Culinary queen Angie Amalfi has put aside her gourmet utensils to concentrate on planning her upcoming wedding to San Francisco homicide detective Paavo Smith. What could possibly go wrong?
Instead of the answer to her heart’s dreams, she scrambles to deal with wedding planners with bizarre ideas, wedding dresses that don’t flatter, squabbling relatives with hurt feelings, a long-suffering … long-suffering groom, and worries over where she and Paavo will live after the wedding. But all of that pales when Angie finds the perfect house for them, except for one little problem–the house may be haunted.
Many years ago, the newlyweds who lived in the house were murdered, and the case was never solved. While Angie pursues what happened to the couple who now may be haunting the house, Paavo obsesses over his own case involving the murder of unlikely lovers. The trail leads to ghosts, murders, unhappy families, and enough obnoxious wedding buttinskis to fill a graveyard. But when eerie happenings turn deadly, Angie fears she may be spirited away for good!
“Pence’s tongue-in-cheek humor keeps us grinning.” –San Francisco Chronicle
“A tasty treat for all mystery and suspense lovers who like food for thought, murder and a stab at romance.” –The Armchair Detective
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A fun, light read
It was a little more realistic in the characters. They had everyday issues which you expect in any relationship. You had 2 murder investigations going on, one was a cold case. There was some imagination with haunted house.
Enjoyed reading this mystery.
It was an easy read, funny and I loved the characters.
Story was imaginative and enjoyable. Good characters.
The story line kept me interested and wanting to find out who the murderers were in both story lines. Easy read. Entertaining.
This was a great book with delightful characters. The book was well written and it has some very funny parts and people thrown in the mix. It will definitely keep you guessing.
Almost didn’t read this mystery because of the spirit scenario, but glad I did. Liked the less predictable approach that was used.
A great read awaits you….
Liked it so well can hardly wait for some more i this series. I’ve even started another spin off character by the same author.
Sometimes you need your suspense to be fun, and Joanne Pence puts the fun in a murder mystery. Delightful characters, and a much needed change of pace for the darker murder mysteries.
Excellent book! I had no idea how it would end. I loved all of the twists and turns that kept me guessing as to how it would end. Great book to read.
Cooking Spirits by Joanne Pence
Stay with this one…the good parts add up. I am very glad I kept reading! It was well worth it.
This author and series is new to me; I have not read the series featuring Angie the led to this new series. To be honest, I almost quit less than half way through. Angie seemed too ditzy to like, talented as a gourmet cook but clueless about other things. It appeared she manipulated Paavo into their relationship which irritated me to no end. I liked Paavo.
It was the good parts that kept me reading. The wedding planners were too funny, a very talented parody with plenty of sparks of truth, and Angie *was* wise enough to show them the door. That situation leads to a delightful twist at the end of the book. The homicide Paavo was dealing with fully engaged me and was very well done, not quite a police procedural, but the procedural elements included were realistic. Paavo’s reasoned and open-minded thinking as he worked through his unusual homicide case made my brain happy. Oh, and what a fantastic twist in his case! Loved it! Paavo’s brief comment near the end about a similarity between the people in his and Angie’s cases was thought provoking.
Slowly but surely, the murder-suicide Angie was looking into shows her true nature as an intelligent and creative thinker. Her ability to think outside the box moved her through the intriguing twists that tangled up that 30 year old cold case. I found myself fully engaged in both mysteries and really liking how Angie worked her case. I especially liked that she, through Paavo, was up front with the local police about her interest and research. (No near impossible suspension of disbelief needed in the cozy mystery side of this book.) Then there’s this quiet bit of paranormal laced through Angie’s case, leaving us wondering “is it there or not?” That too had a delightful twist as it evolved. Last but not least, by the end of this book it’s clear Angie and Paavo are portrayed realistically with individual quirks congruent with their backstories, the ability to frustrate each other, personal doubts, and best of all, genuine respect and love for one another.
The pacing is excellent. It moved fast, but not so fast I couldn’t sit back and relax and ponder through things as I read. The threads of the two mysteries, the humor, the characters’ relationships, and the paranormal elements blended seamlessly. The scene and point of view shifts between the two mysteries and the main characters were equally smooth and easy to follow. The editing was professional.
All in all, I ended up loving it! I delighted in the mysteries (two here!), humor, paranormal fiction, multilayed plots, twisty plot, well developed characters, and clean read. This is true storytelling. I will be back to read more books by this writer. Thank you Joanne Pence!
Happy Reading!
I was disappointed, there was something missing, almost as tho it just got “put together” but lacked a fun element, left me feeling oddly stressed.
Always a good read from this series
I read while on the tread milk and it kept my interest
Entertaining and fun to read.
Angie is like the little engine that could. She is willing to work to get what she wants. Have all the books in this series.
Another great, fun Joanne Pence book, can’t wait to read the next one.
Entertaining and an easy read.