Book Review: A Cook in Time

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

A Cook in Time     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
JoAnne Pence
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Amateur Sleuth   Culinary
Series: Angelina Amalfi # 7
Harper, Oct 1999, $5.99, 323 pp.

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

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner