Mystery/Thriller
Anthony Bourdain is best known as a chef and the author of Kitchen Confidential. This novel is his first attempt at fiction and it tells the story of Tommy, nephew to a mobster but trying to break away from that lifestyle and make one as a chef. He has a job working as a sous-chef at a fancy French restaurant, but his uncle Sally got him that job. Tommy becomes close to the head chef, Michael, who has a methadone addiction and he also learns that Sally has his hand in the restaurant, with the owner owing him business. As the FBI closes in, they try to squeeze anyone they can about more information on Sally and his cronies.
Since Bourdain knows all the ins and outs of the restaurant business, it's no surprise that his first fiction novel focuses around a restaurant. That's really where his writing shines, when the speaks about making food and being in the kitchen. The mobster/mystery part of the book was a bit lack-luster. It could have been any old book about mobsters. I would read one of Bourdain's non-fiction books but I don't think I'd pick up another of his fiction works.
First Line: "That the dead body should be found washed up on the beach was not so unusual."
Rating: 
(3/5)
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