Christmas normally descends on Lake Eden, Minnesota, as gently as reindeer alighting on a rooftop—but this yuletide season the only thing coming down Hannah Swensen’s chimney is a case of murder . . . The holidays have arrived, and Hannah and her good pal Lisa have agreed to provide all the goodies for the town’s annual production of A Christmas Carol. But before anyone can say “Bah, humbug!” a … anyone can say “Bah, humbug!” a Santa-sized sackful of trouble ensues. Like the fact that Lisa’s husband will be playing Mr. Claus to his ex-girlfriend Phyllis Bates’ Mrs. Claus. Or that before the curtains even go up Phyllis is found dead in the snow—wearing a costume that the real Mrs. Claus would put on the naughty list. Soon after, the suspects pile up faster than snowdrifts in a blizzard, while a merry murderer remains on the loose. With clues even harder to find, it might take a visit from ghosts of Christmas past to wrap up this mystery in time for the holidays . . .
Includes a Dozen Holiday Recipes from The Cookie Jar!
“Tasty . . . Hannah is irresistible as a cookie fresh from the oven.”
—Publishers Weekly
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If you’ve been following my reviews closely for the last few months, you’re probably thinking… how many baking murder books does this guy read? Or how many did that Joanne Fluke author woman write? Well… the Hannah Swensen series is up to ~25 in 2018. I’ve just finished reading #20 entitled Christmas Caramel Murder. I have the next three on my Kindle to read this fall, but I want to be fully caught up so I can get back to many other series I also enjoy. As for this one, it’s a shorter novella version but still packs quite a little punch around Christmas season. It’s a good one to read as you start thinking about the upcoming holidays, but for now, I’m still thinking about Halloween and fall so I wouldn’t allow myself to totally immerse.
It’s written as backstory which was a different kind of read. The first and last chapters are appended to the main story, allowing Fluke to use current relationships in Hannah’s life without confusing readers. Essentially, Hannah’s telling the story to her new husband about what happened the prior year’s Christmas. I stopped myself from trying to find any timeline issues in case something happened in this book that was different since the last few, but the story on the whole is fun, so it wouldn’t matter if it had.
Herb, Lisa’s husband, is playing Santa Claus in the town Christmas play. Lisa is Hannah’s best friend and partner at The Cookie Shop. Herb’s ex-girlfriend has returned to town and is cast as Mrs. Claus, but the naughty kind. Serves her right, she ends up dead! Unfortunately, it looks like Lisa is the culprit because she was jealous when the ex kisses Herb in the play. Throw in a some high school memories, old rivalries, and teachers who want to help keep their students focused, and you’ve got a case full of shenanigans.
I enjoyed the read… less than 90 minutes as it was barely 100 pages once you remove the recipes. Someday I will cook a few from them. I do like caramel, but that’s hard to get right. Next up is banana cream pie murder… my favorite kind of…. PIE. Did you think I’d say murder? Obviously you know me well. 🙂
No longer participating in the holiday novella collections, Ms. Fluke had gone the direction of a holiday “shorter” mystery to solve, where the book appeared full length, but half the pages were filled with recipes. This book introduced another variation on format. The book was smaller in size and shorter in length but the typical-to-series ratio of story-to-recipe content. I appreciated that.
What I liked about “Christmas Caramel Murder”:
Fast read – The format of the book lent itself to being completed quickly. The mystery itself didn’t feel lacking in any way. In fact, I think as a normal length installment (following the pattern of this series), it would have dragged on a bit. It was the correct decision to present this case in this slightly abbreviated nature.
I didn’t see the ending coming – Like at all. I suppose I could have, given the clues that were revealed, but I was figuring it out in real-time with Hannah.
What I didn’t care for:
The presentation of the timeline – Because the bulk of the story was told in a flashback, I couldn’t get a feel for whether or not the events fit in correctly with the details that existed a year prior. (Gosh, it’s difficult to present that thought spoiler-free!) I kept feeling like I wanted to find the books that would have taken place just before and after the timeline presented in the flashback, just to see if they matched up as they should.
The use of a particular element from A Christmas Carol – ***spoiler alert through end of brackets***[That whole business with Hannah’s father appearing] felt completely out of character for the series.
Overall, the mystery was what I would generally expect from a Hannah Swensen mystery. A little silly, a little fun, amusing, and festive. Like the rest of the series, it is reminiscent of a Hallmark movie. It wasn’t my favorite but it was by no means terrible either. I think, perhaps, I am mostly just holding the Prologue and Epilogue somewhat against it. And that’s all I have to say about that.
Love the recipes
Easy and quick fun read.
Easy reading and terrific easy to follow recipes.
I almost didn’t read this book when I saw Ross was in it. Hannah tells the story about a Christmas past and it was a good story (no Ross in sight). The end result was tragic and so sad but reading about Hannah’s adventures are always entertaining.
Great read.
Good theme – looking back. Always enjoy the recipes. Look forward to the next Hannah story.
Enjoy these books for the recipes and easy reading.
The whole book felt like it was written in a hurry. Not the usual character detail seen in her other books. Even the dialogue seemed like a cheap B movie.
It’s Christmas time again in Lake Eden, but trouble is brewing for Lisa, Hannah’s partner at The Cookie Jar. Her husband, Herb, is working late every night, and his new assistant is Phyllis, his high school girlfriend. Then Phyllis is cast as Mrs. Claus opposite Herb in the community play. Naturally, when Phyllis shows up murdered, Lisa and Herb are both suspects, and Hannah must work hard to clear their names.
Those familiar with the series will enjoy a chance to check in with the gang in this Christmas novella. The book is short, just 200 pages, including a dozen recipes, and the result is that some characters are reduced to cameos or even just mentions. The story touches all the usual bases, but it is fun and works its way to a logical climax. A few scenes take their cue from A Christmas Carol, but being a fan of that book I enjoyed them although they are certainly different for the series. Most interesting to me, this was a flashback, ignoring the events of the last couple of books, and a major character from those books only appears in the wrap around prologue and epilogue.
Enjoy all the recipes.
I remember finding this series after the first 4 or 5 books had been written..they were probably my first introduction to the “cozy mystery” genre. I loved the setting and while the female characters’ conversations have always sounded stilted, I enjoyed the main character, Hannah–who owns a cookie store– and the 2 men vying for her attention–policeman Mike and Norman the dentist–until just recently.These days I feel like the author has lost her interest in this Lake Eden series but keeps churning out books anyway. The author includes recipes throughout the book…so if you’re interested in reading a so-so cozy mystery over the holidays and getting some new recipes to try, this is the book for you.
I found it rather flat. It was obviously a book written after her marriage yet used as a filler by writing about a memory. It resembled a group of recipes strung together with a weak plot. Which was sad since I love all of her stories in this series.
Fun
Great cozy mystery
I love all of JoAnna Fluke’s mysteries. The recipes are good too!
I love Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swenson books. I enjoyed this book but didn’t think it was up to her usual writing. I do love her characters though.
I love the Hannah Swensen series.
Typical Hannah Swenson mystery with the usual twists to the solution. Wonderful sounding recipes that make you want to try them. A fun easy read!