Book Synopsis
Now an Acorn Original TV Series Starring Maria Doyle Kennedy, Kylie Fisher, and Tony Kgoroge
A bright new talent makes her fiction debut with this first entry in a delicious crime set in rural South Africa, full of humor, romance, and recipes and featuring a charming cast of characters.
Tannie Maria (Tannie meaning Auntie, the respectful Afrikaans address for a woman older than you) is a middle-aged widow who likes to cook--and eat. She shares her culinary love as a recipe columnist for the local paper--until The Gazette decides its readers are hungrier for advice on matters of the heart rather than ideas for lunch and dinner.
Tannie Maria doesn't like the change, but soon discovers she has a knack--and a passion--for helping people. Of course she shares her recipes and culinary advice whenever she can! Assisting other people with their problems, Tannie Maria is eventually forced to face her own issues, especially when the troubles of those she helps touch on the pain of her past, like a woman desperate to escape her abusive husband.
When the woman is murdered, Tannie Maria becomes dangerously entwined in the investigation, despite the best efforts of one striking detective determined to keep her safe. Suddenly, this practical, down-to-earth woman is involved in something much more sinister than perfecting her chocolate cake recipe . . .
From the Back Cover
The first book in a delicious crime series set in rural South Africa--mystery, humor, romance, and recipes mixed together in a charming whodunit
Tannie Maria ("tannie" meaning auntie, the respectful Afrikaans address for a woman older than you) is a middle-aged widow who likes to cook--and eat. She shares her culinary love as a recipe columnist for the local paper--until the Gazette decides its readers are hungrier for advice on matters of the heart than for lunch and dinner ideas.
Tannie Maria doesn't like the change, but soon discovers she has a knack--and a passion--for helping people. Of course a recipe is always part of the remedy she offers. Assisting other people with their problems, Tannie Maria is eventually forced to face her own issues--and, suddenly, this down-to-earth woman is involved in something much more sinister than perfecting her chocolate cake recipe. . . .
Review Quotes
"Recipes for Love and Murder, a sincere, charming South African debut, should ruin a lot of diets; its many irresistible recipes are the creation of Tannie Maria, a gentle-souled widow who believes that good food can solve problems bigger than hunger. . . . Tannie Maria's painful experiences of domestic abuse -- an element in the crime she's reluctantly looking into -- give Andrew's novel a credibility and depth that nicely ballast its many heartwarming moments, and even now I wish I were writing this with a plate of Karoo Farm Bread at hand." -- USA Today
"A delightful debut, tender and funny. The mystery takes on the worldwide problem of abused women while revealing both the beauties and problems of South Africa. And the recipes will make you want to drop everything and start cooking." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"If you, too, were entranced by Precious Ramotswe, the Botswanan protagonist of Alexander McCall Smith's best-selling sleuth series, get ready for Tannie Maria van Harten. In Recipes for Love and Murder, the delectable debut novel by South African Sally Andrews, Tannie Maria?like Precious?has a heart made of marshmallow and a nose for crime solving. But the most powerful weapons in Tannie Maria's arsenal may be her delicately flavored curries, her homemade apricot jams, and her perfect buttermilk chocolate cake, which she uses to disarm friend and foe alike. Mouth-watering descriptions of food and landscapes delivered in an Afrikaans patois produce a distinctly new kind of tea cozy, one just right for curling up on a cold winter afternoon while daydreaming about the heat of the African sun." -- O, the Oprah Magazine
"Sure, Sherlock Holmes can solve a mind-bending mystery before breakfast, but can he cook the perfect buttermilk chocolate cake? Meet Tannie ('Auntie') Maria, a 50-something South African advice columnist with a talent for sleuthing and a penchant for cooking glorious Afrikaans specialties. Possessing more than a little moxie, she stars in this charming new mystery series from debut novelist Sally Andrew. Fans of Alexander McCall Smith are sure to adore Tannie Maria's adventures for years to come." -- Paste Magazine
"Mouth-watering descriptions of food and landscapes delivered in an Afrikaans patois produce a distinctly new kind of tea cozy, one just right for curling up on a cold winter afternoon while daydreaming about the heat of the African sun." -- O, the Oprah Magazine
