I know that I give a lot of cookbooks away but I know that you’re about as food obsessed as I and that food can permeate not just cookbooks but fiction books too! Today I am giving away 5 copies of Kerry Greenwood’s new book Cooking The Books which is a detective story based around food. The main character Corinna Chapman is a baker and owner of Earthly Delights bakery and bakes all manner of delicious breads and pastries. Corinna also has a hot young boyfriend Daniel whom she regularly cooks for in the book. I’m about a quarter of the way through the book stealing time to read it when I can.
This copy of Cooking The Books has a special recipe booklet attached with recipes for beef goulash, risotto Corinna, tournedos Parisienne as well as basic bread, pasta douro, Barm Brack (a good bread for Halloween!) as well as some basic sweets. The recipes are very simple and with a short ingredient list so they look quite doable indeed!
Thanks to Allen & Unwin, five lucky Not Quite Nigella readers will each win a copy of Cooking the Books by Kerry Greenwood with the bonus recipe booklet! For a chance to win all you have to do is tell me who your favourite mystery writer is and why! Simply add your answer as a comment to the story. The competition ends at midnight AEST on the 12th of November, 2011. You can enter this competition once daily and it is open to anyone within Australia.
***The winners are:
Margaret J. of NSW
Kristy D. of NSW
Samantha S. of Victoria
Pamela W. of NSW
Taya P. of NSW
***
Best of luck!
Lots of love,
Lorraine
xxx
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131 Comments | Add your own
I’m not really one for mystery books, but I’ve recently gotten into Agatha Christie. I absolutely adore her characters. She brought us little old Miss Marple, a country lady who solves mysteries while knitting, and fussy Mr. Poirot.
Not a genre that I read regularly, but in a pinch I would have to say Dan Brown, whose books have both crime and mystery.
Even long after her death Agatha Christie remains the queen of mystery – always a twist in the tale!
Agatha Christie – you can’t go wrong with a classic! And the nostalgia of a train carriage!
My favourite Mystery writer would have to be John Grisham. Fabulous characters and plots, rapid moving narrative and full of suspense right up to the end of the book.
I’ve always been partial to the vintage authors like
Truman Capote and Harper Lee as for more current authors I like John Grisham ,Tom Harris, Stieg Larsson
Wow, I haven’t read a mystery book in years I dolione Dean Koontz but he tends to be a bit more thriller with some mystery thrown in. His books are really ‘on the edge of your seat’ type stuff. Very good indeed. This book sounds really great I would love to read it
Oh, wow! I love her Phyrne Fisher series… and yet I’ve never actually read this series. Definitely a failure on my part, I think!
I have been enjoying the Mrs Jeffries mysteries by Emily Brightwell though, they’re set in the Victorian era and I quite like them. I’ve also been loving the Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke. Strangely enough, the Joanne Fluke ones revolve around a baker… and the cook in the Mrs Jeffries mysteries does a lot of baking as well.
And you’d think I’d check my spelling. Phryne Fisher, not Phyrne Fisher. Poor Phryne, didn’t get called Psyche as planned and now I’ve gone and muddled up her name, too.
Not sure if this counts but my favourite mystery writer is the fictional Richard Castle on the TV show Castle – he is just so dopey yet smart at the same time – I think he’s so funny!
It would have to be Agatha Christie.The wonderful zany Hercule Poirot,Miss Marple,I loved her books for the wonderful characters,a prolific writer who included her reader in the mystery.
One of the greats.
Agatha Christie can’t be beat! She was the queen of the whodunnit!
my favourite mystery writer is actually a scifi/fantasy author…Jim Butcher for his Dresden Files Series.
Nothing like a sarcastic wizard PI to fight supernatural crime,and of course find your lost stuff.
Agatha Christie. Miss Marple is the cream of the crop!
I’ve read mystery novels since I was a child, all those secret passages & buried treasure of Enid Blyton has given way to more macabre scenarios. I read many different thriller authors but as my Father bought me all of Patricia Cornwell’s novels, (he knew of my goulish streak) and he is now no longer around the one’s I have are very special. Buying my own will be a big step.
I love cook books written in and around a novel, so much fun. My favourite is Ismail Merchant’s Florence – Filming and feasting in Tuscany. It was written after filming “A Room With A View.”
Dan Brown definitely! His books combine history and mystery all together in one!
I recently picked up a book by Lee Child (61 Hours) and found it a great read! I loved how it wasn’t the typical crime/murder mystery story, but a different type of mystery with a very interesting plot, that kept me on the edge of my seat and not wanting to put the book down. Am looking forward to reading more from Lee Child in future!
Believe it or not I LOVE the Kerry Greenwood Phryne Fisher mysteries – they are entertaining, easy to read and the main character is strong-willed (and very modern considering the time it is set).
I’m with Agatha Christie too, but I particularly like the TV adaptations of her books
Having won a couple of books with you Lorraine,I’ll not enter this contest. I love this genre the best and can’t name all but Agatha Christie is a clear favorite !
I went with my daughter Gabriella we had a lot of fun but disappointed as we couldn’t get into any of the hands-on classes, they were booked out hours before the sessions! Highlight of the day , book signing and photo with Australia’s very own Willy Wonka , Adriano Zumbo! 
Was hoping to spot you at Masterchef Live yesterday
Kerry Greenwood is no doubt my favourite mystery writer! her phyrne fisher mysteries are fabulous. i even did an assignment at school about her (many years ago). i can’t believe two of my favourite things (kerry greenwood and cooking) are coming together!
Wow I hadn’t heard of Kerry Greenwood – what have I been missing? I love crime fiction and I love cookbooks.
My favourites (can’t pick just one) are PD James (the Adam Dalgleish series) and Michael Connolly. Special mentions go to Elizabeth George and Lee Child.
My favourite writer is Simon Beckett he’s a journo who has turned to writing forensic novels like Kathy Reichs -They are so good Ive read all three in a day each! It’s not a mystery novel but I love Chocolat
Agatha Christie here as well because I always thought I worked how ‘who did it’ but was always proven wrong.
My mum got me onto Agatha Christie awhile back. Big fan.
Oh! I read the first few of Greenwood’s Corinna books when I was at uni but compltely forgot about them! I’d so love to win this. But my favourite mystery/crime writer would be James Lee Burke, as he writes about the American South so evocatively.
Cooking and Crime – my favourite genres of books together in one book!! Yay.
Crime novels are my favourite genre and choosing a favourite author is quite hard. Today I think it might be Ellis Peters. I love the series about a medieval monk- Brother Cadfael. I enjoy the history and intrigue of the medieval time.
I’ve just finished reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and couldn’t put it down! So he’s my author of the moment, but I have a feeling Kerry Greenwood is about to take over!
Facourite mystery adventure writer is Clive Cussler1 I love Kerry Greenwood and pleased to hear about little cook booklet…her books are fantastic and very delicious! Always make one hungry whilst reading!
Wow, mystery and food = a perfect combination!
My favourite mystery author is Stieg Larsson. I read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy 6 months ago when I was suffering with crippling back pain. I couldn’t do anything except lie on my back and those books literally saved my sanity!
I have learned through personal experience that it’s not a good idea to do too much exercise when you have one leg slightly shorter than the other…
I discovered “Mary Higgins Clark” a while back, and love the diverse settings, characters and plots. Give her a go !
Agatha Christie established the formula, but P.D.James perfected it with her mysterious characters, isolated settings and unsuspecting twists.
ENID BLYTON!!!
Her Mystery books – “Mystery of the Burnt Cottage”, “Mystery of the Spiteful Letters” (they were so spiteful!) etc.
I loved them growing up and still do!
I got into Agatha Christie many many moons ago – such great stories that just suck you in and make you never want to put down your book
has to be Agatha Christie the best of them all
Ruth Rendell is a great mystery writer. Exciting, thrilling novels that intrigue every reader.Reading is my relaxation.
Patricia Cornwell – her style of writing sends chills down my spine
I think this is a really cute concept for a book! I like Michael Connelley if that counts as mystery? It’s crime at least! Harry Bosch is an awesome character.
My favorite would have to be the classics – who can go past Sherlock?? Though I have to admit I’ve never gained any food knowledge from a good mystery before – loving the concept!
A fiction book based around food? Why have I not read this?!? I don’t know any mystery writers…does JK Rowling count? It’s always a mystery who the bad guy is in each Harry Potter book.
Enid Blyton’s Famous Five series is my favourite – loved them as a kid!
First time entering one of your competitions, lets hope it is lucky sign.
ps Henning Mankell – a swedish writer that I just discovered.
I love Kerry Greenwood’s other series- about the sassy, sophisticated and stylish Phryne Fisher.I love the fact that she solves crime with style and does not follow the conventional rules of the 1920′s society. The best thing about the books Kerry writes ; is that they are Australian.
I would have to say agatha christie as she is the queen of mystery and who doesn’t love miss maple. I also love kerry greenwood and the books and tv show by kathy reichs.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle knew how to spin out a riveting yarn. His dastardly villains were only outwitted because the main hero Sherlock Holmes was intelligent & a lateral thinker. Superb mysteries!!
Patricia Cornwell interesting enlighting with a twist of mystery and lots of energy!
I love the corinna chapman books – Kerry Greenwood is among my favourite mystery writers – though I think I have to say stephen booth because I just love all the detail and his characters (though maybe also because I read them at a time when they really meant a lot to me)
Henning Mankell is my favourite crime author but have been reading books by Andrea Camilleri lately which are great. They are set in Sicily and have the Sicilian obsession with food built in.
Patricia Cornwell, love her books. Still have a few I have to read but I’m getting there.
Would you classify Stephen King as a mystery writer? His stories have everything – mystery, comedy, horror, drama – and the plot is always so mysterious that you never see what’s coming. I remember reading “Pet Semetary” and being so frightened that I couldn’t sleep for a few days. I was so enthralled by the book. I love his style of writing.
I have to join the chorus of Agatha Christie fans. There’s something so deliciously satisfying about Miss Marple’s soft unassuming facade hiding her unbelievable cunning and perception. With a few clicks of her knitting needles, she unravels the crime and leaves the criminal and police flabbergasted, every time! Just like me in the kitchen when I actually manage to cook something right- I wish my family would have more faith in me!
What a fantastic prize, I adore books that weave in a foodie story too, I don’t read mystery books, for some reason my brain thinks it’s real, and I actively dream about the happenings in the book, it all becomes so damn scary. I’m defo a Disney type, I know, lame right. Although, perhaps I need to get over my scared-ie-cat-ness and start reading, cause this book sounds awesome. Have a great weekend Lorraine.
Not totally a mystery writer, but I love Sidney Sheldon’s books. The Doomsday conspiracy was one of my first adult mystery books that I read as a teenager!
I like Patricia Cornwall, reading one of hers at the moment and its got me stumped, i like it being a mystery till the end
Amanda Cross – in the academic mystery genre, but in the US, which is a refreshing change
I enjoy reading many mystery books but my all time favourite is an oldie but a goodie – Ngaio Marsh.
I would love to win this book as I have read all of Kerry Greenwood’s books and this one combines 2 of my favourite things cooking and reading!
I love Kerry Greenwood…..have read all of her Corinna Chapman series. I often walk up Flinders Lane in Melbourne and wonder about the mysteries she works on set in the streets and alleys in the area. I just wish there was a bakery Heavenly Delights as she describes in her books.
oops…I mean Earthly Delights..even though it would be heavenly…….
Peter King – The Gourmet Decective, entertaining author and so knowledgeable about food. Try ‘Spiced to Death’.
I have recently started reading Patricia Cornwell’s novels – I have been seriously missing out all these years!!! She is fantastic!
Agatha Christie. Just brillant
Agatha Christie…. such a mystery and suspense writer. The way things are turned and twisted …. and just when you think you know the killer…..another bend in the road comes up.
Without a doubt the talented Alexander McCall Smith, author of both the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency and Isobelle Dalhousie novels for his ethical characters and their attention to the small details of life
I’m not a mystery reader either but I’m reading a great book at the moment called Jasper Jones which is a great read.
My favourite mystery writer is Peter Temple. His book Truth won the Mile Franklin Literary Award for 2010. As the sequal to The Broken Shore, he is a gripping writer that make you not want to put his book down!
I would have to say patricia cornwell, because her books are well written and she carries the theme of peoples lives from book to book.
Not really a mystery book reader, prefer a good soppy romance. But if I have to pick one it would be, Sidney Sheldon. Leaves you hanging till the very end.
Agatha Christie has always been a favourite of mine but move over, the Kerry Greenwood books on Corinna Chapman, have recipes as well as a great story.
This will sound made up, but my fav mystery writer is Kerry Greenwood. I love her Phryne Fisher books set in 1920′s Melbourne but my favourites are the Corinna Books. What’s not to love, bread and a hunky man with fabulously eccentric characters and not too much detail in the gruesome department. Love, love, love.
I love the crime fiction that is more modern murder mystery from authors like Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell – every book from those authors is such a great read I never want to put the book down. Recently I’ve loved reading the Brad Chen Series by Kel Robertson – a Canberra author with Canberra based crime/mystery stories! I love reading his books and imagining exciting thrilling mysteries like that actually happening in Canberra (if it did in real life it might add some real excitement to life here in the Capital!)
I like Virginia Andrews. Her books keep you on the edge of your bed!
Agatha!
Oooh, I just picked up a copy of Earthly Delights at Lifeline! Can’t wait to read it.
I’m more of a foody fiction kinda girl. Lunch in Paris, Like Water for Hot Chocolate and Bread Alone.
Enid Blyton! Her books are pure fun and escapism, and there is always a mystery to be solved (not to mention incredible, pieced-together meals to be eaten). I love to read her books whenever I’m sick, it’s like a literary hot chocolate and snuggly blanket!
Ooh, tricky one! I’m a big fan of murder mysteries and love the characters Kerry Greenwood has created. I can’t wait to read her latest one. I also love the grumpy Scotsman Rebus, created by Ian Rankin and, in complete contrast, Trixie Belden, hero of my childhood!!
I used to love reading Enid Blyton books when I was younger. The stories were so creative & unique, now that I think back….
My Mystery writer is Dan Brown
for writing a riveting Davinci Code, Kept me going all my holiday time in Noosa.
I too am a big fan of Kerry Greenwood – but I have to give my all time favourite detective vote to Lord Peter Wimsey, as written by Dorothy L. Sayers.
My favourite mystery writer is P.D. James. Always set somewhere in the English countryside with the main character Adam Dalgleish, Superintendent extraordinaire. One of the most common descriptions of her stories is “…what she uncovers is a terrible secret that will forever change her life…” and keeps you guessing until the very last page. Fabulous books !
I love Kerry Greenwood’s series about Corinna Chapman – the building she lives in sounds amazing, her neighbours are a hoot, she loves cats, she is a size 20 ex-management accountant turned baker with a beautiful lover and gets to solves mysteries to boot. Maybe one day I will get to be her!
P.S. I want to know if Uncle Sol’s deli really exists and, if so, I have to visit it next time I am in Melbourne.
Ellis Peters was my early favorite mystery writer but Kerry Greenwood has become another. I’ve baked the Chocolate Orgasm muffins from one of the early books in the series–so good.
kerry Greenwood!!!! phryne fisher and her perfume jicky are quite my fave!!!
I love Nicci French, more psychological thriller than mystery but I love the twists and turns and unexpected outcomes.
Mystery is not my first choice, but I absolutely devoured and loved Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. I loved the dramatics of it.
Peter Lovesey! I lovesey his short stories
Kerry Greenwood and her muse Phyrne Fisher ARE my faves:-)
Truthfuly, Kerry Greenwood is one of my favs. I love all things vintage (art, history, fashion and such from the 20s). Her Phyrne Fisher books are set in Australia in the 20s. I’m on the lookout for a Cloche because of the Phyrne Fisher character.
Usually I’d say the last author I’ve read …but if I took the desert island test, I’d want to take Dorothy Sayers and her wonderfully eccentric and urbane Lord Peter Wimsey. From the naked corpse in the bath to attempted murder at Oxford her books have stood the test of time. Like Jane Austen I can read them every couple of years, and enjoy them, like a familiar comfortable sweater.
Have always loved Kerry Greenwood,heavenly delights,phryne fisher and jicky!!!
Love Kerry Greenwood and phyryne fisher-jicky is still available for purchase and i am on the hunt for it:-)
For a light read I really enjoy the Peter Wimsey stories by Dorothy L Sayers, fun to be transported to a different world.
I love Kerry Greenwood,Phryne Fisher rocks:-)
Patricia Cornwell writes fabulous books! I’m always intrigued by the storyline and she has such an engaging style of prose.
Ruth Rendell writes pretty good mystery books with storylines that keep you on the edge & wanting to know the end of the story!
Decided to reread heavenly delights last night:-)))))))))))
My all time favourite is Raymond Chandler – you just can’t bead a classic hardboiled detective!
I adore Kerry Greenwood. I have met her twice now *fangirlsquee* and she is brilliant. I love any mystery author that talks about food in the way she does, even the 1920′s novels have these amazing food descriptions.
I have to say Sidney Sheldon
Pie in the Sky written by Mark smith is a wondeful vision of Henry Crabbe, a warm, intelligent mild-mannered Detective Inspector who would rather cook good English recipes such as his signature dish of steak and kidney pie containing anchovies in hnis restaurant “Pie in the Sky” rather than solve crimes for the force and let Assistant Chief Constable Fisher “Freddie” get all the glory. Totally absorbing and warming with the closeness of Henry, his wife Margaret and his ‘e-crim’ devoted kitchen staff. Totally heart-warming for people and food.
My favourite is Jacqueline Winspear, who writes the Maisie Dobbs series.
Love Kerry Greenwood:-)
I love books that combine food and mystery and Donna Leon’s books set in Venice also include the backdrop of one of my favourite cities in the world. Her Commissario Guido Brunetti is erudite, cynical and caring all at the same time. His wife, Paolo, is an academic in English literature and a fabulous cook so the food is real Venetian and there is even a cookbook called “A Taste of Venice”
Definitely Mildred Benson, the original author of the Nancy Drew mystery novels. Those were the books that got me interested in reading and got me to always think outside of the box
Kerry Greenwood is one of my favourite mystery writers both this foodie based series and the Phyrne Fisher series.
When i had more time to read, I user to enjoy reading Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum ‘bounty hunter’ books. They’re sort of mystery/action but also have quite a bit of humour, which makes them a light, easy & entertaining read
Lol Lee Pang absolutely love janet Evanavitch-i actually laugh out loud at her stories:-)
Kerry Greenwood still remains my fave mystery writer love the romance associated with the 20′s as well:-)
I adore Kerry Greenwood. I love her heroines, Phryne Fisher & Corinna Chapman, each so different yet both strong, independent women living their lives on their own terms.
Antoher fav is Carola Dunn and her delightful Daisy Dalrymple.
I love writers who give good characterisation and interesting stories.
What an awesome idea, reading and cooking are my two favourite things so it’d rock to combine them!
I love Charlaine Harris, especially her Aurora Teagarden series.
Kathy Reich -no 1 best selling author,just gets better and better
Well I know this isn’t a real mystery writer, but can I say Richard Castle, the famous mystery writer from the tv series castle. His smart, funny and charming and always solves the crime. =)
Agatha C. of course! I love all the characters in her books – I just want to insert myself into that period of time and just…be an Agatha Christie character in an Agatha Christie mystery haha!
Love Love Enid Blyton! I read them all the time when I was younger and can’t wait to introduce my girls to these awesome books!
I quite like Ruth Rendell, but have to admit that I am reading my first Kerry Greenwood (earthly delights) and it has me wrapped up in it. I like to be kept enthralled to the end in any book
My favourite mystery writer is the fictional Richard Castle on the TV show Castle – he is just so dopey yet smart at the same time – I think he’s so funny! (Does it count if he’s not real!?)
My favorite mystery writer (of the moment)is definitely Iris Johanson. Her mysteries are both thriller and mystery combined and contain a lot of memorable prose and emotion running right through the entire series.
Iris Johansen has a way with words that make you FEEL the actionher heros and heroines run into all kinds of difficulties and are not always right but win in the end (Kind-of sometimes).Each book I have read has left me hungry for the next- a sure winner for me.
Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (writing together under the name of Lincoln Preston). I have read all their novels to date and would describe them as spine-tingling. Each one has had
me enthralled from beginning to end.
Agatha Christie as you can’t go past the old dame herself.
Agatha christie was legandary and changed the way we all think !
Kathryn Kenny the author of Trixie Belden, a teenage crime fighter who was definitely cooler than Nancy Drew
I have destroyed quite a few great meals reading my favourite author. Michael Connolly has me on the edge from the beginning to the very end of his novels.
i find the books of Agatha Raisins adventures by MC Beaton great fun. shes a really strong woman but like most of us has the weaknesses.
Not a traditional mystery, but still a whodunit – I love the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. These are light hearted and I laugh out loud in every book!
Agatha Christie for sure. Her exciting and thought-provoking novels are in a sense timeless, yet those set in the 1930s bring to life an era of lost grace and manners.
I do love a bit of Jeffery Deaver – so smart and well built characters, they’re just a pleasure and enthralling read
Definitely Agatha Christie…I’ve always wanted to travel on the Oriental Express….:O))
Patricia Cornwell Is the writer that I like. Can,t get enough of her books. I read them at night.
I love Lee Child and the Jack Reacher series. I love Lee’s writing style and his fantastic, fascinating character, Jack Reacher, who I love to follow
Ash Mack i have every one of his books-can tou believe Tom cruise is going to play him?
I love Dan Brown books as they always get me thinking about how much is truth and how much is fiction…
Nero Wolfe is the gourmet detective in Rex Stout’s series where the master cook Fritz Brenner prepares foods described in the mystery stories. His culinary mysteries are truly entertaining and a reader can enjoy the real food written about by preparing the recipes. Magic and yummy.
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