Recipes for Love and Murder

September 21, 2015
Even cozy fans who are foodies may be disappointed by Andrew’s derivative first novel, the launch of a series set in South Africa. Tannie Maria, who has survived an abusive husband, channels her passion for food into a regular column for her local paper, combining recipes with romantic advice. Soon after an anonymous correspondent writes of her own domestic abuse, the woman, Martine van Schalkwyk, a supermarket bookkeeper, is found dead near a pond on the farm where she lives with her husband, Dirk. Feeling guilty, Maria decides to play amateur detective, and in the process she falls for the hunky and available officer in charge of the case, Det. Lt. Henk Kannemeyer. Maria, who frequently talks to her food, lacks the compassionate insight of Mma Ramotswe of No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency fame, and her observations about the world are often less than profound (“maybe life is like a river that can’t be stopped, always winding toward or away from death and love”).

June 15, 2015

When her recipe column for the local paper is switched out for a self-help column, middle-aged widow Tannie Maria is surprised to find that she's really good at helping others. Then an abused woman who had reached out to her is found murdered. Notably, this debut cozy from South African author Andrew is getting a 50,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2015

The dry rolling hills of South Africa's Klein Karoo region serve as the striking backdrop for this winning debut culinary cozy. Middle-aged widow Maria van Harten (known as "Tannie Maria" in the traditional local term of respect) writes a local newspaper advice column that offers wisdom to the desperate and lovelorn via mouth-watering recipes. (In a typical example, a young woman is given sex advice couched in terms of instructions for making chocolate-covered bananas.) When an abused woman who sought her counsel turns up dead, Tannie Maria is reminded of her own terrifying experience with domestic assault. Armed with her wits, the help of a handsome police detective, and killer milk tart, Maria sets out to crack the case and soothe her lonely heart. VERDICT Take a pinch of Alexander McCall Smith, a dash of Diane Mott Davidson, and add a smidge of the wild veld and you'll get a taste for this lekker story (that's "delicious" in Afrikaans). While the tone is heartfelt, Andrew doesn't shy away from the realities of spousal abuse or the shadow of South Africa's tumultuous history. With a fascinating setting, engaging characters, and a full complement of drool-worthy recipes, this is sure to leave readers craving more. [See Prepub Alert, 6/1/15.]--Annabelle Mortensen, Skokie P.L., IL

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.