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Pass The Cyanide by Karmen Špiljak. Review.


Book Description


A deadly feast, a mobster restaurant and a family get-together with fatal results.


Savour the spicy tang of dark and twisted tales in Pass the Cyanide, a follow-up to the award-winning

collection of culinary mysteries, Add Cyanide to Taste.


From an old friend hiding a deadly secret to a ravenous house with an appetite for friends, Špiljak

masterfully blends the allure of food and the thrill of mystery. Each story is a rich and satisfying

serving of crime, with a twist that will leave you wanting more.


A must-read for fans of culinary noir and foodies who love a pinch of danger with their suspense. All

recipes included are cyanide-free.




BLOG TOUR REVIEW



Review for 'Pass The Cyanide' by Karmen Špiljak




Read and reviewed for Karmen Špiljak and Rachel's Random Resources.




Publication date 3rd November 2023



This is the first book I have read by this author but it most definitely won't be my last! It is also the second book in Karmen's 'Cooking With Cyanide' series but can be read as a standalone.



This novel consists of a foreword, 8 short stories and 8 recipes.


I have never come across a book at all like this and it's uniqueness is definitely a huge bonus!! This book consists of 8 unique, funny, eclectic and definitely eccentric stories. One of the things I always enjoy about books of poems, short stories and compilations is that there is normally always something for everyone and even though you may not like some of the stories/poems there is normally several that you will enjoy and in this case I absolutely LOVED EACH AND EVERY SINGLE ONE!! The other bonus of books of short stories are that you can pick the book up throughout the day/s to pick and choose which story/stories you want to read that day or can read the whole book in one sitting. The stories are filled with food, murder, crime, poison, revenge, laughter, entertainment and just absolutely everything you could ask for in a book!! I absolutely loved the comeuppance that was most definitely deserved in some of the stories!!! Karmen's incredible writing talent absolutely shines through this book as she keeps the reader hooked with her absolutely fantastic imagination that I am very pleased she has chosen to share with her readers. It had me laughing out loud on several occasions which ended up with getting a few strange looks from my partner when he was driving and I was giggling away in the passenger seat!!! Yes, I have a sick sense of humour but you will see what I mean when you grab your copy of this fantastic book!! Karmen really is a truly entertaining and intelligent author with great wit and humour and I'm looking forward to reading more books written by her!!! It is hard to pick favourites as I absolutely loved each and every story but if I must pick my top 3 they would have to be The Secret Sauce, Seventeen Minutes and Sweet Darkness. I am absolutely landed that this book is the second book in a series as it means I can go back and jump straight into the previous book which is called 'Add Cyanide To Taste'!! Although this is the second book in the series I had absolutely no problems reading it without the first one. I thought the addition of the recipes was an absolutely amazing and unique idea and I'm definitely going to give a few if them a go. Make sure you have snacks by when checking them out as they will make you hungry!! I also thought the book club questions that Karmen has included at the end of the book are fantastic questions to ask in a book club or even to discuss between other readers of this fantastic book!!


This has GOT to be my favourite book of short stories of all times!!! Absolutely LOVED IT!!! Well done Karmen on an absolutely amazing book!!! Welcome to my favourite author club and here is to your next GUARANTEED SUCCESS 🥂!!!


Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read Karmen's dystopian short story 'Library Of Emotions'. I won't go into any details as it is only 5 pages long but it is extremely good and definitely worth reading!!


Overall a unique, witty and absolutely brilliant book of short stories that will have you laughing, shocked and absolutely hooked!!!



194 pages


This book is £3.99 to purchase on kindle and £9.99 in paperback at time of review via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!


Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.


Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews.




@PassTheCyanide @CookingWithCyanide @KarmenŠpiljak @KarmenSpiljak @RachelsRandomResources @rararesources @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86 @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86 @Goodreads @Amazon @AmazonKindle @Bookstagram @BookBlogger
















Author Bio


Karmen Špiljak is a Slovenian-Belgian writer of suspense, horror and speculative fiction.Her short

fiction has been awarded and anthologised. Her short story collection, Add Cyanide to Taste, won the

2022 IndieReader Discovery award for best short stories/Fiction. She lives in Belgrade with her

husband, two mischievous cats and an undefined number of literary characters.Find out more on





Social Media Links








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