The Cook and Inspector Mysteries Books in Order
Part ofJoanne Pence Books in OrderFind The Cook and Inspector Mysteries in order by Joanne Pence, with short summaries, series background, and where to start the updated series.
Last updated: July 9, 2026
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The Cook and Inspector Mysteries books in publication order
13 books
Cooking Spirits
by Joanne Pence
2013
While planning her wedding to Paavo Smith, Angie falls for a dream house with one catch: it may be haunted. As she probes an old unsolved murder linked to the house, a modern case turns deadly around her.
Add a Pinch of Murder
by Joanne Pence
2017
Angie wants one quiet evening with Paavo before their wedding, but a lonely heiress and a family history full of scandal ruin that plan fast. Soon Angie is chasing clues through a mansion that may be haunted.
Death on a Silver Platter
by Joanne Pence
2023
Angie Amalfi lands a job behind the scenes of a television cooking show, only to watch her chef mentor die from poison. With Paavo Smith investigating and a killer circling closer, Angie becomes far more than a witness.
A Quiche Before Dying
by Joanne Pence
2024
A promising food-world opportunity turns deadly when polished ambition and kitchen rivalries hide a murder. Angie and Paavo have to look past the glamour fast, before the killer serves up another victim.
Blind Date's Bitter End
by Joanne Pence
2024
Angie tries to play cupid for her friend Connie, but San Francisco is hit by brutal murders and a diamond heist. To protect Connie, Angie and Paavo must sort through lies, half-truths, and a romance gone very wrong.
Close Encounters of the Deadly Kind
by Joanne Pence
2024
Angie's new catering idea lands her among UFO obsessives and conspiracy hunters just as Paavo investigates bizarre murders. When the cases connect, she realizes the people talking about aliens may be hiding something far more earthly and deadly.
Death by Devil's Food
by Joanne Pence
2024
Angie's booming custom-cake business puts her inside a dark after-hours club just as Paavo is chasing ritualistic murders. To stop the killer, they have to cut through theater, obsession, and very real evil.
The Marinara Murders
by Joanne Pence
2024
Marriage plans and murder collide when a new case drags Angie and Paavo into a mess of desire, secrets, and danger. The clues keep tangling until it is clear someone will kill again to keep control.
Deadly Ever After
by Joanne Pence
2025
A promise of a happy ending is shattered when murder crashes the celebration. Angie and Paavo have to untangle old grudges and fresh lies before their future is wrecked for good.
Salsa and Secrets
by Joanne Pence
2025
Bright flavors and lively company cannot hide the danger at the center of this case. As Angie uncovers buried truths, Paavo races to stop the person who would rather spill blood than let those secrets out.
The Music Box Mystery
by Joanne Pence
2025
When Angie brings an old music box in for repair, grisly murders begin edging closer to her and Paavo. The little keepsake turns out to hold the key to secrets someone is desperate to keep buried.
The Taverna Affair
by Joanne Pence
2025
A body on the shore and secrets tied to a taverna pull Angie and Paavo into another dangerous case. The deeper they dig, the clearer it becomes that old loyalties can turn lethal.
Truffles to Die For
by Joanne Pence
2025
Luxury ingredients, big money, and murder make a dangerous blend in this culinary mystery. Angie and Paavo follow the scent through greed and deception toward someone willing to kill for a rare prize.
The Cook and Inspector Mysteries books in chronological order

Cooking Spirits
by Joanne Pence
2013Angie & Friends Food & Spirits Mysteries, Book 1
Add a Pinch of Murder
by Joanne Pence
2017Angie & Friends Food & Spirits Mysteries, Book 4
Death on a Silver Platter
by Joanne Pence
2023The Cook and Inspector Mysteries, Book 3
A Quiche Before Dying
by Joanne Pence
2024The Cook and Inspector Mysteries, Book 4
The Marinara Murders
by Joanne Pence
2024The Cook and Inspector Mysteries, Book 5
Close Encounters of the Deadly Kind
by Joanne Pence
2024The Cook and Inspector Mysteries, Book 6
Death by Devil's Food
by Joanne Pence
2024The Cook and Inspector Mysteries, Book 7
Blind Date's Bitter End
by Joanne Pence
2024The Cook and Inspector Mysteries, Book 8
The Taverna Affair
by Joanne Pence
2025The Cook and Inspector Mysteries, Book 9
The Music Box Mystery
by Joanne Pence
2025The Cook and Inspector Mysteries, Book 10
Truffles to Die For
by Joanne Pence
2025The Cook and Inspector Mysteries, Book 11
Salsa and Secrets
by Joanne Pence
2025The Cook and Inspector Mysteries, Book 12
Deadly Ever After
by Joanne Pence
2025The Cook and Inspector Mysteries, Book 13
Series background & context
The Cook and Inspector mysteries revisit one of Joanne Pence's best-known pairings, Angie Amalfi and Paavo Smith, in a reimagined and updated form. If you know the older Angie Amalfi books, these stories will feel familiar in the best way. If you are new to Pence, they work as an easy modern entry point. Either way, the hook is simple: a bright, ambitious cook keeps landing near murder scenes, and the homicide inspector assigned to the cases cannot quite keep her out of them.
That pairing still works.
Angie is younger here in spirit, or at least earlier in her story with Paavo. She wants a foothold in the food world, and she keeps finding herself in kitchens, restaurants, clubs, catering jobs, and food-adjacent messes where ambition, money, class, and ego make murder feel only one step too far. Paavo brings the official investigation, the steadier head, and the dry resistance that slowly turns into something warmer.
What makes this series interesting is that it is not simply a straight reprint of the original books. Pence has reworked and refreshed the material, updating the setting and smoothing the pacing while keeping the core dynamic readers liked in the first place. So you get the classic San Francisco culinary-mystery appeal, but with a cleaner on-ramp for current readers.
The tone sits comfortably between cozy and police mystery. There is humor, flirtation, and a real affection for food, but there are also sharp stakes. Angie is not a detective, yet she is never content to stand quietly in the background while people lie to her. Paavo, meanwhile, has to solve the case and figure out what to do with a woman who keeps becoming both a witness and a complication.
Food lovers will have a good time here.
Television chefs, restaurants, lavish events, oddball clients, elite circles, and themed dinners all help shape the books. The titles alone tell you a lot: these are stories that enjoy wordplay, appetite, and the idea that a beautiful meal can sit right next to danger. San Francisco again gives the series its flavor, especially when class tensions and hidden histories start surfacing beneath polished surfaces.
If you want the Angie and Paavo chemistry without committing first to the whole original run, this is a strong place to start. Begin with Death on a Silver Platter, then keep going if you find yourself hungry for more.
Edited by
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