Cook's Night Out - An Angie Amalfi Mystery

A Dash of Darkness

For once Angie Amalfi's newest culinary venture, "Comical Cakes," seems to be a roaring success! There's nothing funny, however, about her homicide detective boyfriend Paavo Smith's latest case. Paavo's investigating a series of baffling murders that may be rooted in satanic ritual. And when Angie is called upon to deliver a humorous confection to the mysterious owner of a decadent after-hours goth club, the inquisitive gourmet baker suddenly finds herself up to her neck in the demonic business. it gets harder to focus on pastry alone when strange "accidents" and desecrations to her delectable, fresh-baked creations begin occurring with frightening regularity. And if Angie can't help Paavo track down a maniacal serial killer with an obsessively unhealthy interest in her, she might end up as devil's food of a different kind.

Dilettante chef Angie Amalfi doubts if she'll actually survive her engagement to San Francisco homicide detective Paavo Smith, what with her meddling mom micromanaging the whole affair. So Angie leaps at the chance to spend some time away with her fiancé in the sun–drenched Arizona desert town where he'd spent time as a boy –– and maybe explore the possibility of a Southwestern–themed wedding feast.

But her groom–to–be is going back there to help a friend investigate the murder of a wealthy local –– and it seems this tiny desert community is a hotbed of deadly secrets. And when a second course of murder is served up, suddenly Angie's tasty getaway with her lover is starting to look more and more like her final meal.

With another failed business behind her, dilettante chef Angie Amalfi is cooking up a new scheme: Pairing up her best friend Connie with a handsome professional football player who just happens to be related to the owner of her favorite Italian restaurant. Soon Connie takes more interest in a suspicious loner than Angie's "dream man" and her despondent friend decides to recreate herself as a restaurant consultant. But when police begin to suspect that Connie and her new love interest are connected with a brutal murder and robbery, Angie and her homicide detective fiance Paavo must try to track down the real killer. And when the trail of clues begins to lead back to Angie's favorite restaurant, it's up to Angie to set things right -- or the only recipe on the menu may be one for disaster.

Although food writer and dilettante chef Angie Amalfi is ready to start thinking about cutting a wedding cake with her delectable homicide detective boyfriend Paavo Smith, Paavo's got other things on his mind—mainly, the grisly murder of two San Francisco women. While he combs the city for clues to the brutal slayings, Angie begins a quest of her own: searching for a little gem of a restaurant for a magazine review. She discovers three grumpy old men who make a mean marinara, but seem to know nothing about how to run a business. At least not a culinary business. As Angie deals with the diamond-in-the-rough eatery and her sisters' unwelcome wedding advice, Paavo's inquiry points to Angie as next on the killer's hit list. The ever-game Ms. Amalfi takes off her oven mitts to join the investigation. But Angie's leaping head first into the stewpot for sure—because a murderer with a vendetta is more than willing to give one nosy chef her lethal just desserts.

This twelfth culinary mystery from Joanne Pence has everything a mystery reader could ever want: romance, intrigue and, of course, murder. Loveable amateur sleuth and budding chef Angie Amalfi continues her adventures in this exciting addition to a popular series.

Dilettante chef and amateur sleuth Angie Amalfi is at it again, in another culinary mystery in this successful series. Angie has reluctantly agreed to let her mother plan the party to celebrate her engagement to Paavo, her hunky detective beau. But as she frets over whether her mom will pull it off, a new situation surfaces––Stan, her next door neighbour, falls for a mysterious pregnant woman, and gets in over his head. With stalkers, baby–smuggling, and, of course, murder in the days leading up to the party, Angie must concentrate on solving a complicated crime, and reluctantly leave the party planning to mom.

o Perfect for fans of Janet Evanovich and mystery readers who love stories with a dash of romance.

o Each instalment in the series features several delicious recipes from the kitchen of Angie Amalfi.

Chef Angie Amalfi can't wait to take off from the city for a week to help devise a delicious vegetarian menu for a lovely new B&B in scenic northern California. The not-yet-open-for-business Hill Haven Inn will be the perfect place to take her budding romance with her homicide detective boyfriend Paavo to the next level! But the situation awaiting them turns out to be less than ideal-with battling investors, rumors of ghosts, cold drafts, a leaky roof . . . and an owner whose idea of haute cuisine might be acceptable for farm animals. And when a furious rainstorm traps everyone inside, it becomes painfully apparent that there's a murderer among them . . . and that the only recipe being concocted in the Hill Haven kitchen is one for disaster. But Angie's determined to solve the case and salvage her romantic getaway . . . or die trying!

In this 6th delightful culinary mystery from Joanne Pence, dilettante chef Angie Amalfi plans a romantic cruise with her hunky boyfriend, but hits rough water when murder becomes part of the itinerary.

Food writer and culinary entrepreneur Angie Amalfi imagined a high seas cruise aboard a ship bound for Acapulco with her homicide detective boyfriend Paavo Smith would be heaven. With no crowds or pending police business, it might even provide Paavo the perfect opportunity to propose.

But Angie's "Love Boat" fantasy starts springing leaks almost immediately, beginning with the cook's bizarre attempt to jump ship...in the middle of the ocean! Add an oddball collection of fellow passengers, yawningly unimaginative onboard meals, Paavo's increasingly bizarre behavior, and the fact that someone's been rifling through her luggage, and Angie's soon ready to leap overboard herself. But it's not until she offers to help out in the galley and murder is abruptly added to the menu that Angie finds herself heading into very dangerous waters indeed.

In this 7th delightful culinary mystery from Joanne Pence, dilettante chef Angie Amalfi gets entangled with a group of UFO–chasers and government conspiracy nuts, while trying to get her new business off the ground.

Always thinking of new and better business ideas, culinary queen Angie Amalfi is sure she's got a winner with "Fantasy Dinners," one–of–a–kind thematic feasts specifically created to suit a client's unique tastes. Unfortunately no one's biting except the Prometheus Group, a crackpot cadre of UFO–chasers and conspiracy geeks. Still, even a wacko customer's better than none, and designing an otherworldly repast should keep Angie busy while her overworked policeman beau Paavo investigates a series of bizarre murders.

But the more time she spends dealing with these alien abduction enthusiasts, the more Angie believes that maybe there is some kind of conspiracy afoot and that the Prometheans and Paavo's cases are somehow connected––which is inspiring just the kind of unhealthy curiosity that could end up launching Angie out of this world...for good!

A Nasty Stew

Between her latest "sure–fire" foray into the food industry—video restaurant reviews—and her concern over boyfriend Homicide Detective Paavo Smith‘s depressed state, Angie Amalfi‘s plate is full to overflowing. Paavo has never come to terms with the fact that his mother abandoned him when he was four, leaving vehind only an antique brooch to remember her by. But when the bauble vanishes, the jeweler who was repairing it is murdered, and Paavo‘s surrogate father is critically wounded by a would–be burglar, Paavo decides it‘s time to discover the truth about his errant parent‘s life and mysterious disappearance.

Gourmet chef and eager sleuth Angie Smells a tasty mystery cooking. But what‘s bubbling in this pot is a lethal goulash of intrigues, betrayals, FBI deceptions, and murderous Russian mafia mayhem—an old family recipe for disaster for Angie and her policeman beau.

The heat is on

Life's a banquet for Angelina Amalfi-a gourmet chef and food writer with enough sass and spunk for two. But things start to go really bad really fast when the man who's been contributing unusual recipes to her column is discovered dead and Angie suddenly finds herself being stalked by a killer whose appetite was merely whetted by the first deadly course. On the plus side, Paavo Smith, the homicide cop assigned to the case, is one delectable dish. But when more people start to fall all around her like ruined soufflÉs, ever-resourceful Angie realizes she'll have to cook up a survival scheme quick before her personal goose gets cooked. This case may be too hot to handle and the stakes are high, for she's about to take on deadly arms smugglers and lethal food fanatics. But if anyone can keep her cool, Angie can.