Jan Staff Pick of the Month: A Certain Hunger

Picked by Emily, store manager

A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers (Unnamed Press)

It’s well known among the store staff and volunteers that my reading picks tend to pivot to the macabre. Yes, I do enjoy a little dark in my books, but above all I love a deep dive into the minds of interesting characters.

So, when I came across a book from the perspective of a murderous food critic, it instantly jumped to the top of my TBR pile. A Certain Hunger did not disappoint. It checked all the boxes.

Dorothy Daniels is a food critic with all the descriptive language skills needed to tell her story of love, lust, murder and a smidgen of cannibalism. You know she did it, you know she gets caught, and yet I still found this to be a page turner.

How did she become a ruthless killer? Did her victims have it coming? Will she ever find the perfect duck confit? I had to know.

Like some of my other favorites this one might not be for everyone but even if you don’t always like dark, the descriptive language alone is enough to keep anyone engaged. And if you do like dark, don’t waste another moment not reading Summers brilliant debut novel.

~ Emily