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Hannah Swensen #24
Chocolate Cream Pie Murder
Not even Lake Eden's nosiest residents suspected Hannah Swensen would go from idealistic newlywed to betrayed wife in a matter of weeks. But as a deadly mystery unfolds in town, the proof is in the pudding . . .
When The Cookie Jar becomes the setting of a star-studded TV special about movies filmed in Minnesota, Hannah hopes to shine the spotlight on her bakery--not the unsavory scandal swirling around her personal life. But that's practically impossible with a disturbing visit from the shifty character she once believed was her one and only love, a group of bodyguards following her every move, and a murder victim in her bedroom. As suspects emerge and secrets hit close to home, Hannah and an old flame team up must serve a hefty helping of justice to an unnamed killer prowling around Lake Eden . . . before someone takes a slice out of her!
Features Over a Dozen Cookie and Dessert Recipes from The Cookie Jar!
"Hannah's fans will relish following Hannah's journey as she heals and becomes stronger, surrounded by the love of family and the many familiar, quirky residents of Lake Eden."
--Booklist
When The Cookie Jar becomes the setting of a star-studded TV special about movies filmed in Minnesota, Hannah hopes to shine the spotlight on her bakery--not the unsavory scandal swirling around her personal life. But that's practically impossible with a disturbing visit from the shifty character she once believed was her one and only love, a group of bodyguards following her every move, and a murder victim in her bedroom. As suspects emerge and secrets hit close to home, Hannah and an old flame team up must serve a hefty helping of justice to an unnamed killer prowling around Lake Eden . . . before someone takes a slice out of her!
Features Over a Dozen Cookie and Dessert Recipes from The Cookie Jar!
"Hannah's fans will relish following Hannah's journey as she heals and becomes stronger, surrounded by the love of family and the many familiar, quirky residents of Lake Eden."
--Booklist
380 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 26, 2019
2774 people are currently reading
9397 people want to read
About the author
Joanne Fluke
134 books8,560 followersLike 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 school teacher, a psychologist, a musician, a private detective's assistant, a corporate, legal, and pharmaceutical secretary, a short order cook, a florist's assistant, a caterer and party planner, a computer consultant on a now-defunct operating system, a production assistant on a TV quiz show, half of a screenwriting team with her husband, and a mother, wife, and homemaker.
She now lives in Southern California with her husband, her kids, his kids, their three dogs, one elderly tabby, and several noisy rats in the attic.
Series:
* Hannah Swensen
While pursuing her writing career, Joanne has worked as: a public school teacher, a psychologist, a musician, a private detective's assistant, a corporate, legal, and pharmaceutical secretary, a short order cook, a florist's assistant, a caterer and party planner, a computer consultant on a now-defunct operating system, a production assistant on a TV quiz show, half of a screenwriting team with her husband, and a mother, wife, and homemaker.
She now lives in Southern California with her husband, her kids, his kids, their three dogs, one elderly tabby, and several noisy rats in the attic.
Series:
* Hannah Swensen
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,279 reviews
July 2, 2021
In this 24th addition to the Hannah Swensen cozy mystery books, we learn the truth about Ross Barton - a central character in the last few novels. If you're behind in the series this review will contain spoilers.
SPOILER ALERT/ SPOILER ALERT/ SPOILER ALERT
Hannah Swensen, owner of 'The Cookie Jar' bakery in Lake Eden, Minnesota, devotes most of her time to devising new recipes and baking cookies/pastries.....an activity that provides a creative outlet and helps her relax.
As Valentines Day approaches Hannah - with the help of her sister Michelle and bakery partner Lisa - is creating new cookies and cakes to sell on the romantic holiday.
Hannah draws on her family, friends, and customers to be 'taste testers' for the nouveau sweets....which are usually accompanied by innumerable cups of strong coffee. 😊🍰🍪
Unfortunately Hannah won't have a 'honey' to celebrate Valentines Day with because Ross Barton - the man Hannah recently married in front of the whole town - vanished soon after they wed.
Hannah's best friends, Mike Kingston (the cop).....
.....and Norman Rhodes (the dentist), made it their business to track Ross down.
Hannah now knows where Ross went.....and that he's not coming back to her.
Everyone in Lake Eden is furious at Ross for hurting Hannah, and ready to throttle him if he shows his reviled face in town. This creates a problem for the detested cad, who left a lot of money and a mysterious key behind. Thus Ross has started to call Hannah, insisting she get him his money and give him the key.....OR ELSE.
Fearful about Hannah's safety, Mike organizes a protective detail so that Hannah is never alone.
Meanwhile, Hannah goes about her business - running her bakery; creating new confections; making meals for her friends; bringing goodies to her neighbors; chatting with the townsfolk; helping her mom organize a book launch; cuddling her cat Moishe; watching Moishe play with Cuddles (Norman's cat); etc. One of the strengths of the series is Hannah's interactions with the people in Lake Eden, who've become favorite recurring characters for many readers.
The requisite murder doesn't occur until about 80% into the book, and Hannah - a dedicated amateur sleuth - resolves to find out who did it and why.
Neither Hannah nor the police do much investigating, however, and Hannah solves the crime with a flash of intuition. Hannah's inner thoughts when the killer shows up - about whether to be confrontational or not - are odd and off-putting, and feel like amateur writing at best.
In my opinion Joanne Fluke REALLY jumped the shark with this novel. The author's Hannah Swensen books started out as mysteries with a few recipes thrown in. As the series progressed the 'story part' of the novels became smaller and smaller and the 'recipe part' of the novels became larger and larger.
Now Fluke has finally written what can only be categorized as a COOKBOOK.
This novel is approximately fifty percent story and fifty percent recipes.....and the 'story part' is MOSTLY about discussing, preparing, and eating baked goods - with the occasional savory dish thrown in. I'm surprised a publisher would let this book be marketed as a mystery.
I was already skeptical about continuing with this series, but this is the last straw. Unless I decide to open a bakery, I'm done with these books.
For me this is a two-star story but I'm giving the book three stars because of the enormous effort that went into the recipes. In her acknowledgements, Fluke thanks the people that helped her with the comestibles as follows:
"A big hug to Trudi Nash for her ability to read a recipe and know how it's going to taste....and for marrying a man who doesn't mind all the time we spend on food talk."
"Big thanks to Kathy Allen for the final testing of Hannah's recipes and coming up with her own recipes like the Frozen Sugared Grapes! And thanks to Kathy's family and friends for taste testing."
"Thank you to my food stylist Lois Brown for her expertise with the launch parties and the TV baking segments."
"Big hugs to all the Hannah fans who share their family recipes."
I think Fluke needed to spend more time on the plot and less time on the food.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Joanne Fluke), and the publisher (Kensington) for a copy of the book.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....
*****
Since this is a cookbook (IMO) I'll give examples of some of the goodies.
Valentine Whippersnapper Cookies
Strawberry Bundt Cake
Peach Scones
Country Egg Bake
Chocolate Mint Cookies
Frozen Sugared Grapes (You have to be careful with these. They have an alcohol kick.)
Cheese and Garlic Stuffed Mushrooms
Pink Grapefruit Cake
White Chocolate Brownies
Pub Soup
Chocolate Cream Pie
Beery Good Beef Brisket
Apricot Coffee Cake
Pineapple Walnut Muffins
Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls (These helped Hannah nab the perp.)
January 22, 2019
One of the first few cozy mysteries I began reading almost fifteen years ago was the Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke. For years, I adored the series, but then I switched to something else to try and experience a wider variety. About two years ago, I jumped back into its safety and caught up to the latest one... that is, until Chocolate Cream Pie Murder was published (or will be in the coming weeks). I won it via NetGalley and had to devour it today. How exciting to catch up in Hannah's life especially after the new about Ross! If you haven't read the last few books, stop reading here. If you have, it's okay to continue...
I loved Ross in the beginning. I wanted Hannah to choose him. I loved Norman more than Mike, but they'd gotten old after 20 books. I needed something fresh, and it appeared Hannah did too, since she wouldn't accept either's marriage proposal for years. It wasn't that she didn't want to get married. She did. Just couldn't decide who. On a whim tho, she said yes to Ross. And her troubles began. For weeks, he was a perfect husband. Then he disappeared. Then it turned out he was already married. LOUSE! Fluke ruined a perfectly good character. I'll have a hard time forgiving her, but that's life... and it made for good drama.
I enjoyed this book. We see the aftermath of Ross's craziness. We see Hannah's recovery. I love revisiting all the characters in these books because I want to live in Lake Eden, Minnesota, blizzards and all. Can I move there please? Okay... that might be going a tad far, but this book showed signs of getting back to the norm before we took a downward turn in the late teens of the series. That said, it's not completely good news on all fronts. At the sacrifice of family and friends we adore, the supporting characters in this book are some newer ones and some we hadn't known too well. I miss the old gang, but they'll be back soon, I'm sure.
The mystery was okay. It was a weird setup. No one died until 80% into the book. We knew who would die, but along the way, the suspects hadn't built up. Or so we thought. Ultimately, I didn't like the structure in this one, but I did like the story itself. Fluke will always have a fan in me. I hope this means Norman gets his chance now... as Mike already had a wife. I suppose Norman did too, but she was murdered. Eh, what am I saying, I can't decide. I'm the male version of Hannah!
Just wait til the end... I knew the cliffhanger was coming. It had to happen. Fluke's as bad as me with ending our books in such a manner. But I'm pretty certain it will mean something else when we get to the next one. I HOPE SO AT LEAST!
I loved Ross in the beginning. I wanted Hannah to choose him. I loved Norman more than Mike, but they'd gotten old after 20 books. I needed something fresh, and it appeared Hannah did too, since she wouldn't accept either's marriage proposal for years. It wasn't that she didn't want to get married. She did. Just couldn't decide who. On a whim tho, she said yes to Ross. And her troubles began. For weeks, he was a perfect husband. Then he disappeared. Then it turned out he was already married. LOUSE! Fluke ruined a perfectly good character. I'll have a hard time forgiving her, but that's life... and it made for good drama.
I enjoyed this book. We see the aftermath of Ross's craziness. We see Hannah's recovery. I love revisiting all the characters in these books because I want to live in Lake Eden, Minnesota, blizzards and all. Can I move there please? Okay... that might be going a tad far, but this book showed signs of getting back to the norm before we took a downward turn in the late teens of the series. That said, it's not completely good news on all fronts. At the sacrifice of family and friends we adore, the supporting characters in this book are some newer ones and some we hadn't known too well. I miss the old gang, but they'll be back soon, I'm sure.
The mystery was okay. It was a weird setup. No one died until 80% into the book. We knew who would die, but along the way, the suspects hadn't built up. Or so we thought. Ultimately, I didn't like the structure in this one, but I did like the story itself. Fluke will always have a fan in me. I hope this means Norman gets his chance now... as Mike already had a wife. I suppose Norman did too, but she was murdered. Eh, what am I saying, I can't decide. I'm the male version of Hannah!
Just wait til the end... I knew the cliffhanger was coming. It had to happen. Fluke's as bad as me with ending our books in such a manner. But I'm pretty certain it will mean something else when we get to the next one. I HOPE SO AT LEAST!
January 12, 2019
I’ll open with saying that I don’t think this book was as bad as the last few in the series. Maybe someone is trying to clean up the mess and listen to readers. It seems someone on team Joanne may be listening to us readers because this book has the first iteration of Hannah calling Delores Mom and Mommy instead of Mother. In the book even Delores is surprised and blurts our that Hannah hasn’t called her Mom or Mommy for years and she actually THANKS Hannah for calling her Mommy. Poor Delores, even she hates Hannah and Michelle calling her Mother all of the time.
Other than that revelation a few things stood out such as the author feeling the need to point out that Hannah was going to watch a movie on her “flat-screen television” welcome to modern day Hannah. Great job updating that old black and white set!
Weird scenarios are still happening between Michelle and Hannah with a conversation included about what to make for breakfast wherein Michelle thinks for a moment and them remembers the exact location of a pack of shredded cheese in Hannah’s fridge. “I think there’s one on the second shelf, right next to the sliced ham” great job Michelle.
This book is mostly about Ross and I think readers who despised him (basically all of us) will be happy with the outcome. But Ross was meant to have gone to school with Hannah which puts them in the same age range. However Ross seems to be an elderly man stuck in a young mans body. There’s a point where Hannah remembers that Ross has “velveteen lounge suits with the initials RB on them” what the heck is going on Ross?
Oddly specific fact included in the book award this time goes to Hannah, Sally, and Mike fir conversing about how much alcohol is leftover in beer cheddar soup after cooking. Mike can’t have any alcohol while on duty and is sad to miss out on the soup. Never fear! Hannah and Sally are here to tell him how the soup is made on the stove in a large pot (wow) so some of the alcohol evaporates. Hannah wonders exactly how much of the alcohol evaporates, Sally retorts with “twenty two percent of the alcohol is fine in twenty minutes If the soup is heated to one hundred eighty degrees” great job Dr Sally. Mike is convinced by her stats and eats the soup. He survives. Second prize for this goes to Hannah for regaling Norman with the story of why buffalo plaid is called buffalo plaid. Norman is captivated.
Wtf moment of the book award goes to Delores for asking Hannah “Will you have fresh cookies ready for me to taste for breakfast tomorrow morning?” To which Hannah (who lets not forget works in a cookie shops that bakes cookies daily) replies “Yes, we will, we always have fresh cookies at The Cookie Jar” that’s great to know Hannah. Maybe Delores would have known that by now seeing as how her daughter has owned the cookie shop for years. Perhaps once Delores got a stale day old cookie and has been secretly resentful since? Who knows.
There’s a part where Hannah wakes up in a king sized bed confused because her bed is queen sized, but in other books (dear god why do I know this) it’s referenced that Hannah’s own bed is a huge king sized monstrosity. Even in this book it is referenced that Moishe steals Hannah’s king sized pillow. Go figure. Guys attention to detail is everything here. It can make or break a fun series.
Once more I have to moan about Michelle and Hannah treating each other so formally as sisters. It’s so odd that they greet each other daily in the kitchen of Hannah’s condo with “good morning Hannah” and “good morning Michelle” surely if you are the only two in the room no names are needed. A nice hey good morning will suffice. I’m not sure I’ve ever called my siblings by name in morning greetings.
My two favorite book moments are as follows: Firstly Hannah being amused and wanting to giggle when Mike calls her a “good girl” in the same tone of voice he would praise a dog. Now we all know what kind of man Hannah needs in her life right? Clearly a canine trainer. Secondly Grandma Knudsen being upset that no one suspects her of the murder and says “What a pity. I’d like to think that I might be capable of a bold action like that.” You’re right grandma. Murder is indeed a bold action.
Guys this book was fun again, even though it was peppered with “recipes” that require a Betty Crocker cake mix instead of you know actually baking a cake from scratch. Is Hannah just Sandra Lee in disguise?
The plot was amusing. However there is a disturbing cliff hanger that, if true, will ruin any future book potential. If you read this feel free to pm me how you feel about that cliff hanger!
Other than that revelation a few things stood out such as the author feeling the need to point out that Hannah was going to watch a movie on her “flat-screen television” welcome to modern day Hannah. Great job updating that old black and white set!
Weird scenarios are still happening between Michelle and Hannah with a conversation included about what to make for breakfast wherein Michelle thinks for a moment and them remembers the exact location of a pack of shredded cheese in Hannah’s fridge. “I think there’s one on the second shelf, right next to the sliced ham” great job Michelle.
This book is mostly about Ross and I think readers who despised him (basically all of us) will be happy with the outcome. But Ross was meant to have gone to school with Hannah which puts them in the same age range. However Ross seems to be an elderly man stuck in a young mans body. There’s a point where Hannah remembers that Ross has “velveteen lounge suits with the initials RB on them” what the heck is going on Ross?
Oddly specific fact included in the book award this time goes to Hannah, Sally, and Mike fir conversing about how much alcohol is leftover in beer cheddar soup after cooking. Mike can’t have any alcohol while on duty and is sad to miss out on the soup. Never fear! Hannah and Sally are here to tell him how the soup is made on the stove in a large pot (wow) so some of the alcohol evaporates. Hannah wonders exactly how much of the alcohol evaporates, Sally retorts with “twenty two percent of the alcohol is fine in twenty minutes If the soup is heated to one hundred eighty degrees” great job Dr Sally. Mike is convinced by her stats and eats the soup. He survives. Second prize for this goes to Hannah for regaling Norman with the story of why buffalo plaid is called buffalo plaid. Norman is captivated.
Wtf moment of the book award goes to Delores for asking Hannah “Will you have fresh cookies ready for me to taste for breakfast tomorrow morning?” To which Hannah (who lets not forget works in a cookie shops that bakes cookies daily) replies “Yes, we will, we always have fresh cookies at The Cookie Jar” that’s great to know Hannah. Maybe Delores would have known that by now seeing as how her daughter has owned the cookie shop for years. Perhaps once Delores got a stale day old cookie and has been secretly resentful since? Who knows.
There’s a part where Hannah wakes up in a king sized bed confused because her bed is queen sized, but in other books (dear god why do I know this) it’s referenced that Hannah’s own bed is a huge king sized monstrosity. Even in this book it is referenced that Moishe steals Hannah’s king sized pillow. Go figure. Guys attention to detail is everything here. It can make or break a fun series.
Once more I have to moan about Michelle and Hannah treating each other so formally as sisters. It’s so odd that they greet each other daily in the kitchen of Hannah’s condo with “good morning Hannah” and “good morning Michelle” surely if you are the only two in the room no names are needed. A nice hey good morning will suffice. I’m not sure I’ve ever called my siblings by name in morning greetings.
My two favorite book moments are as follows: Firstly Hannah being amused and wanting to giggle when Mike calls her a “good girl” in the same tone of voice he would praise a dog. Now we all know what kind of man Hannah needs in her life right? Clearly a canine trainer. Secondly Grandma Knudsen being upset that no one suspects her of the murder and says “What a pity. I’d like to think that I might be capable of a bold action like that.” You’re right grandma. Murder is indeed a bold action.
Guys this book was fun again, even though it was peppered with “recipes” that require a Betty Crocker cake mix instead of you know actually baking a cake from scratch. Is Hannah just Sandra Lee in disguise?
The plot was amusing. However there is a disturbing cliff hanger that, if true, will ruin any future book potential. If you read this feel free to pm me how you feel about that cliff hanger!
September 28, 2025
CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE MURDER was a delightful Valentine’s Day themed cozy mystery read! Blizzards and snowplows and all sorts of yummy Valentine’s Day food… strawberry cake, white chocolate fudge, and pink grapefruit glaze with candy hearts. I love reading all these delicious recipes! And Joanne Fluke puts you right in the thick of snowy Minnesota with its freezing temperatures and icicles and winter storm warnings.
Hannah is having a big of a rough time since Ross, who she just married, has been discovered to actually be married to someone else! Now Ross, that dirt bag, is creeping around and up to no good and it’s up to the residents of Lake Eden to protect Hannah.
The mystery in this one was a bit different than usual, but I was on the edge of my seat the entire time nevertheless. The residents of Lake Eden have grown on me with each passing book, and this one wins major bonus points for the scenes with Moisha and Norman’s cat, Cuddles. No matter what happens with Hannah and the men in her life, I’m totally shipping the cats!
As Lake Eden forms a protective circle around Hannah, and trouble closes in, she and her sisters bake like mad (Seriously, there was sooooo much baking in this one!) There were quite a few surprises in this one.
Hannah is having a big of a rough time since Ross, who she just married, has been discovered to actually be married to someone else! Now Ross, that dirt bag, is creeping around and up to no good and it’s up to the residents of Lake Eden to protect Hannah.
The mystery in this one was a bit different than usual, but I was on the edge of my seat the entire time nevertheless. The residents of Lake Eden have grown on me with each passing book, and this one wins major bonus points for the scenes with Moisha and Norman’s cat, Cuddles. No matter what happens with Hannah and the men in her life, I’m totally shipping the cats!
As Lake Eden forms a protective circle around Hannah, and trouble closes in, she and her sisters bake like mad (Seriously, there was sooooo much baking in this one!) There were quite a few surprises in this one.
March 12, 2019
There was barely a story in this one. It was all recipes or people discussing the recipes. On the occasions that there was talk not centered around the recipes, it all felt like it came from a sitcom with a laugh track. This book was ridiculous. I’m finally done with this series. The characters aren’t even quirky and cute anymore; they’re just annoying and predictable.
January 10, 2019
I had to laugh conspiratorially as I opened my review copy of this much awaited book and saw at the bottom of the the author's acknowledgements: You've been asking for this book and here it is!
Yes, I did. Yes, we did. Yes....we ALL did.
Thank you, Joanne.
I have been reading the Hannah Swensen series since book 1, Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery, came out in 2001. Almost 19 years invested in these characters. Lots of recipes and baking. Lots of dead people....cozily murdered, of course. Culinary cozy mysteries are all over the place now....but Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series is one of the first...if not THE first. Then there was......The Event. A misstep by a main character that threw all of us Hannah fans into chaos. What? She did WHAT? With Who? And then.....HE did WHAT???? Rabble rabble rabble! Get a rope! We all wanted to KILL he-who-shall-not-be-named. R. The great jerk. Every single one of us volunteered to pop in to do it, too. And not cozily.
I had to wait for a year to get my hands on this book. The minute my review copy downloaded to my IPad, I informed my family I was retreating in to my lair. I didn't wash the supper dishes....I didn't do any of my normal routine. I had to read this book! Immediately! I made hot tea, put on my PJs hours earlier than usual, and dived into this book. I binged the whole thing. Finished at 1 a.m. and was incredibly tired this morning when I got up at 5:30 (to a sink full of last night's dishes....), but completely happy in my choices.
I have a few mixed emotions about this newest book. On one hand, I am elated at some of the plot points, even though there was no murder or investigation until almost the very end of the book. On the other hand, I felt the story was very much padded by overly lengthy recipe sections and long discussions of food by the characters. BUT....after several books where the writing was (to be blunt) bad and the plots just not up to Hannah-standards.....this book was BETTER! No more klunky bad dialogue or extreme over-telling by characters. It seems Hannah is coming back to old times. I can handle some obvious padding (recipes are an intrinsic part of this series and always have been...so I'm ok with it. Plus YUM! -- there are some really good ones!) this time around because it is obvious that our reviews and constructive criticism were read and taken to heart. Editing much better this time!
I am chuffed!!
My biggest mixed emotion moment is about the end...... The last sentence is a bombshell. And, once again, Joanne Fluke has me waiting a year to find out what happens next.
Well played, Joanne. Well played.
Eagerly awaiting the next book!
Chocolate Cream Pie Murder is the 24th book in the Hannah Swensen series. Normally it isn't really necessary to read the series in order...but this time, it's probably a good idea to have read at least the last few books in the series to fully understand the plot. This series is a fun, light-hearted culinary cozy mystery series. The plots are light....and recipes are included at the end of most chapters. No spurting blood. No cursing. No graphic sex. Definitely cozy. After 19 years, I am committed to this series. I read each book as soon as it comes out....and I will until the very last one. :)
And....because this one was better and I feel that the opinions of reviewers and readers were heard and valued....I'm giving this full stars. Is it a literary masterpiece? No....it's a fun cozy mystery that I stayed up half the night reading. And, I feel this author connects with her readers. That deserves a perfect score from me.
And I'm happily waiting for the next Hannah book. :)
**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Yes, I did. Yes, we did. Yes....we ALL did.
Thank you, Joanne.
I have been reading the Hannah Swensen series since book 1, Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery, came out in 2001. Almost 19 years invested in these characters. Lots of recipes and baking. Lots of dead people....cozily murdered, of course. Culinary cozy mysteries are all over the place now....but Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series is one of the first...if not THE first. Then there was......The Event. A misstep by a main character that threw all of us Hannah fans into chaos. What? She did WHAT? With Who? And then.....HE did WHAT???? Rabble rabble rabble! Get a rope! We all wanted to KILL he-who-shall-not-be-named. R. The great jerk. Every single one of us volunteered to pop in to do it, too. And not cozily.
I had to wait for a year to get my hands on this book. The minute my review copy downloaded to my IPad, I informed my family I was retreating in to my lair. I didn't wash the supper dishes....I didn't do any of my normal routine. I had to read this book! Immediately! I made hot tea, put on my PJs hours earlier than usual, and dived into this book. I binged the whole thing. Finished at 1 a.m. and was incredibly tired this morning when I got up at 5:30 (to a sink full of last night's dishes....), but completely happy in my choices.
I have a few mixed emotions about this newest book. On one hand, I am elated at some of the plot points, even though there was no murder or investigation until almost the very end of the book. On the other hand, I felt the story was very much padded by overly lengthy recipe sections and long discussions of food by the characters. BUT....after several books where the writing was (to be blunt) bad and the plots just not up to Hannah-standards.....this book was BETTER! No more klunky bad dialogue or extreme over-telling by characters. It seems Hannah is coming back to old times. I can handle some obvious padding (recipes are an intrinsic part of this series and always have been...so I'm ok with it. Plus YUM! -- there are some really good ones!) this time around because it is obvious that our reviews and constructive criticism were read and taken to heart. Editing much better this time!
I am chuffed!!
My biggest mixed emotion moment is about the end...... The last sentence is a bombshell. And, once again, Joanne Fluke has me waiting a year to find out what happens next.
Well played, Joanne. Well played.
Eagerly awaiting the next book!
Chocolate Cream Pie Murder is the 24th book in the Hannah Swensen series. Normally it isn't really necessary to read the series in order...but this time, it's probably a good idea to have read at least the last few books in the series to fully understand the plot. This series is a fun, light-hearted culinary cozy mystery series. The plots are light....and recipes are included at the end of most chapters. No spurting blood. No cursing. No graphic sex. Definitely cozy. After 19 years, I am committed to this series. I read each book as soon as it comes out....and I will until the very last one. :)
And....because this one was better and I feel that the opinions of reviewers and readers were heard and valued....I'm giving this full stars. Is it a literary masterpiece? No....it's a fun cozy mystery that I stayed up half the night reading. And, I feel this author connects with her readers. That deserves a perfect score from me.
And I'm happily waiting for the next Hannah book. :)
**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
February 26, 2019
Having heard of Joanne Fluke and her Hannah Swanson series, I was mighty excited when I got approved for this book. My friend and author James J Cudney, the fourth, took time from his writing to explain the entire series to get me up to date with the story so far. With all the details in my brain, I stepped up enthusiastically into the pages of the book and I was shocked!!
The writing, though perfect in English, did not attract me at all. There were a lot of characters, all Hannah's friends, who were supposed to be warm and friendly, yet the warmth did not seep through the pages. There was a distance between them, maybe it was the formal way of writing. I let that go since I had started reading late in the series.
But it were the dialogues which took my breath away. They were so weak that I almost cringed, the dialogues told me the scenes instead of showing it to me. Nothing unfolded, everything was told to me. The story dealt with the bigamist husband Ross's reappearance into Hannah's life to get his dirty paws on the money. The was a mystery and a murder which occurred at 80% of the book followed by Hannah's investigation and deduction. And the book was done.
I love animals and recipes in a cozy series. But this book overdid it with both. Everything felt disjointed in this book. Maybe that was the writing style, don't know and now, don't care too.
As an amateur sleuth, Hannah was weak, and this would be my first and last Joanne Fluke book. I finished it in 1 hour flat as there was nothing which pulled me in.
The writing, though perfect in English, did not attract me at all. There were a lot of characters, all Hannah's friends, who were supposed to be warm and friendly, yet the warmth did not seep through the pages. There was a distance between them, maybe it was the formal way of writing. I let that go since I had started reading late in the series.
But it were the dialogues which took my breath away. They were so weak that I almost cringed, the dialogues told me the scenes instead of showing it to me. Nothing unfolded, everything was told to me. The story dealt with the bigamist husband Ross's reappearance into Hannah's life to get his dirty paws on the money. The was a mystery and a murder which occurred at 80% of the book followed by Hannah's investigation and deduction. And the book was done.
I love animals and recipes in a cozy series. But this book overdid it with both. Everything felt disjointed in this book. Maybe that was the writing style, don't know and now, don't care too.
As an amateur sleuth, Hannah was weak, and this would be my first and last Joanne Fluke book. I finished it in 1 hour flat as there was nothing which pulled me in.
March 20, 2019
The public finally gets what it wants.
After apologizing to her church for lying to them about the Ross situation, the whole town rallies around her, and Ross is definitely persona non grata. Between baking sessions, Ross calls Hannah alternately whining, begging and demanding she give him the money he left in her bank account. Like a dolt, she put it all back in Ross's account. He even threatens her.
This goes on for most of the book. Then guess who winds up dead in Hannah's condo?
There's a pacing problem, and several dangling plot lines that To Be Continued. Possibly more recipes than the law allows.
Still, better than her last couple of books, if only because Ross is brutally murdered.
After apologizing to her church for lying to them about the Ross situation, the whole town rallies around her, and Ross is definitely persona non grata. Between baking sessions, Ross calls Hannah alternately whining, begging and demanding she give him the money he left in her bank account. Like a dolt, she put it all back in Ross's account. He even threatens her.
This goes on for most of the book. Then guess who winds up dead in Hannah's condo?
There's a pacing problem, and several dangling plot lines that To Be Continued. Possibly more recipes than the law allows.
Still, better than her last couple of books, if only because Ross is brutally murdered.
February 23, 2019
If it weren't for the fact that I got this from NetGalley I most likely would not have bought this book. I thought the last book about Ross really bit the big one. (see my review of Banana Cream Pie Murder) .
I see that a lot of people really love this book, so while it's not my glass of wine, it may be yours!
This book tries to explain in more depth why Ross took off shortly after the wedding to Hannah -keyword tries. And it does, sort of.
Okay, pros and cons of this book:
Pros
It is a cozy and simple book - nothing complicated about it at all.
It has cats in it.
It has cool Minnesotan phraseology in it.
It has great snowy weather in it.
It has the usual character's in it.
It has food in it---a LOT of food.
It shows Ross as a real nutcase. Interesting.
There is no swearing.
There are no exchanges whatsoever of any kinds of body fluids. No sex--not even kissing.
There is an interesting sort of cliff-hanger.
It has a lot of food/recipes in it and this time, not all the foods are cookies or bars.
Cons
The discussions of food can put you in a real food coma, literally. How the heck do they eat so much and how the heck do they NEVER make a new cookie/muffin/bar/egg dish that never comes out crappy or burns or people just don't plain like it? It would be a little more realistic.
The police work is so simple that I would think that this is taking place on an Amish farm somewhere. And of course, Hannah doesn't listen to the cop when finally a murder (at 80%) happens.
The recipes take up at least 50 pages of the Kindle version (my estimation since this is an ARC I'm going from). So, while you are paying for 300 pages of mystery, that is not what you are getting and it shows.
The minutia is enough to drive one crazy.
There is a cliff hanger (of course)
No new character growth.
Sorry but you are going to have to make up your own mind on this one.
I see that a lot of people really love this book, so while it's not my glass of wine, it may be yours!
This book tries to explain in more depth why Ross took off shortly after the wedding to Hannah -keyword tries. And it does, sort of.
Okay, pros and cons of this book:
Pros
It is a cozy and simple book - nothing complicated about it at all.
It has cats in it.
It has cool Minnesotan phraseology in it.
It has great snowy weather in it.
It has the usual character's in it.
It has food in it---a LOT of food.
It shows Ross as a real nutcase. Interesting.
There is no swearing.
There are no exchanges whatsoever of any kinds of body fluids. No sex--not even kissing.
There is an interesting sort of cliff-hanger.
It has a lot of food/recipes in it and this time, not all the foods are cookies or bars.
Cons
The discussions of food can put you in a real food coma, literally. How the heck do they eat so much and how the heck do they NEVER make a new cookie/muffin/bar/egg dish that never comes out crappy or burns or people just don't plain like it? It would be a little more realistic.
The police work is so simple that I would think that this is taking place on an Amish farm somewhere. And of course, Hannah doesn't listen to the cop when finally a murder (at 80%) happens.
The recipes take up at least 50 pages of the Kindle version (my estimation since this is an ARC I'm going from). So, while you are paying for 300 pages of mystery, that is not what you are getting and it shows.
The minutia is enough to drive one crazy.
There is a cliff hanger (of course)
No new character growth.
Sorry but you are going to have to make up your own mind on this one.
March 31, 2021
I like this installment of Hannah better than some of the other even though the murder isn't a massive part of the story. I love that Ross is finally out of the picture and I still can't believe that Hannah misjudge him so badly.
February 17, 2019
The 24th book in the Hannah Swensen series by Joanna Fluke. I haven't read all of the books in this series. I've read six or seven books, and hopped around in the order. I do plan to go back and read the entire series. Anyway, this book is best read after reading the others in the series.
Hannah's personal life is front and center as the truth about her marriage to Ross is revealed. As her scoundrel of a (fake) husband makes a reappearance, Hannah is trying to get on with her life.
These books usually start with Hannah finding a dead body within the first couple of chapters, then going on to play amateur sleuth to solve the murder mystery. In this book, the murder doesn't happen to really late in the book. So late, I was beginning to think one would never happen. I know these books are mostly formulaic, but I like them and was disappointed in how this book was going. So, this one is more focused on Hannah's personal life, than a murder mystery.
While I didn't find this one as enjoyable as others in the series, it was nice to see Hannah getting back on track. Since this is a series, these books sometimes end on a cliffhanger, and this one is a doozy. Hopefully, the next one goes in a good direction.
This is a good series for fans of cozy mysteries and food. The main character own a bakery, and recipes are included throughout the book. Honestly, I skip over the recipes because I'm not much of a cook, but this one seemed to include more dinner recipes than dessert recipes.
A quick, light read for cozy mystery fans. Delightful and entertaining.
I received a free eARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Hannah's personal life is front and center as the truth about her marriage to Ross is revealed. As her scoundrel of a (fake) husband makes a reappearance, Hannah is trying to get on with her life.
These books usually start with Hannah finding a dead body within the first couple of chapters, then going on to play amateur sleuth to solve the murder mystery. In this book, the murder doesn't happen to really late in the book. So late, I was beginning to think one would never happen. I know these books are mostly formulaic, but I like them and was disappointed in how this book was going. So, this one is more focused on Hannah's personal life, than a murder mystery.
While I didn't find this one as enjoyable as others in the series, it was nice to see Hannah getting back on track. Since this is a series, these books sometimes end on a cliffhanger, and this one is a doozy. Hopefully, the next one goes in a good direction.
This is a good series for fans of cozy mysteries and food. The main character own a bakery, and recipes are included throughout the book. Honestly, I skip over the recipes because I'm not much of a cook, but this one seemed to include more dinner recipes than dessert recipes.
A quick, light read for cozy mystery fans. Delightful and entertaining.
I received a free eARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 1, 2019
How many books in this series am I going to read hoping they return to the interesting plots and non-stilted dialogue of the first few? It appears at least one more called the Chocolate Cream Pie Murder.
Hannah is once again being harassed by the annoying Ross. Usually I would describe the murder that Hannah must solve around now. However, this time it occurs so late in the book that it would be a major spoiler.
Without a murder, nothing much happens in the first 2/3 of the book. There is a chapter on the weather, cats chasing each other, and of course cooking dinner. There are more recipes here than usual too—and not just desserts.
I found the Chocolate Cream Pie Murder to be pedestrian and worse, boring, compared to other books in the series. I can’t recommend it except to hardcore fans, which is a shame. 2 stars.
Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Hannah is once again being harassed by the annoying Ross. Usually I would describe the murder that Hannah must solve around now. However, this time it occurs so late in the book that it would be a major spoiler.
Without a murder, nothing much happens in the first 2/3 of the book. There is a chapter on the weather, cats chasing each other, and of course cooking dinner. There are more recipes here than usual too—and not just desserts.
I found the Chocolate Cream Pie Murder to be pedestrian and worse, boring, compared to other books in the series. I can’t recommend it except to hardcore fans, which is a shame. 2 stars.
Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 2, 2019
The absolute worst! Stilted dialogue throughout, ridiculous murder premise, stupid behavior, and seemingly endless discussions about what to eat next, followed by overly detailed recipes for unbelievably unhealthy food. Do people really eat like this? Does Fluke have an eating disorder? Does anyone who lives alone have quarts of whipping cream and multiple pounds of cheese in their refrigerator at all times? I’m expecting the next book to be “Everyone Dies of a Coronary.” Fluke throws in a zinger at the end, I suspect because she realizes all her readers are tiring of the series.
February 23, 2019
This is strictly my friend James' fault - I had swore I was never reading another one of these books and then he read this one and wrote a review that would make ANYONE want to read this and here we are. Sigh.
Well.
I didn't hate this book as much as I hated previous ones. Which is saying a lot. And I am glad that the author cleaned up the mess that was "Ross" [HOW HOW HOW Hannah could have THREE men be in love with her is still and will forever be a humongous mystery to me] and did it in a pretty decent way - psychopaths and narcissists are so capable of conning anyone and this was the case here and for that, I do feel sorry for Hannah. She had one perfectly good man right in front of her [and a decent cop but a player of a man on the side] and fell for someone who was a ginormous con man and a dangerous one at that.
I missed some of the main characters, but liked that we saw some of the peripheral ones in a clearer light and that we saw more of Michelle [she is my favorite of the sisters]. And can someone please tell me how these people don't weight 500 pounds with all the cookies they eat? Good grief!!
The mystery part was kind of dumb - we all knew who was going to end up dead and little time is spent on finding the killer - I believe that was wrapped up in less than one chapter and it was very dissatisfying. There are still a lot of questions to be answered and who knows if the author will answer them or not. And there were moments where I was just banging my head against my desk at just how STUPID Hannah can be sometimes - she is supposed to be such a great detective and just cannot see things RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER EYES. And when she goes and questions the suspect with NO BACKUP? Really Hannah? Sigh.
And then let's talk about the cliffhanger - great, the author gives us the book that we have all been asking for [since she messed this whole series up with dumb Ross and a totally unbelievable story-line], but leaves us with a CLIFFHANGER [that I called in the 4th chapter of the book thankyouverymuch]??? Sigh. It was not needed and it certainly will not let Hannah move on from that mess that she got herself into. Sigh.
I still love the idea of Hannah and Norman together - they compliment each other so well. But I wouldn't blame Norman if he told her that they can only be friends because of all of her shenanigans. She almost doesn't deserve someone as nice as Norman. BUT!! She also doesn't deserve creepo Mike. So if the author decided to go back to her choosing between the two men, my vote is still for Norman, though if I was him, I wouldn't want to give her the time of day.
Now that there has been a cliffhanger, I will probably read the next one. And then I will grouse about it the whole time [my poor mom and friends]. We will see.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Well.
I didn't hate this book as much as I hated previous ones. Which is saying a lot. And I am glad that the author cleaned up the mess that was "Ross" [HOW HOW HOW Hannah could have THREE men be in love with her is still and will forever be a humongous mystery to me] and did it in a pretty decent way - psychopaths and narcissists are so capable of conning anyone and this was the case here and for that, I do feel sorry for Hannah. She had one perfectly good man right in front of her [and a decent cop but a player of a man on the side] and fell for someone who was a ginormous con man and a dangerous one at that.
I missed some of the main characters, but liked that we saw some of the peripheral ones in a clearer light and that we saw more of Michelle [she is my favorite of the sisters]. And can someone please tell me how these people don't weight 500 pounds with all the cookies they eat? Good grief!!
The mystery part was kind of dumb - we all knew who was going to end up dead and little time is spent on finding the killer - I believe that was wrapped up in less than one chapter and it was very dissatisfying. There are still a lot of questions to be answered and who knows if the author will answer them or not. And there were moments where I was just banging my head against my desk at just how STUPID Hannah can be sometimes - she is supposed to be such a great detective and just cannot see things RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER EYES. And when she goes and questions the suspect with NO BACKUP? Really Hannah? Sigh.
And then let's talk about the cliffhanger - great, the author gives us the book that we have all been asking for [since she messed this whole series up with dumb Ross and a totally unbelievable story-line], but leaves us with a CLIFFHANGER [that I called in the 4th chapter of the book thankyouverymuch]??? Sigh. It was not needed and it certainly will not let Hannah move on from that mess that she got herself into. Sigh.
I still love the idea of Hannah and Norman together - they compliment each other so well. But I wouldn't blame Norman if he told her that they can only be friends because of all of her shenanigans. She almost doesn't deserve someone as nice as Norman. BUT!! She also doesn't deserve creepo Mike. So if the author decided to go back to her choosing between the two men, my vote is still for Norman, though if I was him, I wouldn't want to give her the time of day.
Now that there has been a cliffhanger, I will probably read the next one. And then I will grouse about it the whole time [my poor mom and friends]. We will see.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 1, 2019
Too Many Recipes / Too Little Plot
I've read all the books in this series and until the last few, I had been enjoying them. However, the stories just aren't as interesting as they used to be and the "who done it" isn't that hard to figure out.
In Chocolate Cream Pie Murder, Hannah has decided to tell the town the truth about Ross at the end of a Sunday church service. That is far from the end of it though as Ross is still causing trouble and stress for her when he shows up in town a few days later.
The exact reason behind the murder in this book wasn't fully obvious but I strongly suspected part of it and knew who would be killed and who did it LONG before the murder actually occurred. The first 3/4 of the book takes place over 8 days in February as Hannah is still trying to deal with the aftermath of her learning the truth about her "marriage" to Ross a few month earlier. Once the murder finally occurs, it is solved in a day or so over a couple of chapters. Then the (sadly) very predictable final chapter and we are left once again to wonder what will happen in yet another book. Yawn....
A few thoughts on plot points:
I do like the rapport between the main characters. I also like the occasional bits of humour thrown in by various characters. That being said, I do cringe when Delores gets on one of her criticizing streaks about how Hannah dresses or does her hair/makeup. Delores may think it is well intentioned but it comes across as Hannah not living up to Delores's expectations. Hannah is her own person and should dress/appear as she is comfortable.
This book seemed to have more filler than usual - not just in recipes but in things that just took up space rather than advancing the plot. I'm not referring to Hannah and friends being stuck at the condo during the blizzard - that was an interesting dynamic. Instead, I felt that the following three segments could easily have been cut and replaced by real plot development.
1) Delores asking Hannah to come up with an appetizer for her and Stephanie Bascomb, the ensuing discussion on sugared grapes, Hannah's trip to the Red Owl and the recipe.
2) Readers all know that Moishe and Cuddles love to have their chase in Hannah's condo. Full out details of the (usual) three laps ONCE per book is more than sufficient. Any more than that is filler.
3)The stress on Hannah is obvious but trying to express it in a dream sequence is lame and tired. Ms Fluke had done this in the past and it just feels like it was forced and inserted as an excuse to bring in yet another recipe.
In the more recent books it seems that Ms Fluke has been trying to be more of a cookbook author than cozy mystery author. The actual story and plot seems to get thinner and the recipes more plentiful and detailed. Most of the recipes list the brand name for some of the ingredients which makes me wonder if she is being paid for naming the brand or receiving free/discounted merchandise in return. Most recipes include extremely detailed directions geared to a novice cook which is fine for some but rather boring for more experienced cooks. With the Kindle version of Chocolate Cream Pie Murder there was no recipe index at the beginning or end so if you didn't bookmark it, good luck finding any of the recipes you may actually have been interested in trying.
Personally, I'd prefer to see ALL of the recipes at the END of the book rather than stuffed in at the end of almost every chapter. It would be far less disruptive to the flow of the story if you could just keep reading rather than having to flip/scroll through several pages of recipe info before finding the next chapter. Then again, if Ms Fluke were to put all the recipes at the end, it would be a bit too obvious how little of the book was actually dealing with the story. It's hard to tell from the Kindle edition, but my guess would be at least 25% of this book is the recipes - probably more.
Yes, Hannah owns and operates "The Cookie Jar" but you don't have to share every recipe mentioned in every book. Pick a few - maybe 6-10 and put them at the end of the book. Then every few years release another Lake Eden Cookbook for those who want it all.
I've read all the books in this series and until the last few, I had been enjoying them. However, the stories just aren't as interesting as they used to be and the "who done it" isn't that hard to figure out.
In Chocolate Cream Pie Murder, Hannah has decided to tell the town the truth about Ross at the end of a Sunday church service. That is far from the end of it though as Ross is still causing trouble and stress for her when he shows up in town a few days later.
The exact reason behind the murder in this book wasn't fully obvious but I strongly suspected part of it and knew who would be killed and who did it LONG before the murder actually occurred. The first 3/4 of the book takes place over 8 days in February as Hannah is still trying to deal with the aftermath of her learning the truth about her "marriage" to Ross a few month earlier. Once the murder finally occurs, it is solved in a day or so over a couple of chapters. Then the (sadly) very predictable final chapter and we are left once again to wonder what will happen in yet another book. Yawn....
A few thoughts on plot points:
I do like the rapport between the main characters. I also like the occasional bits of humour thrown in by various characters. That being said, I do cringe when Delores gets on one of her criticizing streaks about how Hannah dresses or does her hair/makeup. Delores may think it is well intentioned but it comes across as Hannah not living up to Delores's expectations. Hannah is her own person and should dress/appear as she is comfortable.
This book seemed to have more filler than usual - not just in recipes but in things that just took up space rather than advancing the plot. I'm not referring to Hannah and friends being stuck at the condo during the blizzard - that was an interesting dynamic. Instead, I felt that the following three segments could easily have been cut and replaced by real plot development.
1) Delores asking Hannah to come up with an appetizer for her and Stephanie Bascomb, the ensuing discussion on sugared grapes, Hannah's trip to the Red Owl and the recipe.
2) Readers all know that Moishe and Cuddles love to have their chase in Hannah's condo. Full out details of the (usual) three laps ONCE per book is more than sufficient. Any more than that is filler.
3)The stress on Hannah is obvious but trying to express it in a dream sequence is lame and tired. Ms Fluke had done this in the past and it just feels like it was forced and inserted as an excuse to bring in yet another recipe.
In the more recent books it seems that Ms Fluke has been trying to be more of a cookbook author than cozy mystery author. The actual story and plot seems to get thinner and the recipes more plentiful and detailed. Most of the recipes list the brand name for some of the ingredients which makes me wonder if she is being paid for naming the brand or receiving free/discounted merchandise in return. Most recipes include extremely detailed directions geared to a novice cook which is fine for some but rather boring for more experienced cooks. With the Kindle version of Chocolate Cream Pie Murder there was no recipe index at the beginning or end so if you didn't bookmark it, good luck finding any of the recipes you may actually have been interested in trying.
Personally, I'd prefer to see ALL of the recipes at the END of the book rather than stuffed in at the end of almost every chapter. It would be far less disruptive to the flow of the story if you could just keep reading rather than having to flip/scroll through several pages of recipe info before finding the next chapter. Then again, if Ms Fluke were to put all the recipes at the end, it would be a bit too obvious how little of the book was actually dealing with the story. It's hard to tell from the Kindle edition, but my guess would be at least 25% of this book is the recipes - probably more.
Yes, Hannah owns and operates "The Cookie Jar" but you don't have to share every recipe mentioned in every book. Pick a few - maybe 6-10 and put them at the end of the book. Then every few years release another Lake Eden Cookbook for those who want it all.
February 15, 2019
I have been a devoted reader of this series--all 24 books. What would Hannah do when she found out that Ross was not who he said he was and that her marriage to him was not legal? Most of this book, she baked and gave us readers plenty of recipes with very little mystery. I do enjoy trying some of the cookie recipes but I am baffled as to why the dialogue continues to be so stilted--when there are only two people in the room and they constantly refer to each other by first names? The kindle edition jumbled the recipe ingredients so I am on the waiting list at the library to be able to write them down.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for an advance digital copy of this book. My review is voluntary.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for an advance digital copy of this book. My review is voluntary.
March 14, 2019
Ms. Fluke redeemed herself A BIT. But the formulaic story was even more predictable than previous installments. Thankfully, She did the ONLY decent thing that could have been done with Ross. But WHO didn't see Hannah's upset stomach's true origins coming from a MILE away?? The dialogue remains stiff, stilted and forced. People JUST don't talk like that, and they certainly don't use each other's names EVERY time they speak to each other!
I will continue to read the series, but ONLY because I can get them from the Library for FREE. If I had to pay for the privilege, I do believe our relationship would be at an end. My only hope is that Ms. Fluke finally does RIGHT by Norman. He deserves it.
I will continue to read the series, but ONLY because I can get them from the Library for FREE. If I had to pay for the privilege, I do believe our relationship would be at an end. My only hope is that Ms. Fluke finally does RIGHT by Norman. He deserves it.
November 21, 2024
Are these books getting worse? Yes.
Are the recipes getting redundant? Yes.
Is the dialogue reaching a new stage of bad? Yes.
Will I read the next one? Heck yes.
Are the recipes getting redundant? Yes.
Is the dialogue reaching a new stage of bad? Yes.
Will I read the next one? Heck yes.
August 24, 2019
Many thanks to NetGalley, Joanna Fluke, and Kensington Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advance copy.
I am not sure what happened with this book. I have read many others in this series and have had various degrees of enjoyment. I know what to expect so I am not comparing this to some highbrow literature and expecting the get the same experience. Sometimes you just want what you want and the ease of reading, the expectation of how it is going to go, the familiarity of the characters are all I wanted when I opened up this book. And I knew I would get at least a chocolate cream pie recipe out it!
But this stunk! I really didn’t enjoy it at all. I’m so sorry to say this but it was a big disappointment. It opens up with Hannah having to apologize to her community announcing that her marriage was over. Not just over, but Ross, the man she married had fooled her and was already married to someone else, nullifying her marriage. Eventually, Ross gets murdered and it has to be solved. But this book went nowhere. There really wasn’t a story. Halfway through there wasn’t even a murder to solve. It was mostly Hannah with her neighbors making recipes. It was beyond fluff. Everyone was sickly sweet to each other. How can everyone be in such a good mood and so nice to each other all of the time? They were constantly coming up with new recipes. It sort of went like Oh there’s pineapple and mint and Brussel sprouts in your fridge so I’m going to make a new kind of muffin for the store to sell and aren’t they so delicious! Everyone gets to “test” out the new creation and it is always amazing. Also, these people would be 300 pounds if they ate the way they did in this book. They are always drinking coffee and eating plates full of cookies, muffins, and cakes. They hardly eat a real meal with vegetables! It was so out of the realm of believable and the characters so cardboard I couldn’t stand it! As I said, I understand the premise of these books but somehow this time, it just didn’t work for me.
I am not sure what happened with this book. I have read many others in this series and have had various degrees of enjoyment. I know what to expect so I am not comparing this to some highbrow literature and expecting the get the same experience. Sometimes you just want what you want and the ease of reading, the expectation of how it is going to go, the familiarity of the characters are all I wanted when I opened up this book. And I knew I would get at least a chocolate cream pie recipe out it!
But this stunk! I really didn’t enjoy it at all. I’m so sorry to say this but it was a big disappointment. It opens up with Hannah having to apologize to her community announcing that her marriage was over. Not just over, but Ross, the man she married had fooled her and was already married to someone else, nullifying her marriage. Eventually, Ross gets murdered and it has to be solved. But this book went nowhere. There really wasn’t a story. Halfway through there wasn’t even a murder to solve. It was mostly Hannah with her neighbors making recipes. It was beyond fluff. Everyone was sickly sweet to each other. How can everyone be in such a good mood and so nice to each other all of the time? They were constantly coming up with new recipes. It sort of went like Oh there’s pineapple and mint and Brussel sprouts in your fridge so I’m going to make a new kind of muffin for the store to sell and aren’t they so delicious! Everyone gets to “test” out the new creation and it is always amazing. Also, these people would be 300 pounds if they ate the way they did in this book. They are always drinking coffee and eating plates full of cookies, muffins, and cakes. They hardly eat a real meal with vegetables! It was so out of the realm of believable and the characters so cardboard I couldn’t stand it! As I said, I understand the premise of these books but somehow this time, it just didn’t work for me.
March 22, 2019
For an avid Hannah-maniac, this was truly disappointing. The series seems to have turned away from mystery and become a ridiculous soap opera, and the continuity (or lack of) leaves a lot to be desired. I've noticed the last several books have changed things about the characters and while this one drops hints at several occurrences from past books, it gets a lot of them wrong! It refers to Norman as an amateur magician (it was never Norman, it was Herb) and states that movie director Dean Lawrence is currently living abroad, when he was actually the murder victim in Cherry Cheesecake Murder. You know, the one where Ross, Hannah's fake and now dead husband, is first introduced to the series. I just don't understand how that made it past everyone who must have read this prior to its publication! Maybe I should join Ms. Fluke's editing team, clearly the rest of them don't know the series as well as I do. Timeline mistakes aside, a recent book spent about four pages describing a sandwich Hannah was considering ordering at a restaurant. A sandwich! Whatever appetite I may have had, I lost out of sheer boredom and disbelief. I'll be buying and reading these books as long as they're coming out, but more out of old loyalty now than because of quality story-telling. I miss the days of the classic Hannah-Norman-Mike love triangle, and I bet she does, too.
March 8, 2019
Not a cookbook
The book has so many recipes! They are written like a five-year old was going to be using them. The story is so weak. Hannah is constantly battling inside her head. Her rational mind viruses her suspicious mind. By the end of the book you're rooting for Tom to shoot her already. I've read all the previous books but I will not read anymore.
The book has so many recipes! They are written like a five-year old was going to be using them. The story is so weak. Hannah is constantly battling inside her head. Her rational mind viruses her suspicious mind. By the end of the book you're rooting for Tom to shoot her already. I've read all the previous books but I will not read anymore.
March 13, 2019
Valentine’s Day is coming, and The Cookie Jar is getting ready to cater various Valentine’s Parties with new treats. Hannah Swensen is throwing herself into this baking in order to not think about the news she’s gotten that Ross was already married, so their wedding was all a lie. She has told the town of Lake Eden in an effort to curb gossip, and all of her friends are with her. Which is why Ross sneaks back into town in the early hours of the morning demanding something from Hannah – something she might not be able to give him. What will happen if she can’t?
As a longtime fan of the series, I’ve been expecting this book for several books now. The murder itself takes place late in the book and is wrapped up quickly. There were some other plot elements I was enjoying, so I wasn’t bored, however, I wish things hadn’t been left dangling quite so much until the next book in the series. We get plenty of talk about food as always, with twenty-eight new recipes by my count. It is always nice to catch up with these characters, at least for this fan of the series. If you have been a fan, you’ll want the next chapter in Hannah’s saga, but if you are new, don’t jump in here.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
As a longtime fan of the series, I’ve been expecting this book for several books now. The murder itself takes place late in the book and is wrapped up quickly. There were some other plot elements I was enjoying, so I wasn’t bored, however, I wish things hadn’t been left dangling quite so much until the next book in the series. We get plenty of talk about food as always, with twenty-eight new recipes by my count. It is always nice to catch up with these characters, at least for this fan of the series. If you have been a fan, you’ll want the next chapter in Hannah’s saga, but if you are new, don’t jump in here.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
September 13, 2019
It's not often I get bored reading a book that is supposedly a murder mystery. But given that half the book is made up of recipes (37 of them), and 95% of the other half is basically the following conversation:
"Hannah/Lisa/Sally/whoever is that a new recipe?"
"Yes, would you like to try some?"
"That's delicious! It will sell very well at the [insert venue]"
Repeated ad nauseum, followed by the recipes themselves it got extremely monotonous.
At the point where Hannah was talking about catering a book club launch (p274/348) and we had not yet had a murder I started thinking (hoping?) that the cliffhanger would be Ross either kidnapping or murdering Hannah rather than the blindingly obvious set up with blindingly obvious murderer (for slightly interesting reasons that might have made a much more interesting plot if they had followed a trail to work out who the murderer was rather than spending the entire book eating and exchanging recipes) followed by the blindingly obvious cliffhanger.
I did appreciate the side discussions about Bison/Buffalo and the rate of evaporation of alcohol in cooking (finally, a moment's relief from the never ending taste testing) - although I wish Fluke would get people to read her dialogue out loud so she can hear how totally stilted it sounds.
Agree with others - I think this series needs to end. Although if Mike and Norman could finally come out and admit they have been using Hannah as a beard the entire time it would make my night.
"Hannah/Lisa/Sally/whoever is that a new recipe?"
"Yes, would you like to try some?"
"That's delicious! It will sell very well at the [insert venue]"
Repeated ad nauseum, followed by the recipes themselves it got extremely monotonous.
At the point where Hannah was talking about catering a book club launch (p274/348) and we had not yet had a murder I started thinking (hoping?) that the cliffhanger would be Ross either kidnapping or murdering Hannah rather than the blindingly obvious set up with blindingly obvious murderer (for slightly interesting reasons that might have made a much more interesting plot if they had followed a trail to work out who the murderer was rather than spending the entire book eating and exchanging recipes) followed by the blindingly obvious cliffhanger.
I did appreciate the side discussions about Bison/Buffalo and the rate of evaporation of alcohol in cooking (finally, a moment's relief from the never ending taste testing) - although I wish Fluke would get people to read her dialogue out loud so she can hear how totally stilted it sounds.
Agree with others - I think this series needs to end. Although if Mike and Norman could finally come out and admit they have been using Hannah as a beard the entire time it would make my night.
May 20, 2019
Hannah Swenson is prepared to face the entire town of Lake Eden and come out with the truth. The man she believed to be her husband left her to go back to his wife! The entire town is sympathetic and protective of Hannah. Her friends, including Officer Mike Stanton, are ready and waiting for Ross to return to Lake Eden so they can exact revenge. When Ross's Lake Eden-filmed movie rights are bought by a TV station, Hannah dreads answering questions about the movie. Hannah is ready to move on and forget Ross was ever part of her life. She is eager to start preparing new recipes for Valentine's Day. Then Ross calls demanding money and goes from the charming man she loved to scary and threatening in a short time. Hannah doesn't have the money and he doesn't believe her. What can she do to convince him of the truth and make him go away? Mike doesn't trust Ross and sets up a rotation of bodyguards to keep Hannah safe. Together they come up with a plan to attempt to outwit Ross and make him return to Lake Eden so Mike can arrest him.
The murder comes very late in the novel and it's perfectly obvious who the victim and killer are. Ross is up to something shady and someone wants him dead if he can't fork over the money. Hannah's friend Lynne's husband has started working a lot more and has even asked for a divorce. It doesn't take a brain more clever than Hannah's to put two and two together and get murder. SO WHY does Lisa let Tom in The Cookie Jar after hours? Don't let anyone in after hours except Mike! That was completely stupid and unbelievable. I was not happy the mystery leaves more questions than answers at the end. There's even a slight, predictable cliffhanger at the very end. Is Hannah pregnant? If so, what will she do? I vote to LIE LIE LIE to the kid and tell him or her Norman is the sperm donor dad. Norman wants to be a dad, as we learned in a previous book, and since Moishe and Cuddles are bffs, Norman is always at Hannah's anyway. Norman would make a great dad.
Unfortunately I think Hannah would be a terrible mother unless she can get over her obsession with sleuthing and being petty about solving crimes before Mike. I don't see her handing the baby to Grandma McCann the way Andrea does. Tracy must be old enough to babysit by now.
On the plus side, Hannah finally grew a brain and some guts since marrying Ross. She doesn't put up with his manipulations and probable lies except as a means of luring Ross to Lake Eden. She's still annoyingly goody goody and honest but I was impressed with how she handled the situation, aside from frequently fainting. She even manages to rescue herself from the killer just before Mike arrives to save the day.
Everyone else besides Hannah, Mike and Norman are relegated to the background. Mike finally remembers he had a wife who died tragically. I forgot about her since he seems like the quintencial bachelor. Norman is still the best man on the planet but I still get gay bff vibes from him and not lover qualities. Moishe and Cuddles have TWO chase scenes -one too many. We get it. It doesn't need to be repeated. The other major character here is Hannah's sister Michelle. Michelle seems to be done with college and trying out different careers. She's too perfect and more cheerful and perfect than even Hannah. Mother comes up trumps here and actually thinks about her daughter for a change. One more important person to the story is Hannah's college friend and Ross's old fiance, Lynne. Lynne seems nice but she's an actress. She needs to be taken in for questioning to see how much she knows about her husband's business. Is she sincere or just pumping Hannah for information?
Frustratingly, the story ends with more questions than answers.
If you've read the rest of the series, this one follows a different pattern but the usual inane dialogue and pages of recipes are here. There are lots of chocolate mint and chocolate butterscotch recipes for Valentine's Day and the title recipe that sound good. For fans of the more savory, Hannah and Michelle cook up some savory dishes too.
The murder comes very late in the novel and it's perfectly obvious who the victim and killer are. Ross is up to something shady and someone wants him dead if he can't fork over the money. Hannah's friend Lynne's husband has started working a lot more and has even asked for a divorce. It doesn't take a brain more clever than Hannah's to put two and two together and get murder. SO WHY does Lisa let Tom in The Cookie Jar after hours? Don't let anyone in after hours except Mike! That was completely stupid and unbelievable. I was not happy the mystery leaves more questions than answers at the end. There's even a slight, predictable cliffhanger at the very end. Is Hannah pregnant? If so, what will she do? I vote to LIE LIE LIE to the kid and tell him or her Norman is the sperm donor dad. Norman wants to be a dad, as we learned in a previous book, and since Moishe and Cuddles are bffs, Norman is always at Hannah's anyway. Norman would make a great dad.
Unfortunately I think Hannah would be a terrible mother unless she can get over her obsession with sleuthing and being petty about solving crimes before Mike. I don't see her handing the baby to Grandma McCann the way Andrea does. Tracy must be old enough to babysit by now.
On the plus side, Hannah finally grew a brain and some guts since marrying Ross. She doesn't put up with his manipulations and probable lies except as a means of luring Ross to Lake Eden. She's still annoyingly goody goody and honest but I was impressed with how she handled the situation, aside from frequently fainting. She even manages to rescue herself from the killer just before Mike arrives to save the day.
Everyone else besides Hannah, Mike and Norman are relegated to the background. Mike finally remembers he had a wife who died tragically. I forgot about her since he seems like the quintencial bachelor. Norman is still the best man on the planet but I still get gay bff vibes from him and not lover qualities. Moishe and Cuddles have TWO chase scenes -one too many. We get it. It doesn't need to be repeated. The other major character here is Hannah's sister Michelle. Michelle seems to be done with college and trying out different careers. She's too perfect and more cheerful and perfect than even Hannah. Mother comes up trumps here and actually thinks about her daughter for a change. One more important person to the story is Hannah's college friend and Ross's old fiance, Lynne. Lynne seems nice but she's an actress. She needs to be taken in for questioning to see how much she knows about her husband's business. Is she sincere or just pumping Hannah for information?
Frustratingly, the story ends with more questions than answers.
If you've read the rest of the series, this one follows a different pattern but the usual inane dialogue and pages of recipes are here. There are lots of chocolate mint and chocolate butterscotch recipes for Valentine's Day and the title recipe that sound good. For fans of the more savory, Hannah and Michelle cook up some savory dishes too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 14, 2019
This is the 24th book in the Hannah Swenson series. Hannah is still dealing with her failed non marriage to Ross. So the last thing she wants is to see or hear from him again. But Ross is a jerk and comes to see Hannah to get the money he had left . Hannah tells him she put it back in his account so if he wants it so badly he can go and get it. Ross wants Hannah to get it for him since he doesn't want to be seen since the entire town hates him for what he did to Hannah. So we he is murdered towards the end of the book there are numerous suspects.
I really enjoyed this book. It was better than the last few books and I'm glad some of the plot points have been resolved from previous books, even though we were left with a huge cliffhanger. I will anxiously be waiting for the next book which seems so far away now,
I received this book from net galley in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book. It was better than the last few books and I'm glad some of the plot points have been resolved from previous books, even though we were left with a huge cliffhanger. I will anxiously be waiting for the next book which seems so far away now,
I received this book from net galley in exchange for an honest review.
February 2, 2020
2 stars
You can hardly call this a mystery series anymore. The crime doesn’t occur until the book is three quarters over.
Mostly the book is a collection of meals that Hannah and her friends have with desert then recipes tacked on at the end of the chapter.
Cozies Reading Challenge
You can hardly call this a mystery series anymore. The crime doesn’t occur until the book is three quarters over.
Mostly the book is a collection of meals that Hannah and her friends have with desert then recipes tacked on at the end of the chapter.
Cozies Reading Challenge
January 25, 2019
I had given up on this series but wanted to give it one more shot.
Since I don’t want to post spoilers it’s hard for me to really express my opinion.
There was some hints of the series I used to love but not enough to save this series.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.
Since I don’t want to post spoilers it’s hard for me to really express my opinion.
There was some hints of the series I used to love but not enough to save this series.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.
March 31, 2019
There are some slow parts, and I found most of the mystery predictable. I thought, overall, it was a good read!
January 17, 2019
Yes - this is the book that all of Hannah Swenson's fans have been asking for - almost! One of these days she will just need to suck it up and marry Norman because its kind of obvious that Mike is still hung up on his dead wife. (which is totally fine!). I swear that these characters get simpler as each new books comes out - life can be fixed for all of them with some sort of baked good. How are they all not 500 lbs? As for the cliffhanger at the end - it was kind of obvious but I think it will be interesting to see how things shake out for Hannah..
January 12, 2019
I'm a huge fan of this series and I found this book to be an excellent addition.
Hannah still can't believe what Ross has put her through, and when he threatens
her life, residents of Lake Eden gather together to support their favorite baker.
I found this story captivating and I was eager to solve the mystery.
The author left us with a cliffhanger and I can't wait to see what happens next.
Hannah still can't believe what Ross has put her through, and when he threatens
her life, residents of Lake Eden gather together to support their favorite baker.
I found this story captivating and I was eager to solve the mystery.
The author left us with a cliffhanger and I can't wait to see what happens next.
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