Book Review: ‘To Kill A Cook: A Novel’ By W.M. Akers

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The book is in stores on Tuesday, Feb. 3rd from Putnam. Click on the link to buy a copy. https://amzn.to/4pFi4hD

Set in 1972, Bernice Black, who is a food critic, is engaged to be married and the mom to two stepsons. When she goes to meet her chef friend, Laurent Tirel, she finds his head in the fridge. She calls the police, and then she begins her own investigation to find out who killed her friend. On top of that, she learns she’s out of a job, as her magazine is shutting down. She is going to write one final article about Laurent and his death, in hopes of moving over the the newspaper that the magazine also owns. She starts meeting with other restaurant people, including a notorious gangster, and she finally starts to put the pieces together. All this is taking a toll on her personal life, as she also struggles with her sexuality. It all leads to her revealing who the killer is. This is a really fun novel, with a strong female lead character. The writing of 1972 is spot on, and this is one I hope will have more adventures with Bernice Black.