Review
Poisoned Pen Press in Scottsdale, Arizona, recently published two cookbooks made up of recipes donated by mystery authors: A Taste of Murder and A Second Helping of Murder. Dubbed Diabolically Delicious Recipes from Contemporary Mystery Writers. Each book offers 150 recipes with brief stories about how they relate to the writers' books...Broken into sections like A Criminal Past-a and Meating Out Justice, the recipes in the books manage to be both usable and entertaining...Chock full of quirky and delicious recipes and cooking lessons (like Anthony Bourdains How to Cook Pasta without Getting Whacked) these books are a feast for gourmands and mystery lovers alike. So belly up to the bar, name your poison, have a snack of red herrings and enjoy some murderously good food.
-- Mark Terry, The Oakland Press (MI)
Note: A portion of the profits from both books is being donated to Wholesaler to the Hungry,
"A second helping of easy to follow clues (recipes) is provided to those armchair sleuths who appreciated A Taste of Murder. A new bunch of suspects provide either their favorite recipe or that of their hero so that the readers obtain well over a hundred helpings from a wide gamut of writers including Poe. As this reviewer did with the first book "The Set Up" was simple, and I used my personal Watson as a food taster so he would have "No Bone to Pick" (for now) about time on book reviews vs. cooking. However, even providing him with "Tough Cookies" and his "Just Desserts", Watson found the clues that led to trying the entrees from sections such as "Murder Most Fowl" and "Mealing Out Justice".
Watson enjoyed the meals and desserts while this reviewer appreciated the tidbits about some of the genre's favorite writers and their character. The tome is fun as it deftly combines genre information within a diabolically delicious cookbook (the meals not the book). Only one "Red Herring" surfaced, Watson expects more cooked meals leaving me "In the Soup" over the "Crumby Situations." Harriet Klausner
About the Author
Robert Weibezahl is a California-based writer and publicist. He writes a monthly review column for BookPage, and has also contributed to Bikini and Irish America magazines, and Mystery Readers Journal. His first mystery story, "Judge and Jury," will appear in fall 2003 issue of Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine. Jo Grossman and Robert Weibezahl are donating a portion of their royalties from both A Taste of Murder and A Second Helping of Murder to From the Wholesaler to the Hungry, a national organization that helps cities across the country develop systematic programs to distribute nutritious fresh produce to low-income adults and children.
Jo Grossman is the former proprietor of The Mystery Café, a mystery bookstore/café in Sheffield, Massachusetts, that combined her love of good food and good crime novels. She worked in film and television for many years, including a three-year stint on In the Heat of the Night. She lives in Massachusetts and still wants to be Nancy Drew when she grows up.