Cooking Up Trouble

Angie Amalfi #3

by Joanne Pence

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!

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary, Murder Mystery, Food

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 1995

About the author

Joanne Pence is a USA Today best-selling and award winning author of two mystery series, contemporary and historical romance, fantasy and thrillers. She is the author of the Angie Amalfi culinary mystery series, which is still in print after twenty years, and now has 15 books (the latest, COOKING SPIRITS was an April 2013 release), and a novella (Cook's Christmas Capers, Dec. 2013). She has just begun a new series, the Rebecca Mayfield mysteries. ONE O'CLOCK HUSTLE is the first full-length novel, and THE THIRTEENTH SANTA is a novella which shows how the two main characters met.

Joanne's books have won many awards and honors, including RWA's Golden Heart and Rita Award nominations, the Independent Book Seller's Golden Quill, the Daphne du Maurier award, the Willa Cather Literary Award in Historical Fiction (for DANCE WITH A GUNFIGHTER), and the Idaho Top Fiction Award for ANCIENT ECHOES.

Joanne was born and raised in San Francisco and now makes her home in the foothills of Boise. She has been president of the Boise chapter of Sisters in Crime, a founder and board member of the Popular Fiction Association of Idaho, and founding member and current board member of the Idaho Writers Guild. A graduate of U.C. Berkeley with a master's degree in journalism, Joanne has written for magazines, worked for the federal government, and taught school in Japan.

Reviews

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some people do not like the secluded house type of mysteries, but I do. Angie and Paavo are at the pre-opening of a historic house inn, located on a cliff overlooking the sea in Northern California. Angie has been hired to draw up the vegetarian/local food/soybean-based menu, and Paavo agreed to go with her. The cook does not allow Angie in the kitchen, and is found dead the next morning. That is when the storm hits, and a nasty mud slide means they're isolated in the house. This is an older mystery, and cell phones and computers are not yet common, so they are truly alone. Other guests disappear, and there are secret passages in the house. The house is also supposedly haunted by the family who used to live there. Who will be left before the road is cleared and they can get help? . I like Angie and Paavo, and will continue reading this series.

[Margaret]

First I've ever read of this series although I have another one in Mt. TBR ... it wasn't bad but it didn't really do a lot for me either. Like quite a few cozies I have encountered, I thought the main character (Angie) was a bit lacking in the common sense department. I was a bit intrigued by her policeman boyfriend. Don't think I will go out of my way to read this series though.

[Marty · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to see how Pence got everyone twisted around and involved, but I must say, I got awfully tired of the characters and their weird outlooks on life. … Scene…. a rundown old (built 1880s) home on the cliffs in Northern Calif. It was supposed to be an elegant Victoriaian Hotel vegetarian health retreat and Angie would be the head chef– She had lost her job and this was to be her return to top chef. She was to start work on a pre-opening week for investors. Unfortunately, it was anything but elegant, old and decrepit would better describe it. The owner/manager was demanded that HIS recipes would be used – and they were to be cooked the way he said. Angie had agreed to work for free room and board and could bring her boyfriend for the pre-week at no charge. Angie’s boy friend was a homicide inspector with the San Francisco police. Things hadn’t been going too well with him either. This week at the eletant inn would smooth all things over …. but it was a disaster from the start. – The isolated inn was on a rough road full of potholes – The weather turned stormy and the rain caused mudslides to isolate the home. No one lived anywhere near the spot. –Then people began to die……………. Could anything else go wrong???

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading #3 before reading 1 & 2, so perhaps I'll be behind...
Angie Almafi is a chef looking for work, so when a position opens up for a menu builder at a soon-to-be-opening hotel on the coast, she grabs it. In fact, she invites her new (I'm guessing?) detective boyfriend, Paavo, along for a week's vacation, too. Doesn't really go as planned at all. First, the operator is obsessed with soybeans...nearly all his recipes contain soybeans in some way or other. Second, he, in fact, winds up missing (**spoiler alert** and subsequently dead) shortly after Angie's arrival. When a flood strands the group of investors, Angie, and Paavo up on the hillside in the purportedly haunted house, things get really crazy - **spoiler alert** the cook dies, two investors goes missing, a kid goes missing, etc. Meanwhile, the sheriff has been notified, but they're not sure if he's ignoring their tribulations or if he can't make it up the hill. So many characters. Not sure if this is what the rest of the series is like. If you're in it for the recipes, you'll be disappointed.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5 stars. I'm not sure what's wrong with Angie's logic but there's quite a few wires crossed somewhere in her brain. At first things are pretty reasonable, Angie's got a new job at a hopefully new trend and while I'm not a fan of vegetarian or vegan food its here to stay. Things quickly take a turn and events go from plausible to really unreasonable fast. The mystery part was the only thing that kept my interest but even that wasn't as good as it could have been. While I'm curious about the series as a whole I don't think its for me so I don't think I'll continue with the series.

[Molly Graf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enjoying this series, well written, but I will admit getting annoyed with Angie sometimes when she does stupid things and gets both herself and her boyfriend in unnecessary danger.

[Lennine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this little mystery.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Angie thinks her new one week consulting job at a new B&B in the country is a perfect time to have some private getaway time with her boyfriend and homicide detective, Paavo. But the job is nothing like she expects. For one thing, the B&B owner wants the food to be not merely vegetarian but made from soy. His food is awful. Also, the guests at the inn are not just guests, they are his erstwhile business partners. None of them are particularly nice. Paavo doesn't show up right away, at least not in time for the first dead body. Angie gets to find that on her own. But he does show up in time for the disappearances. The mystery was odd, but interesting, and ultimately it ended well. I preferred this book to the earlier (well, later actually) Angie Amalfi book that I read, but I am not going to track down the rest of this series unless it comes my way.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 - Good

[Kelly McCarthy Ziemba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again a fun fast read! Lovable characters!

[Karissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book I’ve read by this author and what an introduction it was too. Atmospheric, twisty, and eccentric with just a little food tossed in the mix. The entire story takes place at an old gothic mansion located in a desolate area on a cliff that is inaccessible in storms. A rather oddball assortment of people are gathered at the home to try and make a retreat of it—investors, owner and his sister, and Angie our protagonist who has come to help prepare the meals. Her cop boyfriend joins her shortly after she arrives and just in time to take charge as murder is afoot. The setting could not be more perfect—dark, old home on cliffs plunging to a storm-tossed sea with wild wind and rain lashing the windows and landscape. When you toss in the eccentric people—a man obsessed with soy-food, a washed-up psychic, a woman who is obsessed with a ghost, a self-proclaimed yogi, and an ethereal woman who resembles a long-dead woman from the past—you get quite the weeklong gathering. When the soy-obsessed owner is found dead…later the cook…and so forth things just are not adding up. Is there really a ghost? How and why are these people being killed? What do they have in common? As the story unfolds it pulls the history of the house in with the present and brings long-held secrets to light. Fascinating and excellently written, I really enjoyed this story.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the mystery and boy what a tangled web it was. I had a hard time getting into the book. At first I thought this was going to be like "Ten Little Indians". Also Angie didn't endear herself to me. The characters were exaggerated stereotypes. It was a good mystery though, even if I wasn't "attached" to the characters. All-in-all I did enjoy the plot. The murderer surprised me.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic murder mystery set today. Everyone is trapped at an inn by a horrible rain storm. One person is missing while another is found dead. Could the crimes have been the result of all the horrible food being served?

[Carolyn (in SC) C234D · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vaguely remember this book. What I noted after reading it (in 1998): "OK, not great. My first (in this series). May try one more." Margaret's unstarred review below seems to sum up my feelings pretty well. Maybe a 2.5.

[Daelith · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an okay read for a cozy. Not inspired to pursue other books in the series though.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this mystery, combines cooking and recipes and murder. A fun, quick read.

[Deb Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED IT! Always a an interesting fun read by this Author. :)

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad as far as mysteries go. Mystery lovers would probably appreciate this one better than me. =)

[Fmorlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If ghosts, creepy old houses are your interest..join Angie and Paavo for a haunted vacation. interesting characters, ghosts and murder.

[Mary Dearden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Average writing, but the plot was kind of convoluted

[Jackie Dutton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd probably give this 2.5 stars if I could. I didn't care for the setting and tone of this book, but I will stay with the series, at least for now.

[Mary Hammock · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Angie Amalfi Mystery. She doesn't appear to be too bright sometimes. Will need to read other Amalfi Mysteries to determine if I like and will continue reading her series.

[S]

kept me guessing until the end

[Helena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love these books - light, OTT at times, but oh so funny!

[Adrienne Renner]

Great