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The Tasting Menu: A Short Story
In this short tale from Stuart MacBride, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Dead of Winter and the Logan McRae series, sometimes a meal ends with unjust deserts…
Three friends go on a foodie road trip to the Scottish Highlands and Islands to celebrate their pending retirement, expecting stunning scenery, great food, fine wines, and a chance to reminisce about the good old days. When they somehow secure a reservation at a remote and extremely exclusive restaurant set on a private island in Loch Broom, they know they’re in for a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience.
The question is: what is on the menu? Because all is not as it seems. One of the three friends is a killer, one is a liar, and one will do whatever it takes to survive…
Three friends go on a foodie road trip to the Scottish Highlands and Islands to celebrate their pending retirement, expecting stunning scenery, great food, fine wines, and a chance to reminisce about the good old days. When they somehow secure a reservation at a remote and extremely exclusive restaurant set on a private island in Loch Broom, they know they’re in for a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience.
The question is: what is on the menu? Because all is not as it seems. One of the three friends is a killer, one is a liar, and one will do whatever it takes to survive…
127 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2024
911 people are currently reading
5008 people want to read
About the author
Stuart MacBride
88 books2,733 followersAka Stuart B. MacBride
The life and times of a bearded write-ist.
Stuart MacBride (that's me) was born in Dumbarton -- which is Glasgow as far as I'm concerned -- moving up to Aberdeen at the tender age of two, when fashions were questionable. Nothing much happened for years and years and years: learned to play the recorder, then forgot how when they changed from little coloured dots to proper musical notes (why the hell couldn't they have taught us the notes in the first bloody place? I could have been performing my earth-shattering rendition of 'Three Blind Mice' at the Albert Hall by now!); appeared in some bizarre World War Two musical production; did my best to avoid eating haggis and generally ran about the place a lot.
Next up was an elongated spell in Westhill -- a small suburb seven miles west of Aberdeen -- where I embarked upon a mediocre academic career, hindered by a complete inability to spell and an attention span the length of a gnat's doodad.
And so to UNIVERSITY, far too young, naive and stupid to be away from the family home, sharing a subterranean flat in one of the seedier bits of Edinburgh with a mad Irishman, and four other bizarre individuals. The highlight of walking to the art school in the mornings (yes: we were students, but we still did mornings) was trying not to tread in the fresh bloodstains outside our front door, and dodging the undercover CID officers trying to buy drugs. Lovely place.
But university and I did not see eye to eye, so off I went to work offshore. Like many all-male environments, working offshore was the intellectual equivalent of Animal House, only without the clever bits. Swearing, smoking, eating, more swearing, pornography, swearing, drinking endless plastic cups of tea... and did I mention the swearing? But it was more money than I'd seen in my life! There's something about being handed a wadge of cash as you clamber off the minibus from the heliport, having spent the last two weeks offshore and the last two hours in an orange, rubber romper suit / body bag, then blowing most of it in the pubs and clubs of Aberdeen. And being young enough to get away without a hangover.
Then came a spell of working for myself as a graphic designer, which went the way of all flesh and into the heady world of studio management for a nation-wide marketing company. Then some more freelance design work, a handful of voiceovers for local radio and video production companies and a bash at being an actor (with a small 'a'), giving it up when it became clear there was no way I was ever going to be good enough to earn a decent living.
It was about this time I fell into bad company -- a blonde from Fife who conned me into marrying her -- and started producing websites for a friend's fledgling Internet company. From there it was a roller coaster ride (in that it made a lot of people feel decidedly unwell) from web designer to web manager, lead programmer, team lead and other assorted technical bollocks with three different companies, eventually ending up as a project manager for a global IT company.
But there was always the writing (well, that's not true, the writing only started two chapters above this one). I fell victim to that most dreadful of things: peer pressure. Two friends were writing novels and I thought, 'why not? I could do that'.
Took a few years though...
The life and times of a bearded write-ist.
Stuart MacBride (that's me) was born in Dumbarton -- which is Glasgow as far as I'm concerned -- moving up to Aberdeen at the tender age of two, when fashions were questionable. Nothing much happened for years and years and years: learned to play the recorder, then forgot how when they changed from little coloured dots to proper musical notes (why the hell couldn't they have taught us the notes in the first bloody place? I could have been performing my earth-shattering rendition of 'Three Blind Mice' at the Albert Hall by now!); appeared in some bizarre World War Two musical production; did my best to avoid eating haggis and generally ran about the place a lot.
Next up was an elongated spell in Westhill -- a small suburb seven miles west of Aberdeen -- where I embarked upon a mediocre academic career, hindered by a complete inability to spell and an attention span the length of a gnat's doodad.
And so to UNIVERSITY, far too young, naive and stupid to be away from the family home, sharing a subterranean flat in one of the seedier bits of Edinburgh with a mad Irishman, and four other bizarre individuals. The highlight of walking to the art school in the mornings (yes: we were students, but we still did mornings) was trying not to tread in the fresh bloodstains outside our front door, and dodging the undercover CID officers trying to buy drugs. Lovely place.
But university and I did not see eye to eye, so off I went to work offshore. Like many all-male environments, working offshore was the intellectual equivalent of Animal House, only without the clever bits. Swearing, smoking, eating, more swearing, pornography, swearing, drinking endless plastic cups of tea... and did I mention the swearing? But it was more money than I'd seen in my life! There's something about being handed a wadge of cash as you clamber off the minibus from the heliport, having spent the last two weeks offshore and the last two hours in an orange, rubber romper suit / body bag, then blowing most of it in the pubs and clubs of Aberdeen. And being young enough to get away without a hangover.
Then came a spell of working for myself as a graphic designer, which went the way of all flesh and into the heady world of studio management for a nation-wide marketing company. Then some more freelance design work, a handful of voiceovers for local radio and video production companies and a bash at being an actor (with a small 'a'), giving it up when it became clear there was no way I was ever going to be good enough to earn a decent living.
It was about this time I fell into bad company -- a blonde from Fife who conned me into marrying her -- and started producing websites for a friend's fledgling Internet company. From there it was a roller coaster ride (in that it made a lot of people feel decidedly unwell) from web designer to web manager, lead programmer, team lead and other assorted technical bollocks with three different companies, eventually ending up as a project manager for a global IT company.
But there was always the writing (well, that's not true, the writing only started two chapters above this one). I fell victim to that most dreadful of things: peer pressure. Two friends were writing novels and I thought, 'why not? I could do that'.
Took a few years though...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 326 reviews
October 24, 2024
This farewell trip has a few hiccups. You expect a few bumps on this trip, but wow, this story takes an unexpected dark turn. It’s intense, with just the right amount of heart-pounding moments that’ll keep you hooked from start to finish. Short but packed with thrills.
October 3, 2025
Three friends decide to take a trip to a fancy hotel/restaurant on a private island in Loch Broom. They are determined to only eat, drink and rest.
What could go wrong?
Well, apparently, everything!
“What the crenelated FUCK is going on here?”
Because things aren’t as they seem in this deliciously dark and macabre yet funny horror story.
What could go wrong?
Well, apparently, everything!
“What the crenelated FUCK is going on here?”
Because things aren’t as they seem in this deliciously dark and macabre yet funny horror story.
September 13, 2024
Deliciously gruesome.
It's a short tale, but it gives us a fully developed ambianc, great twists and turn and a lot of dark humour.
I loved both the writing and the narrator, and would highly recommend it.
It's a short tale, but it gives us a fully developed ambianc, great twists and turn and a lot of dark humour.
I loved both the writing and the narrator, and would highly recommend it.
August 14, 2024
Michelin Star or Tartan Noir? A short story.
Ex cop Alex, out of favour crime author Michael and ex-con Victor travel to a Scottish island for a culinary feast using the finest ingredients, a treat for the tastebuds and obviously accompanied by the most delicious and expensive wines. The weekend away doesn’t turn out quite the way they anticipate… very far from it.
This is Stuart MacBride so readers expectations should veer towards the dark, jet black dark. You can imagine the direction the plot takes if you’ve read his books before. There are numerous twists along the way which keep coming until the end. This is not for the faint hearted but his books never are. It’s OTT of course, total carnage, gory but also dark humorous which is the authors trademark. Consider yourselves warned!!!
Amazon Prime First Read - August 2024.
Ex cop Alex, out of favour crime author Michael and ex-con Victor travel to a Scottish island for a culinary feast using the finest ingredients, a treat for the tastebuds and obviously accompanied by the most delicious and expensive wines. The weekend away doesn’t turn out quite the way they anticipate… very far from it.
This is Stuart MacBride so readers expectations should veer towards the dark, jet black dark. You can imagine the direction the plot takes if you’ve read his books before. There are numerous twists along the way which keep coming until the end. This is not for the faint hearted but his books never are. It’s OTT of course, total carnage, gory but also dark humorous which is the authors trademark. Consider yourselves warned!!!
Amazon Prime First Read - August 2024.
September 13, 2024
Three friends, a foodie trip to the Scottish Highlands, a private island......
Getting away with friends to a remote and beautiful setting to indulge in delicious food sounds like bliss, doesn't it? Alex, Victor, and Michael went to celebrate, to relax, to indulge, and to drink fine wine in this dark tale full of twists, dark humor, and interesting menus!
This is a short story that brims with dark humor, twists, and OTT moments. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narration. I was all over the place with how I felt about this short tale, I liked it, I was put off by it, I liked it again.
Fans of MacBride's writing may enjoy this one more than I did. I put this in my liked but didn't love category.
Thank you to Brilliance Publishing | Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖
Getting away with friends to a remote and beautiful setting to indulge in delicious food sounds like bliss, doesn't it? Alex, Victor, and Michael went to celebrate, to relax, to indulge, and to drink fine wine in this dark tale full of twists, dark humor, and interesting menus!
This is a short story that brims with dark humor, twists, and OTT moments. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narration. I was all over the place with how I felt about this short tale, I liked it, I was put off by it, I liked it again.
Fans of MacBride's writing may enjoy this one more than I did. I put this in my liked but didn't love category.
Thank you to Brilliance Publishing | Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖
August 5, 2024
Awful! We watched Ralph Fiennes in The Menu last night. I’m not sure why we persevered until the end but it was black comedy - our mouths hung open at just how black! - and it filled the time between Olympic events. This book is a not too dissimilar concept but without the black comedy. If The Menu is ridiculous, this is risible.
September 9, 2024
Smörgåsbord Splatterpunk
Review of the Amazon Original Stories eBook (September 1, 2024) released simultaneously with the Amazon Original Stories audiobook.
If I had paid closer attention to the cover image for this novella I would have noticed the blood streaks on the table cloth of the dining table. Going by the title alone and not knowing the author previously I had expected some sort of light foodie misadventure.
Instead, this is a bloodbath with a trio of (mostly) innocents trapped on an island with a murderous bunch of cutthroats. It has the absurdity & gore of various slasher films with our heroes beating off the horde with a combination of guns and kitchen utensils. No more need be said.
Trivia and Links
As opposed to most Amazon Original Stories, The Tasting Menu is 127 pages or 3 hours of narration time, so it is novella instead of short story length.
Stuart MacBride is a Scottish mystery & thriller writer and is the prolific author of 15+ novels and 12+ short stories, the most popular of which (in terms of GR ratings) is the first of the DS Logan McRae police procedural series Cold Granite (2005).
You can watch for current and past Amazon Original Stories which are usually paired with their Audible Original narrations at an Amazon page here (link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region).
Review of the Amazon Original Stories eBook (September 1, 2024) released simultaneously with the Amazon Original Stories audiobook.
If I had paid closer attention to the cover image for this novella I would have noticed the blood streaks on the table cloth of the dining table. Going by the title alone and not knowing the author previously I had expected some sort of light foodie misadventure.
Instead, this is a bloodbath with a trio of (mostly) innocents trapped on an island with a murderous bunch of cutthroats. It has the absurdity & gore of various slasher films with our heroes beating off the horde with a combination of guns and kitchen utensils. No more need be said.
Trivia and Links
As opposed to most Amazon Original Stories, The Tasting Menu is 127 pages or 3 hours of narration time, so it is novella instead of short story length.
Stuart MacBride is a Scottish mystery & thriller writer and is the prolific author of 15+ novels and 12+ short stories, the most popular of which (in terms of GR ratings) is the first of the DS Logan McRae police procedural series Cold Granite (2005).
You can watch for current and past Amazon Original Stories which are usually paired with their Audible Original narrations at an Amazon page here (link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region).
July 6, 2025
Loved the food descriptions and the ending, The rest was just OK.
September 5, 2024
Wow! I've read most of Stuart MacBride's books, and love his mix of zany humor and interesting stories. But he outdid himself with the zaniness in this one. Here I was, reading along thinking it was OK, but kind of boring. But it seemed like there was a setup for more, and the first few pages promised something bad was going to happen. But when the shit hit the fan, I wasn't expecting any of it. Then it got even crazier. And if that wasn't enough, it went totally off the charts for a while. As we got to the end, it seemed to settle down completely, but he just couldn't let it be, and threw in one final twist at the end.
Things got pretty gory and distasteful towards the end, but it was so over the top that I was unable to take it seriously, and I don't think it was meant to be taken any other way.
Each chapter started with the dinner they were eating, which seemed to be the main purpose of this hotel. It was extremely fancy and very unusual. I didn't know what most of the things were, but I recognized enough to know it was uncommon, at least in my little life. I'm not sure if I would even want to eat there, not that I could afford it, or even want to afford it.
Things got pretty gory and distasteful towards the end, but it was so over the top that I was unable to take it seriously, and I don't think it was meant to be taken any other way.
Each chapter started with the dinner they were eating, which seemed to be the main purpose of this hotel. It was extremely fancy and very unusual. I didn't know what most of the things were, but I recognized enough to know it was uncommon, at least in my little life. I'm not sure if I would even want to eat there, not that I could afford it, or even want to afford it.
November 2, 2025
(3.5*)
A short Halloween read. Three acquaintances (a criminal, a crime writer and an ex-cop) go to an exclusive place to eat that is impossible to get to, or escape from.
A dark macabre tale (that is truly, truly gruesome) but lightened with comedy. The characters are stock but the twists and the plot picking pace makes this matter less.
Michael leaned on the gunwale, frowning out at a clump of rocks where a trio of seals lounged like huge glistening slugs.quote from: Course 2 A PRINGCESS'S KISS TO BREAK THE SPELL, The Tasting Menu: A Short Story by Stuart Macbride
A short Halloween read. Three acquaintances (a criminal, a crime writer and an ex-cop) go to an exclusive place to eat that is impossible to get to, or escape from.
A dark macabre tale (that is truly, truly gruesome) but lightened with comedy. The characters are stock but the twists and the plot picking pace makes this matter less.
August 16, 2024
I love Stuart MacBride!
A brilliant short story, with a hard-hitting main course, a side of blood and gore, sprinkled with some of the MacBride humour that makes me smile!
My favourite: "...a display of Roald Dahl rip-offs 'written' by functionally illiterate celebrities." OUCH! 😂
Loved it.
A brilliant short story, with a hard-hitting main course, a side of blood and gore, sprinkled with some of the MacBride humour that makes me smile!
My favourite: "...a display of Roald Dahl rip-offs 'written' by functionally illiterate celebrities." OUCH! 😂
Loved it.
September 14, 2024
I don’t recommend reading “The Tasting Menu” on an empty stomach!
Firstly, a huge thank you to the team at Riot Communications, for sending me an e-copy of “The Tasting Menu”. I don’t usually read e-books (I prefer flipping pages and annotating), but I made an exception on this occasion.
The book is short and packed with action and I read it in one sitting. We follow a group of older friends that are celebrating retirement, and they stay at this ultra posh and expensive restaurant set on a private island.
Very shortly after their arrival and their first meal, things turn sour (pun was likely intended). There is non-stop action after that in a short span. The book itself had many twists and unexpected moments.
The issue is that the book is and stays an appetiser.
There is no full course meal to follow or a desert. It was too short to my liking. And because of this, I felt like there was little to no time to get to know the characters. And when a character was betrayed, or murdered, I felt nothing. I couldn’t get a moment of shock or surprise because I didn’t get invested. This is the only reason the book gets a lower rating.
I did, however, very much enjoy the food references. Every chapter was structured as a menu, and we got various different meals and wine recommendations.
“Smoked Frog’s Legs served in a gilded White-Chocolate-&-powdered-Lobster ball, with a Lobster-&-Tarragon velouté”
–
Hirsch Vineyards Hirsch Estate Chardonnay, 2020
I am not sure if I would recommend the book, unfortunately. Perhaps, if you are interested in a short mystery and if you are a foodie. It’s a good book to pick up if you are bored late in the night and want something quick and easy to read. If the synopsis seems intriguing to you, please do pick this book up. You never know, you might end up loving it and I hope that you do!
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October 7, 2024
When your favourite crime writer drops a novella, you down tools on all current reading plans, and you get on it!
I picked up the audible version from KU and can say the narrator did a wonderful job in bringing this grotesque, weird, and quite frankly ridiculous story to life.
MacBride always has the ability to make me laugh, even when the context of his books are often harrowing.
Even amongst the wild antics of this thriller/horror, there were moments of humour
The story was crazy, unexpected and in the most disturbed way possible a fun read
I picked up the audible version from KU and can say the narrator did a wonderful job in bringing this grotesque, weird, and quite frankly ridiculous story to life.
MacBride always has the ability to make me laugh, even when the context of his books are often harrowing.
Even amongst the wild antics of this thriller/horror, there were moments of humour
The story was crazy, unexpected and in the most disturbed way possible a fun read
December 1, 2024
OMG 🤮This book is a total gross out....but deliciously so! And to think I almost DNF'd! I recommend the read over the listen. The narration was brilliant, but the prose is even better....and if you are squeamish, like me, you can fly through the text at the end, closing your eyes, where necessary (😁).
KU short story. One of the few that are truly exceptional.
KU short story. One of the few that are truly exceptional.
July 31, 2025
Yeah... nope.
Read
December 27, 2024I’m going to spoil this for you, because it’s the one thing I do not like to read, and with everything else under the sun calling for a trigger warning, I don’t know why this didn’t come with its own huge blinking sign.
So I’ll give it to you, in case you also have the same strong aversion I do.
Here goes:
Cannibalism.
It’s not nearly as much or as bad as Tender is the Flesh. But it’s still a central plot point.
That being said, it’s a good-enough thriller and a short story if you’re looking for a small book instead of a doorstop.
But there’s cannibalism.
So take it or leave it. Just know it’s in there in case you want to avoid it.
So I’ll give it to you, in case you also have the same strong aversion I do.
Here goes:
Cannibalism.
It’s not nearly as much or as bad as Tender is the Flesh. But it’s still a central plot point.
That being said, it’s a good-enough thriller and a short story if you’re looking for a small book instead of a doorstop.
But there’s cannibalism.
So take it or leave it. Just know it’s in there in case you want to avoid it.
July 2, 2025
If you intend to lose weight forget exercise or even diets, just read this book it will ruin your appetite for months. Not a police procedural this time but it was a great read, a short story that pack a punch with the usual wit and humor as well as multidimensional well defined characters and as always the bad weather that seems to follow any major character of any MacBride’s book. Only downside….you will never be hungry again.
September 6, 2024
Macabre, not in a good way
Read 70% of it, but it got so disgusting (not in a funny or farcical way, just a truly stomach-turningly awful way) that I couldn’t even finish it. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and it’ll be my last. I seldom leave a bad review, but this story is so bad, I decided to warn other readers.
Read 70% of it, but it got so disgusting (not in a funny or farcical way, just a truly stomach-turningly awful way) that I couldn’t even finish it. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and it’ll be my last. I seldom leave a bad review, but this story is so bad, I decided to warn other readers.
October 28, 2024
I wasted way too much time on this cause I felt bad about dnfing it. The 1 star reviews are right by saying the plot doesn't start until 30 pages in. But the 4/5 star ratings are completely wrong. I can see everyone saying the novella is gory and dark, but I found it really boring, actually. And the use of "wee", omg, is the author even British? No one here speaks like that.
August 24, 2024
Chose as an amazon's first read book... wish I hadn't. Awful writing and was a real slog to get through despite it being a really short book.
November 22, 2024
I’m glad this was a short story. It was shit.
October 16, 2024
Well that all went a bit mental.
Started off quite slow with three old friends going to a very unusual hotel for a dinner. They are an alleged ex gangster, a retired police woman and a bestselling writer of gangster thrillers.
No electronic devices, no signal, weird hotel staff and each chapter headed as a course with descriptions of the food and drink had me guessing what was about to go down.
When it does hold on to your seat as it goes from cheese on toast to Michelin starred soufflé with extra special ingredients. Some nice twists appear and the ending was a chef's kiss.
Would have rated higher but it just seemed to take forever to get good. 1 ⭐️ start with a 4 ⭐️end so went for a 3.
Started off quite slow with three old friends going to a very unusual hotel for a dinner. They are an alleged ex gangster, a retired police woman and a bestselling writer of gangster thrillers.
No electronic devices, no signal, weird hotel staff and each chapter headed as a course with descriptions of the food and drink had me guessing what was about to go down.
When it does hold on to your seat as it goes from cheese on toast to Michelin starred soufflé with extra special ingredients. Some nice twists appear and the ending was a chef's kiss.
Would have rated higher but it just seemed to take forever to get good. 1 ⭐️ start with a 4 ⭐️end so went for a 3.
October 2, 2024
Entertaining relationship listening 🎆🤗✨🤔🏠👒
This kindle novella is from my Kindle Unlimited account
This looked interesting? It is but not my style.
They are on a trip to a Scottish resort on an island off the Scottish Coast. One of the men is retiring.
I would recommend that you give it a try. Happy reading and have fun 😆😯😜
This kindle novella is from my Kindle Unlimited account
This looked interesting? It is but not my style.
They are on a trip to a Scottish resort on an island off the Scottish Coast. One of the men is retiring.
I would recommend that you give it a try. Happy reading and have fun 😆😯😜
September 12, 2024
The Tasting Menu is a short story of approximately three hours on audiobook and narrated beautifully by David Rintoul. If you have a dark, creepy sense of humor like me, you will enjoy this “scrumptious” tale. With all of the food talk I was getting hungry, but then I kept listening…
August 24, 2024
The worst thing I have read in a very long time. Utterly stupid, puerile and very badly written. I hope his A levels go well as long as he’s not doing English.
October 14, 2024
Enjoyed this quite a bit to be fair. I dont know how well it would have actually worked, but wish it could have been a full length book as I really liked the concept!
October 20, 2024
This one is creepy..... very enjoyable.
March 23, 2025
could’ve been yummier but whatever
August 1, 2025
Finished in a night - what a great read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 326 reviews