If Cooks Could Kill: An Angie Amalfi Mystery

The ethereal blue cover highlighting a plate of surreal spaghetti was a perfect indicator of the rich reading experience ahead. This novel's featuring of The Connie Character goes beyond conjuring praise, as her scene-one opens in a cozy Italian restaurant as Connie fidgets with uncomfortably tight, female-attraction-trappings, in anticipation of the arrival of a blind date, a nephew of one of the ex-con, geriatric café owners. As I've written in other reviews of her Angie series, Pence does capturing character studies, of both male and female types. They often begin as colored-ink caricatures, conning the reader, cajoling smiles and chuckles. Then the cartoons flesh out and flit through pages, sometimes slipping off flat edges of print, landing on the arms of my easy chair. They sweat; they smell like roses. They strut and stumble. It's mesmerizing to watch those transformations, the way the author accomplishes them with graceful, subtle touches. What a skill. I wondered at one point if Pence was hiding a magic Frankenstein wand (or electrical jolt stick). I don't mean to imply that her characters are like Frankenstein, just that they are brought a distance almost as far as from death to life. This # 10 novel in the Angie series (see my Listmania) might be my favorite. As is obvious by now, I absolutely loved Connie's stepping out in this one, and Max was a fantastic character. A previous financial advisor so far down on his heels his knees are beginning to worry, yet he keeps on walkin'; ya gotta love him. Pence's multifaceted talent is exposed well here, a complexity which I believe goes well beyond what she has been given credit for, even in her awards and in-depth editorials. Maybe I should confess that I don't just skim & hype books. After a slow read in which I wallow in the entertainment, I sweat to clarify a gem in each novel, of one type or another, though some novels are definitely more jeweled than others. This may be one of the best in this series for drawing me in, from one heartbeat to the next. At first I had a whiff of a feeling that the Brooklyn Broad characterization was too much of a caricature, but, I thought, even if it is, it's fun and well done. Then, after about the 2nd page, Connie's personality began flickering, like having her step through a gateway from a comic book world into a classic mystery novel. Each character was painted deftly and quickly in that scene-one, from the three ex-con owners of the café, to Max, and the light steam of breathing continued through the last page. As I read into the smoothly developing relationship between Connie & Max, I began hoping that the interest growing around them, the warmth I felt and the curiosity about how their interaction would continue, and about the mystery beginning to brew so intriguingly but subtly from the base of their relishing a couple plates of spaghetti ... I was hoping that ambiance would develop a while before the scene faded. Of course, I

In San Francisco, Angie Amalfi feels love is in the air after SFPD Detective Paavo Smith proposed so she arranges a date between her best friend Connie Rogers and a football star, but the jock fails to show up at the café where they were to meet. Instead, nervous rumpled Max Squires, a former financial guru, plops down at Connie's table. He desperately needs help to clear his name and regain the money embezzled by Veronica Mapes from his clients. Unable to resist the pathetic looking shlump, Connie agrees to assist him.However, Connie soon finds she needs aid too, as the police make inquiries into her connections to a jewelry robbery, a murder, and Max. Angie knows she must help her buddy so she begins investigating even while her beloved Paavo tries to persuade her that there are already too many cooks on the trail. Her show of friendship places Angie in danger from unknown assailants.IF LOOKS COULD KILL is a fun culinary mystery that amusingly cautions the audience on the dangers of a friend in need is a pest at least for the Good Samaritan lead cook and her pal. The two women try to help, but jump into pots of dangerous situations. The story line never takes itself too seriously yet master chef Joanne Pence provides fans with a solid amateur sleuth investigation. IF COOKS COULD KILL is the latest five star gourmet delight that will send readers seeking other entrees from Ms. Pence.Harriet Klausner

Angie is in Heaven. She has finally gotten her beloved cop, Paavo, to commit to an engagement, and now has visions of the perfect wedding dancing in her head. Meanwhile, Paavo is ready to just elope and have done with it. Now, Angie wants to share the love. She constantly devises romantic, tasty concoctions that are ruining the waistline of the local police precinct, and is doing her best to make sure everyone, best friend included, have the same joy she has with love. Unfortunately, all her plans are being continually interrupted with job offers and a murder.What makes it worse is that someone close to her may be involved, as in the killer.**** With the typical, loveable madcap antics we have come to expect, Ms. Pence tickles our funny bone as we revisit beloved characters once more. Though the suspense and plot may be light, they are ever refreshing, and as a bonus, some of Angie's favorite treats have recipes in the back of the book. **** Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

Angie is a little too much to take sometimes, but the other characters in the book make up for her. The mystery is solid and Joanne Pence keeps you quickly turning the pages with her writing style. She offers humor and excitement from the 1st page to the last. Though I wish she would tone Angie down a little to make her less irritating, Paavo keeps getting better and better and the other supporting characters seem to be further developed with each book making them seem like real people. Joanne Pence is definitely an author I would still buy in hardback. The enjoyment she offers would be worth the hardback cost.