Mystery Lovers Corner

Joanne Pence was born and raised in San Francisco, the setting for her Angie Amalfi mystery series, and now makes her home in Boise, Idaho. She had been president of the Boise chapter of Sisters in Crime, and has held offices in the California Writers Club. 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.

Her critically acclaimed mystery series features Angelina Amalfi, a career-challenged gourmet cook, and San Francisco homicide inspector Paavo Smith. From the dining rooms of San Francisco’s elite to the seedy streets of the Tenderloin, from a dream kitchen to the deck of a cruise ship, the books are a feast of humor, a dead body or two, a little romance, delicious recipes, and characters that have captured readers' hearts and funny-bones.

The books have been USA Today and Independent Mystery Bookstore Association bestsellers, and the series has won the Independent Booksellers' Golden Scroll Award. SOMETHING’S COOKING, the first book in the series, was nominated for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA award in romantic suspense. TOO MANY COOKS, the second book, received a Gold Certificate from RomCon and Reviewers’ Choice Award from Romantic Times. COOKS OVERBOARD was a Mystery Guild featured alternate; TO CATCH A COOK was nominated for a Reviewers’ Choice “Best Amateur Sleuth" award, Golden Quill Award, and Daphne Du Maurier Award; BELL, COOK, AND CANDLE and TWO COOKS A-KILLING were also nominated for “Best Amateur Sleuth” awards; and the recent books have all been Romantic Times "Top Picks." Joanne has also been a nominee for the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in Mystery.