Angie Amalfi Books in Order
Part ofJoanne Pence Books in OrderSee the Angie Amalfi books in order by Joanne Pence, with short summaries, series background, recipe-rich cozy mystery notes, and where to start.
Last updated: July 9, 2026
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Publication Order
14 books
Something's Cooking
by Joanne Pence
1993
Food writer and gourmet cook Angie Amalfi is shaken when a key source for her column is found dead. With a stalker on her trail and homicide inspector Paavo Smith on the case, Angie has to move fast before she becomes the next victim.
Too Many Cooks
by Joanne Pence
1994
A radio-show job with a pompous chef looks like Angie's big break until a celebrated restaurateur dies from poison. With another killing close behind, Angie and Paavo have to sort out ambition, sabotage, and murder.
Cooking Up Trouble
by Joanne Pence
1995
Angie heads to a northern California bed-and-breakfast to help plan a vegetarian menu and enjoy time with Paavo. Instead, a storm traps everyone inside, and it becomes clear a murderer is among the guests.
Cooking Most Deadly
by Joanne Pence
1996
Another promising culinary venture drops Angie into the middle of a murder investigation. The food world may look polished on the surface, but underneath it Angie finds jealousy, fear, and someone willing to kill.
Cook's Night Out
by Joanne Pence
1997
What should have been a fun evening out for Angie Amalfi turns deadly instead. As the night unravels into suspicion and murder, she and Paavo race to figure out who planned the evening's bitter ending.
Cooks Overboard
by Joanne Pence
1998
A trip on the water becomes anything but relaxing when murder turns the outing into a trap. Cut off with a boatful of suspects, Angie has to think fast before the killer strikes again.
A Cook in Time
by Joanne Pence
1999
Past choices and present danger collide in another Angie Amalfi mystery. As she digs into a killing linked to old secrets, Angie learns that timing may matter as much as motive if she wants to stay alive.
To Catch a Cook
by Joanne Pence
2000
Angie Amalfi dives back into San Francisco's food scene when murder strikes close to home. Following clues through kitchens, egos, and old grudges, she risks becoming the next target before the truth is served.
Bell, Cook, and Candle
by Joanne Pence
2002
Spooky hints and culinary chaos surround Angie Amalfi when a new case takes a darker turn. Between uneasy suspects and mounting danger, she has to decide whether the menace is all too human, or something stranger is in the mix.
If Cooks Could Kill
by Joanne Pence
2002
Angie's attempt to play matchmaker for her friend Connie goes badly wrong when brutal murders and a diamond heist throw everyone under suspicion. To clear her friend, Angie and Paavo have to untangle romance, lies, and greed.
Two Cooks A-Killing
by Joanne Pence
2003
A fresh culinary opportunity turns sour when murder enters the kitchen. Angie follows the personal tensions and professional rivalries behind the case, even as the killer starts watching her a little too closely.
Courting Disaster
by Joanne Pence
2004
Angie Amalfi finds herself in the middle of a case where romance, loyalty, and murder make a dangerous mix. With Paavo working the official side, Angie has to decide how far she will go to protect the people she cares about.
Red Hot Murder
by Joanne Pence
2006
Tempers run hot and motives hotter when Angie Amalfi is pulled into another food-world killing. The closer she gets to the truth, the clearer it becomes that someone is ready to turn up the heat on her, too.
The Da Vinci Cook
by Joanne Pence
2007
Angie Amalfi gets tangled in a culinary mystery with an art-and-history twist. As the clues grow stranger and the danger closer, she and Paavo have to figure out who is using old secrets for deadly modern ends.
Series background & context
The Angie Amalfi books are Joanne Pence's long-running culinary mystery series, and they know exactly what kind of fun they want to have. Angie is an underemployed food writer and talented gourmet cook in San Francisco, the sort of heroine who can get excited about a perfect dessert and then, a page later, find herself staring at a corpse. She is smart, impulsive, warmhearted, and just curious enough to get into real trouble.
A lot of the trouble comes from the people around her.
Again and again, Angie gets pulled into murders involving chefs, restaurateurs, clients, family members, friends, and anyone else unlucky enough to be near the city's food scene. The stakes are usually personal. Someone she knows is under suspicion, or someone she cares about is in danger, or the official version of events just does not sit right with her. That is usually enough to send her asking questions, whether the police like it or not.
The police connection comes through homicide inspector Paavo Smith. He is cool where Angie is impulsive, steady where she is restless, and the relationship between them gives the series much of its shape. Their romance develops alongside the mysteries, so the books work not just as stand-alone cases but as a longer character story. If you like a cozy mystery with an ongoing love story, this series delivers that in a big way.
San Francisco matters here, too. The city is not just backdrop. Its neighborhoods, restaurants, class differences, and ethnic mix give the books texture, and Angie's own Spanish and Italian heritage feeds directly into the food and family life around her. Many entries also include recipes, which makes the whole series feel a little more lived in, as if the mysteries happen in a world where people still stop to argue, flirt, cook, and eat.
That mix is the real charm of the books.
These are cozy mysteries, but they are not weightless. The murders can get personal, and the danger to Angie is often very real. Even so, the tone stays lively. There is humor, romantic tension, plenty of food talk, and a strong sense that Angie is never going to become the kind of person who waits quietly for someone else to solve the problem. She is too involved, too loyal, and too stubborn for that.
If you start with Something's Cooking, you will see the pattern right away: food, murder, charm, and a heroine who refuses to stay out of the kitchen or out of the case.
Edited by
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