The Dead Husband Cookbook

Brief Description:
"One Husband, Well Done... In 1987, Maria and Damien Capello co-opened Polpette Della Nonna, a much beloved Italian restaurant in upstate New York. Despite its immense popularity, Polpette closed suddenly in 1995, shortly after Damien's untimely death. The media circus was intense, gossip swirling around the mysterious matriarch, claiming Maria murdered her husband to build her culinary empire on his bones-but the entire Capello family maintained their stony silence. Until now. Thea Woods has no idea why she was chosen to work with Maria on her sure-to-be-infamous memoir, but she doesn't question her luck, leaving her husband and daughter behind to join the Capellos on their rustic, idyllic upstate farm. But something's not quite right with the close-knit clan. Damien isn't the only person caught in the Capello's snare that's gone missing and as the stench of rot hidden beneath the kind coastal grandmother veneer rises, Thea may find herself trapped at the center of the greatest scandal to rock the culinary world since Damien's increasingly suspicious disappearance-assuming she can live long enough to tell the tale. Because there are reasons why Damien's body was never found...and why, in over thirty years, Maria Capello has never revealed the secret ingredient in her most famous recipe"--

Review Quotes:
"A tasty and wildly macabre story that foodies and horror fans will devour, probably in one big gulp...Valentine scatters an enjoyable assortment of recipes throughout the narrative that will tempt the reader into heating up the skillet." -- Booklist, STARRED review

Review Quotes:
"Deliciously dark...Valentine ratchets up the suspense, deploying all manner of horror tropes--including animals screaming in the woods and rustling footsteps in the house--to build a sense of dread...Suspense fans won't be able to put this down." -- Publishers Weekly

Review Quotes:
"A knife-sharp thriller with a dash of horror set in the over-the-top world of professional cooking? Yes, please! Danielle Valentine's atmospheric chiller made my jaw drop and my mouth water with its fresh, original twists and uniquely delicious sendup of food culture and the chefs we worship. Forgive the pun, but yes, I absolutely devoured it." -- Andrea Bartz, New York Times bestselling author of We Were Never Here

Review Quotes:
" Knives Out meets Evelyn Hugo with a pinch of Nora Ephron's Heartburn, The Dead Husband Cookbook takes a murder mystery, rolled in family drama, and roasts it in the heat of feminine fury. I devoured every page." -- Stacie Grey, author of She Left and She Didn't Stand a Chance

Review Quotes:
" The Dead Husband's Cookbook is delightfully twisted and utterly delicious. It had me gripped from the very first page and wouldn't let up until that shocking and satisfying ending. Danielle Valentine is a master of the horror thriller, and I can't wait to see what she does next!" -- Sara Ochs, author of This Stays Between Us

Review Quotes:
"Sizzling with a glamorously Gothic setting, tantalizing twists and a premise that'll have you begging for seconds, The Dead Husband Cookbook is the depravedly delicious foodie thriller you never knew you needed. I was frantically flipping the pages, desperate to find out just what Maria Capello puts in those famous meatballs of hers. Danielle Valentine sets the table for a truly unique and mesmerizing read--sit down to dinner, if you dare." -- Leah Konen, author of The Last Room on the Left

Review Quotes:

"No one in the horror thriller game is writing at Danielle Valentine's level of creativity and savagery. THE DEAD HUSBAND COOKBOOK is a masterpiece mashup of family drama, delicious twists, and feminine rage, also known as the recipe for the hottest book of the summer. I absolutely loved it and bow down to Valentine's dark genius." -- Ashley Winstead, USA Today bestselling author of This Book Will Bury Me

"The Dead Husband Cookbook is one of the most original novels I've read in a long time. It's Gone Girl with a dash of horror meets The Bear. A twisty tale of secrets, betrayal, and the lengths we go for family. Danielle Valentine has discovered the secret ingredient for an unputdownable novel. Yes, chef!" -- Alex Finlay, bestselling author of Parents Weekend

A deliciously wicked new thriller from New York Times bestselling author Danielle Valentine.

One husband, well done.

When infamous chef, restaurateur, and television personality Maria Capello's husband died, the media circus was intense...and quick to cast the blame. Whispers claimed Maria murdered her husband to build her culinary empire on his bones, and that there was an all-too-grisly reason his body was never recovered. Yet for the past few decades, the Capello family maintained their stoney silence--until now.

Thea Woods has no idea why she was chosen to work with Maria on her sure-to-be-infamous memoir, but she doesn't question her luck. Spirited away to the Capello's rustic upstate farm, she's soon embroiled in the mystery--and cut off from the rest of the world. It should be the job of a lifetime, but something's not quite right with the close-knit clan, and Damien Capello isn't the only one to go mysteriously missing over the years. As the true story of Maria's past unfolds and the stench of rot hidden behind the kind coastal grandmother veneer rises, Thea finds herself trapped...and desperately afraid.

Because there are reasons why Damien's body was never found...and why, in over thirty years, Maria Capello has never revealed the secret ingredient in her most famous recipe.

Review Citations:

• Publishers Weekly 06/23/2025 (EAN 9781728276915, Hardcover)
• Booklist 07/01/2025 pg. 27 (EAN 9781728276915, Hardcover) - *Starred Review

Contributor Bio:Valentine, Danielle

Danielle Valentine is a pseudonym for the young adult novelist Danielle Vega. Her work, which includes The Merciless series and HOW TO SURVIVE YOUR MURDER, has been optioned for film and television by Lionsgate and Warner Bros, and has been translated into dozens of languages worldwide. Danielle lives outside of New York city with her husband, daughter, and two ornery cats. DELICATE CONDITION is her first adult novel.