To Catch a Cook: An Angie Amalfi Mystery (Angie Amalfi Mysteries)

One of my favorite scenes in this series took place in this book. It was between Paavo and a 9 year old girl, after the murder of her grandfather, in a tenement building. The chapter containing that segment confirmed for me that Pence is not only an artist and an author, she's a master of her craft. On the subject of fav's, I'll quote two passages which ID, or expose the essence of Angie and Paavo better than any other I've found in the series. Quoting Angie's comment to Paavo, on page 231 of the mass market paperback: >> "I want so much to do interesting things ... I want to be accomplished, an achiever. I want to be a person who is independent and successful, and good at her job - not daddy's privileged little rich girl. Not that that's so tragic. But I'm more than that, aren't I?" << <br /> <br />Angie is a special character in many subtle and easy-to-see ways. I was annoyed by a reader's criticism that Angie is annoying. My first reaction to that comment was, "How wrong and how rude!" More than enough opinions weigh in favor of Angie being a capturing character in every nuance. In this novel, both she and Paavo continued to grow in warm, cozy, and realistic ways. <br /> <br />Paavo's personal pondering: <br /> <br />>> Home. He wished he didn't get a kick in the gut each time he thought about the cottage. He liked being there more than he ever dreamed he would, and more than he really wanted to admit. He had found a place away from the world's cruelty and losses where there was love and laughter, and he wondered how long he could accept it, or if he would soon want to retreat to his own quiet solitude once more. << <br /> <br />Yep. That's Paavo. <br /> <br />I might add a note here that, for me, retreating into quiet solitude is as much, possibly more, a part of what I need in a home as love and laughter. With intuitive wisdom, Angie gives Paavo all of this, a safe, comforting place to rest or hide when a cocoon is needed for a time, and a safe place to play. The first she gives in sensitivity but not easily; the second she gives with easy, natural relish. <br /> <br />TO CATCH A COOK. To catch, to capture, to get, to comprehend. Is catching something like "getting it" or like identifying it? Yep. Yes. You bettcha. <br /> <br />Yeah, this was one of my favorite books in the Angie series, mainly because the mystery of Paavo's childhood was so intriguingly and realistically dealt with. <br /> <br />Pence has an ability to create emotional catharsis within intrigue. Her series exudes warmth and wit, as noted in my Listmania title, before I changed it to, "Joanne Pence Mystery Series; Better Than Nora Roberts." <br /> <br />Pence has something beyond those qualities, though. Charm? Yeah. Complexity? Yeah. Vision? Yes. But, what word am I hunting for here ... <br /> <br />Is it somehow the true essence of Mystery that Pence is so good at capturing? I can say that no mater how convoluted your brain, you could never

An excellent mystery with lots of twists and turns. Characters you care about. This author should be in hard back on a best seller list! I nearly over looked this gem as it was in paperback. I read about a book per day and this was one of the best I have read in ages.

Homicide detective Paavo Smith grew up believing his mother was a good time girl, who always dumped him and his sister with her neighbor when she decided not to play mommy. The only thing he has that was hers is a cheap cameo broach, which he gives to his San Francisco girlfriend Angie Amalfi, who treasures the gift that comes from Paavo's heart. She wears it everyday until the broach falls out of the setting.Angie takes it to a jeweler only to learn the piece is a valuable Russian antique that he wants to buy due to its museum-like quality. Angie refuses to sell it and the jeweler agrees to fix it. As soon as she leaves the store, the jeweler places a mysterious call that places everyone connected to the cameo in danger. Paavo's stepfather is in a hospital suffering from a coma after being shot in the head. The jeweler is dead. Numerous efforts to kill Paavo and Angie occur. Paavo believes the current vendetta is tied to something his parents did three decades ago that impacts the Russian Mafia today.This work is a bit different than the previous Amalfi mysteries because for the first time Paavo accepts comfort and help from someone else. The audience learns more about the inner demons that have driven him for years. By Paavo learning the truth about his past, the healing process finally begins and his girlfriend Angie lovingly assists in the process. Jeanne Pence shows her talent as a mighty good mystery writer and adds a great human element that turns this tale into a fabulous drama.Harriet Klausner

Angie Amalfi has messed up big time. She has lost the antique broach that once belonged to her significant other's mother. She knows her detective boyfriend will not be amused that he only thing he has to remember his mother by has vanished. She must have a replacement made and soon. To top it all off her apartment, Paavo's place and his stepfather's house have all been broken into. The result is his stepfather is in the hospital. When Angie learns that the jeweler has been murdered, she knows deep down that it's time to panic. The answers lie from Arizona to Russia, from family secrets to an unknown past, all leading to Paavo and his family and a recipe for disaster. TO CATCH A COOK is murder most baffling and nobody stirs a murderous brew like Joanne Pence, complete with colorful characters, and a recipe to die for, Pence serves up a murder so hot, a plot twist so unique that you'll be left dying for another sample. I simply cannot wait to read the next tasty culinary treat that Pence has penned. Pamela Cornwell James