The Girl Who Can Cook

What is that saying? Revenge is a dish best served cold? Not in this case. It’s served hot as schnitzel right out of the pan. Alex’s best friend was shot several times and murdered by his girlfriend, Erin. Alex and Charlie (a mutual friend of Alex and John) vow to kill Erin if she is not convicted of the murder. Sure enough, she is released from custody to go lead her life as chef and owner of the German-style restaurant Essen. As Alex contemplates how he will kill Erin, he ends up becoming too close to her. He teaches himself how to cook, how to use a knife set (something crucial to a chef’s success), and goes to interview for a job at Essen even though he is an engineer by trade. The characters in The Girl Who Can Cook all have vivid personalities and characteristics. Alex is a bit of a punk at times and at other times he’s sweet and sensitive. He’s a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde if you ask me. Charlie reminded me of a frat boy who never grew up, drinking his way into the wee hours of the night, crashing on whoever’s couch, and waking up only because he did not asphyxiate on his own sickness during the night. Erin, even though Alex made her out to be a vicious killer, was actually my favorite character because she was so passionate about her job and really very forthcoming. She never seemed to have secrets she was hiding from Alex. Emily and Mike, the side characters, were also very vividly described. Mike being a big guy with a big heart and Emily, Erin’s sister, being a lithe blondie who had her sister’s back at all times. I liked how John, the dead boyfriend, was described by both Alex and Emily at different times in the book with completely different personality characteristics. This made the reader think, “Which one of them knew the real John?” Another feature of the book that I liked was its organization. The chapters were broken down into both Alex’s Grief Journal, Alex’s point of view, and Erin’s point of view. This made the book read very easily and smoothly. A fantastic read that kept me engaged the whole time.