The Cookbook

by Cass Tell

Do you still have your grandmother’s old Betty Crocker cookbook? Besides holding pleasant memories, what if it also contained secret messages?

What if everything you’ve been taught about your identity is wrong?

All is perfect for Kate Miller. She is falling in love with the ideal man while advancing in her professional career. Then her neat and ordered life is about to crash.

She receives a strange email from her deceased grandmother. Coupled with this, her apartment is burgled and her cookbooks stolen, the ones she was instructed to preciously guard. She hires a quirky private detective and goes on a quest to recover her possessions. He challenges her to question the beliefs about herself, while others attempt to stop her from solving the mystery found in the cookbook. Then she faces an impossible truth.

This romantic/thriller is an adrenaline filled page turner interlaced with memories of laughter in the kitchen, of tastes and smells, and how a grandmother lovingly prepared a young girl to face enormous challenges.

188 pages, Paperback

First published May 3, 2015

About the author

Cass Tell is the pen name of an author of suspense action/thriller novels. The plots of his novels often contain underlying thought-provoking themes of love, culture, religion and worldview.

His adrenalin-driven stories contain bait-and-hook plots filled with intrigue and emotional resonance. The main characters in his books tend to be somewhat broken souls struggling against insurmountable forces. Staged in fascinating international settings, his novels always leave an after-thought and provide a unique reading experience.

Cass Tell does not want to be in public light, guards his privacy and avoids disclosing his true identity. He does most of his writing from a small village on the Costa Brava in Spain. When he is not writing he travels the world. His novels tend to be set in international settings, and he has visited most places that appear in his novels.

Cass Tell’s parents were from Europe but he spent some years attending school in the western part of the United States. After graduating from university he worked for large corporations and then started and sold a company which allowed him some financial independence. Wanting to explore other avenues, he left the business world to reflect on bigger issues and fulfil his passion for writing fiction.

Reviews

[Brook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book because the cover reminded me of my mom's Betty Crocker cook book. It turns out that was indeed the inspiration for this book. I expected fluff but got a story I thoroughly enjoyed. I often read several books at a time but I put all of them on hold to read this delicious dish. Like Kate the Betty Crocker cook book is a family heirloom for my family. My mother has cooked from her mom's Betty Crocker cook book that is so often used that the cover is now gone.

[Lindis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry. I loved the cover beyond belief, but it doesn't fit the book. The book attempts to be a run-of-the-mill mystery/suspense thing, but the cozy part hinted at by the cover just isn't there. And whole paragraphs read like author's notes rather than writing. Better editing and I'm in.

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly written and no evidence of editing! A shame, really. The story had promise.

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the cover of this one. It leads you to believe there is a certain mood to the story, but it turns out, it's a little different.

It was fast-paced, a lot of fun and made me feel like I was in a Magnum P.I. or Rockford Files episode. Definitely a good beach read.

It could really use some tighter editing.
So could my review. Ha!

Also, I love that recipes and discussion questions are on his website.

[Juliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast Paced Mystery

Fast paced mystery of a young woman trying to recover belongings stolen from her apartment including her grandmother's cookbook. Grandmother was definitely cooking up something and it wasn't fried chicken. Staying one step ahead of the Russian mob, Kate discovers answers to questions she hadn't even known to ask. Quick and enjoyable.

[Elizabeth Frey-Thomas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. Where to start? The bad editing? The awful portrayal of how police departments work? (Hint: the big city detective who shows up for your home burglary is not the same guy who runs an organized crime sting, or the same guy showing up with a SWAT force) The fact that you know her boyfriend is a bad guy, from the first time you hear of him? The sad idea that a homeschooled kid is naturally way ahead of students who attend conventional learning establishments? The BS about the PI understanding more about investments than her, even though she is a portfolio investment professional? (I thought she was a homeschooled wiz kid?) The latent misogyny of the detective continually thinking how much he wants to start up something, from the minute he sees her, and her falling for him within a day? The ridiculously cartoonish portrayal of the drug dealer? The silly cookbook "clues", that read like a Scooby Doo cartoon? The absolute garbage about her grandmother owning 20 or more original paintings by artists like Picasso and Matisse, and her art history minor having ass didn't realize they were originals? Her phenomenally bad fashion sense? The fact that she puts a list of the companies she owns, folded into a square, into her bra?! (again, isn't she supposed to be a financial professional!)

Writing A decent novel is NOT this author's strong suit. This seemed like a vanity project, that someone should have had the guts to say no to. Or at least run it by a WAY better editor.

[Djordje Gikic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating and fun

The Cookbook was a real surprise. Reading this book was fun and I truly enjoy the depth of the characters and the historical links that influenced many of the events as well as value systems. It creates an atmosphere where we are reminded of our own past and how many things evolved over the years to create today's world. I was thrown back many years back, in the sweet memories of my childhood which was unexpected and fun.

[Rosemary Reeve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable mystery

Clever use of unexpected items to unfold the mystery. The relationships between the characters unfold in satisfying ways. Even if you guess the identity of the villain, you’ll enjoy spending time with the main characters. And the recipe for veal piccata is an unexpected bonus!

[Aleta Chossek · Rating 2 out of 5]

All the elements of a TV script

A quick easy read with cartoonish
characters. Good guys are good and bad guys are bad. Intriguing back story flavored with nostalgia saves the predictable plot from boring. Mildly entertaining if you want to escape.

[Book Shop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don t get to cozy

I enjoyed reading this book. I liked the the chi s rafters and I love cookbooks.

Just as you think your reading a cozy little romance mystery, it gets deep and dark on you and you know that nothing about the confrontation with the "bad guys" is cozy.

[Susan Lafrance · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute idea

I have a Betty Crocker cookbook that now is as old as the hills all smudged and tarnished. I found the story unique and compelling. It was a nifty idea to unravel a story. Thanks

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an odd book, almost felt as if it had been translated from another language with many awkward phrases and misused words. Having said that, I liked the concept of the story. It just sort of felt like a good idea for a story that might better have been written by someone else?

[Liz Gorr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great mystery and life lessons

This quick read mystery has all the elements of intrigue , suspense, and drama wrapped up in nice package of love and family values.

[Frances Littell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, fast passed thriller. Enjoyable.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book an enjoyable reading experience. My first red and white checkerboard is where I keep mementos, and has my scribblings of tips to myself...nobody wants to lose that!