Review by Booklist Review
Valentine's new adult crime novel, following the well-received YA thriller Two Sides to Every Murder (2024), delivers a tasty and wildly macabre story that foodies and horror fans will also devour, probably in one big gulp. Maria Capello's restauranteur husband Damien went missing over 30 years ago. His body was never recovered. Despite the rumors surrounding the incident, Maria has gone on to become a celebrated chef with a highly rated TV show and best-selling cookbooks. But her audience wants to know what really happened to Damien, and just what the secret ingredient in her world-famous polpette is. She has decided to write a tell-all autobiography, and she wants Thea Woods, who's fallen out of favor with her publishing house, to be her editor. Although surprised by the offer, Thea accepts. Arriving at Maria's farm outside of Woodstock, she begins to have second thoughts as everything around her turns from bucolic to downright eerie. The author lives in a purportedly haunted house outside of New York City and knows how to write seriously good spooky stuff. Valentine scatters an enjoyable assortment of recipes throughout the narrative that will tempt the reader into heating up the skillet.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A book editor reboots her career while uncovering secrets from a renowned chef's past in Valentine's deliciously dark latest (after Delicate Condition). On the outs with her boss for a significant mistake involving a former client, Thea Woods thinks her career is over. Then she learns that celebrity chef Maria Capello, whom she's never met, has offered Thea's publishing house her memoir--but only if Thea edits it. Baffled and intrigued, Thea agrees to stay at Maria's rural farm in Upstate New York while she works on the manuscript. Almost immediately, she senses something's not right in the Capello household, which includes Maria and her two adult children. Meanwhile, Thea hopes the manuscript will straighten out details about the disappearance of Maria's husband three decades earlier. Rumors have long swirled that Maria killed him and used his remains as a secret ingredient in her popular meatballs. As Thea edits Maria's bombshell-packed memoir, Valentine ratchets up the suspense, deploying all manner of horror tropes--including animals screaming in the woods and rustling footsteps in the house--to build a sense of dread. Then one of Maria's houseguests goes missing, bringing the tension to a fever pitch. Suspense fans won't be able to put this down. Agent: Hillary Jacobson, CAA. (Aug.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Famous chef Damien Capello goes missing. His body is never discovered, but evidence suggests suicide. For decades, other theories circulate. Was Damien murdered? Did he run away? Damien's grieving widow, Maria, becomes a celebrity chef and TV star in her own right. Thirty years later, she agrees to publish a memoir, which is expected to be a bestseller--but she'll only do it if Thea Woods edits the book at Maria's secluded New York estate. A huge Capello fan, Thea accepts the job. Once at the estate, however, she feels isolated and trapped. Maria entices her to stay by releasing the memoir one short chapter at a time. As events unfold, disturbing gaps in the story surface, and twists and turns keep the plot exciting and suspenseful. Narrator Allman delivers an unsettling, somewhat spooky voice for Maria, even when she reads the included recipes. In contrast, Thea is voiced with youthful confusion. VERDICT Valentine (Two Sides to Every Murder) crafts a chilling story of murder in alternating chapters. Recommended for listeners who enjoy horror and mystery stories with a twist.--Joanna Burkhardt
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