Typhoid Mary

The riveting true crime tale from beloved chef and bestselling author Anthony Bourdain,the tale of deadly cook Mary Mallon-otherwise known as the infamous Typhoid Mary. A riveting true crime tale told by one of the most gripping food writers in historyTyphoid Mary is the story of a madcap pursuit through the kitchens of New York City at the turn of the century. By the late nineteenth centuryit seemed that New York City had put an end to the outbreaks of typhoid fever that had decimated the city. That isuntil 1904when the disease broke out in one household on Long Island. Authorities suspected the family cookMary Mallonof infecting the home. But before she could be testedthe womansoon to be known as Typhoid Maryhad disappeared. Over the course of the next three yearsMary spread her pestilence from household to household as she narrowly escaped the law until 1907when she was traced to a home on Park Avenue and promptly arrested. Institutionalized at Riverside Hospital for three yearsshe was released on the promise that she never work as a cook again. So she disappeared againonly to assume countless aliases as she continued blazing a diseased path through New York for many deadly years to come. This is her story. Taking us through the seedy back doors of New York’s kitchens circa 1900Typhoid Mary uncovers the horrifying conditions that allowed for the deadly spread of typhoid over a decade. Writing with his signature panache about his best subjectthe life of a chefBourdain serves a true feast for history loverstrue crime fansand his own devotees alike.