Murder, knives and smack -- Bourdain's Bone in the Throat.

They say that to write well, write what you know. Chef and author Anthony Bourdain certainly did that with this first novel, a tale of two chefs and the Mob. Drawing on his own life, he fills this one up with mob slang, dirty dealings, life in a restaurant kitchen, and the horrors of drug addiction.

It's the in-your-face style that makes this novel interesting. Bourdain doesn't hold back much, whether it's in his language, the rather grisly murders, or the lifestyles that the two protaganists have adopted.

First off, we meet the 'hero' of the novel, Tommy Pagano. Asked for a 'favor' by his pig of an uncle, Sally the Wig, he's between a rock and a hard place. Having fled into the world of professional cooking to keep from the Mob life, he finds it coming and visiting him one evening. There's also his co-worker, Michel, the head chef who's also up to his neck in smack and debt, wallowing in his heroin addiction. How these two cope with the turmoils of their lives makes for fascinating reading. The language and subject may at times be repugnant, but I found myself caught up in the story, and actually wondering just how our two heroes were going to make it out alive and out of jail.

While the Mafia characters are a bit too stock and seem to perpetually curse their way through a conversation, and the FBI goon, Al-in-the-Alfa was almost a parody, they still remained interesting if underdeveloped. One thing I learned though, is that Bourdain has a gift for pacing and energy, with enough zing to rival your favorite Indian curry. The descriptions of cooking and meals are simply mouthwatering, and give the narrative an authentic touch that beat some other writers all hollow.

Take for instance, the incidence of the chef's custom knife, which goes on to play a pivotal role in the book. I know I get hysterical if someone around the house messes with my set of knives, and Bourdain caught that mindset perfectly. Professional chefs from what I have seen and read tend to be both adreniline junkies and control freaks. They also tend to be a bit weird about getting the best that they can lay their hands on to cook with. After all, it's going into your mouth, so I can see their point.

This isn't a prim, proper clean-upped world that this kitchen crew moves through. There's Skin, as he is known, who works naked. Urgh. Or the drug addicts, illegal aliens, and waitresses who don't mind getting some action on the side. All I know is that I had quite a few laughs while reading this, and I hope Bourdain continues to write fiction, as his style is rather fresh and an entertaining shift from most thrillers.

Hint: Don't read his autobiography Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly until you finish this novel, otherwise it's going to feel a bit too familiar. There is a second novel available, Gone Bamboo, and a historical novel, Typhoid Mary, in addition to his two non-fiction works.