Paul Delamare is a chef who currently works freelance on magazine food sets. When his friend, TV chef Christian, asks him to teach a cookery course in Belgravia because he has broken arms, Paul reluctantly agrees, as long as Christian is about to helpsmoozing the students.
From the start, Paul feels let down when Christian is late and lea es him to run the course with the help of Suzie, the school's assistant.
But then Chrstian is found dead and someone wants to frame Paul.
I loved this tale. Characters were well described and it flows well with various twists before revealing the killer.. Looking out for book 2

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. The title and the synopsis had me hooked however I really did struggle to get into the text

The title of this book caught my attention and along with the synopsis, sounded like it would be a good book to read. I really struggled to get into the book and found myself more skim reading it because it didn’t hook me in from the off. Nice enough characters but I felt the storyline itself was padded out with lots of filler stuff that I thought irrelevant.

I never read a book based on the title but that’s precisely why this one caught my eye. A cosy crime debut based in a world that the author obviously knows well.

Chef Paul Delaware has been asked to help out at a cookery school by an old colleague, Christian Wagner. The school is in exclusive Belgravia but murder does not respect post codes & a body is soon discovered. Paul finds himself on the suspect list & decides to investigate the crime in order to expedite his removal.

Well written characters & an easy pace make this a comfortable read. I particularly liked that there were recipes & tips sprinkled in the text as well. A solid first book.

An easy mystery read.
The protagonist Paul is a chef living in a nice part of London. His partner has died but he can continue to live in their small but nice house rent/mortgage free, he just needs to earn enough money to get by..
He meets up with old friend and fellow celebrity chef who offers him a teaching chef position to stand in for himself whilst his arm is broken. Paul agrees to take on the the job as despite it being residential, course is not far from where he lives in Belgravia.
At the start of the course, there are eight residential students, Suzie an assistant and Mrs Hoyt who own the cookery school.
It soon becomes apparent that most students are there to see celebrity chef Christian and his lack of appearance and help for Paul is missed apart from a quick hello on the first night.
On the second day, Paul discovers on his arrival, that Christian has been brutally murdered with a clever that Paul had been using the night before.
Everyone including Paul becomes a suspect and it looks like Paul has been set up to be chief suspect.
Paul sets out to prove his own innocence whilst realising that it is highly likely to be one of the residents. He also finds out that there was more to Christian than he realised and not all of it was good.
The story was enough not to guess who straight away. Paul is a nice character and there has been enough of a back story to open up for further stories.
Especially liked the inclusion of a few interesting recipes here and there.
Chapter size were ideal, not too long that takes reading longer especially at night to conclude that chapter.
With thanks to #NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and Bantam for this preview read of #KnifeSkillsforBeginners.

3.5 Stars
When chef Paul Delamare takes a job teaching at an exclusive residential cookery school in Belgravia, the only thing he expects his students to murder is his taste buds. But on the first night, the unthinkable happens: someone turns up dead. The police are convinced Paul is the culprit. After all, he’s good with a blade, was first on the scene. To prove his innocence, he must find the killer.
The first in a new series & a new author to me, I enjoyed it, it was different – there were recipes! The characters had fair depth & the pace was generally good. Whilst not a compulsive mystery it passed away a few hours & I did want to find out the villain plus I didn’t work out who they were. I’ll certainly read more from the author as he hones his craft
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Paul Delamare is a chef, who is in mourning for his husband Marcus, who died ten months ago. Paul has withdrawn from the world somewhat, but a visit to a nearby restaurant brings him into contact with a old acquaintance and fellow chef, Christian, who is sporting a POP cast on his right arm, a disagreement with an escalator which has left him unable to do his job as a chef at a cookery school. He asks Paul to help out, and Paul agrees, his finances need a boost.
The next day, Paul arrives at the school in Belgravia, with his collection of chef knives, and finds he is expected to cover a syllabus of 1970 recipes and meet his eight students. What Paul doesn’t expect is to find Christian murdered and himself to rapidly become chief suspect, due to the titular knife skills.
A different murder mystery with some very stereotypical students, but with excellent advice on how to hold and use sharp knives correctly in a kitchen setting. The recipes are real and look good, the rocky road in particular caught my eye, no flipping cherries included, can’t stand them! We also learn about poisonous beans, especially when a couple go missing, and how time and order are really important to a chef.
The police were typical, but his duty solicitor was really on the ball. I liked the twist at the end of the story and didn’t guess the who did it at all.
This book reminded me so much of a radio series, In and out of the kitchen with Damien Trench, as narrated by Miles Jupp, minus the murder of course, but the jovial style and the recipes that” will probably work””, gave a marvellous overview of a chef. Mind you, this author is a chef who really knows his stuff.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Penguin Random House for my advance copy, freely given in exchange for my honest review. A five star read. I will post copies to Goodreads and Amazon UK.

Well... they say write what you know and, according to his bio, this author knows his way round a kitchen. Hopefully the connection ends there, what with there being a murder in the book, his fiction debut. So... we first meet Paul Delamare as he is meeting with old friend Christian who requires a favour of him. He wants Paul to stand in for him, teaching in the exclusive residential cookery school in Belgravia. Not really giving Paul the chance to say no, not giving much more than meeting time and place details, Paul is left somewhat shocked. And a bit wary as he has pretty much been a loner since the loss of his husband. But he rocks up just the same and meets his motley crew of students. Which I will leave you to meet as the author intended.
The first day goes reasonably well. The second notsomuch as it starts with a dead body which Paul himself discovers. Putting him straight on the suspect list. Which can only mean one thing. To get himself off that list, he needs to find the culprit himself... And so begins a whodunnit which held my attention nicely along the way, tricking and twisting as it meandered to a rather nifty ending most of which I failed to guess.
The characters are all very well drawn and all play their parts to aplomb. They are all easy to connect with and make the book a lot of fun to read. Pacing is good and matches the narrative all the way through.
There are recipes and tips peppered throughout the story which, as I am a bit challenged in the cookery department, I mostly glossed over but I would imagine they'd be interesting to others. Maybe I am in need of a cookery school. Although, after finishing this book, maybe not...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Well... I found the book a little slow at the beginning, felt like I wasn't really interested in what was happening. However, at about 50% of the book, I got invested in it and found myself wanting to know who the culprit was.
I guessed where the murderer was coming from, but I didn't see the ending coming.
What I lived about this book, is that - firstly, because the author is an actual chef, knows what he's talking about (nice cheffy language used) And as I worked in restaurants and hotels for years, the book made me re-live the old days.
Secondly, I loved how the end gives a clear explanation on everything that has happened, a nice and clean ending to the story.
All in all, I have given 3 stars to it as the beginning was a little slow, but then it made up for it.

I was instantly drawn to this book because of the fantastic cover.

It was my first time reading a cosy mystery thriller, I have to say i was quite a fan.

I did feel like the book got a little bit confusing at times, there was a lot of characters introduced straight away and none of them had much background to start with so it was hard to remember who was who.
I also felt like the book was filled with quite a lot of "filler". The main character repeated the same things in different ways multiple times.

I really wasn't expecting the ending so i was pleasantly surprised.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for this ARC.

Cosy murder mystery set in a cookery school. There’s a cast of students and a substitute teacher due to the (ex) celebrity chef breaking his arm. He is found murdered the next day and investigations begin. The characters are quite bland and I’m not sure what the recipes or Jonny the stepson add to the narrative. I didn’t expect the final twist and was left slightly disappointed.

This was a quite slow burn cosy crime novel that I did enjoy but I wasn't in a rush to keep picking up and finish. The author certainly imparts a wealth of chef knowledge and tips, that I felt sometimes slowed down the story somewhat. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a humorous easy read. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early review copy.

Debut fiction novel from a long established food writer and chef. I actually remember the author from Masterchef back in the 1990's!

Whilst I am in no way a chef or even a very good cook, I do love a cookery programme. This story was set in a small, boutique cookery school in affluent London. Paul is a well known chef who recently lost his husband and has essentially retreated from the world.

Enter an eclectic collection of students, staff and owners. Most appear to have a connection of some sort to the person who SHOULD be taking the class. But after he injured himself he asked Paul to fill in.

We then enter a "locked room" murder mystery. Whilst the action is not contained to the cookery school, we are sort of geographically locked in London. Paul was a great main character. He's empathetic, witty and a fantastic chef. There are liberal sprinklings of cooking hints and tips and a few recipes to try out if you are feeling adventurous.

The characters are intriguing and I could imagine them turning up on an episode of Masterchef! They don't feel two dimensional and I found myself cheering them on in their endeavours. There were a few that you'd really like to come a cropper and a few do get the day they deserve!

Fun read, light and entertaining murder mystery with engaging characters.

A chance meeting with Christian, a chef he knows from way back, gives Paul a role teaching at a cookery school in Belgravia.
All goes well until Christian is found murdered and the Police seem to think that Paul is a viable suspect. In fact anyone on the course could have done it, they all have a reason.
I read this in one sitting and really liked it.

Yet another author trying to be the next Richard Osman and sadly falling short. A nice, easy to read and enjoyable cosy mystery, but it's didn't grab and hold my interest. It's no great literary classic but I'd recommend to anyone who wanted something easy to get through

What a wonderful start to what I’m guessing is an intended series.

Quite newly bereaved after the death of his beloved partner, Marcus, Paul is persuaded to step in as a last minute replacement for an old friend as head chef for a local high end cookery school.

However, it quickly becomes apparent that his erstwhile friend, Christian, has been less than honest with him and Paul quickly finds himself in the centre of a murder enquiry.

This is a pitch-perfect cosy Murder-mystery with lots of funny characters, gossip and even more delicious food. The author’s foodie background is obvious but what really leavens the book is the warmth and likeable personality of the central character and some of the hilariously madcap or awful satellite characters.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This is the author’s debut novel I believe, and it shows promise of a fantastic writing career.

I admit the choice of murder was one I’ve not come across before in a book of this type and it took me by surprise (and an “ew with a giggle attached” - sorry Christian).

I loved all of the characters- all very different, and all equally given attention by the author- I really felt that I knew them.

Overall, hilarious, intriguing, fast paced and entertaining- I didn’t put this one down for long..

My thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

It is often said that you should write from experiences so well done to chef Orlando Muffin for choosing to write his first book of fiction with the kitchen as it's base and creating a thriller. A Masterchef semi finalist and editor of some popular food magazines in addition to a podcaster alongside Tom Kerridge as well as an author of seven cook books is pretty good good CV for this author. A gentle tail without being too gruesome and some interesting characters. This book will clearly appeal to thriller loving chefs. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC.

On the chopping block today …. Knife skills for beginners 🔪

I’m sorry to say but the first word that comes to mind is boring! I love cosy murder mysteries and so was excited to delve into the culinary work but this fell flat ….. as a pancake! lol

The pace started slow but I was hopeful it would pick up however, someone forgot to turn up the heat and left it on shimmer. lol
(Okay, that’s it for the cookery puns … maybe lol).

There’s plenty of characters to sink your teeth into (ok, I lied 🤥 lol) but, again, they were a little two dimensional and no one that I really took to or was invested in. 😔 although there was someone who piqued my interest and added a dollop of spice to the mystery. 😁

I had my suspicions, (and that element was right), however, there was a clever twist I didn’t see coming and that a nice surprise.
The last 30% saved the book for me and I was glad I pushed through and didn’t DNF.

One reason it was slow, for me, was because there is so much talk about preparing & cooking food (including recipes) and that’s not an interest of mine. I do love EATING but not the cooking part and certainly nothing so pretentious (I’m a simple gal lol), so maybe that played a part.

Overall I did like the book and Orlando has ‘proved’ himself with his debut novel. I will definitely check out book 2.

Thank you NetGalley & Transworld Publishers for the earc.

Paul is a chef and when his longtime friend, Christian a celebrity chef, asks him to help out at a cookery school in Belgravia the last thing Paul expects is murder. The body is found by Paul and due to his excellent knife skills the police believe he is the prime suspect. Paul needs to solve the murder and quickly else he might just be next on the chopping block.

This was a really well written murder mystery. It was reminiscent of other murder mysteries so if you like the Richard Osman books then you will love this. I liked the characters, the story and the setting. I did guess the identity of the murderer but this did not spoil my enjoyment at all. Nice little comment at the end that means there is a second book coming, soon hopefully.