Monday, December 5, 2022

Mysteries with Recipes Origin Story by Maya Corrigan #Giveaway Pot Luck Monday

Recipe Cards from Mystery Lovers Kitchen Authors
In my latest book, Bake Offed, which takes place at a mystery fan fest, a book vendor explains the popularity of culinary cozy mysteries: “Today’s readers want to know, not just whodunit, but what to eat for dinner.” The recipes appended to cozy mysteries serve that purpose. Most of the Mystery Lovers' Kitchen writers include recipes in their books. I've read mysteries since my mother brought home an armful of them every week from the library, but I don’t remember any crime novels with recipes in them until the last two decades. I did some research to find out which mystery writer was the first to include recipes in a book. 

The first detective novel with recipes that I’ve been able to find was Too Many Cooks by Rex Stout, which came out in 1938. Stout’s detective, Nero Wolfe, is a gourmand who rarely leaves his home. While solving crimes from his armchair, he obsesses about food, often discussing ingredients and cooking methods with his personal gourmet chef, Fritz. Wolfe appears in Stout’s novels and shorter works from 1934 to 1975, but Too Many Cooks is the one book that included recipes, and only in its first edition. However, those recipes had a life of their own outside of the book.

Rex Stout went on what must be the most expensive book tour ever. The Saturday Evening Post, which serialized Too Many Cooks, held a lavish luncheon in a dozen cities. The guests, influencers like book reviewers and sellers, not only enjoyed a multi-course feast, but also received a keepsake, a book-shaped box containing Nero Wolfe’s recipes. The promotional recipe box, only a thousand of which were produced, is prized by collectors and now worth more than a first edition of the book. The current price for the box in good condition with all recipes is close to $4,000.


Recipe box photos: WFinch, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons


The recipe box plays a role in my 8th Five-Ingredient Mystery, Bake Offed. My sleuths, café manager Val and her grandfather, the Codger Cook, are helping a friend who’s running the fest. Besides the usual panels and book signings, my fest also includes a murder and a Deadly Desserts bakeoff, in which Granddad competes. Each contestant must assume the persona of a fictional detective’s cook and bake a sweet the detective would like. Granddad, who promotes five-ingredient dishes in his recipe column, is assigned the daunting role of Nero Wolfe’s gourmet chef, who cooks with “scads of ingredients.” The Too Many Cooks recipe box Granddad finds in the attic has a dessert recipe he can handle. He’s now sure he can win the bake-off against his rival recipe columnist, who plays Mrs. Hudson, Sherlock Holmes’s landlady. On the first night of the fest, Granddad’s prized recipe box disappears and Mrs. Hudson is found dead in her hotel room next to a whistling teakettle. So how do mystery fans who love murder on the page react to a murder in their midst? You’ll have to read the book to find out. 






Readers: Do you look at the recipes included in mysteries? Do you ever try any of the recipes?


I’ll give away a set of recipe cards (shown in the first photo of this post) to one person who comments. DON'T FORGET TO INCLUDE YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS if you'd like to win the recipe cards.




29 comments:

  1. Maya, what a great story and amazing beginning for a mystery!

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  2. Enjoyed reading your post. Yes I love the idea of recipes being included in a book. As I read a book and a dish is talked about making my mouth water, I often take a quick peak in the back of the books to see if it's included. I have tried several and I know I will try more in the future.

    Thank you for the chance to win these fabulous recipe cards.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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    1. Thank you for commenting, Kay. I'm glad you've tried the recipes from the books.~Maya

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  3. I love when there's recipes. I've tried some and there's many many more I want to get to. I think I've gotten spoiled by how many books do include recipes now that I'm a little disappointed if a character is describing a yummy sounding dish and the recipe isn't there. Sometimes I'll be on the fence about whether or not a book sounds interesting for me based on the blurb, but a good recipe a the end will seal the deal.
    kozo8989(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. Thanks for commenting, Alicia. I confess to sometimes describing a yummy dish in a book and not giving the recipe for it, but only because I'm limited to five ingredients, and some recipes just need more than that. I often share recipes that require more ingredients here on the Mystery Lovers' Kitchen.

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  4. I like to see the recipes. Sometimes they're a little too ambitious for me to try making, but they always sound delicious.
    wskwared(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Thanks for your comment. I also found that recipes in culinary mysteries were often too ambitious for me to try. That's why I decided to write books with five-ingredient recipes in them.

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  5. I do enjoy recipes in books, in fact am a bit frustrated when one is described, and then not included! Had never heard about the collector's book box of Nero Wolf's recipes, so find that most interesting. I have tried some of the recipes in books, found a few keepers that have made it into regular rotation that way. Thanks for the chance to win a new book. makennedyinaz(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. Thanks for commenting, Marcia. Today's giveaway is for a set of recipe cards, but you can leave a comment on yesterday's Around the Kitchen Table post for a chance to win my new book and five other books.

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  6. I enjoy the recipes in mystery books. I have made some of them too and they were as good as I knew they would be. I wonder how many people here will go get the Nero Wolfe book! I know I will, just not the first edition. Thanks Maya! I do enjoy your books.

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    1. Oops, not as anonymous! Annelovell12@yahoo.com

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    2. Thanks for your comment, Anne. I'm happy to hear you try the recipes from mystery books and you plan to read Too Many Cooks. ~Maya

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  7. I LOVE A BOOK WITH RECIPES!! I check this website often for a certain recipe that I had read about and come back later to make.
    lindalou64(@)live(dot)com.

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  8. Absolutely loved this story! And I learned something new about the first mystery with recipes. I enjoy following the recipes at Mystery Lovers Kitchen that pique my interest. Thanks, Jess
    maceoindo(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  9. I love it when recipes are included in books and I do try some of them. cherierj(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  10. Thanks for this fascinating culinary mystery history lesson, Maya! And thanks to all the commenters--it's good to know that our recipes are appreciated!

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  11. I have tried some of the recipes included in culinary mysteries and they've all been delicious.
    jtcgc at yahoo dot com

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  12. I do look at the recipes and save the ones I think I might make. And I actually have made some of them! patdupuy@yahoo.com

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  13. I love it when recipes are included in books! I have tried a lot of different ones! Its a nice surprise to find a recipe in a book when I'm not expecting one. Thanks for the chance! What a fun giveaway!
    jarjm1980(@)hotmail(dot)com

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  14. I do read the recipes and I have tried some of the recipes. What a cool giveaway.

    kaye.killgore (at) comcast (dot) net

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  15. I adore culinary cozies and try to make at least one recipe from each story. I also make note of interesting sounding dishes from cozies that don't include recipes to look up later and try making. I have fun sharing pics on IG of cozy food pairing so be on the lookout for Mrs. White's soup from your latest mystery which had my stymied and I think that I will need to take a closer look at the classics. Thank you for your generous giveaway and fingers crossed! tracy.condie@gmail.com

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  16. I always look at the recipes, but have yet to try one. I really should one of these days.... they're just not always convenient when they're in a book of fiction rather than a cookbook. journeybound2010 (at) gmail.com.

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  17. Your recipes are wonderful, Maya! Please keep giving us the gift of your writing talents as well as the delicious recipes!!! Luis at ole dot travel

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  18. I love the stories and the recipes.

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  19. I most certainly use the recipes in the mysteries.
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

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  20. I have tried several of the recipes from the different books. From most of the food groups. Main dish. desserts, a couple pet recipes, etc. They offer so many ideas. bess deepotter 84 at gmail dot com

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  21. I love when recipes are included and I enjoy reading them. I have a culinary series that I follow and I order the dish mentioned in the title to celebrate each being released!! egoehner(at) roadrunner(dot)com.

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