Sally Andrew’s RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER to be adapted for television by M-Net

Principal photography has begun on the new South African murder mystery series RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER, based on the Tannie Maria novels by Sally Andrew. Starring Outlander actor Maria Doyle Kennedy and Tony Kgoroge, the series will premiere on M-Net (DStv 101) in March 2022 in South Africa and Acorn TV will then bring the show to the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Further territory information will be announced in due course.

The ten-episode series being filmed in the Karoo and Scotland is a co-production between South African network M-Net (part of the Multichoice Group), AMC Networks' Acorn TV, German distributor Global Screen (a brand of Telepool) and Cape Town-based Both Worlds Pictures, who are producing in collaboration with Scottish indie Pirate Productions.

M-Net will hold exclusive rights to the series in Africa and Acorn TV will hold exclusive rights in the US, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand, while Telepool-owned Global Screen will handle distribution for the rest of the world. This quirky, heartwarming and deliciously food-filled  murder mystery series is based on Sally Andrew's acclaimed novel RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER: A TANNIE MARIA MYSTERY and centres on Maria Purvis (played by Kennedy), an advice columnist who investigates the murder of one of her correspondents.

When a woman who has written to Maria about her abusive husband is found dead, Maria joins forces with a courageous rookie journalist, Jessie September (played by newcomer Kylie Fisher). Together the two women set out to solve the small-town murder and catch the killer – before the local police find more victims. Tony Kgoroge plays Khaya Meyer, the local Chief Detective.

Read what Sally Andrew has to say about her experience of optioning film rights to her bestselling series:

https://www.paperturn-view.com/penguin-post-magazine/penguinpost14?pid=MTk198872&p=23&fbclid=IwAR2qX4l6Xgc4n5lWPFJsTQomNYrgImkmtc88cE4OxUpyaxyed6Aqv1H8fBI

The series will also star Elton Landrew (Trackers, Ellen: The Ellen Pakkies Story) as Constable Piet, Arno Greeff (Vaselinetjie) as Warrant Officer Regardt Snyman, Jennifer Steyn (Goodbye Bafana) as the editor of the local paper, and Lee Duru (Mama Jack) as Grace, a domestic worker whose story shakes up the town.

The novel was adapted for television by South African writer Karen Jeynes. Christiaan Olwagen (Kanarie, Poppie Nongena) and David Isaacs (Swartwater, Joe Barber) will direct the project. Karen Jeynes is also an executive producer along with Annie Griffin on the Scottish side, Christiaan Olwagen, star Maria Doyle Kennedy, Acorn’s MD Catherine Mackin, Lesley Pemberton, M-Net’s Yolisa Phahle, Allan Sperling and Jan du Plessis, and Both World’s Thierry Cassuto and Karen Jeynes.

Thierry Cassuto of Both Worlds Pictures says: ‘We are thrilled to partner with M-Net, Acorn and Global Screen to produce this ambitious series brilliantly adapted by Karen Jeynes from the delicious Sally Andrew novels. Viewers can look forward to a dazzling cast and a very intriguing story with a unique tone, which brings together small-town life, murder, love and mouth-watering food, which our extraordinarily talented director Christiaan Olwagen likes to present as The Killing meets Chocolat.’

Yolisa Phahle, CEO of General Entertainment and Connected Video for MultiChoice said: ‘MultiChoice is delighted to partner with Acorn TV and Global Screen on this brilliant murder mystery series. We are proud to be working with South Africa’s talented writer Karen Jeynes and award-winning directors Christiaan Olwagen and David Isaacs. This partnership will continue to put MultiChoice on the forefront of high-quality African television that promotes our ongoing commitment of being Africa’s most-loved storyteller.’

Acorn’s Mackin said: ‘We look forward to bringing this first-ever TV dramatization of Sally Andrew’s renowned novels to life. This series is a prime example of the kind of fascinating, masterfully written stories set around the globe which we’re proud to offer.’

Sally Andrew’s Tannie Maria series has been published in 14 languages and across 5 continents, RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER and THE SATANIC MECHANIC are available from Ecco Press in the US, Canongate in the UK and Penguin Random House South Africa, who have also published DEATH ON THE LIMPOPO . The fourth instalment in the series, THE MILK TART MURDER, will be published by PRH South Africa in March 2022.

Both readers and viewers are in for more Tannie Maria treats!

You can see lots of excellent video clips – featuring beautiful nature and appetising food –  on Sally’s YouTube channel and get a glimpse of Sally and Tannie Maria’s world on her website.

 

Praise for Sally Andrew’s Tannie Maria series:

‘Sublime’ – Publishers Weekly

‘Vivid, amusing and immensely enjoyable …. A triumph.’ – Alexander McCall Smith

‘Utterly delicious, to the very last morsel.’ — Deon Meyer

‘Detection, recipes and a cracking mystery. An irresistible page-turning debut.’ – Woman & Home

‘An intriguing mystery in an exotic locale, a work of enormous charm.’ — Wall Street Journal

‘A delightful debut, tender and funny.’ – Kirkus

 

About Sally Andrew

Sally Andrew divides her time between the Cape Town coast and a nature reserve near Ladismith in the Klein Karoo, South Africa, where she lives with her wildlife artist partner, among various wild creatures (including, as she says, ‘a giant eland and a secretive leopard’). Sally has also published a number of non-fiction books on adult and environmental education.

The Tannie Maria series titles are all bestsellers in South Africa – regularly in the Top 5 – and Sally is a firm festival favourite. Sally also receives a stream of fan mail from all around the world – often enquiring how soon the next delicious instalment will reach readers!

Sally Andrew winner of Nielsen Booksellers’ Choice Award

The South African Booksellers Association honoured Sally Andrew as their 2016 winner of the Booksellers’ Choice Award for her delicious mystery novel RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER, published by Umuzi.

The Association noted that it was an extraordinary year for the award, with around 150 nominations received and a high all-round quality. Two other Blake Friedmann authors were among the six shortlisted, 2012 winner of the award Deon Meyer and two-time nominee Zakes Mda. Sally was announced as this year’s winner on 30 August at a gala dinner in Cape Town.

Sally’s debut, which was published in the UK with Canongate in 2015, follows the heroine Tannie Maria, a loveable cookery columnist who suddenly finds a change of lifestyle on the menu. In an irresistible blend of recipes and page-turning intrigue, Tannie Maria, armed with her culinary wisdom, takes on her first investigation.

RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER has been published around the world, in the UK, South Africa, the US, Canada, China, Australia, Estonia, France, Israel, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Turkey, Poland, Catalan, and Holland. It is the first of Sally’s TANNIE MARIA MYSTERY series, and was followed this year by the equally delectable THE SATANIC MECHANIC, another charming novel with a killer combination of mystery, romance and sumptuous recipes.

Praise for RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER

‘A bright new talent, her fiction debut is a flavourful blend of the #1 LADIES DETECTIVE AGENCY and the GOLDIE SCHULZseries, full of humour, romance and featuring a charming cast of characters.’ – Edinburgh Evening News

‘From South Africa, the debut novel that conquered the world. A book that perfectly mixes suspense and thriller with romance and fun.’ – Vero

‘Well written and evocative… an ideal gentle read with a frisson of excitement’ – Jennifer Crocker, Cape Times

‘RECIPES FOR LOVE & MURDER’ an intriguing mystery in an exotic locale is a work of enormous charm.’ - Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal

Other accolades for Sally Andrew’s RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER

A Kirkus Best Book of 2015

A Wall Street Journal Best Mystery Book 2015

The Bookseller Fiction Editor’s Choice 2015

A Good Housekeeping Book of the Month

Longlisted for Barry Ronge Sunday Times Fiction Prize 2016

Oprah’s Book Club ‘16 Books for 2016’

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Read more about Sally

BFLA Authors in best of 2015 lists

It’s that time of year again when everyone's sharing their ‘Best of’ lists, and we’re extremely proud that our authors have been included in many of them. Below is a summary of the great places they were included and the great quotes that accompanied their pick.

RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER - A TANNIE MARIA MYSTERY, HarperCollins US, draft.jpg

RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER by Sally Andrew

Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2015:
"A delightful debut, tender and funny. The mystery takes on the worldwide problem of abused women while revealing both the beauties and problems of South Africa. And the recipes will make you want to drop everything and start cooking."

Wall Street Journal Best Mystery Book of 2015:
“The exotic locale, the lovely patois and the heroine’s unique sensibility make Ms. Andrew’s “Recipes” a blue-ribbon winner.”

Samantha Gibb, Sunday Times SA Best book of 2015:
“The quintessential feel-good SA whodunit, complete with recipes and advice. A must read.”

LUNGDON by Edward Carey

 

 

 

NPR Guide to 2015’s Great Reads:
“A magnificently engrossing indictment of our late capitalist modernity.”

 

 

 

 

THE FETCH by Finuala Dowling

Margaret von Klemperer, Fiona Snyckers & Helené Prinsloo, Sunday Times SA Best book of 2015:
‘A sparkling comedy of manners, but under the froth there are serious issues, and it is Dowling’s sensitive handling of them that makes this such a lovely book’ – Margaret von Klemperer

‘Comparisons with Jane Austen are not misplaced.’ – Fiona Snyckers

‘The characters from THE FETCH by Finuala Dowling haunted my dreams. The story led me to a garden cottage in the deep south where I kept waiting to happen upon someone like William.’ – Helené Prinsloo

 

THE DARKEST HOUR by Barbara Erskine

 

 

Books Covered, Favourite Book Covers of 2015:
‘Tender, romantic, and earnest, just like the brilliant story within. The gold foil adds a luxuriousness without being flashy and the whole designs speaks of the era so perfectly. This is a standout cover in this area of the market.’

 

 

 

JELLYFISH by Janice Galloway

Zoe Strachan, The Herald:
‘Janice Galloway prefaces her new collection of stories, JELLYFISH (Freight, £12.99), with a quote from David Lodge: “Literature is mostly about having sex and not much about having children; life’s the other way round.” In fact she gives us plenty of both, but it’s the stories about mothers and children that really cut to the quick.’

Sara Crowley and Kaite Welsh, Bristol Prize Best Short Story Reads of 2015:
‘My most eagerly awaited publication of 2015 was Janice Galloway’s JELLYFISH (Freight) which I am reading very slowly so as to savour each brilliant word.’ – Sara Crowley

‘Galloway has hit a rich seam of imagination as she returns to the short story as a form. It’s perfect for her style – wry, slightly off-kilter and always returning to the theme of parent and child, the kind of subject matter that offers Galloway the chance to delve once more into the murky depths of human relationships.’ – Kaite Welsh

Scots Whay Hae! Best Books of 2015:
‘Janice Galloway has always been an innovative and playful writer, but never to the detriment of her prose… JELLYFISH is a timely reminder that she is one of the finest writers around. Each story, each sentence, is beautifully crafted by someone who cares enough to take such care… If you read a better book than Jellyfish this year you are a very lucky person indeed.’

THE NEED FOR BETTER REGULATION OF OUTER SPACE by Pippa Goldschmidt

 

 

Alice Thompson, The Herald:
‘In these stories, the powerful juxtaposition of scientific intellect and emotional frailty is played out engagingly. The stories also imply no matter how objective scientific genius is, the scientists themselves, like the rest of us, are subject to moral failings.’

 

 

 

YOU ARE DEAD by Peter James

 

 

Guardian Best Crime and Thriller books of 2015:
‘Peter James showed that a diversion this year into ghost stories with THE HOUSE ON COLD HILL had not diverted energy from his consistently impressive sequence of DS Roy Grace policiers, the 11th of which, YOU ARE DEAD (Macmillan), confidently combines a cold case with a very hot one.’

 

 

 

THE LAST PILOT by Benjamin Johncock

Isabella Costello Literary Sofa ‘My Year in Books’:
‘Ben Johncock’s debut has all the things I love about American fiction and he’s not even American. Gorgeous spare prose, authentic sense of time and place, a poignant story told with sensitivity and restraint – I have raved about this book so much it’s embarrassing.’

Reading Groups’ Staff Picks for 2015:
‘With echoes of Tom Wolfe’s THE RIGHT STUFF and Richard Yates’ REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, THE LAST PILOT re-ignites the thrill and excitement of the space race through the story of one man’s courage in the face of unthinkable loss.’

Ian Rankin’s End of Year Roundup

Utter Biblio, Top 10 of 2015

ICARUS by Deon Meyer

 

 

Financial Times’ Crime Books of the Year

Boston Globe's Best Mystery Books of 2015:
‘An ashleymadison.com-style website-related murder and a parallel plot that delves into the dregs of South Africa’s wine industry keep Benny Griessel and his cadre of Cape Town coppers on their toes.’

 

 

 

GREEN LION by Henrietta Rose-Innes

 

Ben Williams, Fiona Snyckers & Jennifer Malec, Sunday Times SA Best book of 2015:
‘And if readers missed Henrietta Rose-Innes’s GREEN LION (Umuzi) … they’d best not let 2015 expire without acquainting themselves’ – Ben Williams

‘Rose-Innes goes from strength to strength, refining her craft with each new book.’ – Fiona Snyckers

‘Masterful’ – Jennifer Malec

 

 

THE FOLLY by Ivan Vladislavic

 

 

Flavorwire’s 15 Worthwhile Books You Might Have Missed in 2015:
‘Praised by the likes of Coetzee and others — it’s not hard to see why…’

 

 

 

101 DETECTIVES by Ivan Vladislavic

Michelle Magwood, Jennifer Malec & Sophie Kohler Sunday Times SA Best book of 2015:
‘Mordantly funny, acutely perceptive and exquisitely styled, this collection of short stories is a definitive showcase of Vladislavic’s talents.’ – Michelle Magwood

‘Witty, enthralling and pleasurably disorientating.’ – Jennifer Malec

‘The stories are bewildering in their refusal to provide a clear resolution, but this is to their credit, in that each leaves a mystery to be solved.’ – Sophie Kohler

 

 

THE A WONG COOKBOOK by Andrew Wong

 Rose Prince, Spectator Best New Cookery Books 2015:
‘There is food in A Wong: The Cookbook (Mitchell Beazley, £25) for home cooks, but it is also a chef’s book. May every aspiring one buy it. If they did, Chinese food in Britain would go through a true revolution.’

Observer 25 best food books 2015:
‘At his Pimlico restaurant, Wong is keen to prove that Chinese food can be just as considered as other, more revered cuisines.’


Tannie Maria arrives in North America! - RECIPES FOR LOVE & MURDER launched

RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER, the sensational debut Tannie Maria mystery from South African novelist Sally Andrew, is published today in the US by Ecco Press and Canada by Harper Collins. The novel is already published in Australia by Text, South Africa by Umuzi (see more on Sally’s Cape Town launch here) and on special ebook pre-release by Canongate in the UK, with the print edition out in January. The UK audiobook will be released on 19 November and Good Housekeeping has already picked it as one of their ‘Hot Reads’.

The novel has already received some brilliant reviews in the US, with a starred review from Kirkus, who called it ‘a delightful debut, tender and funny’. Shelf Awareness wrote: ‘With a dash of South African history and a pinch of social consciousness, Tannie Maria's first adventure serves up a satisfying mix of romance, humor and crime solving.’ Library Journal also gave the novel a starred review, writing:

‘Take a pinch of Alexander McCall Smith, a dash of Diane Mott Davidson, and add a smidge of the wild veld and you’ll get a taste for this lekker story (that’s “delicious” in Afrikaans). While the tone is heartfelt, Andrew doesn’t shy away from the realities of spousal abuse or the shadow of South Africa’s tumultuous history. With a fascinating setting, engaging characters, and a full complement of drool-worthy recipes, this is sure to leave readers craving more.’ – Starred Library Journal

RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER: A TANNIE MARIA MYSTERY marks the start of a delicious new mystery series with a lovable, unforgettable heroine. Tannie Maria used to write a recipe column for the Klein Karoo Gazette. Then Head Office decided they wanted an advice column instead, so now she gives advice. In the form of recipes. Because, as she says, she may not know much about love, but food—that’s her life.

Everything has been going well. A tongue-tied mechanic wins his girl with text messages and Welsh rarebit. A frightened teenager gets some much-needed sex ed with Tannie Maria's chocolate-coated bananas. But then there is a letter from Martine, whose husband beats her, and Tannie Maria feels a pang of recognition and dread. This may be a problem that cooking can’t solve…

Warm, funny, poignant: Sally Andrew’s irresistible heroine brings mystery, romance and amazing cooking together in the most entertaining new series in years. And all Tannie Maria’s mouthwatering recipes are right there in the book! 

Sally Andrew divides her time between the Cape Town coast and a nature reserve near Ladismith in the Klein Karoo, which she shares with her artist partner, a giant eland and a secretive leopard. Her work is being translated into 11 languages.

Praise for RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER:

‘Vivid, amusing and immensely enjoyable read about detection (and cooking) in an intriguing part of southern Africa. …  A triumph.’ – Alexander McCall Smith

 ‘A culinary and linguistic treat … and has a pleasing bite.’ – Cathy Rentzenbrink, Editor’s Choice, The Bookseller

 ‘Sally Andrew’s Karoo is where miscreants, moskonfyt and murder are all on the menu. Thank heavens for Tannie Maria who cooks up a storm in the kitchen - but she’s just as good at cracking crime. RECIPES FOR LOVE AND MURDER is a delightful debut.’ – Christopher Hope