What do you think?
Rate this book
Food to Die For
The best-selling crime writer shares culinary favorites of Kay Scarpetta, including recipes for chili, grilled group, chocolate pecan pie, lasagne, pizza, and much more. 85,000 first printing.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
7 people are currently reading
1293 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Cornwell
198 books19.9k followersPatricia Cornwell sold her first novel, Postmortem, in 1990 while working as a computer analyst at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia. Postmortem, was the first bona fide forensic thriller. It paved the way for an explosion of entertainment featuring in all things forensic across film, television and literature.
Postmortem would go on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity awards as well as the French Prix du Roman d’Aventure prize – the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year. To date, Cornwell’s books have sold some 100 million copies in thirty-six languages in over 120 countries. She’s authored twenty-nine New York Times bestsellers.
Patricia’s novels center primarily on medical examiner Kay Scarpetta along with her tech-savvy niece Lucy and fellow investigator Pete Marino. Celebrating 25 years, these characters have grown into an international phenomenon, winning Cornwell the Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author, the Gold Dagger Award, the RBA Thriller Award, and the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters for her contributions to literary and artistic development.
Fox 2000 bought the rights to Kay Scarpetta. Working with producer Liz Friedman, Marvel’s Jessica Jones and fellow Marvel EP and Twilight Saga scribe Melissa Rosenberg to develop the film and find Scarpetta a home on the big screen.
After earning her degree in English from Davidson College in 1979, she began working at the Charlotte Observer.
Cornwell received widespread attention and praise for her series of articles on prostitution and crime in downtown Charlotte. From the Charlotte Observer, Cornwell moved to a job with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia – a post she would later bestow upon the fictional Kay Scarpetta.
When not writing from her Boston home, Patricia tirelessly researches cutting-edge forensic technologies to include in her work. Her interests span outside the literary: Patricia co-founded of the Conservation Scientist Chair at the Harvard University Art Museums. She appears as a forensic consultant on CNN and serves as a member of Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital’s National Council, where she advocates for psychiatric research. She’s helped fund the ICU at Cornell’s Animal Hospital, the scientific study of a Confederate submarine, the archaeological excavation of Jamestown, and a variety of law enforcement charities. Patricia is also committed to
funding scholarships and literacy programs. Her advice to aspiring authors: “Start writing. And don’t take no for an answer.”
Social and Digital Outlets
http://www.patriciacornwell.com
https://www.facebook.com/patricia.cor...
https://twitter.com/1pcornwell
https://instagram.com/1pcornwell/
Other areas of expertise & interests
Forensics | Forensic Technologies | Ballistics | Weapons | Explosives | Pathology & Autopsies | Crime | Historical and Unsolved Criminal Cases | Jack The Ripper | Helicopter Piloting | Suba Diving | Archaeological Excavation Experience |
Postmortem would go on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity awards as well as the French Prix du Roman d’Aventure prize – the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year. To date, Cornwell’s books have sold some 100 million copies in thirty-six languages in over 120 countries. She’s authored twenty-nine New York Times bestsellers.
Patricia’s novels center primarily on medical examiner Kay Scarpetta along with her tech-savvy niece Lucy and fellow investigator Pete Marino. Celebrating 25 years, these characters have grown into an international phenomenon, winning Cornwell the Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author, the Gold Dagger Award, the RBA Thriller Award, and the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters for her contributions to literary and artistic development.
Fox 2000 bought the rights to Kay Scarpetta. Working with producer Liz Friedman, Marvel’s Jessica Jones and fellow Marvel EP and Twilight Saga scribe Melissa Rosenberg to develop the film and find Scarpetta a home on the big screen.
After earning her degree in English from Davidson College in 1979, she began working at the Charlotte Observer.
Cornwell received widespread attention and praise for her series of articles on prostitution and crime in downtown Charlotte. From the Charlotte Observer, Cornwell moved to a job with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia – a post she would later bestow upon the fictional Kay Scarpetta.
When not writing from her Boston home, Patricia tirelessly researches cutting-edge forensic technologies to include in her work. Her interests span outside the literary: Patricia co-founded of the Conservation Scientist Chair at the Harvard University Art Museums. She appears as a forensic consultant on CNN and serves as a member of Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital’s National Council, where she advocates for psychiatric research. She’s helped fund the ICU at Cornell’s Animal Hospital, the scientific study of a Confederate submarine, the archaeological excavation of Jamestown, and a variety of law enforcement charities. Patricia is also committed to
funding scholarships and literacy programs. Her advice to aspiring authors: “Start writing. And don’t take no for an answer.”
Social and Digital Outlets
http://www.patriciacornwell.com
https://www.facebook.com/patricia.cor...
https://twitter.com/1pcornwell
https://instagram.com/1pcornwell/
Other areas of expertise & interests
Forensics | Forensic Technologies | Ballistics | Weapons | Explosives | Pathology & Autopsies | Crime | Historical and Unsolved Criminal Cases | Jack The Ripper | Helicopter Piloting | Suba Diving | Archaeological Excavation Experience |
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
November 7, 2011
I'm an avid Patricia Cornwell fan, and have always been impressed by her character Kay Scarpetta's ability to whip up delicious fare in the midst of turmoil at the office. This cookbook lists several recipes associated with 11 well-known entries in the Scarpetta series. Each is introduced with a set-up from the book, so the recipes are always tied back into the stories--as opposed to simply a series spinoff, variations on recipes are offered in box text, and there are 40 or so high-quality color photos of plated dishes (in a book running in excess of 200 pages). There are appendices which cover basics such as olive oil, garlic and tomatoes as well as fun tie-ins such as "What's in Kay's Pantry?" and "What's in Kay's Freezer" which offer helpful suggestions for staples to keep ready at hand for impromptu feasts. Food to Die For would make a welcome addition to the bookshelves--and dining table--of any Scarpetta fan.
April 3, 2010
I can always count on Patricia Cornwell to whip up a light and fluffy novel. When I heard she wrote a cookbook based on food prepared in her Kay Scarpetta novels, I knew I would have to check this out. Kay Scarpetta is the starring character in several of Cornwell's novels. She is a brilliant medical examiner who solves crimes, catches the serial killer, and in general, saves the day. Cornwell does not leave any details out of her novels concerning the grisly murders, autopsies, etc. I was expecting the meals in this cookbook to include such things as finger foods, chopped liver, diced brains with hemoglobin marinara sauce and the like. Fortunately the reader is spared. The recipes are quite yummy and along side each is a description of the novel the food was cooked along with some of the plot. Altogether a very dicey and fun cookbook.
December 28, 2012
Anyone who reads Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series will be aware of the mouthwatering food that Kay cooks. This book gives us some of the recipes from the books, and yes they are as mouth watering as they seem!This is a must read for all fans of Kay's series although it is not essential to know about the series to enjoy the recipes,I do think you will get more from the book is you are familiar with the series.The foods are divided into Appetisers,soups,salads and side dishes,breads dinners and so on. There are some wonderful pictures too as well as info about which book certain recipes come from.The recipes are easy to understand and even the most basic cook will feel at ease making them. A lovely book!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2013
The chocolate chip cookies recipe is worth the price of the entire book. Best I've ever had. My family loves them. I had a copy of this from years back and lost it, and took me forever to track down another just to get that recipe!
April 15, 2018
If you enjoy cooking as much as I do and have food described in a novel makes you hungry, this is the cookbook for you. I found a number of must-try recipes that my family will be testing over the next few months.
It's sure to be good eating for a while in our house.
It's sure to be good eating for a while in our house.
November 1, 2018
This book has recipes you would actually prepare but may not necessarily have heard of before. I have not read Patricia Cornwall's novels but my husband is a fan. I was particularly taken by a recipe for polenta crostini with a mixed mushroom topping. The illustrations are mouth watering.
June 30, 2017
Interesting recipes but not many I would try or be able to find ingredients at reasonable prices.
January 31, 2025
The recipes in this good sound so good that I have purchased my own copy. I love reminiscing about the various books where Kay Scarpetta has figured.
March 20, 2017
I could be glib and say "...and if you eat these recipes you will die." In truth, most of them are boring and sub-standard. She hasn't returned to food writing in some time in her oeuvre. That may be a smart move. The character of Scarpetta just seems to grow more rigid and unyielding, massive OCD issues, control issues, and outright bad mood bossiness. If Cornwell wrote a decorating book, I can only imagine the furniture would have to be aligned with a ruler. The one joy about this book? On the back cover is a picture of Cornwell pre ANY of her many plastic surgeries. I'd forgotten what she used to look like, but certain not the mask she has over her face now. Yikes.
June 13, 2015
I was searching for a recipe the other day and decided to try to find it in Patricia Cornwell's Food to Die For. As I thought, there the sauce was, timeless and beautifully photographed.
I bought the book around 2003 and read it without duplicating any of the recipes in my own kitchen.
I reread Food to Die For a few years ago and recorded it on Goodreads. I had some Key limes at that time and made the pie recipe. I remember thinking how wonderful the book was to read, how beautiful the illustrations, how lovely to see the recipes for the foods Kay Scarpetta cooks in the stories. Then I gave the book three stars, skipped out on any sort of review, and re-shelved it.
Yesterday, I remembered a sauce I want to mix and pulled the book out again. Bev's Kicked by a Horse Cocktail Sauce for summer steamed shrimp is exactly what the the occasion calls for. And with that, I began to read Cornwell's recipes once more.
I've bought at least a hundred cookbooks since I bought this one. Recipes not nearly as classical or as classy. I think I'll make a summer of it. Like I did two years ago with Cooked by Michael Pollan. I hope that, by the time school starts in the fall, I will have tried out each of these beautiful, luscious recipes - either on my family or myself alone.
Oh, and after my latest rereading and comparing these dishes to those in recent cookbooks, I'm upgrading To Die For to four stars. **** Sorry to have taken so long. I own the whole Scarpetta thriller series but, for the life of me, can't remember if Kay still cooks in the novels. I hope she does. I guess I'll have to dig them out and see.
May 26, 2016
Crime Time Podcast is a massive Patricia Cornwell fan.
Finding Kay Scarpetta's cook book was a treat and we cooked our way through the Miami Style Chili with Beer. Delicious. Next up, the infamous Chocolate Chip Cookies. Is there a more special way to connect with fans of the books then to offer them the meals that Kay Scarpetta herself so generously cooks up in the series? Loved it. To check out the Miami Style Chili with Beer we cooked up and to listen to a Podcast dedicated to all things crime fiction, check out crimetimepodcast.wordpress.com, or subscribe on iTunes https://t.co/mq4M1Kxzhr
Finding Kay Scarpetta's cook book was a treat and we cooked our way through the Miami Style Chili with Beer. Delicious. Next up, the infamous Chocolate Chip Cookies. Is there a more special way to connect with fans of the books then to offer them the meals that Kay Scarpetta herself so generously cooks up in the series? Loved it. To check out the Miami Style Chili with Beer we cooked up and to listen to a Podcast dedicated to all things crime fiction, check out crimetimepodcast.wordpress.com, or subscribe on iTunes https://t.co/mq4M1Kxzhr
November 12, 2008
Disclaimer: I'm not a huge cook but I do like to cook sometimes & I am a Kay Scarpetta fan.
I love how this book explores the food in the series and gives me a chance to appreciate all the yummy description of what Kay Scarpetta enjoys as comfort food.
Whilst I find most recipes looks a little bit more complicated (ie. requires more effort on my part than I'd like to) there are at least half a dozen recipes I'd like to try. And I've even baked 'Lucy's favourite chocolate chip surprise cookies' this arvo. Yum-Oh!
I love how this book explores the food in the series and gives me a chance to appreciate all the yummy description of what Kay Scarpetta enjoys as comfort food.
Whilst I find most recipes looks a little bit more complicated (ie. requires more effort on my part than I'd like to) there are at least half a dozen recipes I'd like to try. And I've even baked 'Lucy's favourite chocolate chip surprise cookies' this arvo. Yum-Oh!
October 30, 2009
I have followed the Kay Scarpetta's book series from it's beginning. I love the character of Scarpetta who is a Medical Examiner/Pathologist/Criminologist.
This book contains many of the recipes written about in the books. I loved reading the author's information about where the recipes came from, and great ways to serve them...
If you love Italian cooking, I recommend this book!
(Ok I admit that many of the recipes are more time consuming than I am willing to spend, but it's fun to dream.)
This book contains many of the recipes written about in the books. I loved reading the author's information about where the recipes came from, and great ways to serve them...
If you love Italian cooking, I recommend this book!
(Ok I admit that many of the recipes are more time consuming than I am willing to spend, but it's fun to dream.)
July 9, 2014
I picked this up at a library book sale and found a recipe for ravioli and can want to use my press that I found at an estate sale. The scene is set with a flashback to the part in whichever book the meal came from, making me go and start reading them all over again. The recipes are fantastic, easy to make, and taste great. Next time Kay Scarpetta whips up some of her fabulous pasta, I'll know just how good it is!
May 23, 2012
Fabulous recipes in here. If you love Italian food, must try. Dan and I used to have every Thursday be "Italian Night"....we would try out a new recipe every Thursday with a bottle of wine. This was before the kids schedules became a priority of course..........maybe someday it will get back to that???????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ho hum............
February 12, 2008
This is wonderful. In addition to being a forensic expert, Kay Scarpetta is a great Italian cook - this is mentioned in the novels. When I saw this cookbook, it was a must have. 'fun because of the novels, but great recipes, too.
April 1, 2011
not read so much as cooked from!! Her recipes are definitely to die for & fairly easy to do as I'm a bit useless in the kitchen. If you want to do something a little different that sounds & looks posh & tastes delicious than this is the book for you!
January 5, 2008
interesting Italian recipes
February 11, 2008
My aunt bought me this book for Christmas. I keep it on my kitchen counter and have made many recipes. I love the grilled pizza the best!
June 29, 2008
This is a cookbook, but a really good one. I have made a few of the recipes a few times now and they are becoming fast favorites.
October 14, 2008
this is a neat gift for anyone who really loves the scarpetta series
January 15, 2009
I don't recall any other author doing this for their series. I think Evanovich should for Plum series :)
February 22, 2009
great recipes
June 2, 2009
excellent
August 31, 2009
Basically just a recipe book.
September 2, 2009
Some of the recipes are good, but there aren't many "unique" recipes in here. She makes everything from scratch, so for those of us who are convenience cooks, it's probably not high on the list.
Read
October 15, 2009I like how each recipie is tied to a scene and the characters in one of the books
February 11, 2010
I love Lucy's Chocolate Chip Cookie Surprise.
Want to read
March 14, 2011Her recipes make my mouth water while I read the novels, I would love to have this cookbook!
May 3, 2012
recipes are easy to follow and are delicious.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews