leverage over her husband.
Kamil, an ex detective from Kolkata, is now a Chef in an Indian restaurant in London. He also has a girlfriend,Naila, but the relationship is blowing both hot and cold, and causes him much confusion over his feelings towards her. When a fellow Nurse is found murdered, Naila asks Kamil to help the Police to solve the murder, whether they want help or not!!
Running alongside this thread is the story of murders amongst the homeless men in London. Some have been found near the Mosque area that Kamil and his friends attend, but who wants to get rid of them and why? Is there a connection, hinted at, but not yet fully seen?
Yet again, a wonderful insight into multicultural London. Kamil is honest and upright, my respect for him continues to grow, his character is becoming more rounded, more flesh on the bare bones. There are many twists and turns in this novels, many WOWS!, and a jaw dropping conclusion. I can’t wait for the next one in this series, AND , I would still like a cookbook and TV series to be commissioned !!
Another five star rating. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Random House UK and Harvill Secker, for my digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. I will leave reviews to Goodreads and Amazon when the page is open.

A great mystery thriller and a breath of fresh air. Beautifully written and the reader is literally transported to the TK restaurant and beyond. Yuo can smell the spices and almost taste the food. An insight into Brick Lane and the diversitythat makes up this community. A love interest that is complicated,a friend has been murderedand homeless people are dying. I read the first book by this author The Waiter and it blew me away but the Cook WOW. Much more than a cosy mystery. Another little gem from this author and in my opinion another MUST READ!!!!!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Another wonderful story about Kamil Rahman and his excellent detective skills; with his sidekick Anjoli and joined in this one by Naila, a beautful green-eyed nursing student who he is fast falling-for.
Kamil is now in the UK on a 'Vindaloo visa' (shortage of authentic curry chefs in UK), and cooks in Anjoli's parents' restaurant 'Tandoori Knights', in Brick Lane. Anjoli's parents have left for India to look after a sick brother so Anjoli is running the newly updated restaurant, rather successfully.
But one night as Kamil and Naila are returning her college friend's misplaced phone they find her dead, strangled. Kamil can't help but try to solve the case. With his friend Tahir, (a real police detective), they swap information, Kamil hoping to stay one step ahead of the police; and the mystery unfolds...
While solving one crime,more appear and soon they're all caught up in multiple murder investigations. It just keeps coming! Twists, turns and shocks await you. Love these characters. Didn't know anything about the Bengal Famine before this (- Google for the sheer cruelty meted out once again, by colonial British in 1943 ...)
And I have to say once more - I want this televised. It would work SO well! And now I can't wait for the third instalment.

What a great follow up.
Kamil Ratima has left his old life in India behind him to work as a cook in a London restaurant,and he loves it.
When a friend of his nearly girlfriend Naila is found murdered he is encouraged by both Naila and his sidekick Anjoli to investigate the death but things are not as simple as they seem.
Having read The Waiter I was really looking forward to reading this book and i wasn't dissapointed can't wait for the next installment.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK Vintage for the ARC.

I will start by saying I have not read Chowdhury’s first novel starring detective-turned-cook Kamil Rahman, The Waiter. However, after finishing The Cook, it is most definitely going onto my ‘To Read’ list!

Kamil Rahman is a cook in an Indian restaurant in London. He has left his old life behind, in Kolkata, India. No longer a detective, he has fully immersed himself into the simple joys of cooking excellent food. His friend and the restaurant manager Anjoli is trying to build the reputation of the restaurant, and Kamil is doing his part by making the food shine. Kamil is happy with how life is going, and has an almost girlfriend in Naila, which he is still trying to figure out.

But then a friend of Naila’s is found murdered. Unfortunately found by Kamil. It should be easy enough to let the police get to the bottom of it. But there are complications. So with Anjoli encouraging him, and Naila and Anjoli as his sidekicks, Kamil gets pulled into investigating the death. Meanwhile Anjoli is trying to convince Kamil and the London Detectives that there is something suspicious happening with the rise in deaths of homeless men in the area. As Kamil starts to uncover more in his investigation the threads become more tangled and finding the killer is not quite as simple as it seems.

I really enjoyed this read, it is unique in what it offers. It really paints a picture with words of the areas the action takes place in, and the characters are beautifully developed. Then the food - do not read if you are hungry! The attention to detail in all aspects is wonderful. It was brilliant to read a crime drama where there were so many multicultural elements, such a diverse cast of characters, seeing a mosque and Imam framed in such a positive community support manner, and working with the Catholic church to help those less fortunate.

Overall it was a wonderful read, and I look forward to seeing the next steps in Kamil's career. Perhaps an accompanying cook book would be great?

*I received this book from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are my own.

This is a detective story with two parallel but intertwined murders to be solved. It is based round a restaurant in Brick Lane, East London, where the cook Kamil, is a former detective from India. The owner, Anjoli, is a kind woman , and a great character. A young student nurse is murdered after a visit to the restaurant. She is a colleague of Naila, a waiter's niece. They are all friends with police officer DS Tahir Ishmael who is investigating the murder and decide to play amateur detectives to try and solve the crime. The relationships between the characters are portrayed in a lovely way, with a lot of humour and caring.

In addition, some of the local homeless men are found dead. It turns out that the local death rate for that borough has increased recently, and Anjoli is sure that something is wrong. The three friends doggedly question all the people concerned with Salma's life and help with the police investigation. A nice warm story, highly recommended.

The Waiter was one of my favourite crime novels of last year and I was really excited to see that Ajay Chowdhury had written a new story about the ex-detective Kamil Rahman. Kamil is now a cook in The Tandoori Knights restaurant on Brick Lane in London and is feeling almost content with his new life. Then he discovers a customer of the restaurant murdered in her flat. The girl was a fellow student with his girl friend and he is persuaded to begin his own investigation into her death. At the same time, there is a mysterious spike in deaths among the homeless men in their area. The two things seem to be completely unconnected but things are definitely not as they seem.
The previous novel was set both in Pakistan and London but this one is very firmly based in London and we get a vivid picture of the area around Brick Lane and the other parts of the city that Kamil visits as part of his investigation. I loved the attention to detail in the settings and the double plot works brilliantly. The depiction of the homeless men really brings home their situation although it doesn’t overpower the narrative. It’s also great to have such a positive role for the mosque and the Imam and to see the part that these play in the lives of many people.
Kamil is a really likeable character who wants to do the right thing and is unsure what his path in life is. Anjoli, his friend and manager of the restaurant is also a brilliantly vivid character who definitely knows her own mind and will not let the issue of the homeless deaths be ignored.
Amateur detectives who get members of the public to talk to them are always a bit dubious but the author deals with this well by Kamil using his status as a detective and also his friendship with one of the police officers actually investigating the crime.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and can’t wait to find out what happens to Kamil next.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Meticulously Drawn Once Again....
A disgraced detective, a tumultuous past and crimes new and old combine in this outstanding follow up novel to ‘The Waiter’ and the second of the Detective Kamil Rahman series. With a meticulously well drawn cast of characters, a refreshing protagonist, perfectly placed atmospherics and an utterly compelling storyline with twists and turns aplenty, deftly managed, this is a page turner from the first to last page. Superlative.

Great mystery / thriller novel - it made me wish I had read the previous one first! The vibrant London setting was brought to life with flair and authenticity and the plot hooked me in and pulled me along. Did not see the twist coming at all which is always nice! Ideal holiday read.

This is the second book by Ajay Chowdhury and just as enjoyable as the first. A great plot with twists and turns and a surprising conclusion.

This is an exceedingly well devised story, superbly delivered. It is an intriguing and very satisfying read. Set in London, its characters are mainly immigrants from India and Pakistan. They have various reasons for being here, Naila escaping a controlling husband in an arranged marriage and training as a nurse. Kamir from India was a detective, now a chef ,thus the title of the book. He is the lead character and events where he now lives make him wonder if what he would really like to do is return to police work. The story is triggered by the murder of a nurse friend of Naila. Kamir, Naila and the person he works for in the restaurant form a trio trying to solve the crime. Then there is an apparently unrelated series of deaths, or are they murders, of homeless people near their restaurant. Then there is a completely unexpected conclusion to the story. This is a rewarding read strengthened by the cultural background of its main characters. I recommend it strongly.

I didn’t realise this was the second book in this series until after I had requested it but thought I would still read it without reading the first book. It was a great book nevertheless, plenty of action with the amateur sleuths and I though Kamil was a cheeky chappy who rarely did his day job!! I like the way homelessness was brought into the story and the food sounded delicious. Very likeable characters and a great plot makes for a great read.I hope they bring another instalment out soon. A solid 4 stars ⭐️

The second page-turning mystery starring detective-turned-cook Kamil Rahman. I can’t wait for the next instalment I was breathless with anticipation… heart-stopping… gut-wrenching… I was on the edge of my seat…

I’ve not read any of this author’s books before, but have to say it was brilliant. The characters were likeable and the storyline was entertaining and did make me laugh a few times with Kamil’s dogged attitude. I think if I’d been Anjoli I’d have sacked him ages ago, he was never there!

He really is a latter day Miss Marple, and I think the police were quite complacent to his interference!

I must admit, the ending left me gobsmacked, I just didn’t see that coming at all. Wonderful.

My thanks to the author and Netgalley for the ARC.

Another enjoyable murder mystery from this new author. I think I preferred the plot in the previous book, The Waiter, but this one held my attention and was an interesting and cosy read. Kamil and Anjoli make a brilliant sleuthing duo and they have a wonderful relationship. The banter between them makes me laugh, and I always look forward to the next slogan on Anjoli’s t-shirt! As before, the descriptions of Indian food made my mouth water. I am very much looking forward to the next book in the series, and the Tesco curry that I’m just about to go and buy! Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

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Kamil Rahman #2

This is a good follow-up to The Waiter and I like the format the author is developing in the storytelling. The amateur sleuths are back with a new mystery this one involves the deaths of some homeless people and the murder of student nurse Salma.

Kamil is back in London on a “Vindaloo Visa“, cooking at the Tandoori Knights restaurant in Brick Lane, which Anjoli is now managing. Along with Naila Alvi, also a student nurse and a friend of Anjoli , they tag themselves The Three Duskyteers – love it! Kamil is rather enamoured with Naila but there’s a complication, isn’t there always!

There’s much to praise in the series. The characters are wonderful, Kamil is very likeable, he is trusting and trustworthy and his relationship with Anjoli is fantastic. I love the humorous banter between those two which makes you smile, their relationship seems very natural and lovely.

DS Tahir Ishmael is another character to like, his name dropping of fictional detectives when in conversation with the sleuths is funny and clever and yes, of course it’s unlikely they will find out as much as they do before the cops but it’s a very entertaining process. There is never a dull moment in the briskly paced plot. There are some good twists in the storytelling, one you definitely don’t see it coming!

In addition, I like the multicultural element which is a feature I really enjoy. The food angle is an equally delicious ingredient and makes you want to put in an order to your nearest Indian restaurant!

Overall, it’s hard to make your mark in a crowded mystery and thriller market but I think the author has carved himself a good niche.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House UK, Vintage, Havill Secker for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

After enjoying his first novel, I knew I had to read the second. Liked to story from the outset along with the characters. I hope there is another instalment in the series.