Cooking the Books

I fell upon this book (received from Netgalley, thank you) with glad cries.

Well, no, I opened the book on my Kindle looking forward to a light mystery, and within minutes was uttering glad cries. It started with the prefatory note, which includes the line "This whole book is a work of fiction. As is the city of Melbourne itself." Score.

Bigger score:

"He deserves to be remembered. He was Richard the Third's confectioner, a highly paid position. … He went with Richard to the battle of Bosworth Field, where the King was defeated and the cook was captured. Henry VII offered him his life if he would give him the recipe for these sugary little treats. He refused, and after a week Henry VII had him executed. But the cook gave the recipe show more to one of his jailers and the local bakers made them for centuries, all through the Tudor period. Just to remind the rulers that there had been a good king who was usurped and murdered."

- Commence glad cries. I didn't read The Daughter of Time a few months ago for nothing: Josephine Tey won me to the Ricardian cause, and this matter-of-fact comment was a pleasant surprise. She had me at "Bosworth jumbles". Also, the cookies sound more than pleasant.

Even bigger score:

"Then there was no reason why we shouldn't relax, watching Doctor Who and eating the rest of the Christmas chocolates..."

Biggest:

"We spent the evening watching Doctor Who – I was still undecided about the new Doctor…"

*happy sigh* (Don't get me wrong – I like Matt Smith more than I ever expected to. But my heart will always belong to Ten.)

This is, unexpectedly, geek heaven – Corinna would rather settle in and watch Doctor Who, is still reserving judgment on Dollhouse (series/season 2), and the publisher's note is by Joanna Tribble. Daniel passes some time watching Battlestar Galactica. Someone uses a Princess Bride quote – and it's not "Inconceivable!" Shakespeare and Tolkien and Star Wars – oh yes.

There is a strong resemblance between this book and the Diane Mott Davidson series about her caterer, Goldy Bear. (One difference: I don't cringe over Corinna Chapman's name.) Both main characters are in The Industry, and there was a DMD in which Goldy hosted a PBS cooking show (and another where she catered a fashion photo shoot, to which this is more closely related). Both are first-person POV, and both feature women who are not size six, five-foot-nine, or raving beauties, who exult in being beloved of hunks (Note: A Sabra is a Jew born in Israel), and who enjoy good food, both the making and the eating. Both include recipes (and both, sadly, fail to provide recipes for the lovely items described in the story for which I would most enjoy recipes – those Bosworth jumbles, for example). The settings are very different – Corinna lives in Australia, and is happily single, her only "child" the fifteen-year-old apprentice she acquired in one of the other books I look forward to getting my hands on, while Goldy is a divorced and remarried mother of one living in Colorado. Where Goldy is pretty much billed as an expert in every aspect of cookery, Corinna is an avowed baker. Bread is her passion, and given a choice she'll stick to it. Also, the mystery (mysteries, actually) faced by Corinna are much more realistic. Not to violate River Song's strictures against Spoilers, but one of my problems with the majority of "cozy" mysteries has always been that I don't think I'd ever find constantly tripping over bodies cozy – and if I had a friend like Goldy who did keep tripping over bodies I think I'd maintain the friendship, but from a safe distance. By email, say. Another point: Goldy met her Schultz, a cop, over one of the bodies she found; I don't know the origin story of Corinna and David yet, but his career as detective leads naturally into a reasonable level of assistance from her. I've enjoyed the Goldies, for the most part but based on this one I think the Corinnas may well be superior. The writing is more fun than any I've read in a long while; it reads like the conversation of a good friend. And I think Corinna would be a good friend, based on her geeky intelligence – I like this lady, a lot. And Daniel, of course. And the two of them together.

To sum up, this was a book filled with intelligent writing which I would say sparkled if that wasn't a blurb cliché, and with wonderful characters I want to be friends with and awful characters about whom I want to be able to gossip with the ones who are my friends. I don't think I've read much set in Australia, and I loved it; I've read quite a lot centered around the food industry, and I loved it. It is a cozy mystery that comes closer to fitting the description than any in recent memory, and I loved it. I even loved the cats, and I'm a dog person.

I loved it. show less

People looking for crime fiction at the lighter end of the mood spectrum are not always well served. An increasing number of so-called cosy mysteries rely on ridiculously quirky gimmicks rather than actual plots and these same books seemed to be aimed at barely literate 11-year olds rather than adults seeking a bit of respite from grim environments and human anguish. Kerry Greenwood’s Corinna Chapman books are therefore a very welcome aberration in that they offer proper plots, intelligent writing and loads of humour alongside the dearth of bloody corpses.

Cooking the Books is the sixth instalment of the series and sees Corinna struggling to grasp the concept of being ‘on holidays’ (I could teach the lady a thing or two here). She show more has closed her Melbourne bakery for a month and her apprentice has gone on a surfing holiday but when an old school mate asks for assistance with a catering job for a new TV production Corinna agrees willingly enough to bake bread and help out with other cooking duties. On the set of Kiss the Bride things are a bit fraught though as someone is playing a series of nasty practical jokes on the show’s star and tempers soon fray. Meanwhile, Corinna’s boyfriend Daniel, who is a private detective, is engaged to track down some missing bearer bonds which were left in a phone box by a harassed accounting firm intern and seem to have been spirited away by a homeless man called Pockets who has something of a literary bent. Having been raised in Israel Daniel doesn’t have the cultural references to the nursery rhymes being referenced in Pockets’ clues so relies on Corinna for some assistance with this case.

I thought this book brought the series back to its best form, showing that you can have a thoughtful and engaging crime plot even when there are no dead bodies to be seen (well not until right near the end). The theme explored particularly well here is that of bullying and its various incarnations in our workplaces. You really do get a sense of the psychology at play when some people bully and others put up with being bullied. Happily for the victims in this instance help is at hand in the form of Daniel and Corinna who are, in my experience, of a lot more practical use than real-world bullying reporting mechanisms. Sometimes a situation calls for an articulate plus-size lady (and/or a bloke who might have been in Mossad) to lay down the law rather than the completion of a form in triplicate. Just sayin.

Once again the story here involves Corinna and Daniel’s ‘family’, i.e. their neighbours in the inner-city Roman-inspired apartment building and the plethora of acquaintances they have made throughout the city. It is always nice to read a depiction of community and people helping each other out; a nice anecdote to the kind of book I read more regularly. The junk-food inhaling computer hackers, airhead actress wanabees, master salad dressing maker and white witch provide laughs, plot advancement and colour throughout the story. The arrival of an anchovy-obsessed tiger offered something new and different and I did find myself hankering for a big pussycat of my very own.

Sure Cooking the Books is a light, quick read but it’s both fun and funny, has mouth-watering descriptions of wonderful food, shows Melbourne off very nicely and offers a decent plot and warm, engaging characters to boot. What more could you want?

My rating 3.5 show less

Cooking the Books is the 6th in Kerry Greenwood’s Corinna Chapman series. It’s January, and Corinna Chapman, baker and reluctant investigator, is on holidays. Her apprentice, Jason, has gone to the beach to learn to surf. Daniel is busy on a paper chase. Kylie and Goss have secured parts in a soap opera series, “Kiss the Bride”, being filmed at a Docklands studio. But Corinna is bored, and when her old school classmate and caterer, Thomasina, convinces her to assist, she finds herself (not quite unwillingly) baking bread for the film cast and crew. Another turn of events and she is also at the studio (but less willingly) in the role of pastry chef. A busman’s holiday, as it were. As the story unfolds, Corinna and Daniel find show more themselves looking for missing bearer bonds, long lost sons and someone playing tricks on the star of the series. The story touches on bullying, weddings, dieting for work, actors (an excellent description), crooked accountants, job security, brides (compared with politicians), sexual orientation and gender reassignment. Somehow woven seamlessly into the plot are Nursery Rhymes and quotes and a tiger named Tabitha. Once again we are treated some interesting characters and a great plot, this time with an ending befitting a soap opera. Many of our favourite Insula residents make an appearance (“…Mrs Pemberthy, who is there to curdle the milk of human kindness”). The feel of Melbourne in summer is well rendered and there are some marvellous feline descriptions that make me want to be owned by another cat. Reading the earlier books in the series is not a prerequisite, but most readers who have not done so will seek them out after reading this one, for a guaranteed delightful read. The dilemma with all of Kerry Greenwood’s books is that you are enjoying them so much (from dedication to afterword you will smile, chuckle, laugh out loud) that you can’t stop reading, but you don’t want the pleasure to end. And the recipe for Gyngerbrede? Yes, I made it: yum! show less

Cooking the Books is the 6th in Kerry Greenwood’s Corinna Chapman series. It’s January, and Corinna Chapman, baker and reluctant investigator, is on holidays. Her apprentice, Jason, has gone to the beach to learn to surf. Daniel is busy on a paper chase. Kylie and Goss have secured parts in a soap opera series, “Kiss the Bride”, being filmed at a Docklands studio. But Corinna is bored, and when her old school classmate and caterer, Thomasina, convinces her to assist, she finds herself (not quite unwillingly) baking bread for the film cast and crew. Another turn of events and she is also at the studio (but less willingly) in the role of pastry chef. A busman’s holiday, as it were. As the story unfolds, Corinna and Daniel find show more themselves looking for missing bearer bonds, long lost sons and someone playing tricks on the star of the series. The story touches on bullying, weddings, dieting for work, actors (an excellent description), crooked accountants, job security, brides (compared with politicians), sexual orientation and gender reassignment. Somehow woven seamlessly into the plot are Nursery Rhymes and quotes and a tiger named Tabitha. Once again we are treated some interesting characters and a great plot, this time with an ending befitting a soap opera. Many of our favourite Insula residents make an appearance (“…Mrs Pemberthy, who is there to curdle the milk of human kindness”). The feel of Melbourne in summer is well rendered and there are some marvellous feline descriptions that make me want to be owned by another cat. Reading the earlier books in the series is not a prerequisite, but most readers who have not done so will seek them out after reading this one, for a guaranteed delightful read. The dilemma with all of Kerry Greenwood’s books is that you are enjoying them so much (from dedication to afterword you will smile, chuckle, laugh out loud) that you can’t stop reading, but you don’t want the pleasure to end. And the recipe for Gyngerbrede? Yes, I made it: yum! show less

Another enjoyable cozy in Greenwood's Corinna Chapman series. Corinna ventures into the world of the soapie tv programme, and Greenwood manages to make COOKING THE BOOKS feel a bit like a soapie too. Someone involved in the production of the pseudo reality tv series Kiss the Bride is trying to make life very uncomfortable for the main star. It hasn't come to blows or murder yet, but it very well could.

Corinna's involvement in the food side of the tv production provides the main plot but there are several interesting side plots. In one of them, Corinna and Daniel are involved in a search for some missing bearer bonds. Their search becomes a treasure hunt following clues that look like old English nursery rhymes but actually contain show more obscure references to Melbourne landmarks. The technique reminded me of the cryptic clues Ian Rankin use in THE FALLS which I read recently. More than one of the treasure hunt clues solved by Corinna sent me Googling for pictures of the landmark in question.

And speaking of Googling... Greenwood firmly places COOKING THE BOOKS in recent times as Corinna Googles for the stories behind the old nursery rhymes.

A gentle read in many ways, one that furthers our knowledge of Corinna herself, that has several mysteries to be solved, that emphasises the multi-cultural nature and historical background of Melbourne (I think they should give Kerry Greenwood the keys to the city!), and leaves the reader feeling replete and a little more knowledgeable.

Perhaps just one criticism: the story progresses through a daily account of Corinna's days that feels almost like a journal - the sun woke me early, then I did this, then I did that...
I got just a bit tired of chapter after chapter in that format, but I'm not sure what the alternative was. show less

Corinna Chapman is on holiday and looking forward to spending time with her lover, Daniel. Her assistant Jason is off surfing and her sometimes helpers have gotten bit parts in a film/soap opera called Kiss the Bride. Corinna’s holiday is interrupted when she gets guilted into helping an old school mate do catering for the film production and Daniel gets offered a case to work on. Lena, an overweight accountant, has lost bearer bonds that her company wanted her to register and they are threatening her job if the bonds aren’t found. Daniel agrees to take the case and tracks down one bond to a homeless man named Pockets. In the meantime, Corinna is dealing with an interesting cast of characters (pardon the pun) on the movie set. The show more film’s star is a major diva and there have been a rash of pranks directed at her. There is a serial womanizer who is making up to the baker who is working with Corinna, a handsome but vain leading man, a harassed assistant to the star, and other assorted people who could be the culprits. Soon Corinna finds herself in the middle of the drama and pulls Daniel in. He gets asked by the diva to find her long lost son who she put up for adoption.
Corinna and Daniel are getting nowhere with Pockets and he starts them on a merry chase looking for clues that he leaves all over the city. The clues are based on popular nursery rhymes and Daniel has little to no experience with them so Corinna finds herself involved in his case. Added to the stress is the fact that her empty headed helpers have told Jason she has replaced him and Corinna is worried he will go back to drugs. A restful holiday it is not!
I really love this series (and the Phryne Fisher series) written by Ms. Greenwood. Corinna is an interesting character, an overweight ex- accountant who became a successful baker. She and Daniel have a wonderful relationship and they work together well. The secondary characters always fit just right into the story and we learn a little more about them in each book. This mystery is totally believable and even the missing baby story has a very plausible resolution with an added twist. I enjoy the little tidbits about the culture of Australia in the books. This book is a great addition to the series! show less

Australia, mental-illness, TV-film-industry, fraud, friendship, family-dynamics, punny, snarky, verbal-humor

***** Excellent! Once again Corinna has one set of mysteries and Beloved Daniel has another but the problems entwine as they help each other. Corinna's most obvious relates to her ceding her vacation for a week or two to help out as the baker on a TV film set and the other is a misunderstanding with her apprentice, Jason. Daniel's assignment is to locate a million dollars in bearer bonds found by a mentally ill street person who sets up an elaborate treasure hunt and keep the downtrodden young woman responsible for their loss from suicide. But then there's the puns, snarks, and other verbal humor that not only keeps it all from show more being a downer but had me chortling and guffawing!
Louise Siverson is the fantastic Aussie narrator! show less