Publishers Weekly
01/27/2020
In bestseller Fluke’s pleasing 25th Hannah Swensen mystery (after 2019’s Chocolate Cream Pie Murder), bakery shop owner and amateur sleuth Hannah Swensen cuts short her California vacation and rushes home to Lake Eden, Minn., after receiving an emergency call from her sister, Michelle. Darcy Hicks, a high school classmate of Michelle’s police detective boyfriend, Lonnie , has been murdered, and the primary suspect is Lonnie. The night before the murder, Lonnie took Darcy home from a bar and passed out in her house, where he discovered her dead the next morning. Obviously, Lonnie can’t investigate, and neither can his partner on the force, Mike , so Hannah’s detecting skills are needed more than ever. Together with friends and family, including Mike, Hannah sets out to learn the truth, and, as she eliminates one potential killer after another, things begin to look even darker for Lonnie. Mouthwatering recipes and diverting subplots add to the fun. Fluke demonstrates why she’s considered the queen of culinary cozies. Agent: Meg Ruley, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
INDULGE IN JOANNE FLUKE’S CRIMINALLY DELICIOUS HANNAH SWENSEN MYSTERIES!
CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE MURDER
“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. Many delicious-sounding recipes are woven through the story, and Fluke ends this cozy mystery with another cliff-hanger, which will have readers eagerly awaiting the next installment.”
—Booklist
CHRISTMAS CAKE MURDER
“This is a lovely, frothy treat, a perfect no-hassle Christmas read.”
—Mystery Scene
“Christmas Cake Murder is, at its heart, a story within a story, and both tales engage you and carry you along as the stories unfold. For those who are already Hannah fans, it’s nice to go back in time and understand the beginnings of The Cookie Jar, seeing it with fresh eyes and a new appreciation for Hannah and her family.”
—The Food Channel
WEDDING CAKE MURDER
“There are plenty of Fluke’s trademark recipes on view here, and the New York trip and reality-show frame give the episode a fresh twist.”
—Booklist
DOUBLE FUDGE BROWNIE MURDER
“Lively…Add the big surprise ending, and fans will be more than satisfied.”
—Publishers Weekly
BLACKBERRY PIE MURDER
“Lake Eden’s favorite baker, Hannah Swensen finds herself on the wrong end of a police investigation…in Fluke’s good-natured 19th [installment].”
—Kirkus Reviews
RED VELVET CUPCAKE MURDER
“Culinary cozies don’t get any tastier than this winning series.”
—Library Journal
Kirkus Reviews
2019-11-25
A baker helps solve her sister's boyfriend's classmate's murder.
Hannah Swensen is suffering from stress due to a trauma incurred in her last adventure (Chocolate Cream Pie Murder, 2019) but alluded to only in the most elliptical terms in her current entry. Hannah's stepfather, Doc Knight, is adamant: She must leave at once for vacation. He sends Hannah and her mom off to California for a stress-free holiday helping Hannah's college friend Lynne Larchmont pack up her palatial home and move back to Lake Eden, Minnesota, where Hannah's shop, The Cookie Jar, provides sweet treats for all. A New York minute after she arrives in Los Angeles, Hannah receives a hysterical call from her sister, Michelle. Michelle's boyfriend, Lonnie, is the main suspect in the murder of Darcy Hicks, an old friend from high school. Since Lonnie is one of Lake Eden's handful of police detectives, everyone else on the force is deemed ineligible to conduct the investigation, leaving only amateur sleuth Hannah to crack the case. Hannah moves back in, platonically of course, with her old flame Norman Rhodes, since her Lake Eden condo was the scene of that unspecified trauma and her husband, Ross Barton, has disappeared, or died, or maybe killed somebody—it's not quite clear which. Hannah begins her investigation by checking out Brian and Cassie Polinski, who were with Darcy and Lonnie at the Double Eagle, a dive bar, the night of her death. But it's hard for her inquiry to build up any steam because almost every chapter ends with copious directions for making another nifty treat, complete with tips on which brands to use, advice about where to buy the ingredients, and little anecdotes about the people who feast on the finished products.
Nearly as many recipes as Joy of Cooking, and about as much narrative.
