Murder mystery ? Tick
Recipes ? Tick
Great characters ? Tick
Great story ? Tick
What more could you ask for ?
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“First rule of butchery: off with his head.”

When chef Paul Delamare agrees to help his old friend Christian by 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 someone turns up dead and the police are convinced Paul-good with a blade and first on scene-is the culprit.

If Paul can't solve the mystery fast while his students are sharpening their knives, as well as teach them how to make a perfect hollandaise sauce, he'll be next.

Knife Skills for Beginners is a cosy mystery with an unlikeable character who is murdered, and the unlikeliest person expected to get involved-the chef-who takes it upon himself to solve the case.

If you are remotely interested in cooking, this book has a handful of recipes with some sure-fire tips and tricks to up your game in the kitchen. I loved the premise of the story and how the author played with words to add humour.

My absolute favourite character here was Julie – Paul’s editor for his freelance work with a food magazine. I’d love to get into Julie’s head if only to pick up her flair for writing coded text messages. Those were a most innovative mystery by themselves.

All things point to this becoming a series and I am definitely excited to see where the author takes Paul next, hopefully with Julie to keep him company. Until then, this is a unique page turner, perfect to use as an excuse to leave everything aside and simply relax with your favourite food and drink.

This ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Transworld Publishers.

A murder of a famous chef at a cooking school leaves our last minute cooking teacher having to find out more about his old friend and everybody at the cooking school to clear his name. Along the way he teaches cooking classes, recipes included. The answer is well hidden and there are definitely many motives and possible suspects. Maybe too many....

In a sudden twist of fate, Paul Delamare is called upon by his friend, the renowned TV celebrity chef Christian Wagner, to step in and teach a cookery course at an exclusive school in Belgravia due to an injury that incapacitates Christian. As the course kicks off, the shocking discovery of Christian's lifeless body thrusts Paul into the spotlight as the prime suspect. The diverse group of attendees harbours their own concealed secrets.

Driven by a desperate need to prove his innocence, Paul embarks on a quest to uncover the truth behind Christian's murder. Amidst this turmoil, Paul grapples with the lingering grief from the recent loss of his husband. Complicating matters further, he finds himself entangled in the disruptive behaviour of his adult stepson, who is relentless in his pursuit to force Paul out of the inherited family home.

In this debut novel, the narrative unfolds with robust ideas, featuring quirky and reasonably well-drawn characters. The story maintains a brisk pace, enhanced by the inclusion of cookery tips and recipes seamlessly woven into the plot.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Transworld for my approval to read and review this book.

Paul Delamare is asked to help out by an old colleague, Christian Wagner, to run a cookery course at Number 41 in Belgravia for Mrs Hoyt. As Paul begins his cookery course, Christian is discovered dead in his flat. The police are called in and Paul finds himself in the frame and he sets out to prove that he didn't commit the crime. I loved the stary, the descriptions and characters are well written. The ending is one I couldn't have predicted. I hope there is a second book to come.

This book took me 3 months to read, I just found myself not wanting to pick it up. I did finish it eventually though but I didn’t enjoy this at all
The characters were numerous and very one dimensional. The main character was arrogant, judgemental, and an utter fool.
I chuckled at the idea of someone intimidatingly approaching while waving an electric carving knife in a figure 8 motion. I don’t think it was meant to be funny.
The recipes were an interesting choice and didn’t feel at all relevant to the book. Most of them were pretty basic and I found this rather odd until I finished the book and learned that the author is a celebrity chef (I don’t watch a lot of cooking programs). I wish them well and hope they find their stride with future books but this wasn’t the murder mystery I’d hoped it would be
I received this book from Netgalley but these opinions are entirely my own

I really enjoyed this off beat novel with great twists& turns as Paul tries to cover for a friend & ends up at one point becoming a Murder suspect , there are some great Recipes shared ,laughs, tears & other emotions so I will be recommending this to several friends.# NetGalley, #GoodReads, #FB, #Instagram, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/8a5b541512e66ae64954bdaab137035a5b2a89d2" width="80" height="80" alt="200 Book Reviews" title="200 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>.

A murder set at a cookery school. It will make you smile and puzzle throughout.
Hoping this is the first in a series.
Likeable characters and setting. Lovely to read about a culinary setting.
I enjoyed this book

This is a fast-moving, entertaining murder mystery with a good helping of culinary advice. The main characters' back stories are cunningly revealed as the plot progresses, and the ending raises my hopes that this will be the first in a new series of murder mystery books.

A really enjoyable read for a foodie. Shame its not out in time for Christmas as this would be a brilliant gift for fans of bake off etc.
Well written and amusing.
Recipes and cooking tips throughout were a nice bonus!
A nice little debut whodunnit!

Knife skills for Beginners - Orlando Murin
Paul Delamare is asked at the last minute by his friend Christian Wagner TV celebrity chef to teach a cookery course at an exclusive school in Belgravia when he is unable to due to an injury. Just as the course begins Christian's dead body is discovered and Paul becomes the prime suspect. The attendees are an eclectic group, each one with their own secrets to hide.

Desperate to prove his innocence, Paul sets out to find out who is responsible for Christians murder. At the same time Paul is still grieving for following the recent death of his husband and is having to watch out for the bad behaviour of his adult stepson who is determined to hound Paul out of the home he inherited.

For a debut novel the ideas were strong, the characters quirky and fairly well written. The pace of the story was good and I liked the cookery tips and recipes interspersed with the plot. It was funny in places and quick to read.

Overall a good read and I would certainly read more from this author in the future.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy.

I loved the start of this book. The inclusion of the recipes is good and I found the description of knife skills fascinating. But the way the murderer was discovered was a bit slow and clumsy. Still worth a read though.

As a debut book this thriller is the sort of fun read that sends you hunting for for both ingredients to get cooking but also for Murrins next book.

it almost feels a little easy to state that the book has all of the neccesary ingredients for a good storyline. A dash of murder, a dollop of mystery, a sprinkle of comedy and stir in some memorable characters, and now you re ready to cook the perfect read!

I enjoyed this book from start to finish. Some of the characters were more likelable than others - with good reason. The story whisks you along to the end before you reaise you were there which is just how it shoudl be.

Read it or regret it!

Thank you, Random House Transworld, for a copy Knife Skills for beginners by Orlando Murrin. The first book in a new cosy crime series.
I was looking forward to reading this from the blurb that I have read. A murder mystery set in a cooking school. It sounded intriguing and a recipe for disaster lol.
It started well, but after the initial ‘murder’ for me personally, the story went a bit flat after that. Don’t get me wrong. The author is good of well developing his characters but in my view, it went overboard, and he soon forgot the murder mystery element of the story. Also, when I read a cosy crime, I get some joviality in the writing style. But I didn’t get any of that in this. Because of this, I could finish it but managed to get the gist of the story. 2.5 stars from me.

Murder in a cookery school. A cosy mystery whodunit, an easy read and I didn’t guess who “did it” even though I manged to pick out the clues. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend, and read more, by this author.

I don't remember Orlando from Masterchef. However his writing is amazing. I believe this was his first book and if so I can't wait for more. Based on a cookery school, with a few recipes thrown in that I want to try, our hero is trying to solve the murder of his long time friend and colleague. Lots of twists and turns as we find our more about his private life whilst he tries to figure out who committed the murder. The police think he did but he knows that not true. Good characters and an excellent plot

Knife Skills for Beginners by Orlando Murrin was an entertaining cozy mystery. It's set in the heart of London, in a residential cooking school where suddenly the top chef turns up murdered after having just begged a friend to help him run the week’s course due to an injury.

This book started out so strong for me but, unfortunately, began to sag a bit in the middle. There were a lot of characters to keep up with and at times I struggled remembering who was who. That being said, some of the cookery school pupils were rather memorable and there was a good bit of banter in there. I did very much enjoy the dynamic between Paul and his bestie.

I’m sure this was written as the first in a series, so let’s hope this debut does well enough because I'd be interested to see what he comes up with next.

Orlando Murrin’s “Knife Skills for Beginners” unveils a tale of culinary intrigue in the heart of London’s Belgravia. Paul, a chef, is thrust into a web of suspicion after the murder of his friend and renowned TV chef Christian.

The unexpected plot twist towards the conclusion showcases Murrin’s skill in weaving a suspenseful narrative. While the middle section may have lagged with background information, the ensemble cast adds to the story with their diverse personalities. 

A unique feature lies in the inclusion of recipes at the end of select chapters, allowing readers to interact with the story. This touch, along with Murrin’s choice of short chapters, keeps readers interested.

“Knife Skills for Beginners” mixes the art of cooking with a not-so-straightforward murder investigation. The sharing of a cooking tip here or there is appreciated.

Despite a measured middle section, the brilliantly executed plot twist more than compensates. Murrin crafts an interesting, narrative within the detailed depicted setting. For aficionados of both murder mysteries and culinary adventures, “Knife Skills for Beginners” is a real treat.

I am increasingly enjoying the gentle, cosy crime books. Makes a change from faster paced. However despite loving bits of this book it really did not work well for me. I have tried to identify just why. There were funny bits, recipes I enjoyed (haven' tried) and a decent plot yet I found I was reading to finish rather than really wanting to know what was going to happen.

It is an enjoyable light read.

This was a great blend of murder, mystery and humour with suspects galore in a story of cooking, knives and death.

Think Agatha Christie meets Richard Osman meets Gordon Ransey and it'll give you some idea of the story.

Good, enjoyable read. A recipe for a good murder mystery.