The Last Dance by Mark Billingham with Recipe by Gaston Savina
Author
Born in Birmingham, Mark Billingham was an actor , TV writer and stand up comedian before he ventured into writing.
His first novel was published in 2001, and Sleepyhead, was an instant success in the UK and throughout the world.
Since his first novel, Marks star has been high and his books have been one success after another, with around twenty two books before he Introduced a new character in the the form of DS Declan Miller.
The Last dance is the book Foodie Book Club has chosen, and is the first book in DS Millers series.
Mark Billingham
Mark is a member of the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a ‘combo of bestselling crime and thriller writers who performed at the Glastonbury Festival in 2019 and 2024.
He is a regular contributor to radio and TV and his books have been made into television series and have won awards such as the Theakston’s Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the year Award and the Sherlock Award for Best Detective Created by a British Author.
Mark now lives in London with his wife and two children.
If you want to find. out what Mark Billingham is up to, here are his socials: Facebook here, Website here.
Book
The main character in The Last Dance by Mark Billingham, Detective Declan Miller, is probably not the first person in his police force the rest of the characters would have thought of as a hero.
Unique he is, with a somewhat unconventional approach to police work and even more so to authority. He likes to ballroom dance, oh, and he keeps two rats as pets. No fur on their tails, just sayin!
While keeping murder off the streets of Blackpool, he’s also looking for the murderer of his wife Alex, and walking into his police station after bereavement leave, the first case he picks up is a double murder in a hotel.
Why were two completely unconnected people killed at the Blackpool hotel?
Returning to work, he has a new partner, DS Sara Xiu, nicknamed Posh by Miller because Xiu is pronouned Jus which in Millers head, is a posh gravy.
At night, Posh is into heavy metal and one night stands with whichever person she finds attractive that night, and during the day, they work together to solve the double murder while Miller tries to teach Posh to understand his sense of humour.
All initial evidence points to the murder being a mistake by a hired hitman, but as miller begins to reach out to his old network, his ballroom dancing friends, his homeless informant Finn (who is daughter of his late wife) and even Alex, who keeps showing up for chats in his kitchen.
Alex’s murder investigation seems to be going slowly and the fact that the case Miller is working on intersects with the Cutler family, who he suspects had a hand in Alex’s death, makes his life not just complicated but dangerous too.
The Last Dance by Mark Billingham with Recipe by Gaston Savina
What I Think?
I didn’t have to think too hard to give this book, The Last Dance by Mark Billingham, a 5 egg rating.
5 Egg Rating
It’s funny with a style of writing that is incredibly easy to find the rhythm of, and flows easy from paragraph through to page through to chapter.
The main character, Miller, has a sense of humour that fits right in with my own and I know this is the main reason I liked his him so much.
It wasn’t just Miller I liked, other characters, the supporting acts, also had humour and depth to them, even the dead ones (Alex, Millers dead wife).
The dancers who Miller meets with, to dance, to drink and to not share his pork scratchings with, had personalities which develop with each meeting. I’m looking forward to seeing where they go in the next book (and I’m already half way through the second in the series).
I’d not come across Mark Billingham before, but I know I’ve found an author I like to add to my collection.
The Food
Chef
I came across Chef Gaston Savina while watching MasterChef the Professionals, and wow, what a talent he is. Such creative flare and he seems to be able to turn humble ingredients into something unique and beautiful.
I reached out to Gaston once I saw him on the show, and it was not even a split second before he came back with his generous offer of a recipe for our small ,but perfectly formed, book club.
I can not thank him enough.
Keep reading to find out a little more about Gaston, and of course the incredible recipe for his Sweetcorn Pancake Wraps.
And don’t forget to click the links to find out what he’s up to right now:
Instagram here, , Website here.
Living in Queens Park in London, Gaston Savina studied his craft in a culinary school in Burgundy. After his move to Paris, he worked with great chefs, honing his skills and techniques, but everyone needs to move forward, and ten years ago Gaston made his way to London.
Between working as a sous chef and designing menus for trendy bars, he had thoughts of launching his own private chef business.
That was eight years ago, and working for clients around the world brought Gaston even more experience and an opportunity to gather more ideas into his forever expanding foodie arsenal.
As often happens with great chefs, their first experience of food usually comes close to home, and Gaston was no different. When asked in an interview for ‘The Staff Canteen’ who inspired him to become a chef, this is what he said.
“I was inspired to become a chef by my grandparents, who instilled a love and appreciation for food at home. For me, food has always been a source of joy and hope, especially during difficult times at school. Growing up, I experienced two distinct culinary worlds: one from my mother’s side, characterised by rich and refined dishes, and the other focused on hunting, foraging, and fishing. My diverse culinary background not only shaped my appreciation for quality ingredients but also gave me a real foundation for my creativity in the kitchen.”
Over the years Gaston has developed his own style of cooking, as was apparent during his time on MasterChef the Professionals.
Gaston feels happy when his cooking shows his memories, and he loves to put a healthier twist on these memories. He describes his food as French with a modern twist.
In the same interview, Gaston said:
“For the past six years I have travelled a lot and gained lots of inspiration from the places I visit. All of my experiences and family memories are pulled together in the dishes I create.”
Of course, Gaston was going to be on MasterChef, it was only a matter of time before he was going to show his talents to the whole of the culinary world.
“I applied for MasterChef because I want to showcase my pride in cooking French cuisine with lovely, well-sourced British ingredients. I have been living in the UK for nearly 10 years and I am the happiest chef I can be living in London. I am also turning 30 soon and want to make this a memorable year!”
There is more to Gaston, on those rare occasions when he isn’t in the kitchen.
Gaston likes taking in art galleries and wandering around fashion exhibitions, and travelling, travelling is something he enjoys to do, and when he does, for work or pleasure, he finds even more culinary inspiration for his own art.
Oh, and drag shows, but who doesn’t love those!
“I’m delighted to share my Sweetcorn Pancake Wrap recipe with the Foodie Book Club CIC. This is my go-to, no-brainer comfort food—simple, affordable, and incredibly versatile. It works great as a taco-style wrap with a variety of fillings, from chicken and avocado to chorizo and smoked salmon.”
Chef Gaston Savina
Sweetcorn Pancake Wrap
Ingredients:
1 can (approx. 300g) sweetcorn, drained
3 eggs
150g plain flour (can be gluten-free)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
100ml dairy (yoghurt, cream, milk, or cream cheese)
50g fat (oil or melted butter, plus extra for cooking)
Salt & pepper to taste
Method:
Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth, ensuring the sweetcorn is fully incorporated.
The batter should be thick but pourable, similar to traditional pancake batter. Adjust consistency with a little extra milk if needed.
Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and lightly grease with oil or butter.
Pour a ladleful of batter into the pan, spreading it slightly to form a pancake.
Cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes on one side until bubbles form and the edges start lifting.
Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Serve warm as a taco wrap with your favourite fillings—some of my favourites include grilled chicken with lettuce and avocado, or chorizo with smoked salmon and avocado.
You can also make more and reheat them later.
