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Rating: 
Summary: Joanne Pence knows how to tell a great mystery
Review: Although Chef Angie Amalfi and homicide inspector Paavo Smith remain an item, they seem to spend little time together. Angie, tired of being a failure, desperately wants her newest business venture to work. She spends all her time on Fantasy Dinners. Her concept centers on a form of entertainment built around an evening of theme oriented events. Paavo hunts San Francisco's latest serial killer. This psychopath cuts the lips, nose, ears, and the entire area between the pubis and the colon from his victims. He completes his gruesome task by carving a number on the casualty's chest. Angie's first client is society doyenne Triana Crisswell, a member of the Prometheus Group that believes in extraterrestrial life. Triana wants to host a reception for the group's leader Algernon, who is publishing his first book. The two women decide that Roswell Area 51 is the ideal theme. Paavo learns that the serial killer's victims are linked to Area 51 and the Prometheus Group. As Angie works her party and Paavo treks a gruesome trail, they soon find themselves working together. Joanne Pence does her usual fine job with her latest Angelo Amalfi mystery although this time the author includes otherworldly elements to focus the plot. Ms. Pence's explanation for Roswell and Area 51 seems plausible. The protagonists feel as if they are familiar dear friends and acquaintances from previous tales add to the welcoming feel of the novel. An Angela Amalfi story is always a treat, but A COOK IN TIME is a feast. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Bad
Review: As someone who reads a lot of mysteries, I'm used to suspending belief somewhat for the sake of the story. However, this book is so ridiculous and far-fetched, it's an insult to the reader. The series just keeps getting worse. Angie is very hard to relate to. How many of us have no jobs but can afford designer clothes and Ferarri Testarossas? Her bubble-headedness is supposed to be endearing, I'm sure; it just ends up being annoying. How long is this relationship between Angie and Paavo going to go nowhere? The charcters are not likable, and the plot is absolutely absurd. Anyone looking for a good cozy should bypass this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: Joanne Pence's books are very good. I think out of all of the Angie/Paavo books I have only not liked one. This one was good (and strange)but I read it in one night. Angie is ditzy and when you team her up with her friend, Connie, it kind of reminds you of Lucy and Ethel. Paavo is serious, but his homicide investigations balance out the comedic adventures of Angie. Angie's adventures always tie up with Paavo's investigations towards the end and Paavo saves the day each time. I like these books. They are what I consider light reading and the characters have real like depth to them where you really find yourself caring what happens to them. Each book advances their background and you find out more about them. The only thing that I consider irritating is the name brand mentioning in the descriptions. That gets a little old. Yes, we know she is rich, but please I don't care what brand of clothes, shoes, jewelery, etc. Angie is wearing. All in all I would highly recommend this series if you want something light and fast to read. The books can definitely deliver up some comedy and will get your mind working to try to figure out who done it.
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Summary: Pence's Best Yet
Review: Joanne Pence's latest thriller is the best yet in the Angelina Amalfi series. Her story is a cross between the X-Files and all of the Y2K hype. If you are looking for an intriguing, yet light read I strongly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Pence's Best Yet
Review: Joanne Pence's latest thriller is the best yet in the Angelina Amalfi series. Her story is a cross between the X-Files and all of the Y2K hype. If you are looking for an intriguing, yet light read I strongly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Skimworthy
Review: The premise is bizarre, and the conflict between the two lovebirds seems too contrived. Furthermore, at this point I started getting irritated with Angie- now that she is paired with Connie, the ditziness combined with random understandings of the world Pence gives her transform Angie to just outright airheadedness 90% of the time and clear-headedness from out of nowhere 10% of the time so that Paavo doesn't start running the other way. Pence returns back to the formula of Paave rescuing the damsel in distress at the end, as usual. She also starts with this book including "Angie's recipes" at the end I guess in an attempt to apologize for the last book. She recovers a bit in this one... but then again, the last one was also just ridiculous, an attempt to continue to interject humor that worked in one book that just went too far in the last. So in this one she tries for oddball instead. It doesn't work well at all. The next book in the series is To Catch A Cook, which is more tolerable. Skip this.
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Summary: Out of this world
Review: Want a good mystery with a millennium atmosphere? This is it, fantasy dinners, alien conventions, mutilated corpses, and an auditorium full of people who witness a body snatching... Angie is hired to create a dinner for an author/alien believer. And to create this "fantasy dinner to remember" Angie decides to do a little research. She seeks the help of her friend Connie and an old love interest from the past that works for NASA. He takes her and Connie into the world of alien believers who are more impressionable than one could imagine. They meet two groups, the NAUTS and the Prometheus. Each group accuses the other of being phony. Angie's love interest Paavo Smith and his partner Yoshiwara spend time together investigating the strange murders and talking personal about the women in their lives. Pavvo noticed Angie has not been honest with him since her old flame arrived. And Yoshiwara's wife, third generation Japanese, is taking Japanese lessons and spending a lot of time with her artistic teacher. I found Angie Amilfi to be a warm, independent protagonist. And I was able to picture each character just as Ms. Pence penned them; from the graphic corpses to the alien believers named for the t-shirts they wore. The recipes in the back are out of this world, but I am afraid the mystery might cause some controversy among believers and aliens alike. Ms. Pence did so well in presenting this millennium mystery that she may find herself being followed by the men in black....
Rating:
Summary: What Do Aliens Eat ?
Review: Well maybe Angie does not find the answer to this question, but she does learn how much her policeman boyfriend Paavo feels about her.This Joanne Pence book has it all:Humor,romance and suspense.The only thing I was disspointed in was that the book jacket said " If you love books by Diane Mott Davidson and Densie Dieetz you will love this series."Well I do love Davidson's books but Pence's novel is nothing like them. While Davidson blends recipes into the story, Pence contains two at the end of the book. However, do not let this stop you from buying the book.
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