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 … 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. Now, swapping the crime scene in her condo for her mother Delores’s penthouse, Hannah and an old flame team up to solve a case that’s messier than an upended chocolate cream pie. As suspects emerge and secrets hit close to home, Hannah must serve a hefty helping of justice to an unnamed killer prowling around Lake Eden . . . before someone takes a slice out of her!
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I’m never disappointed by the books in this series!
I am somewhat surprised how many reviews I’ve read on this book that mentioned the book feeling slow and boring. I will grant that the murder came late and resolved rather quickly as a result, but I didn’t find this installment to drag at all!
What I liked about “Chocolate Cream Pie Murder”:
Unexpectedly chilling and sinister – Mysteries with Hannah tend to be very “Hallmark Channel,” cheesy and light (relatively) and unrealistic. This isn’t a criticism; by book 24 (plus some novellas), expectations for this series are on par. Suffice to say that expectations were somewhat turned on their heads for this one! While it was still very much Hannah-like, there was a bit more creepiness to this one than I ever recall experiencing in this series to this point!
Hannah’s thoughts and reactions – Hannah is so often super sweet (except for when she’s getting all judgy on someone’s grammar) that I found her responses to the events in “Chocolate Cream Pie Murder” refreshingly believable. I also noticed some subtle hints within her internal monologue that pleased me.
The case and the outcome – Given that it involves murder, I feel a little badly to have enjoyed this part of it as much as I did.
What I didn’t care for:
The cliffhanger – I don’t mind that there *was* a cliffhanger, but I wish they hadn’t been as obvious about the subject matter throughout most of the book. I feel like it took some of the “jolt” away, which is typically my favorite part of encountering a cliffhanger in a series installment.
I suppose that, in closing, I will just try to counterbalance the reviews that declared this book a dud by saying to not be deterred, read the book, and decide for yourself. I actually enjoyed this book quite a bit, though it did leave me with a few questions (not related to the cliffhanger) that I hope will be answered at some point. As for the cliffhanger I am dying to know the outcome, though I have my suspicions how it will play out. I won’t have a long wait to find out as the next book is already in my possession!
Not an all time favorite, but a good series book. Nice series….worth the time to read.
Absolutely love her books and her recipes. Great writer.
I was very disappointed. I’ve seen all the TV movies based on some of these books. Kept waiting for the “murder” but it didn’t take place until the 4th quarter of the book. Too much talking about all the sweets. The recipes are a unique touch but there were too many and they should have been at the end of the book, not the end of each chapter. If I wanted recipes, I’d buy a cook book.
I have to say, Joanne Fluke brought us a shock in this latest Hannah Swensen book. I’m not used to brave, intelligent, curious Hannah being turned to a quivering mess. Then again, when her almost ex gets in touch it is a little scary. Everyone takes care of Hannah and she seems to need it.
There is more to deal with than stormy weather in Lake Eden when Hannah comes to and finds a body much closer to home and in fact, in hers. Our Hannah needs to find out the who and the why since suspects are in short supply and there’s danger out there much closer than anyone thinks.
Joann Fluke’s books are easy & fun to read. I have 1 major complaint though. If you are reading the book on a Kindle, having the recipes imbedded in the book makes for endless page advancing. Also, I don’t know whether you can print out a recipe from the Kindle which makes them pretty useless. Even in a paperback or hardcover, I prefer the recipes to be grouped at the end of the book in an appendix & then annotated by page # where they can be found.
I had read other cozy mysteries by this author and remembered enjoying them. So, when this came up as a deal, I bought it. Unfortunately, this book just didn’t live up to my fond memories. It is a murder mystery, but the murder didn’t happen until I reached the 80% mark in the book! In the ebook format, the recipes at the end of each chapter took up 6-10 pages that I had to scroll through to get back to the story. That was distracting and tedious as I read.
Aside from those issues, I found the story to be rather weak. Way too much time was spent on the characters talking about new recipes that might work at the bakery for Valentine’s Day, that it became rather boring. Much of the suspense seemed forced and the murderer was caught very quickly and conveniently.
So, for me, this will end my desire to read this particular series of cozy mystery.
Love this series!!
Hannah got married? Was it to Norman or Mike ? Read the book to find out. Light reading mystery. The recipes are always good.
I couldn’t get into reading this book because the recipes were a pain to get past so I could continue reading. I had read about 20% of the book and have up. If the recipes were at the end of the book it would have been much better, at least for me.
Loved this series – looking forward to the next book
Just a fun read!
Enjoyable read
Just couldn’t get into this plot. Seemed corny and the plot not even mildly believable. Sorry.
I love the quirky characters in this series of books. I have read them all and look forward to more adventures.
I have read other books in this series but this one was not captivating or enjoyable. After reading this I prefer to watch these stories on the Hallmark channel than read the book. The actors do a better job portraying the story than the author.
Great recipes in the book to try. A fun read.
Typical fun Hannah Swenson. Felt like it completed the story of her ‘marriage’. Now she can continue being Hannah.
This is one in a rather long series of books. I like the view of small town Minnesota, and in this book townspeople support heroine Hannah after she experiences heartbreaking betrayal. The mystery is almost incidental to the book which includes lots of cooking and recipes. I just made the chocolate mint cookies which were messy but delicious.