Thank you to NetGalley and Viper for this ARC.

Maria Capello and husband Damien have run their restaurant Polpette Della Nonna in Woodstock, New York together until Damien disappeared one night in 1996 after a party. He left a suicide note but rumours remained - did Maria kill him after all? In the intervening 30 years Maria has become a celebrity chef in her own right with countless successful cookery shows and cookbooks to her name.

Thea Woods, editor at Hanes House, has once made a mistake that cost her dearly so when her boss calls her into the office, she doesn't expect good news. But Maria Capello has written a memoir and she wants none other than Thea to be her editor. This is so unexpected that Thea doesn't dare say no when Maria invites her to her house to read the book there, to prevent any leaks. She does get spooked though when there is no internet and she has to surrender her phone. Plus this farm has a creepy slaughterhouse right next door, and a pale little girl called Ava who is Maria's granddaughter.

The story is weird and gets going very slowly. There is obviously a reason why Thea has been asked to edit Maria's book, and when we finally get there, the twists are so outrageous that I had to laugh out loud in disbelief. Maria turns out to be such a horror show, you have to ask yourself who hurt the author. And the secret ingredient - eugh. Plus I really didn't need the actual recipes disrupting the flow of the book - if you must have them, put them at the end please.

There is a lot about female rage and revenge against bad men but it makes the women very bad too - some things women shouldn't learn from their mothers! There's a lot about mothers and fathers and how they shape us, plus what we would do for family. If you like really twisty dark thrillers with a horror element, you might eat this up, but it helps to have a strong stomach!

3.5 stars

This book was literally made for me. So that will affect the way I review it but we’re all biased in our own way. The title and cover are very eye-catching and promise a good time (if you like twisted media like I do). Happy to report it didn't disappoint. Actually, the more I think about the book, the more I like it. That's the biggest sign that tells me a book deserves 5 stars. I also want to talk about it with everyone but have to wait until it’s available for them to read it.
Weird piece of advice, though. It's important to have snacks around while reading because this book made me so hungry. All that talk about the beautiful Italian food…my mouth was watering. And it has actual recipes! The author didn’t lie when naming the book “cookbook”. It was a fun surprise.

Seeing the structure of the book made me laugh because ever since a very popular book used it, it seems no other book can. According to some book reviewers, anyway. As if it hasn’t been done for a long time. But it’s such a good structure/formula, I totally understand why authors go back to it. And the way it was done in this case led us to this feeling of not knowing how much we could trust the narrators. That adds to the mystery but can be a little annoying, of course. I don’t feel like it was done in a “let’s just confuse every reader” way but with the intention of making the story a bit more complex. The mystery itself is pretty simple: did Maria kill her husband or not? The actual plot isn’t as simple. And that’s why I feared the ending could be a little convoluted and not satisfying. I’ve been burnt before. It’s so hard to have an original twist, authors can overcomplicate the endings just to shock the readers. I also kept reading and wondering what answers we were going to get or if we would end up not getting all the real information. But the moment I read the last word, I laughed and thought it was brilliantly done.
Of course, as it happens with every mystery, not everyone will be satisfied with the resolution. I can only speak about my personal experience and it was positive. I was trying to read the book slowly, since I hadn’t been feeling so great due to a virus I caught, but I had to read the second half of the book all in one day because I needed answers! The moment part 3 started and I noticed what was going on, I accepted I wasn’t going to sleep until I finished the book. And when it was almost 2 am, I finally had my answers and could sleep like a baby.

I never explain the premise in my reviews because I post them where those premises can be found so what’s the point? It’s repetitive. But I will say there’s a lot more to the book than what the premise explains. There’s the mystery and then there’s a lot of social commentary. A huge aspect is the talk about motherhood and as someone who doesn’t plan on ever becoming a mother, this could have been a negative but it wasn’t. At all. The way different types of mothers are being analysed and compared is extremely interesting. How we were raised will obviously affect the way we raise children as well, in both a positive and negative way. Thea as a character is a textbook example of having the best intentions but maybe not always doing the right thing. Her relationship with her mother affects every aspect of her life and the way that links with Maria’s story was unexpected but brilliantly done. I highlighted every mention of society's expectations for mothers and fathers. All the differences.
But also, I have to say that the book doesn’t tell us what to think about topics. Some of the characters might have more extreme views on different topics, but it doesn’t come across as preachy. It just shows people have different opinions. And that it isn’t all just black or white. I appreciated that.

Can I say I stan Maria? I think anyone picking up a book with this title will allow me to do that. The author must also know this is a reaction that readers will have after reading it. I would not say whether she killed her husband or not because that’d be a huge spoiler but I kept reading and thinking “could we blame her if she did?”. And the thing is that Damien is a secondary character we see only through the POV of other people. Still, the author manages to add nuance to his character but I finished the book thinking he was the problem. Men like him are the problem. And female rage is very trendy at the moment because the world is fully realising they’re the problem and saying “good for her” very often. Through the character of Thea, we also get to explore this idea of men and how they approach being a partner and a parent. As I said, very interesting and nuanced despite how extreme the content is in this book. But Thea herself is learning throughout the story so being in her first person POV makes us feel a big part of her character growth. I felt so proud of her at a specific point in her journey.

Speaking of extreme content, I love being unsettled by a horror or mystery book. Isn’t that the feeling these books should make us feel? And we crave that experience too, hence why we pick them up rather than going for a fluffy romance. This book plays a lot with some ideas that we don’t really know if they’re true or not but we know they’re a little disturbing. I wouldn’t add this book to a list of very disturbing books personally but I’m desensitised. I still don’t think this book’s content is the most extreme, even if some might find certain scenes too much. But the way certain parts are described can be upsetting for some readers. It’s not the main thing, though. And the story is worth it so even if someone reads about the pigs in the slaughterhouse, for example, and feels overwhelmed, it’s worth going through that feeling to enjoy the rest of the story. But even if it makes some uncomfortable, those scenes were really well written. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been as upsetting.

The side characters are mostly in the story to either add context to specific moments or to be red herrings. I like that. I saw another book by this author is described as “Scream meets Happy Death Day” and I love those fun slasher movies so using a similar formula here works well for me.
They also work to build this idea of how important family is, which plays a big part in the story. And, in general, it creates this comparison between Thea and Maria which is key to understanding the story, the characters and the decisions they might make. I stan Thea too.

I’ll be honest and say I hadn’t heard about this author but I had heard about one of her books before, not knowing who had written it. But when I was maybe 25% done with this book, I already knew I wanted to read the rest of her books. Not knowing yet whether I would like this book or not but the premises sounded so good. As I said multiple times, they sound like the perfect books for me. So I cannot wait to get to those soon.
And as for “The Dead Husband Cookbook”, it gets an emphatic thumbs up from me.

Okay, so The Dead Husband Cookbook was such a wild read! The story follows celebrity chef Maria Capello, who’s finally ready to publish her memoir. And of course, it’s gonna be a bestseller because everyone needs to know what happened to her husband Damien, who was also a famous cook but was presumed dead under weird circumstances. Like?? This sounds like the perfect book! I felt transported right there with the rest of the people trying to find out what’s the deal with this mysterious “secret ingredient” she’s always hinting at.

This book is a mystery/thriller with a lot of juicy twists, and honestly I was hooked the whole time. I loved the addition of actual recipes at the end of Maria's memoir. Loved. Loved. Loved.

If you’re into twisty mysteries with a bit of that dark culinary flair, definitely check this one out!

Thank you NetGalley and Viper publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion! Needless to say, as always, all thoughts are my own and I have not been influenced in any way.

Dead Husband’s Cookbook is a quirky, darkly humorous novel that blends mystery, drama, and a touch of the macabre. Danielle Valentine presents an intriguing premise with some genuinely fun moments and a unique voice. While parts of the story may feel uneven or over-the-top, readers who enjoy unconventional plots and a dash of satire will likely appreciate its charm. It’s not for everyone, but those in the mood for something a little offbeat and different might find it an entertaining read.