A Recipe For Success

About a year ago, we interviewed homegrown author Sally Andrew and ran an extract from her first novel – which you (and we!) loved. Her warm and wise (but troubled) character, Tannie Maria, is a delight, and we’re happy to spend more time with her in this, her second book. Here’s a taster of the first two chapters of Tannie Maria & the Satanic Mechanic.

- Anna Rich

We know how to pick a winner! Sally’s first book, Recipes for Love and Murder, has been doing really, really well.

The rights have been bought by 21 publishers in 14 languages so far, and it was chosen as one of Oprah.com, Kirkus Reviews and Wall Street Journal’s best books of the year. Here at home it’s a bestseller, and won the Nielsen Booksellers’ Choice Award, which means that booksellers voted it their favourite South African book.

In case you missed it, let’s get you up to speed. Set in the Klein Karoo (which is also home to Sally), the novel centres on Tannie Maria, who works at the local newspaper as a food columnist and agony aunt. Her own life hasn’t run smoothly, so she has the empathy it takes to advise others on their troubles. And her rounded shape is down to the fact that she’s a comfort eater. Yes: a lovely, imperfect heroine.

If you loved Mma Ramotswe and The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, you’ll likely love Tannie Maria too. In fact, if you need more of an endorsement, the author of the No. 1 series, Alexander McCall Smith, no less, called Sally’s first novel ‘a triumph’.

In the latest instalment, Maria needs counselling herself… As she begins a new relationship with the handsome Detective Henk Kannemeyer, she finds it difficult to shake the ill-effects of her previous marriage. Will Henk’s love prove the salve she needs?

Of course there’s a murder in the mix too, but before we let any spoilers loose, here’s the first couple of chapters to get you going.

CHAPTER ONE