A cure for loneliness by cooking
A depressed teen makes meals for the unhoused, talks to a dog and solves a murder.
January 22nd, 2026
John Lekich's debut was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award in 2002.
“I [Harry] live with with my grandmother, Elinor. She thinks I cook so much because I’m lonely. Elinor says the only friend I have close to my own age is her kitchen stove.”
What are the ingredients for a page-turning murder mystery that tackles grief, homelessness and mental illness with a good dose of compassion and, ultimately, optimism?
Journalist and YA author, John Lekich does it with aplomb by employing a suspenseful plot and believable dialogue in his seventh novel for middle readers, Bark Twice for Murder (Orca $10.95). Oh yes, and there’s a lot of food talk thrown in for good measure.
The protagonist, Harry, is fourteen years old and he says in the second sentence of the book, “I love to cook.” While that is a charming trait, it is also a burden because Harry struggles with depression and regularly sees a therapist. When he is feeling anxious, or worries—which is often—he cooks too much. “Before you know it, I’ve made five whole trays of lasagna,” says Harry. Needless to say, his grandmother’s freezer is jam-packed with premade meals.
Harry has lived with his grandmother, Elinor since his parents died in a plane crash. Fortunately, Elinor is kind and wise. She continues to run the business that Harry’s dad established, a food truck called the Pasta Express, making it even more successful. Soon she is managing several Pasta Express trucks.
“Harry, it’s okay to feel sorry for yourself,” Elinor says. “But in the end it won’t help anyone, least of all you. And there are people out there who could use a helping hand.”
And that’s how Harry comes to spend a summer cooking for Vancouver’s unhoused. Elinor parks one of the Pasta Express trucks near a shelter so that Harry can make breakfast and lunch for hungry people from the shelter. “I actually look forward to greeting my customers every day,” says Harry. “In fact, I have never met so many people who appreciate my cooking.”
Harry takes a particular liking to one of his customers, Stanley, who, like Harry, is also good with food. Harry learns new cooking techniques and recipes from Stanley and a bond deepens between the two.
Stanley has two best friends, one of which is a dog named Waffles. Stanley seems to talk to the dog a lot, so much that it bothers Harry who thinks Stanley should see his therapist. Harry learns that Stanley used to be the chef for a mobster. That’s how Stanley became unhoused: he went on the run to get away from the gang and its leader.
Shockingly, Stanley is murdered. Then Waffles starts talking to Harry—and, more startling, Harry can hear him and Waffles understands what Harry replies to the dog.
An unlikely detective duo, Harry and Waffles set out to find Stanley’s killer in what is a magical and strangely believable story.
Illustration by Brian Nguyen.
9781459841482
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