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30th out of 660 books
—
636 voters
Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen #4)
by
Joanne Fluke
Hannah Swensen thought she'd finally discovered the recipe for a perfect life. But her sometime beau Norman Rhodes tosses a surprise ingredient into the mix when he phones to tell her he's just bought a house from local drugstore clerk Rhonda Scharf--which he plans to tear down in order to build the dream home he and Hannah designed. It seems the plan has been cooking for...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
February 1st 2004
by Kensington
(first published March 1st 2003)
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Okay so our county library system recently added Kindle titles and unfortunately all the popular stuff was checked out, so I figured, hey, I like Lemon Meringue Pie, I like a good mystery, might as well check it out, and hopefully it won't be too chick lit for me, being a guy and all.
When I read non-fantasy and non-sci fi titles, I like stuff that has an above average pace. This novel was not anywhere close to my idea of above average pace. However, given the setting (small rural town in Minneso...more
When I read non-fantasy and non-sci fi titles, I like stuff that has an above average pace. This novel was not anywhere close to my idea of above average pace. However, given the setting (small rural town in Minneso...more
Hannah Swensen and Lisa Herman own the Cookie Jar in Lake Eden, Minnesota. Business is very good in the resort town and the two stay quite busy baking cookies and selling coffee. Lake Eden is a small town and one can stay pretty up-to-date just by sitting in the coffee shop of the Cookie Jar. Norman, one of Hannah’s two sometimes boyfriends, picked the Cookie Jar as the place to sign the contract for the house he just bought. According to Norman, he bought the Voelker place from Rhonda Scharf in...more
These are such sweet, easy reads with wonderful recipes included! In the last book, Hannah, owner of The Cookie Jar, and her part-time beau, Dr. Norman Rhodes, the dentist, won a contest for designing a dream house. So Norman surprises Hannah with the news that he has purchases land in town so he can begin designing their dream house. The land belongs to Rhonda Scarf and her family home, in much disrepair, sits on the land. Norman's plan is to tear down the structure and use just the land. When...more
One of the earlier Hannah Swensen mysteries, with fewer recipes than the later ones, but just as enjoyable. The only odd thing is that because Fluke does a good job of mentioning people in Lake Eden from book to book, even if they are not main characters, when you listen to the earlier ones you can hear people mentioned and think, "She's getting murdered in a couple of books, and he's going to murder someone a couple of books after that," etc. I also find it hard to buy that a mother still think...more
This is a really quick read. The plot is o.k. It is pretty easy to guess who the murderer is. I have a problem with the 2 boyfriends of the heroine Hannah. They are friends. What's up with that? Neither guy is jealous of the other. Not normal. And another thing. One of her boyfriends is a dentist living at home with his mother?? Not a manly man in my book. And he violates HIPAA! You can't go around telling people who you treat and what you are treating them for at a party. And I am pretty sure t...more
Hannah Swenson owns The Cookie Jar in Lake Eden, Minn, a small resort town. She and her co-owner Lisa dole out delicious sweets and coffee. Norman, one of her boyfriends, buys an old property and decides to built the dream home that Hannah and he have designed for a competition. But everyone in Lake Eden assumes that means they are engaged but Norman hasn't asked and Hannah doesn't know what her answer would be.
Before destroying the old house on his property, Norman offers Hannah's mother any of...more
Before destroying the old house on his property, Norman offers Hannah's mother any of...more
The 4th Hannah Swensen has a lot to offer but for the most part I am starting to understand why some of Flukes constant readers reviews sound more like long suffering than adoration. The book is well written and there is definitely some character development, in this book we really begin to understand what it is Mike and Norman have to offer Hannah. The problem is it seems Hannah has an emotional connection with Norman and a physical one with Mike, and it becomes clear to me who is the better ch...more
Book 4 in the Hannah Swensen mystery with recipes series.
This is a solid series.The characters do grow and change with time but slowly.(Like comic books, if a book series actually covered time realistically, children would grow up in a few books and characters would age too much.) The characters are likeable.
The mysteries are light.Therefore they don't have to be too difficult to solve but they will keep your attention.The clues are there so the reader does have a chance to solve the mystery. Th...more
This is a solid series.The characters do grow and change with time but slowly.(Like comic books, if a book series actually covered time realistically, children would grow up in a few books and characters would age too much.) The characters are likeable.
The mysteries are light.Therefore they don't have to be too difficult to solve but they will keep your attention.The clues are there so the reader does have a chance to solve the mystery. Th...more
It's summer in Lake Eden and Hannah's Cookie Jar cafe has expanded to selling pies on Fridays. Norman has bought property out by the lake which he wants to demolish and rebuild with their "dream house". The seller, Rhoda Scharf, had inherited the house from her aunt, and is leaving for a long vacation in Rome. Since she doesn't want to keep anything in the house, Hannah, Norman and Delores, Hannah's mother, go out to the house as there are some antiques that Delores wants for her store "Grandma'...more
This series is slowly getting better. The writing is still a little rough in some spots and overly inclusive in others, but the flow of the plot has improved. Also, I've yet to fully engage with Hannah even though she is the main character. I find her too bossy and cool in her interactions with others. How she has managed to have two men attracted to her is, I think, the real mystery in these books. However, I find myself interested in the lives of the other characters and the dynamics within th...more
My husband jokes about the various mystery series I read and the professions of the solvers of said mysteries. He loves to pick some far fetched job or hobby and then have them solve the crime. Topiary sculptor or glass blower, teapot collector or professional sock darner you name it they solve crimes. I myself am perfectly okay with this idea but then, I do have a remarkable ability to really suspend disbelief. So it all works out.
I'm just fine with Hannah Swensen being a baker who just happens...more
I'm just fine with Hannah Swensen being a baker who just happens...more
This is the fourth book in the Hannah Swenson series by Joanne Fluke and I'm enjoying the character development and although I have been able to figure out the murderer as soon as they were introduced, this book series is still enjoyable. The stories are pretty light and fun to read and the recipes are seriously to die for.
I did feel like this book jumped ahead quite a bit. In the last book Hannah and Norman were designing their "dream house" for a contest. Fast forward to this book, they won th...more
I did feel like this book jumped ahead quite a bit. In the last book Hannah and Norman were designing their "dream house" for a contest. Fast forward to this book, they won th...more
Now this was a more traditional mystery. I must say the recipes made me want to read the book (they all sound yummy), but I wasn't a fan of the book. For one thing, I think I"m starting to get sick of love triangles- especially when they are both perfectly good guys. Perhaps it's just because I'm jealous no two people have ever fought over me, but about half-way through, I was tired of hearing about the romance that was going nowhere. I was also jealous all she did was make cookies all day. I so...more
I feel a bit dishonest giving this book one star, but in some ways it does deserve it. I skipped some parts. I was distracted and couldn't give the story proper attention. I'm already forgetting large chunks of the story. The first chunk (I estimate at about 100 pages) was very nice and cozy. The author took her time to lower Hannah gently into the mystery. It never got any other way except downhill from there. There wasn't much twittering of Tracey to endure, but when one superfluous character...more
This series is really growing on me. I like how the characters are evolving. I am adjusting to the fact that the reader always knows who the "bad" guy is before the main character. This is just pure escapist reading--no literary quality whatsoever.
I've just begun to read this....the title intrigued me. My husband likes Lemon Meringue Pie (and I don't) and he's been so good to me lately, I need to make one for him. The books has lots of recipes in it......so, I'll let you know.
#4 in Hannah Swenson "cozy mystery with recipes"
Quick, easy read that is definitely not a great literary work by any stretch of the imagination, but a great way to escape thinking about what you are doing while on an elliptical machine, sweating and huffing! :) I suppose I could just elliptical while reading a cookbook - but that's no fun!
I enjoy that the books are set in my home state of Minnesota but this was probably my least favorite in the series, so far. Unrealistic number of murders in s...more
Quick, easy read that is definitely not a great literary work by any stretch of the imagination, but a great way to escape thinking about what you are doing while on an elliptical machine, sweating and huffing! :) I suppose I could just elliptical while reading a cookbook - but that's no fun!
I enjoy that the books are set in my home state of Minnesota but this was probably my least favorite in the series, so far. Unrealistic number of murders in s...more
Although this was a fun, fast read in the style of the series, I was a little disappointed. There has always been a balance between the murder mystery plot and Hannah's personal sub-plots, but in this book I felt that only a small part of the story actually dealt with the investigation. Everyone mills around with no ideas to pursue for quite a while, and when Hannah eventually finds a clue, it feels more like luck than anything. Meanwhile, Hannah is fretting about her two competing boyfriends, w...more
I really love this series. Though I can't read them all in order because they're often checked out at the library, so I just skip to the next book. I don't like that the author makes Andrea out to be perfect and put Hannah down "at the bottom". It makes me less interested in the main character and jealous of Andrea. And I really don't want to e jealous of a good character. Anyway, Hannah is probably considered an unreliable character in some ways because she thinks of herself as "too overweight"...more
I think Joanne Fluke's Lemon Meringue Pie Murder is both the weakest novel in the series that I have read so far... granted, I've only read three prior to this one. The problem was that I figured out who the murderer was by chapter 12 (of 30). (view spoiler). I'm not sure if it is in Fluke's defense, the book was published approximately a decade before I read it, so maybe it wasn't a cliche when it was written.
Ho...more
Ho...more
Once again, Joanne Fluke has written a delightful cozy mystery. The assortment of characters that live in small town Lake Eden Minnesota continue to liven up the storyline. Hannah Swenson finds herself and her friends wrapped up in another murder mystery while at the same time two of the town's eligible bachelors are still pursuing Hannah. Hannah's shop, The Cookie Jar, is front and center as the happening place and the author this time includes some yummy sounding cookie recipes one of which is...more
Hannah Swenson's dentist friend, Norman, bought a house which he plans to tear down in order to build he and Hannah's "dream house" on the land. Before demolition can begin though there's a body found in the basement.
Hannah swears she's not going to get involved this time, but it seems all her friends and family want her on the case. They all seems to be personally vested and want her help. Mike doesn't seem too upset by it this time (maybe because he's too worried about Norman and this dream h...more
Hannah swears she's not going to get involved this time, but it seems all her friends and family want her on the case. They all seems to be personally vested and want her help. Mike doesn't seem too upset by it this time (maybe because he's too worried about Norman and this dream h...more
The fourth and truly mouthwateringly delightful book in any baker's dream series hasn't disappointed. If anything it's my favorite so far, so cute in fact that I'm all ready breezing through the next novel; I wasn't ready to let go of Hannah just yet so I had to come back for another bite of crime and cookies. In this series it's best to read in order because key characters are quickly killed off in each book and not starting at the very beginning will ruin some surprises.
Hannah Swensen is quite...more
Hannah Swensen is quite...more
I really enjoy series mysteries so these books are right up my alley. The mystery was enjoyable but I did kind of get a feel for the murder before it was solved. My only real problem with this series is that the 2 guys that are interested in Hannah, the main character, have become friends. For some reason I am having trouble with this. I don't really think its realistic but then again how realistic is it that a baker can be an amatuer slueth? Still, I love these books and will be reading the nex...more
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really liked this Hannah Swensen mystery. In this story Norman Rhodes tells Hannah he just bought a property to tear down and build their dream house, however there's no mention of making theirs a permanent relationship. During their visit to the property they find a dead body and one of Hannah's pies on the table. The house's last owner was murdered...
Knowing Hannah, and since everyone is pulling for her to investigate, she just can't resist some amateur sleuthing to find the culprit. In the m...more
Knowing Hannah, and since everyone is pulling for her to investigate, she just can't resist some amateur sleuthing to find the culprit. In the m...more
Although predicatable, still an enjoyable read. The end left me with a smile on my face. I have enjoyed these books for their easy reading and fun style as well as the fact that they have very little content I personally would consider inappropriate. The problem I'm having is that I am beginning to wonder just how many murders this 'small-town' can handle and why Hannah is always figuring it out before the police. Are these detectives incompetent, or what! I'm also struggling a little with the N...more
I usually LOVE this series. These are the books I nestle between all my other ones to relax me-- but I've got to tell you, this one wasn't the best of the series.
I actually figured out who did it midway through the book. I haven't been able to do that before this one, but it just felt like the clues weren't so subtle.
The whole Norman/Hannah/Mike dynamic was also a little unrealistic.
I'm going to keep reading though- but it's already got one strike for this book. Two more, and I'm dropping the...more
I actually figured out who did it midway through the book. I haven't been able to do that before this one, but it just felt like the clues weren't so subtle.
The whole Norman/Hannah/Mike dynamic was also a little unrealistic.
I'm going to keep reading though- but it's already got one strike for this book. Two more, and I'm dropping the...more
They said it would be a mystery. Unfortunately it wasn't. It was so clear who the murderer was it wasn't funny anymore. I still had to struggle through the rest of the book waiting for our heroine to figure it out while she was working against the police and allowed other people to get hurt. Won't be reading another mystery by this author any time soon.
The recipes that are included are a nice touch but I bought a mystery novel not a cook book.
The recipes that are included are a nice touch but I bought a mystery novel not a cook book.
In this 4th book in the Hannah Swenson series we find the town gossip dead in the basement of a house she just sold... The only clues are some take out containers and the typical pastry that is the trade-mark of these books which in this case is a lemon meringue pie. While Joanne Fluke can't hold a candle to my fav mystery writer Mary Higgins Clark, this book and the entire series are definitely still worth reading. See if you can figure out who done it... I did!
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Like Hannah Swensen, Joanne Fluke grew up in a small town in rural Minnesota where her neighbors were friendly, the winters were fierce, and the biggest scandal was the spotting of unidentified male undergarments on a young widow's clothesline. She insists that there really are 10,000 lakes and the mosquito is NOT the state bird.
While pursuing her writing career, Joanne has worked as: a public sch...more
More about Joanne Fluke...
While pursuing her writing career, Joanne has worked as: a public sch...more
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21 de Jul 01:09