I had high hopes for this book, but, unfortunately I just couldn't get into it. I didn't really like the characters and struggled to finish it.

Sadly this was a DNF for me as I could just not get into it. I persevered until 50% and then gave up.
The book has a great title that really drew me into the book but I did not connect with the characters. I realised it was cosy crime ( with a not so cosy crime) but the story developed too slowly and I expected much more action. Personally, I feel that the author was trying too hard to re-create Richard Osman.
I am sure some will love it but it didn't suit my palette.

Paul Delamare is a chef, and is called upon by fellow chef Christian to teach at a cookery school as a favour after Christian breaks his arm. When a grisly murder is discovered, every pupil and member of staff is under suspicion. Can Paul help solve the mystery before anyone else is hurt?

A good solid mystery, with slightly too many red herrings and tangents for me, but the strong characters and odd recipe thrown in saved it. I think the author has a good start for a series, and I'd definitely read a second book about Paul - there were many loose ends I'd like tied up about him, and I loved best friend Julie and her wonderful use of emojis!

The author cooks up an interesting read.
This book came over as a homage to some of Agarha Cristie's best stories with it's setting of a large multi story house, a group of disparate individuals and a brutal killing. The people are there for a week long residential cookery class. Refreshingly, the author gives us a largely linear straightforward timeline through the week with some remenisances where necessary.
In true Christie style a number of the characters are suspected at som.e stage or another and are 'grilled' by the police before a surprising conclusion.
The author is a chef of note and includes recipes, techniques and short cuts for the readers should they want to try them.
There's nothing half baked about this book and it's well worth a read.

This book was a good murder mystery, the storyline itself was really good. I did however feel like something was missing, I can’t quite put my finger on what it was but I finished it feeling like something was missing. There is some great sounding recipes throughout it though!

A cosy murder mystery.
When celebrity chef Christian breaks his arm he gets his chef friend Paul to stand in for him at a private cookery school run by Rose in her family home.
Christian is found dead and Paul tries to find out who did it even though the police think it`s him.
A cosy plot with a few recipes thrown in.
I could not gel with any of the characters a very mixed group.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When TV chef Christian breaks his arm, Paul is drafted in to cover for him at a prestigious London cookery school. However, when Christian is found brutally murdered on the premises the first night, suspicion points to Paul.

I enjoyed the varied cast of characters who were all flamboyant and larger than life and the references to cookery techniques, but in an attempt to throw the reader off the scent, the author included far too many red herrings. I got fed up trying to keep track of all the different characters, their back stories and their relatives back at home and just went with the flow. The fact that at the end, several pages of explanation were required to unravel all the threads and reveal the clues Paul had so cleverly put together would suggest that there was far too much to begin with.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First of thanks to the publishers Random House U.K for a brilliant read .

I do love a great mystery thriller and Orlando did not disappoint , i thought the author was fantastic at setting the scene some may say its bit slow to start but i think you need to to help you find all the clues . and i totally think its worth the wait , i loved the plot twists .
i thought the characters were brilliant every-one of them had me guessing the main character Paul bless him i did feel for him, talk about being thrown in the deep end !! there was great character development .

Orlando writing is wonderful it flowed very well , and i loved how you felt like you were in the story as if you were the detective love that very much .

if you love Poirot you will love this .

I'm giving this mysterious 5 stars

As a favour to his TVstar nemesis Cristian, chef Paul Delamere bites off almost more than he can chew by standing in for him as teacher in a posh but on the rocks Belgravian cookery school. Eventually even ending up as a murder suspect, like it or not Paul needs to find the real culprit to save his skin. The amusing twisty plot and the shenanigans of the quirky characters make this a perfect lighthearted mystery that is the début novel of food writer and cookery book author Orlando Murrin.

I took a few chapters to get into this originally as I felt it was quite slow but once the murder happened I really got into it. I liked Paul’s character and his backstory. I enjoyed getting to know each of the students although it was hard to keep track sometimes.

The ending was great and took it from a 3 star to a 4 for me. I guessed part of the twist (I can’t say too much as I don’t want to ruin the surprise) but I did think it was really clever and I definitely recommend.

Sadly I could not identify with any of the characters in this book. I found that the story line did not enthuse me and I could not wait to finish it. Perhaps the author should stick with his usual books.

I really liked this book, it was a good murder mystery with slices of real life and culinary skills dashed in.. I really would like to read more!

I can't rate this book highly enough.
I finished it in one sitting, it is that good!
What on earth has chef Paul Delamere got himself into after agreeing to help out his old chef friend Christian out of a pickle after he broke his arm. But help out Paul did at the Belgravia cookery school, which teaches basic cookery and knife skills for...you guessed it...for beginners.
But when Cristian is found murdered by Paul who has the motive to kill him and for what reason?
This book has some brilliant laugh out load moments and the plot twists is excellent.
Also I can highly recommend the recipes throughout the book.

Netgalley gave me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There was some very interesting advice and tips in this book, now I have to put them into practice.

Couldn’t put this down, it was smart, funny and unexpected. Great characters with a really fun and interesting plot. I’m really hoping for more in a series, as there’s so much potential here.
I foresee big things, it taps into the current market perfectly and is genuinely worth reading. And I hadn't realised it was a debut, am really surprised as it didn't feel like a first book.

There was much to enjoy about this book, a decent plot and a nice twist at the end. It was a nice touch to impart advice about how a. chef handles food on a regular basis and how that differs from household cookery. I found the narrative laboured at times and the plot a bit forced to incorporate all characters as red herrings. Still, it is a worthwhile read for those who enjoy this genre.

Knife Skills for Beginners by Orlando Murrin. #KnifeSkillsforBeginners #NetGalley

This is a very pleasant entertaining and clever read with a slight pinch of Agatha Christie. The author can be proud of this debut novel. I paricularly loved the topical "MasterChef" setting. The characters were interesting and well suited to appearing in the Belgravia location. The plot was well structured and developed at a decent pace. I also liked the varying relationships that were portrayed to highlight a multitude of significant issues for couples/families/friends. All in all most enjoyable!

https://www.netgalley.co.uk/catalog/book/296084

A murder mystery set in an exclusive cookery school! How could I resist this?
Freelance cookery writer Paul Delamare agrees to stand in for his friend, celebrity chef Christian and teach a cookery school in Belgravia. When he arrives for his second morning, he finds a dead body and that he is the police’s main suspect.
This is told in the first person by Paul and I enjoyed his view on what was happening. I thought that he was an interesting main character and I liked the bits we got to see of his normal life. The Cookery school setting is used well and the story is interspersed with occasional recipes and cookery tips which were interesting.
There was a large cast of characters which made the middle of the book a bit heavy going as it was sometimes difficult to keep track of who everyone was. I’m also not sure that we needed the sub-plot with Paul’s stepson either as it didn’t seem to add anything to the story.
Apart from that, this is an entertaining murder mystery and a great debut. I will definitely look out for the next book in this series
Many thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for providing this ARC. All opinions are my own.

A gentle 'Whodunnit' set in a cookery school in London, with all loose ends satisfyingly tied up at the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for the advance copy of this book.

An enjoyable book. The book started a bit slow and I wasn't sure I liked the style but once I got into the book I really enjoyed it. Paul is asked to take over a series of cookery classes by an old friend, Christian who has broken his arm. Paul narrates the story describing all the members of the class. It took me a while to get all the characters straight in my head. Part of the plot was a bit obvious but, as they say, the plot thickens. I hope this is the first of a series as Paul's friend, Julie is an interesting character and I would like to read more of her.