Death Cuisine

Mortem Cycle #4

by Tim Mendees, Rebecca Rowland, Callum Pearce

You ask any chef and they will tell you that kitchen work can be murder. Normally, they don't mean that literally, but that is about to change.
Inside this combination anthology and cookbook you will find thirteen tales of culinary terror and an accompnying recipe. So, set the oven to gas mark 666 and prepare for a smorgasboard of gastronomic ghastliness and pray that your next meal won't be your last.

Featuring stories Neen Cohen, Tim Mendees, Callum Pearce, S.O. Green, Jasmine Jarvis, Rhiannon Lotze, Lyndsey Ellis-Holloway, Rebecca Rowland, Elizabeth Nettleton, Drew Starling & Chisto Healy.

Kindle Edition

First published November 4, 2021

About the author

Tim Mendees is a horror writer from Macclesfield in the North-West of England that specialises in cosmic horror and weird fiction. A lifelong fan of classic weird tales, Tim set out to bring the pulp horror of yesteryear into the 21st Century and give it a distinctly British flavour. His work has been described as the love-child of H.P. Lovecraft and P.G. Wodehouse and is often peppered with a wry sense of humour that acts as a counterpoint to the unnerving, and often disturbing, narratives.
Tim has had over eighty published short stories and novelettes in anthologies and magazines with publishers all over the world. He also has five novellas and a short story collection on sale with more coming soon.
When he is not arguing with the spellchecker, Tim is a goth DJ, crustacean and cephalopod enthusiast, and the presenter of a popular web series of live video readings of his material and interviews with fellow authors. Tim is also a co-host of the Innsmouth Book Club podcast. He currently lives in Brighton & Hove with his pet crab, Gerald, and an army of stuffed octopods.
https://timmendeeswriter.wordpress.com/
https://tinyurl.com/timmendeesyoutube

Reviews

[Emily Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tasty Taales

A brother and sister bake treats for "imaginary creatures". Who suddenly become all to real. Something crashes the banquet at Hotel Monaco.
Will anyone survive? These and other tales to cause shivers. Each story has a recipe after it.

[Vicki J. Urbon · Rating 3 out of 5]

DEATH CUISINE (I doubt Betty Crocker would approve)


"Death Cuisine" is an actual horror/cookbook. This is the first I have ever heard of such a thing. It is a wonderful collection of fourteen stories by eleven different authors. The authors were asked to write a story involving food. Each story is then followed by a real recipe from said authors, which they have paired nicely with their stories in the same manner as one chooses a fine wine to accompany a gourmet repast.

"Death Cuisine" has an extensive and varied menu. Some of the savory selections include revenge, the price of bringing back the dead, mummy business, homicidal fairies and a lovely decapitation or two. The award-winning authors have crafted fresh and perfectly seasoned dishes for your enjoyment. While all of the offerings are exquisite and fit for a king, there are a few which are out of this world. They are: (1) Something Shitty About That Chap by Drew Starling (2) Lunch Break by Callum Pearce (3) Second Death by Jasmine Jarvis and
(4) Scattered by S. O. Green.

In contrast however, the proofreading could be improved upon. Some critics are so off-put by grammatical and spelling errors they refuse to critique their experience. I am not. But in any case, it is the reason I gave "Death Cuisine" three and not four stars. Bon Appétit!

I was given an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Polly Helms · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection of stories with recipes included. There was a story in there for everyone from horror to cosmic. I have found new authors to read, and maybe some new recipes to try. It's amazing how each story had to have a theme of a recipe but the stories were all so different. It will leave you craving!

[Billie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Tam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mortem Cycle series is such a unique and fresh idea in the horror genre, and Death Cuisine fits in with the rest of the series perfectly! The stories are creepy good, and I get such a kick out of the accompanying recipes. If you are looking for something deliciously-new and freakishly-edgy, THIS is your read!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

[PAR · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an unusual premise in a novel! This is an anthology composed of 13 short novels about murder in the kitchen, or death in the café, however you might like to ponder it, Each tale is a real whopper in their own merit – what is really interesting is that each novel has the recipe of the offending delicacy at the end. Now I don’t know if I am going to try any of them. I am not quite that mad at anyone in my family quite yet. An excellent read!

[Danielle Buchino · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the unique premise of this book. All of the tales were well written and had a fantastic recipe at the end. Many of the characters in the stories got their just desserts. Nothing in this book was predictable.

[Cat B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delicious little collection of creepies each with a tasty recipe at the end of the story. Thirteen tales to whet your appetite for a second or even third course of this type of anthology. Absolutely something for everybody from seemingly sweet tiny creatures to the most heinous blood letting man eaters. Usually when reading anthologies there may be one or two tales that I do not really care for. Not so here, I enjoyed them all. Some made me laugh (at first), some made me shiver and some totally made me shudder with their vivid descriptions of horror. Loved them.

[Doreen Fernandes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The variety of stories in this book are a treat. Here you will find an assortment of delectable delights which are irresistible. However, is it wise to gorge on fairy lamingtons, vegan dishes, lobsters, turkeys, puddings or accept free food from a new restaurant? How about the Black Goat Inn serving pasties which are to die for, literally? Bullies are given special treatment and are served up as treats when they show disrespect. Apart from the horror segment each author has included their favourite recipes which tickle the palate. This book is not to be missed.

[Anja Peerdeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent collection of creepy, twisted stories.

I bought this book because DREW STARLING has written a story for it, and I desperately wanted to read more of his work. His story, ‘Something shitty about that chap’, was glorious and good for many re-reads.

The rest of the book was also great fun. It is filled with many magnificent stories that will make you look at your plate suspiciously from now on :)

And….

CHISTO HEALY won my heart the moment he named a Vegan restaurant ‘Where it all vegan’. The story turned out to be magnificently creepy. Let’s Google this author and see what else he has written.

Highly recommended !

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully original collection of devilishly clever stories. They span global cuisine and consequences that go far beyond the waistline. There is fine dining in a newly discovered Egyptian tomb, an Oni's feast you'd best bow out of, fairy cakes, and whatever you do, don't order the lobster! The writers are at the top of their game and then comes the added bonus. Each author has included recipes after each story. Considering that some have a great deal of experience in the non-lethal version of the culinary arts, you'd be well served to buy this book. I highly recommend it!

[Agna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A scrumptious collection of creepy stories, each accompanied by the recipe of a featured dish. What a great combo! Browsing through the recipes is just as much fun as devouring the stories.
My absolute favourite: “Itadakimasu” (the Japanese way of saying thank you and giving respect and appreciation to everyone involved in the preparation of your meal) by Lyndsey Ellis Holloway.

[Brenda Volpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so wonderfully creepy and well written. I loved it. I've never seen a horror book with recipes before. I'll be trying some of them. I was hooked on this book from the very first story and each story that followed was equally entertaining. If you love horror short stories, this is a must read.

[Jodi Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of stories in the horror genre revolving around food. This might turn your off some of your food but it is worth it. There are some fascinating stories in here and the recipes at the end of each is a revelation as well. Try this book, it probably has something for everyone.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not at all what I was expecting, but still a very entertaining horror anthology with interesting recipes.

[DeeDeeWReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super unique anthology of horror stories with recipes. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

I received an advance review copy of this book, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[James Widdall · Rating 4 out of 5]

After seeing some info about a Horror Anthology mixed with a cookbook floating aroundi tracked down a copy, and boy was I happy I did!

We have a great multitude of different types of horror in the book from body horror to who dunnits, cosmic horror to witchcraft and then one of my favourites which happened to be an Egyptian horror story. Each story has a recipe attached to it at the end and there are many different nationalities and food for meat lovers and vegans alike.

I'm only picking 3 stand outs, other wise the list would include almost every story. The 3 are Second Death by Jasmine Jarvis, the aforementioned Egyptian horror, (Fake) Meatbm is Murder by Christo Healy, and Feathers of Fear by Tim Mendes which is bonkers.

It's hard to rate anthologies but this is a good old 4.5/5