Red Hot Murder: An Angie Amalfi Mystery

by Joanne Pence

Book Overview

Dilettante chef Angie Amalfi doubts if she'll actually survive her engagement to San Francisco homicide detective Paavo Smith, what with her meddling mom micromanaging the whole affair. So Angie leaps... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060758058
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Avon
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 0.9" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

A missing friend and murder in Arizona

Angie and her fianc? Paavo head to the Arizona desert to help out Paavo's friends. Angie thinks it could be a great setting for their upcoming nuptials and Paavo is concerned because he knows that Dr. Griggs wouldn't be imagining things. When they arrive, Ned does not come to meet them. This is not like him. Paavo and Angie are staying at a local ranch. They find out that the owner, Hal Edwards, was found dead in a cave not long before. Turns out Dr. Griggs is the executor of Hal's estate. Contrary to what others think, Dr. Griggs does not believe Hal's dead was an accident. He and Paavo, a San Francisco homicide inspector, begin to investigate. The local sheriff, Merry Belle, likes her nice quiet town. She doesn't want anything to upset that. Hal's ex-wife and son are in town awaiting distribution of his assets. But, Hal's will has not been found. Angie gets pulled into the investigation against Paavo's best judgement. Can they find Hal's killer and find out what is really going on without putting anyone else in danger? I really enjoy this series. This was one of the best books in the series in my opinion. I liked the setting a lot. Arizona and the wild west feel of the setting really added to the story. The characters are wonderful. Angie and Paavo and the many local characters fit together very well. I highly recommend this book and series. [...]

fine investigative tale

After Paavo Smith's dad died and his mother abandoned him, Aulis Kokkonen raised the preadolescent child and took him on three memorable occasions to visit Dr. Loomis Griggs at his Jackpot, Arizona ranch. Recently Loomis told Aulis about the suspicious death of a septuagenarian. In turn Aulis mentioned it to Paavo, now a San Francisco Homicide Detective. Paavo decides to investigate because he knows the doctor is not one to imagine things. The cop asks his fiancée chef Angie Amalfie if she wants to accompany him to Jackpot. Knowing very little about the childhood of her taciturn fiancé, Angie leaps at the chance to spend time in a place he still treasures. Angie realizes right away several things about Jackpot, population 912. First she does not quite fit in; second Dr, Griggs is like a terrific grandfather truly welcoming her and Paavo with love; and finally she wants to hold her wedding here though she knows her upper crust mom will have cardiac arrest several times a day when she comes for the nuptials. That aside, Paavo believes the death of Hal Edwards is suspicious enough for him to make inquiries. However, he has more to be concerned with than a homicide as he thinks someone wants Doc dead and as always Angie joins the murderous mix that could prove COOKING MOST DEADLY as she tries to the CATCH A COOK. The thirteenth cooking with murder is a fine investigative tale that will elate long term fans more than newcomers due to welcome insights into the "private" childhood of reticent Paavo. The audience will enjoy the "vacation" to the isolated Arizona ranch more for the time with Doc then trying to solve the well written murder mystery. Angie (and us) learns more about Paavo's past inside a fine investigation. Harriet Klausner