The Cook
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  • Published: 12 April 2023
  • ISBN: 9781529115390
  • Imprint: Vintage
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 384
  • RRP: $22.99

The Cook

From the award-winning author of The Waiter

Formats & editions
Paperback
12 Apr 2023
Audiobook
5 May 2022
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Ex-Kolkata detective Kamil Rahman has new murders to solve in London's Brick Lane. The gripping new novel from the award-winning author of the Sunday Times Book of the Month, THE WAITER.

The Guardian's best crime and thriller book of 2022

From the award-winning author of the Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month The Waiter comes the second page-turning mystery starring detective-turned-cook Kamil Rahman.

'A refreshing and welcome addition to the world of detective fiction' Abir Mukherjee
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Kamil Rahman used to be a detective in Kolkata. Now he's a cook in London's East End.
Yet trouble still knows where to find him...

Kamil Rahman thought his crimefighting days were behind him. But when a woman he knows is murdered and the police arrest the most convenient suspect, he hangs up his apron and employs his detective skills once more to find the true killer.

Meanwhile, restaurant manager Anjoli is volunteering with a homeless charity, where she notices a sudden troubling increase in unexplained deaths among people sleeping rough in and around Brick Lane. With the council and police uninterested, she starts an investigation of her own.

Kamil and Anjoli's cases seem unrelated, but as the duo dig deeper, they discover connections that stretch from London to Lahore. Together they take on the indifference of the authorities . . . If the Met won't find the murderers, then they will.


Praise for The Waiter:

'A hugely entertaining first novel' Ann Cleeves

'An outstanding debut' Sunday Times Book of the Month

'A rip-roaring mystery that's engrossing from start to finish... a refreshing and welcome addition to the world of detective fiction. One of my favourite reads of the year' Abir Mukherjee
  • Published: 12 April 2023
  • ISBN: 9781529115390
  • Imprint: Vintage
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 384
  • RRP: $22.99
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About the author

Ajay Chowdhury

Ajay Chowdhury is the winner of the inaugural Harvill Secker and Bloody Scotland competition. He is a tech entrepreneur and theatre director who lived the first third of his life in India and then moved to London, where he cooks experimental meals for his wife and daughters. His first children’s book, Ayesha and the Firefish, was published in 2016 and The Waiter is his debut crime thriller.

portrait photo of Ajay Chowdhury

Also by Ajay Chowdhury

The Spy
The Detective
The Waiter
See all

Praise for The Cook

Kamil and Anjali are a terrific team. Chowdhury makes the murder mystery feel like a brand-new invention. His second thriller is chockfull of authentic flavours and tasty surprises that will leave readers wanting more.

Christopher Fowler, author of the Bryant and May Mysteries

Marvellous! A vivid romp through the Londoner's London, seen through the sharp eyes of a recent arrival. The only thing that induced me to put it down was the fact that it made me so hungry...

Alex Marwood

A real page-turner

Waitrose Weekend

Thrilling... This is a terrific series, a vivid portrait of the East End where a thriving economy is overshadowed by the effects of inequality

Joan Smith, Sunday Times

A real surprise... It is not just the descriptions of food that leave you hungry for more

Mark Sanderson, The Times

Chowdhury's portrait of multicultural London is as effective as his portrayal of the mixed feelings of his characters, who may enjoy aspects of their lives but still long for the pleasures they have left behind

Natasha Cooper, Literary Review

The Cook is an ideal summer read... [a] dazzlingly clever plot

Sunday Times, *Summer Reads of 2023*