Ever wished your cupcake recipe came with a side of supernatural chaos? Then Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich might be the book your reading list is missing. The bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series moves her slapstick comedy from Trenton, New Jersey, to witchy Salem, Massachusetts. The result is a paranormal romp: part bakery cozy, part urban fantasy, and very fast.
It also features a foul-tempered monkey who talks mostly through rude hand gestures. For some of us, that’s the whole pitch.
What Is Wicked Appetite About?
Elizabeth Tucker, Lizzy to her friends, is a pastry chef who bakes fabulous cupcakes at Dazzle’s Bakery in Salem. She has just inherited a creaky old house from her Great Aunt Ophelia. Then Diesel walks into her kitchen. He is a broad-shouldered hunk with no respect for personal boundaries. He also brings news: she is an Unmentionable, a human with a rare talent for sensing enchanted objects.
Diesel needs that talent. He is hunting the Seven Stones of Power before his cousin gets his hands on them. That cousin is the black-hearted Wulf, full name Gerwulf Grimoire. What follows is a race against time along Boston’s North Shore, from Salem to Marblehead. The stakes are high, the banter is higher, and there is always time to frost one more cupcake.
Salem, the Seven Deadly Sins and the Stone of Gluttony
The stones are called SALIGIA, an acronym built from the Latin names of the seven deadly sins. Each stone is a relic representing one sin. In this first book, the missing stone of power is the relic representing gluttony. Picking the sin of gluttony for a story about a professional baker is a neat joke. Evanovich leans into the irony, and the food writing is good enough to make you hungry at midnight.
The setting deserves its own applause. A novel set in Salem could easily use the witch history as wallpaper. Here the old harbor towns, the cobblestones and the autumn air give the story a real sense of place. Cozy mystery readers with a taste for the paranormal will feel at home.
Lizzy, Diesel, Carl the Monkey and a One-Eyed Cat
The supporting cast is the part of the book that even skeptical readers love. Glo, Lizzy’s coworker, is an amateur witch with a book of spells that backfires in spectacular ways. Her magical mishaps are the funniest scenes in the novel. Clara runs the bakery and knows more about Unmentionables than she lets on. On the villain’s side, Hatchet, Wulf’s minion in medieval garb, adds pure silliness.
Then come the animals. A monkey named Carl crosses over from the Plum books, and he steals every scene with his middle finger. Cat 7143, a one-eyed cat with ninja reflexes, is quiet, mysterious and oddly competent. Together they give the book a cartoon energy that suits it well.
Diesel himself is fun but not flawless. He climbs uninvited into her bed shortly after they meet. The scene is played for laughs, yet many modern readers find it more unsettling than charming. It’s worth knowing before you start.
Our Verdict: Is Wicked Appetite Worth Reading?
On Goodreads the book holds 3.79 out of 5 from more than 63,000 ratings. It also sits at #48 on the site’s Best Cozy Mystery Series list. Readers split into two camps.
- The fans call it pure escapism: fast, funny and full of characters worth spending time with.
- The critics call it formulaic. Lizzy bakes instead of chasing bail jumpers, but her chaotic-everywoman energy is very close to Stephanie Plum’s. The Diesel and Wulf pairing also mirrors Morelli and Ranger.
Both camps are right. Evanovich’s writing style is the same quick, joke-a-page comedy her Plum readers know. Your verdict depends on how much more of it you want. If you’ve always wanted more Diesel, or you want a light paranormal cozy with a strong comic voice, you’ll have a great time. If you want fresh structure, deep world-building or a romance that never makes you wince, look elsewhere.
The audiobook is a good way in. Lorelei King, the long-time narrator of the Plum audiobooks, reads it with warm comic timing. Some listeners say her familiar voice makes the two heroines blur together, which is a funny comment on how similar they are.
Is There a Sequel? The Lizzy and Diesel Series in Order
Yes, there are two sequels, and our Lizzy and Diesel series page covers all three books. The Wicked series is a finished trilogy, so you can start without fear of an endless commitment.
- Wicked Appetite (2010): the stone of gluttony
- Wicked Business (2012): the hunt moves on to the next stone
- Wicked Charms (2015): co-written with Phoef Sutton
Diesel and Carl first appeared in four holiday novellas from the Stephanie Plum universe: Visions of Sugar Plums, Plum Lovin’, Plum Lucky and Plum Spooky. You don’t need any previous Stephanie Plum reading. Book one sets up everything in its first chapters, so it is the right place to start.
Who Is Janet Evanovich?
Janet Evanovich is an American writer, born in 1943 in South River, New Jersey. She started in the late 1980s with romance novels, some published as Steffie Hall. In 1994 she launched the Stephanie Plum series with One for the Money, about a Trenton lingerie buyer turned bounty hunter. That series made her a fixture on The New York Times Best Seller list.
Besides the Stephanie Plum books, she has written several other series:
- Fox and O’Hare, with Lee Goldberg and others
- Knight and Moon, with Phoef Sutton
- the Alexandra Barnaby novels and the Troublemaker graphic novel
- the romantic Full series, with Charlotte Hughes
- the Lizzy and Diesel trilogy
If you like her comic timing, our Finger Lickin’ Fifteen review covers one of the Plum books with a strong food theme. For another culinary series with more mystery and less magic, see our take on the Coffeehouse Mystery series by Cleo Coyle.
Quick Facts
- Series: Lizzy & Diesel, book 1 of 3
- Author: Janet Evanovich
- Published: 2010
- Subgenre: paranormal culinary cozy, urban fantasy
- Setting: Salem and Marblehead, Massachusetts
- Main character: Lizzy Tucker (sometimes spelled Lizzie), pastry chef and Unmentionable
- Goodreads rating: 3.79/5 (63,097 ratings)
- Best for: fans of paranormal cozies, Plum readers, slapstick with baked goods
- Content note: boundary-pushing romantic behavior played for comedy; no graphic violence or explicit content
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a sequel to Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich?
Yes. Wicked Business (2012) continues the story, and Wicked Charms (2015) closes the trilogy.
What are the books in the Lizzy and Diesel series?
Three novels: Wicked Appetite, Wicked Business and Wicked Charms. Diesel also appears in the four Plum holiday novellas, but those belong to the Stephanie Plum universe.
Which Janet Evanovich series is considered the best?
The Stephanie Plum series is her best known and best loved. It has run for more than thirty books and made her name.
What is Janet Evanovich’s funniest book?
Most fans point to the early Plum novels. Our pick is Four to Score, where Grandma Mazur and Sally Sweet turn every scene into chaos. Among the Wicked books, Glo’s spells make the first one the funniest.
Is Janet Evanovich done with the Stephanie Plum series?
No. The 32nd book, Split Second, is scheduled for November 2026, and she has not announced an end to the series.
Where can I find more reviews of Wicked Appetite?
Goodreads collects tens of thousands of reader ratings. For reviews written with cozy mystery readers in mind, browse the other series reviews here on our blog.