Butter - Asako Yuzuki

 

Description

'Unputdownable, breathtakingly original' ERIN KELLY

'Delicious' i-D Magazine

'Salivatingly well-written' RENA MATSUI

The cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true story.

There are two things that I can simply not tolerate: feminists and margarine.

Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Centre convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, who she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation’s imagination but Kajii refuses to speak with the press, entertaining no visitors. That is, until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew and Kajii can’t resist writing back.

Rika, the only woman in her news office, works late each night, rarely cooking more than ramen. As the visits unfold between her and the steely Kajii, they are closer to a masterclass in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii but it seems that she might be the one changing. With each meal she eats, something is awakening in her body, might she and Kaji have more in common than she once thought?

Inspired by the real case of the convicted con woman and serial killer, "The Konkatsu Killer", Asako Yuzuki’s Butter is a vivid, unsettling exploration of misogyny, obsession, romance and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.

Review

Wow! This is an absorbing read, which you need to invest time in to read. 

Rika is a journalist who rarely cooks. Food is just food to her and her boyish figure. She becomes intrigued by Manako Kajii. Kajii is awaiting a retrial for the serial murders of men she befriended and then shortly after cooking for them, they died.

Rika manages to obtain a visit with Kajii in the Denention Centre. She is further intrigued by the prisoner and her recipes, which on Kajii instructions Rika begins to cook. From thereon there is no going back for Rika and we follow her down a rabbit hole of investigative journalism and her foray and obsession into food. She begins to gain weight through the rich foods she is cooking, all with butter.

I can't really do justice to the writing of this book in this review. It's beautifully written, even the long passages on food and the preparation are just mesmerising. This is why it takes time to read, it's not a book to be rushed through.

There are so many other strands to the book besides the main relationship between Rika and Kajii. Rika's friends are also drawn into the obsession and I just read on amazed at the outcomes of the storyline. I also became a little infatuated myself, willing Kajii not to be the serial killer everyone thinks she is.

Having been to Japan the book resonated with me, but it could be a little slow for some Western readers. This would be brilliant on the screen and I hope it makes it there. 

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review. The book is out on 29 February 2024.

The Secretary - Zoe Lea

 

Description

The teachers thought they knew her. They were wrong...

'Must read' Bella
'A brilliant thriller' Closer
'Gripping and powerful!' Lauren North
'An addictive page-turner' Samantha Tonge
'School run revenge at its best' Jacqueline Ward
'The end was a triumph, absolutely brilliant!' Rona Halsall

When single mum Ruth has a brief fling with Rob, she's mortified to discover that he lied to her. He lied to her, because he's married. Worse still, he's the husband of Janine, head of the PTA at the primary school where Ruth works as secretary, and when the truth of their fling is discovered, Ruth suddenly has a lot of enemies at the school gates.

Threatening texts begin to arrive, rumours abound and the staff room becomes hostile. But when it also starts to affect her son, a student at the school, Ruth realises you can do anything if you convince yourself it's for the sake of your child.

Even murder.

A page-turning and deeply compulsive psychological thriller about a school secretary and how dangerous it can be to make enemies at the school gates. For fans of Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty and The Rumour by Lesley Kara.

Review

I read this so quickly - a real page turner.

Ruth the School Secretary in the title has a one night stand. Little does she know that despite him saying he was single and had no children, his wife is the head of the PTA and his children go to the school she works at. When a showdown ensues at the school gates life gets very nasty very quickly for Ruth.

Who would have thought so many nasty and murderous things would happen in and around a school and the secretary who works there. From silly niggles to the prospect of losing her job Ruth spends most of the time on the back front in this mystery. When she's told to grab a snake not by its head, she becomes embroiled in something far more serious than petty squabbling when she decides to fight back. She justifies it as protecting her child, but it begins to get out of hand.

Some of the time I couldn't work out whether the incidents were really happening, or if Ruth was making it up. Interspersed with letters from a prison you know something happened, but just what you are yet to find out. A really gripping, page turning story.

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

The Road Trip - Beth O'Leary

Description

The instant Sunday Times Bestseller from the author of The Flatshare

'Read this! Absolutely loved it!' Christina Lauren

'This book is perfect' Rosie Walsh

'Beth is quite rightly earning her title as "Queen of Uplit"' Prima

Addie and her sister are on an epic road trip to a friend's wedding in rural Scotland. But, not long after setting off, a car slams into theirs. The driver is none other than Addie's ex, who she hasn't seen since their traumatic break-up two years earlier.

Dylan and his best mate are heading to the wedding too, so Addie has no choice but to offer them a ride. And with four hundred miles to go, they can't avoid confronting the very messy history of their relationship . . .

Will they make it to the wedding? And, more importantly, is this really the end of the road for Addie and Dylan?

Review

This book was not what I was expecting based on the two previous books I have read by this author. Nearly a DNF.

After a car collision on the way to a friend's wedding with her sister, Addie finds herself face to face with her ex Dylan. They are all on the way to the same wedding in Scotland, so of course with one car out of action they offer Dylan and his best mate Marcus a lift. Not to forget they also have a passenger called Roger that cadged a lift to wedding but none of them knows.

Whilst on the course of the journey there are flashbacks to when Addie and Dylan met and became an item. They are told from the perspective of both Addie and Dylan, and to be honest I was glad when they were over and the book concentrated on the present day. I just couldn't get interested in this story.

At about 40% I began to wonder if I really wanted to invest anymore time in this book. I didn't care for any of the characters and was beginning to skim read. Some comedic moments from the journey and a lorry driver called Kevin did cheer me up a little. Then we find out what actually happened when Addie and Dylan split up, and the whole book changed for me. 

I needed to read on and find out what would happen with Dylan and Addie and why exactly Roger was going to the wedding. I actually warmed to Dylan and Addie by this time and begun to understand the other characters a little more.

I am giving this book 3 out of 5 stars, mainly due to the drawn out first half of the book. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.