Tannie Maria writes the Love Advice and Recipe Column for the Klein Karoo Gazette: words of wisdom for the lovelorn, along with a recipe for something delicious that may help.
But Maria's own problems resist her attempts to self-medicate, even with an amazing peanut-butter coffee chocolate cake. Her new relationship with Detective Henk Kannemeyer continues to be haunted by the memory of her abusive husband, and she decides to check out a PTSD counselling group run by a man they call the Satanic Mechanic.
But then someone is murdered—poisoned with mustard sauce—before her eyes, and Tannie Maria's quest for healing takes a more investigative turn. Which means her intimate relationship with Henk is about to get professional. And more importantly, very complicated.
Sally Andrew lives in a mud-brick house on a nature reserve near Ladismith in the Klein Karoo (South Africa). She has published a number of non-fiction books and educational articles. The feel-good books Recipes for Love and Murder and The Satanic Mechanic are her first novels.
'Sally Andrew gives the reader a murder mystery with an original plot, a twist or two and quite a few red herrings...She laces it with plenty of humour, fills it with wonderful food, and wraps the whole thing in some gorgeous descriptive prose...[the] second Tannie Maria mystery is even better than the first.' Bookmooch
'I enjoyed the characters, of which there were many but they were well-drawn and distinct, and admired Andrew's evident love of her South African surroundings, which comes across in her descriptions of the landscape, animal and bird life, and her liberal use of Afrikaans. Her writing has a strong sense of place and the setting serves the plot well.' Otago Daily Times
'Food heals, arouses, coerces, and kills in Andrew's sublime second psychological cozy featuring South African agony aunt Tannie Maria van Harte. Her food wisdom is universal, unassailable: potato salad eases worry; warm orange pudding makes one feel whole.' Publishers Weekly, starred review
'The sights and sounds, animal life and community affairs of the Klein Karoo in South Africa, the huge diversity of people and cultures and the big issues that face the Bushmen, all form a fascinating background to the murder mystery. Readers who enjoyed the first book, will have another treat in store for them.' ReadPlus
'Exotic and enchanting...All the characters in Ms Andrew's evocative novel are finely drawn.' Wall Street Journal
'This friendly novel is something to savour...especially in its assertion that there's not much in life that the love of a little lamb, stalwart friendships, intimate relationships and several slices of the tantalisingly-titled Venus Cake can't cure.' Seattle Review of Books
'Sublime...Tannie Maria's authentic recipes for which Andrew credits many sources are easy to make far from the veldt. Her food wisdom is universe, unassailable: potato salad eases worry; warm orange pudding makes one feel whole.' Publishers Weekly, starred review
'This wonderfully-written South African read will have you laughing all the way...The cultures and languages of South Africa are richly and beautifully expressed...this book is the sequel to Recipes for Love and Murder, but it can easily be read as a standalone book with its charm and loveable characters.' Writers Write
'Sally Andrew stirs up another engaging mystery in her second Tannie Maria novel, The Satanic Mechanic...Tannie Maria's second adventure is like the meals that come from...
