New York Times BestsellerUSA Today BestsellerPublishers Weekly BestsellerBakery owner Hannah Swensen is leaving Lake Eden to help a friend in sunny California. But an unexpected phone call swiftly brings her back to a cold Minnesota winter . . . and murder . . . When Hannah learns that her sister Michelle’s boyfriend, Detective Lonnie Murphy, is the prime suspect in a murder case, she flies … learns that her sister Michelle’s boyfriend, Detective Lonnie Murphy, is the prime suspect in a murder case, she flies straight home from a Los Angeles movie sound stage to frigid Minnesota. But proving Lonnie’s innocence will be harder than figuring out what went wrong with a recipe, especially with Lonnie’s hazy memory of the night in question. Hannah doesn’t know what to believe. Before everything comes crashing down on Lonnie like a heaping slice of coconut layer cake, it’ll be up to Hannah to rack up enough clues to toast a flaky killer . . .
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As always Jo Anne Fluke are fun to read.
Love all of Joanne Flukes’ books. This one is great as always.
Joanne flute is one of my favorite author’s and I love her recipes. Great Book, I own and have read all of her books.
I have to start off by saying I do like the Hannah Swensen mysteries. However this book is number 26 in the series and as such shows signs of aging. The mystery was secondary to working the recipes in, which has usually been the case with the books, but this one seemed to focus more so than usual on the food than the mystery. And I’ve almost had enough of this endless triangle between Mike, Norman and Hannah. I know this is supposed to be a sweet mystery but in this regard there’s more sickly sweetness in the scenario than there is sugar in one of the recipes. I’ll probably persevere for one more book, but unless something major changes then that’ll probably be it for me.
Hannah Swensen, owner of The Cookie Jar, has been ordered to rest – it came straight from Doc himself. But a trip to California to help a friend pack up is cut short when Hannah’s younger sister, Michelle, calls in a panic. There’s been another murder in Lake Eden, and Michelle’s boyfriend, Lonnie, is the prime suspect. After a night out with friends, Lonnie took a drunk woman home only to pass out on her couch. The next morning, he wakes up to find her dead in her bedroom with no memory of anything after he passed out. Since Lonnie is a detective with the police department, most of them can’t investigate since they are friends with the suspect. Naturally, Hannah immediately flies home, but can she figure out who is the killer?
If you haven’t read the last few books, be aware this one spoils some pretty major things by necessity since they had a major impact on Hannah’s life. Those up to date on the series will be happy to learn we get an answer to the cliffhanger from the last book early on. This book is a return to the status quo of a few entries ago. After a slow start, the pacing gets better once Hannah returns home. There is still plenty of talk about cooking, however, but we get clues and red herrings until we reach the climax. The characters are all here, and I enjoyed seeing them, but there is little in the way of actual character development. That includes the love triangle, which is back in play here. We get another nineteen recipes, and I think I gained weight reading about them. They certainly sound delicious. Fans who have stuck with this series will enjoy this outing. If you are new, don’t jump in here but go back to the beginning to see why we love these characters.
I am a long time follower of Joann Fluke, and love all of the Hannah Swenson stories, but this one was super disappointing. The book was 80% recipes and 20% story. The majority of the story was about Hannah’s daily routine. I’m still not sure why she went to California to help her friend move back to Lake Eden, because after the move, her friend reallly had no further role to the story. Was that just to fill pages? If you’ve never read this series, don’t start with this one.
Coconut Layer Cake Murder 4/5 Coconut Sweets…Engaging Fun & Recipes Galore!
I am quite the fan of the Hallmark version of Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swenson Mystery series, but it is refreshing to see this twenty-fifth book is just enough different and further into their lives from the television version, Murder, She Baked, to be new and engaging. Hannah’s had some tests done, and no, nothing’s wrong that a nice vacation would fix. But, it doesn’t last long when she receives a frantic call from her sister, returning home due to her sister’s boyfriend Detective Lonnie Murphy’s connection to the death of a young woman. “Help Lonnie!” Problem? He has limited memory of the night. Brilliantly entertaining and recipes that have a delightful narrative beyond ingredients and directions. I haven’t read the series in order, so some of the references lacked background to keep me fully in the know, but still the drama was intriguing, misdirection clever, and final reveal was a pleasant surprise! The characters are well-developed, but I guess I’d like a few more surprises in the reactions and responses, and a bit more realism…Hannah is actually encouraged to investigate? And there were some incidents connected to Hannah’s too-dependent dynamic with her mother and small details that seem unrealistic. As a cookbook fan, the one unique element of Fluke’s series that I love is the manner and length of the recipes incorporated into the book with excellent suggestions and Hannah’s Notes; I can almost hear Alison Sweeney’s voice. And of course, there is Hannah’s Coconut Layer Cake…it includes my favorite Coconut Rum!
I love Hannah Swensen and the Cookie Jar Mysteries so I was super excited to read this book. Overall, I enjoyed the book…just thought the recipes overshadowed the storyline a bit. The ending was a bit of a surprise and sets up the next book…maybe. We’ll see. 3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor.
I enjoyed this cozy mystery & it’s collection of recipes. The storyline moves at a nice pace & with enough twists & turns to keep you interested. The characters are well written & relatable. Each story in this series is self contained & have the same base of characters. This is a wonderful series & very enjoyable to read.
Love the recipes too
Love all of her books in this series. Have tried many of the recipes and they are keepers as well!
It was GREAT! I knew who the killer was and the reason they did it as soon as the murder happened. The part that made me the most mad was the Ross crap. I have been so over that since he was first introduced and I want Hannah to never deal with that AGAIN! Now I’m hoping that Lonnie will be popping the question soon.
I’ve read all of the Hannah Swenson books. This one was ok but spent way to much time explaining ordinary things. It seems like it was a fill in until the next book
Very good read
Several books ago I thought I was going to throw in the towel. Hannah was getting annoying and getting on my nerves. But I kept reading them with the hope that they would somehow recapture their early spark. Sadly, for this reader, they have not. Having said that I will still feel the urge to stay “in touch” with Hannah just so I can, someday soon, I hope, find out if it’s Mike or Norman.
Getting past the question of why on earth the local police would ask her to investigate the latest murder, one with the prime suspect being her sister Michelle’s boyfriend really took me out of the story. Sure, the police force is small and almost everyone was connected to the suspect, Lonnie so, of course, they had to recuse themselves, but still….? Then her family forces her to take a vacation to LA but she needs advice on what to pack. How can a grown woman who runs her own successful business be unable to pack for a trip? To a major city that does have places to buy anything she may want and didn’t pack? The other nit pick? What’s with the fixation on butter? Please, enough already.
Aside from all of the bits that annoyed me, I did enjoy the mystery segment of the book. I guessed wrong as to who dunnit and that’s always a good thing. I just wish the mystery would take up more of the book. I hope some of my questions are answered on September 29, 2020 when book #26 Christmas Cupcake Murder comes out.
My thanks to the publisher Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
This is the 25th in the Hannah Swensen series. I’ve been reading it since the first book and find them enjoyable. Hannah is off for a prescribed vacation to California with her mother? to help Lynne pack up her house. Suddenly Hannah is called back to solve a murder in Lake Eden. The suspect is Lonnie and most of the police detectives are related to him in some way and have been removed from the case.
I enjoy these books; however, there is a lot of recipe vs mystery. More than I remember in the older books. Of course, you can just skip over them. I do look forward to the next book and maybe the answer to solving Hannah’s dream at the end of the book.