Home
/
Fiction
/
The Cook
The Cook
Apr 30, 2025 9:54 AM

Author:Ajay Chowdhury

The Cook

*As seen on The One Show*

'Thrilling . . . a terrific series' Sunday Times

Someone has an appetite for murder

Kamil Rahman used to be a detective in Kolkata. Now he's a cook in London's East End.

Yet trouble still knows where to find him...

Kamil Rahman thought his crimefighting days were behind him. But when a woman he knows is murdered and the police arrest the most convenient suspect, he hangs up his apron and employs his detective skills once more to find the true killer.

Meanwhile, restaurant manager Anjoli is volunteering with a homeless charity, where she notices a sudden troubling increase in unexplained deaths among people sleeping rough in and around Brick Lane. With the council and police uninterested, she starts an investigation of her own.

Kamil and Anjoli's cases seem unrelated, but as the duo dig deeper, they discover connections that stretch from London to Lahore. Together they take on the indifference of the authorities.

If the Met won't find the murderers, then they will.

*A GUARDIAN BEST CRIME AND THRILLER BOOK OF 2022*

Reviews

A real surprise... It is not just the descriptions of food that leave you hungry for more

—— Mark Sanderson , The Times

Thrilling... This is a terrific series, a vivid portrait of the East End where a thriving economy is overshadowed by the effects of inequality

—— Joan Smith , Sunday Times

Chowdhury's portrait of multicultural London is as effective as his portrayal of the mixed feelings of his characters, who may enjoy aspects of their lives but still long for the pleasures they have left behind

—— Natasha Cooper , Literary Review

Kamil and Anjali are a terrific team. Chowdhury makes the murder mystery feel like a brand-new invention. His second thriller is chockfull of authentic flavours and tasty surprises that will leave readers wanting more.

—— Christopher Fowler, author of the Bryant and May Mysteries

Marvellous! A vivid romp through the Londoner's London, seen through the sharp eyes of a recent arrival. The only thing that induced me to put it down was the fact that it made me so hungry...

—— Alex Marwood

A real page-turner

—— Waitrose Weekend

The Cook is an ideal summer read... [a] dazzlingly clever plot

—— Sunday Times, *Summer Reads of 2023*

[Alex Cross] has become one of the greatest fictional detectives of all time, a character for the ages.

—— DOUGLAS PRESTON and LINCOLN CHILD

Alex Cross is a legend.

—— HARLAN COBEN

Patterson boils a scene down to the single, telling detail, the element that defines a character or moves a plot along. It's what fires off the movie projector in the reader's mind.

—— MICHAEL CONNELY

Patterson knows where our deepest fears are buried... there's no stopping his imagination.

—— NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

Patterson is in a class by himself.

—— VANITY FAIR

Intriguing, with an unravelling mystery that really kept me guessing. The story is a rollercoaster which increases in intensity as the pace ramps up towards the denouement, and I was bereft when I finished as I wanted to still be reading it!

—— Melanie Golding

What July Knew is a compelling story about growing up and grief told in the fresh and innocent voice of a child. I was gripped.

—— Jane Shemilt

Come for the 90s nostalgia and stay for the warm and unforgettable protagonist. I rooted so hard for July and will always remember her.

—— Laura Pearson

What July Knew is a winning blend of sweet, nostalgic, compelling, shocking and heartbreaking. I defy readers not to root for July as she searches for the truth about her mother

—— Gilly Macmillan

What a wonderful story. Full of vivid characters, but mostly of course, July.

—— Amanda Reynolds

Heartbreaking, joyous and deeply compelling, What July Knew is a beautifully-told tale of great loss and great hope. I loved it.

—— Rosie Walsh

The plot is full of extremely satisfying twists and turns. Koch has written other thrillers, but this is destined to be her big breakout.

—— BookBrunch

[What July Knew is] touchingly effective in conveying the oppressiveness of a childhood lived in fear

—— Sunday Times

Compelling plot, this is an emotional read

—— Heat

Fans of Joanna Cannon's The Trouble with Goats and Sheep will devour this

—— Woman & Home

Totally heartbreaking, but also uplifting, this is a real gem of a read

—— The Sun

Its twists and turns leave your blood running cold

—— Good Housekeeping

It's rare that a thriller actually lives up to that word. But here - in the jeopardy its characters are plunged into, in the story's twists and turns, and in the true star of the novel, the mountain itself - Breathless truly manages to thrill

—— James Smythe , author of I Still Dream

A truly breathtaking thriller. It had me gasping and guessing with every turn of a page. The audacity of the adventure is only matched by the brilliance of McCulloch's deft and evocative writing

—— Kim Curran , author of the Slay series

A visceral, thrill-seeker's story of one woman's struggle to conquer her fears, with murder and mayhem at 8,000m. I really loved it.

—— Rosie Andrews, author of Leviathan

A frighteningly original novel written with a deep passion for the mountains and an inquisitive mind. A brilliantly chilling read

—— Giles Kristian

Chilling . . . there really is something about the combination of a remote snowbound location and a killer hiding in plain sight that is a recipe for success

—— Crime Monthly

A blockbuster-worthy thriller

—— Sunday Express
Comments
Welcome to zzdbook comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdbook.com All Rights Reserved