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Cook and Inspector Mysteries #5
Death by Devil's Food
"Comical cakes," a satanic after-hours club, and a chilling serial killer...
Gourmet cook Angie Amalfi's newest culinary business, "Comical Cakes," is a roaring success, bringing joy to all with her whimsical, laugh-inducing confections. But there's nothing funny about the chilling case her homicide inspector boyfriend, Paavo Smith, is grappling with—a series of baffling murders seemingly rooted in satanic ritual.
When Angie is called upon to deliver a humorous cake to the enigmatic owner of a decadent after-hours Goth club, her gourmet curiosity plunges her into a world of dark intrigue.
At the same time, Paavo has a serious question on his mind—one that he hopes to ask Angie, if only she can find a moment in her chaotic cake-baking schedule to listen to him. As Paavo races against time to unmask a killer, Angie must use all her culinary wit to help solve the mystery before she becomes devil's food of a different kind.
With their lives and their future together on the line, Angie and Paavo must navigate a perilous path to uncover the truth. Will they catch the killer, or will Angie find herself iced... for good?
This is a fully rewritten and reimagined rendering of an earlier mystery, Bell, Cook, and Candle.
Gourmet cook Angie Amalfi's newest culinary business, "Comical Cakes," is a roaring success, bringing joy to all with her whimsical, laugh-inducing confections. But there's nothing funny about the chilling case her homicide inspector boyfriend, Paavo Smith, is grappling with—a series of baffling murders seemingly rooted in satanic ritual.
When Angie is called upon to deliver a humorous cake to the enigmatic owner of a decadent after-hours Goth club, her gourmet curiosity plunges her into a world of dark intrigue.
At the same time, Paavo has a serious question on his mind—one that he hopes to ask Angie, if only she can find a moment in her chaotic cake-baking schedule to listen to him. As Paavo races against time to unmask a killer, Angie must use all her culinary wit to help solve the mystery before she becomes devil's food of a different kind.
With their lives and their future together on the line, Angie and Paavo must navigate a perilous path to uncover the truth. Will they catch the killer, or will Angie find herself iced... for good?
This is a fully rewritten and reimagined rendering of an earlier mystery, Bell, Cook, and Candle.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 3, 2024
27 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Joanne Pence
75 books193 followersJoanne Pence is a USA Today best-selling and award winning author of two mystery series, contemporary and historical romance, fantasy and thrillers. She is the author of the Angie Amalfi culinary mystery series, which is still in print after twenty years, and now has 15 books (the latest, COOKING SPIRITS was an April 2013 release), and a novella (Cook's Christmas Capers, Dec. 2013). She has just begun a new series, the Rebecca Mayfield mysteries. ONE O'CLOCK HUSTLE is the first full-length novel, and THE THIRTEENTH SANTA is a novella which shows how the two main characters met.
Joanne's books have won many awards and honors, including RWA's Golden Heart and Rita Award nominations, the Independent Book Seller's Golden Quill, the Daphne du Maurier award, the Willa Cather Literary Award in Historical Fiction (for DANCE WITH A GUNFIGHTER), and the Idaho Top Fiction Award for ANCIENT ECHOES.
Joanne was born and raised in San Francisco and now makes her home in the foothills of Boise. She has been president of the Boise chapter of Sisters in Crime, a founder and board member of the Popular Fiction Association of Idaho, and founding member and current board member of the Idaho Writers Guild. A graduate of U.C. Berkeley with a master's degree in journalism, Joanne has written for magazines, worked for the federal government, and taught school in Japan.
Joanne's books have won many awards and honors, including RWA's Golden Heart and Rita Award nominations, the Independent Book Seller's Golden Quill, the Daphne du Maurier award, the Willa Cather Literary Award in Historical Fiction (for DANCE WITH A GUNFIGHTER), and the Idaho Top Fiction Award for ANCIENT ECHOES.
Joanne was born and raised in San Francisco and now makes her home in the foothills of Boise. She has been president of the Boise chapter of Sisters in Crime, a founder and board member of the Popular Fiction Association of Idaho, and founding member and current board member of the Idaho Writers Guild. A graduate of U.C. Berkeley with a master's degree in journalism, Joanne has written for magazines, worked for the federal government, and taught school in Japan.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 21, 2026
Death by Devil’s Food was honestly a fun, slightly weird (in a good way) cozy mystery. It starts off with that classic small-business, baking vibe, but then it takes a darker turn with the whole satanic club angle—and I kind of loved that mix.
Angie Amalfi is easy to like. She’s running her cake business and somehow ends up tangled in a murder that’s way outside her normal world. I liked how the story bounced between light, almost cozy moments, and then these creepier, more unsettling scenes. It kept things from feeling too predictable.
The relationship between Angie and Paavo also adds a little extra something. There’s some tension there that makes it feel a bit more real, not just all about the mystery.
The plot itself isn’t super complicated, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s one of those books you just settle into and enjoy. There are enough twists to keep it interesting, and the whole vibe is just…different from your typical cozy.
If anything, the darker elements might throw some readers off if you’re expecting something really light and fluffy. But if you like your cozy mysteries with a bit of an edge, this one works.
Angie Amalfi is easy to like. She’s running her cake business and somehow ends up tangled in a murder that’s way outside her normal world. I liked how the story bounced between light, almost cozy moments, and then these creepier, more unsettling scenes. It kept things from feeling too predictable.
The relationship between Angie and Paavo also adds a little extra something. There’s some tension there that makes it feel a bit more real, not just all about the mystery.
The plot itself isn’t super complicated, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s one of those books you just settle into and enjoy. There are enough twists to keep it interesting, and the whole vibe is just…different from your typical cozy.
If anything, the darker elements might throw some readers off if you’re expecting something really light and fluffy. But if you like your cozy mysteries with a bit of an edge, this one works.
February 4, 2026
I’ve enjoyed the first three books of the series, but but the last one with UFOS and this one with dark lords etc exhausted me. It just went on too long with the dark side/the dark lord/the goth society. In addition the editing was a bit on the weak side and was a distraction. I won’t give up on the series yet, as I do like the characters. Fingers crossed things improve.
July 31, 2025
Death by Devils Food
Thank goodness now for a wedding. I hope it isn’t going to take five more books. Much as I love them I can’t go it.
Thank goodness now for a wedding. I hope it isn’t going to take five more books. Much as I love them I can’t go it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews