From Literary Times
Chef Angelina Amalfi is looking forward to a week at a new resort hotel on the remote Northern California coast. She's been hired to assist the owner of a new Bed and Breakfast to develope a nutritious and tasty vegetarian menu. Besides, the secluded hideaway should be just the place to further her romance with San Francisco homicide detective Paavo Smith. Unfortunately, Angie's dream weekend turns into a disaster from the moment she shows up at the historic mansion, which hasn't exactly been renovated as she was lead to believe. The investors aren't exactly what Angie pictured either. An aging hippy, his beautiful and solemn sister, a dingy heiress, a channeler and a self-styled guru are only some of the quirky personalities Angie has to deal with. Not to mention the ghosts of past residents. As tensions rise between the owners of the business, a rainstorm maroons them at the inn. Angie and Paavo are stuck in a leaky, drafty old house with the warring investors and at least one killer. Hardly Angie's idea of a romantic weekend with her sweetie. To top it off, the mastermind behind the inn has stocked the larder with soybeans and little else. Angie's Cordon Bleu training is for naught when all she has to work with are a few tired vegetables and soy milk. Angie and Paavo work against the clock to unmask the killer before no one is left to dig out after the storm.A nice balance of romance and suspense, tension and humor! Joanne Pence paints her scenes with a masterful hand. The house is a living, breathing part of the story! A classic mystery with lots of wit and romance thrown in!Annette Carney -- Copyright © 1994-97 Literary Times, Inc. All rights reserved


Book Description

Angie Amalfi's latest job, developing the menu for a new inn, sounds enticing -- especially since it means spending a week in scenic northern California with her homicide detective boyfriend. But once she arrives at the soon-to-be-opened Hill Haven Inn and is surrounded by a bunch of antagonistic investors and a chef/owner with less-than-appetizing ideas about cuisine, Angie's not so sure. The added ingredients of an ominous threat, a missing person, and a woman making eyes at her man, leave Angie convinced the only recipe in this inn's kitchen is one for disaster.


About the Author
Joanne Pence is the author of the Angie Amalfi mystery series. Angie wants two things in life--a good job and San Francisco Homicide Inspector Paavo Smith, but culinary crime keeps getting in the way. Joanne grew up amidst the cultural diversity and culinary excellence of San Francisco, and that setting provides a rich "flavor" to her books.

FROM THE PUBLISHER