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Add Cyanide to Taste by Karmen Spiljak
The wonderful collection of suspenseful short stories Add Cyanide to Taste centres on food. Even though I’m not much of a cook myself, I’m a great admirer of culinary flicks, thus this book really appealed to me at first glance and didn’t let me down. It’s very well written and structured without being complicated or overanalysing the food in each story.
The recipes for the dishes discussed in the book are really saved for the final few pages. There are also cool illustrations that capture the essence of the various stories. These are engaging and simple to read on their own. Add Cyanide to Taste has a wide range of subjects, from traditional ghost stories to murder and some very original ideas, which is what I found to be the most enjoyable.
For instance, Dash Friend, which follows a woman who begins to notice all the exclamation points around her, was one of my favourite stories in the anthology. She then continues to have an obsession with the idea, which has annoying results. Be My Guest is another one of my favourites.
In this one, a group of neighbours have another one of their progressive dinners, with each member hosting one course, from the aperitif through the main to the brandy. However, as their personal lives become entangled, things drastically go wrong.
The book’s obvious excitement for combining food and related ideas with engaging storytelling is Add Cyanide to Taste’s most significant strength. This, in turn, doesn’t settle for amusement through popular subjects. Its juggling act includes stories with smart, modern, and even painful depths.
All in all, be prepared for an emotional voyage. This collection amuses, moves, thrills, and chills in equal measure. The food, without always being front and centre or even represented as literal dishes, makes the stimulating experience that much more enjoyable.
About The Book
This collection of culinary mysteries ascends the jagged culinary heights you’ve hungered to explore but could never find on a map: a family business that depends on a cursed recipe, a remote mountain village harbouring a suspicious cook, a deadly secret between old friends. As the characters swoon over every unforgettable mouthful and sometimes bite off more than they can chew, you’ll find yourself asking: What would I be willing to pay for the meal of a lifetime?
Fourteen short stories and thirteen recipes will chill, thrill and entertain. The suspenseful stories range from thrillers and mysteries to ghost stories and are a great gift for crime fiction lovers. If feasting on culinary noir leaves you hungry, extend your pleasure by preparing the dishes featured in the stories. Most recipes are vegetarian. All recipes provided are cyanide-free.
The Review
Add Cyanide to Taste
8 Score
This collection of short stories is right up my alley. It has revenge and humor. Legal waffle and creepy forest roads. Mime artists and cat glasses. Two things I liked on top of the actual stories: A: it comes with recipes (minus cyanide) and B) she thanks the beta readers “who saw these stories walking around in their flip flops and underpants.” Oh, and three) there’s a bonus story at the end about one of my favorite topics of all times, libraries. It’s called the Library of Emotions, and you can see the truly good person behind the glittery gore. You gotta love someone who can kill a dozen people on paper and then turn around and make a joke or make cry with sweetness.
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