First published 2026
Mebel thought retirement would bring travel and relaxation. Instead, her husband of forty years leaves her for their private chef. At sixty three, she refuses to accept defeat. She hatches a plan to win him back by learning to cook at the Saint Honoré School of Culinary Arts in France. The school turns out to be in a small English village outside Oxford, not Paris. Her younger classmates give her a cold reception, but Gemma, the program's star student, befriends her on the first day. When Gemma suddenly stops attending classes, Mebel grows suspicious. She may not know how to properly cut a potato, but she can spot deception. Something strange is happening at the culinary school, and Mebel decides to investigate her friend's disappearance. Her quest to save her marriage becomes something entirely different as she uncovers the truth about her classmates and their peculiar behavior.
Genres: romance, mystery, contemporary, culinary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, second-chance
Setting: England, France, Oxford, Saint Honoré School of Culinary Arts
Period: 21st-century
304 pages · Paperback · Berkley