The Dead Husband Cookbook

A book editor reboots her career while uncovering secrets from a renowned chef’s past in Valentine’s deliciously dark latest (after Delicate Condition). On the outs with her boss for a significant mistake involving a former client, Thea Woods thinks her career is over. Then she learns that celebrity chef Maria Capello, whom she’s never met, has offered Thea’s publishing house her memoir—but only if Thea edits it. Baffled and intrigued, Thea agrees to stay at Maria’s rural farm in Upstate New York while she works on the manuscript. Almost immediately, she senses something’s not right in the Capello household, which includes Maria and her two adult children. Meanwhile, Thea hopes the manuscript will straighten out details about the disappearance of Maria’s husband three decades earlier. Rumors have long swirled that Maria killed him and used his remains as a secret ingredient in her popular meatballs. As Thea edits Maria’s bombshell-packed memoir, 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. Then one of Maria’s houseguests goes missing, bringing the tension to a fever pitch. Suspense fans won’t be able to put this down. Agent: Hillary Jacobson, CAA. (Aug.)