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A Meal to Die For: A Culinary Novel of Crime
Benny Lacoco is a "food fence". A load of frozen shrimp falls off of a truck, or perhaps a few cases of olive oil or some nice expensive wine with an unpronounceable name comes into your possession, Benny is the guy who can move it for you.
No questions asked.
He's well connected and a man of respect.
But there is another side to Benny. He's a gourmet cook who once aspired to be a renowned restaurateur…but business (and other matters equally unsavory) got in the way.
Now Benny has been summoned to cook a special meal for some of his associates on the occasion of the big man being sent up the river.
This gives Benny the chance to prepare the meal of his life
A MEAL TO DIE FOR
because word has it that someone in their midst is a rat, and some things just can't be forgiven.
From the abundant antipasto of chicken liver mousse, prosciutto wrapped asparagus, grilled sardines, and other delicacies to the creamy delight of crayfish bisque, three types of pasta, and main entrees of roasted lamb, baked snapper, and chicken with artichokes and sausage, we are treated to flashbacks of Benny's life in a novel that blends the best of Big Night with Goodfellas .
No questions asked.
He's well connected and a man of respect.
But there is another side to Benny. He's a gourmet cook who once aspired to be a renowned restaurateur…but business (and other matters equally unsavory) got in the way.
Now Benny has been summoned to cook a special meal for some of his associates on the occasion of the big man being sent up the river.
This gives Benny the chance to prepare the meal of his life
A MEAL TO DIE FOR
because word has it that someone in their midst is a rat, and some things just can't be forgiven.
From the abundant antipasto of chicken liver mousse, prosciutto wrapped asparagus, grilled sardines, and other delicacies to the creamy delight of crayfish bisque, three types of pasta, and main entrees of roasted lamb, baked snapper, and chicken with artichokes and sausage, we are treated to flashbacks of Benny's life in a novel that blends the best of Big Night with Goodfellas .
272 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 10, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
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March 17, 2025DNF around 30%, I guess. In the third or fourth chapter, after suffering through Benny's first flashback through the betting. Yawn.
A couple problems here:
1. The characters are pretty darn cliched. They're not terribly interesting from the get-go.
2. This should be a closed-room mystery, but what's the point of all these flashbacks? The story they tell isn't even unique and they certainly don't make the reader sympathetic toward Benny.
3. What the hell IS the plot? There's no pacing, no tension related to the issue behind why these people have gathered for Benny's fancy meal. Like I said, this should be a closed-room mystery -- lock everyone in the room until one confesses to the crime -- but getting this lost into Benny's memories erases the entire setup. What's this book about? Who am I supposed to care about here, and why?
So on to the next.
A couple problems here:
1. The characters are pretty darn cliched. They're not terribly interesting from the get-go.
2. This should be a closed-room mystery, but what's the point of all these flashbacks? The story they tell isn't even unique and they certainly don't make the reader sympathetic toward Benny.
3. What the hell IS the plot? There's no pacing, no tension related to the issue behind why these people have gathered for Benny's fancy meal. Like I said, this should be a closed-room mystery -- lock everyone in the room until one confesses to the crime -- but getting this lost into Benny's memories erases the entire setup. What's this book about? Who am I supposed to care about here, and why?
So on to the next.
January 23, 2020
better than expected. enjoyed all the recipes as palette cleansers, although the meal dragged near the end and it was kind of weird to have all the important stuff happen during the sorbet course or w/e
April 23, 2020
Great read up at four in the morning and still reading . Love The menu .
December 17, 2020
I’m sorry I spent 20 minutes reading this book. I just put it back now.
August 30, 2014
A Meal to Die For tells the story of Benny Lacoco, a top class chef who is also a part of the mob. The story takes place during a dinner that the higher ups in the "organization" set up, and told Benny to cook the meals. The book switches a lot between the dinner that Benny had to cook, and Bennys memories of how he got started up in the mob and how he made his way to his current position in it.
I chose to read this book because it seemed interesting and creative.
The best part of the book was the ending of the dinner. That part was, by far, much more intense and interesting than the rest of the book. Bennys memories aren't very interesting and a lot of times during them, I just thought of how stupid he is to do a lot of the things he's done. Although you do see a lot of development in his character, Benny just isn't a character that I could like or relate to, he's actually quite boring (and a lot of times also a jerk). The parts that took place during the dinner usually felt like an excuse to bring up some more of Bennys memories (except for the last part).
I think that A Meal to Die For is an average book, fans of books/movies about the mafia will probably enjoy it more, and it's fine to kill time if your'e bored.
I chose to read this book because it seemed interesting and creative.
The best part of the book was the ending of the dinner. That part was, by far, much more intense and interesting than the rest of the book. Bennys memories aren't very interesting and a lot of times during them, I just thought of how stupid he is to do a lot of the things he's done. Although you do see a lot of development in his character, Benny just isn't a character that I could like or relate to, he's actually quite boring (and a lot of times also a jerk). The parts that took place during the dinner usually felt like an excuse to bring up some more of Bennys memories (except for the last part).
I think that A Meal to Die For is an average book, fans of books/movies about the mafia will probably enjoy it more, and it's fine to kill time if your'e bored.
March 25, 2014
Joseph Gannascoli is Vito, the Soprano's hitman, and it's a pleasure to read his culinary mystery featuring Benny Lacoco, a guy on the fringe of the mob who prepares a command meal for the bosses' sit down. How's that for niche?
Benny's a smart guy and figures out early how to bend the rules within tolerable bounds of the mob's rightness and wrongness. Sure he fences frozen shrimp and bad olive oil, but he is loyal to those who've helped him and besides, he's a damn good cook. Also, he makes sure that the family is always served the good olive oil. Benny's in.
The sit down is hilarious. Every guy there is certain that he's the one to be wacked, even Benny. The anxiety rises and falls with the presentation of each course, as the guys forget fear and indulge their stomachs. Stories of fabled mobsters, escapades and near escapes and not fill the time between plates. The courses are wonderful, and each of these Italian wonders are detailed at length.
Set in New York City, Ganascoli's dedication includes a list of restaurants that influenced him.
--Ashland Mystery
Benny's a smart guy and figures out early how to bend the rules within tolerable bounds of the mob's rightness and wrongness. Sure he fences frozen shrimp and bad olive oil, but he is loyal to those who've helped him and besides, he's a damn good cook. Also, he makes sure that the family is always served the good olive oil. Benny's in.
The sit down is hilarious. Every guy there is certain that he's the one to be wacked, even Benny. The anxiety rises and falls with the presentation of each course, as the guys forget fear and indulge their stomachs. Stories of fabled mobsters, escapades and near escapes and not fill the time between plates. The courses are wonderful, and each of these Italian wonders are detailed at length.
Set in New York City, Ganascoli's dedication includes a list of restaurants that influenced him.
--Ashland Mystery
December 3, 2013
Plot was interesting - Benny is a chef and a fence and is summoned to prepare a meal for some associates of the big man, who is being sent to prison. Beyond that, no one seems to know too much about why the various associates were called to this specific dinner.
One of the methods used in the writing of this book was flashbacks - Benny as he cooks recalls incidents from his past, and the writer takes us through that incident. I tend to not like flashback writing, as sometimes it interrupts too much the flow of the book, but this one worked reasonably well.
If you are looking for a book with recipes, like a cozy, this isn't a book in that genre.
One of the methods used in the writing of this book was flashbacks - Benny as he cooks recalls incidents from his past, and the writer takes us through that incident. I tend to not like flashback writing, as sometimes it interrupts too much the flow of the book, but this one worked reasonably well.
If you are looking for a book with recipes, like a cozy, this isn't a book in that genre.
March 11, 2008
I took the 2007 Hofstra University Summer Writers Workshop and wound up being taught fiction by the "co-author" (i.e. author) of this book, Allen Kupfer--who bore an uncanny resemblance to the older brother on Everybody Loves Raymond, except skinnier. Very decent writer and a excellent professor; moreover, the guy is unafraid to say that he loves genre fiction--how cool is that?
December 28, 2015
I never seen it comin'! This book was very well done -- a mystery within the mob. Benny, our hero and superb chef, was around la familia all his life. He was one of the good guys. This tale is the story of his life. It's hard to play both ends against the middle, but our boy Benny lucks out! Love the foodie feel and almost-recipes, too.
June 4, 2012
I really liked this book. If you enjoy good food and an ever building story then you will eat up A Meal to Die For. This is a mob story that is almost a cozy mystery. You follow the main character who is a good guy, kind of, and a rich cast of bad guys who can be ruthless and unpredictable.
May 2, 2012
Sort of a one-note song. Wished for a bigger plot twist at the end that would have made some of the slower parts of the read (not to mention the main character's lack of character) worthwhile...
December 1, 2010
I really liked this murder mystery involving the mob. It was an easy and fast read.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews