Everyone in Lake Eden, Minnesota, may have had their doubts, but at long last, Hannah Swensen is getting married! Hannah is thrilled to be marrying Ross Barton, her college crush. And her excitement only grows when she learns he’ll be able to join her on her trip to New York City for the Food Channel’s dessert chef contest. They get a taste of the Big Apple before Hannah wins the Hometown … wins the Hometown Challenge and the producers bring all the contestants to Lake Eden to tape the remainder of the show. It’s nerve-wracking enough being judged by Alain Duquesne, a celebrity chef with a nasty reputation. But it’s even more chilling to find him stabbed to death in the Lake Eden Inn’s walk-in cooler—before he’s even had a chance to taste Hannah’s Butterscotch Sugar Cookies! Now Hannah has not only lost her advantage, she’ll have to solve a mystery with more layers than a five-tiered wedding cake…
Indulge In Joanne Fluke’s Criminally Delicious Hannah Swensen Mysteries!
Double Fudge Brownie Murder
“Lively…Add the big surprise ending, and fans will be more than satisfied.” —Publishers Weekly
Blackberry Pie Murder
“Fluke offers a new twist to the series…the cookie-shop owner’s character gains depth…but there’s still room for recipes and for Hannah to move toward an overdue decision on the question of which of her two boyfriends she prefers. Readers will be eager for the next installment.” —Booklist
“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
“If your reading habits alternate between curling up with a good mystery or with a good cookbook, you ought to know about Joanne Fluke.” —The Charlotte Observer
Cinnamon Roll Murder
“Fans of this wildly popular series will not be disappointed. Fluke has kept this series strong for a long time, and there is still plenty to enjoy for foodie crime fans.” —Booklist
Devil’s Food Cake Murder
“Fabulous.” —Publishers Weekly
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I’ve been waiting for the Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke to bounce back from a few lackluster books, and Wedding Cake Murder made it happen. I’d give this fun caper somewhere between 4 and 4.5 stars.
After 18 books debating between Norman and Mike, Hannah finally makes a decision when a third man’s proposal suddenly enters the ring. Ross Barton was a great friend in college, and we saw some hints of romance in one of the earlier books, but nothing came of it. In the last book in the series, Ross came back into her life and proposed… Wedding Cake Murder is all about Hannah’s wedding. But besides that wonderful sub-plot, we also see Hannah as a contestant in the Food Network’s latest dessert show. She’s actually on TV! She’s competing against professional dessert chefs. And she finds another dead body. We must be up to 20 at this point, as a few books had multiple murders, and she didn’t actually discover every single one herself.
When you strip away the recipes, you’re down to about 200 pages, but they are packed full of drama and witty conversations. I love the bonds between Hannah and her sister. I like her romance with Ross, but something seems a little shady. I’m still rooting for Norman even though Hannah’s now married. :O Yes, I said it out loud. Nonetheless, these are Fluke’s best desserts and the description of the Food Network show is spot on. Loved everything about it. The culprit really could have been at least five different killers which helped round out this story more than others. It was like an early book in the series where the balance between fun and mystery was a fair split.
I can’t wait to dive into the next one… already ordered two more from the library so I can hopefully catch up this fall to be current.
Loved it because everything goes wrong for Hannah but in the end the murder is solved.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
The last book in this series, Double Fudge Brownie Murder, was a little off for me, so I was a little nervous about reading this one, but I love these characters so I dove right in. Sadly, Hannah has cast both Mike and Norman aside and it really going to marry Ross. Shockingly, both her past loves vow to remain friends and even become part of the wedding party. I have always been Team Mike so I was heartbroken. Truthfully, Ross seems shady, I was hoping he was the victim or the killer.
Aside from the wedding, Hannah and Michelle are participating in the Food Channel’s Dessert Chef Contest and Ross is going along to New York to film interviews and background for the hometown station. He uses his clout to upgrade the group’s flights and hotel rooms. When Hannah wins the first round, the contest moves back to Lake Eden, a big event for the entire town. That is until one of the judges is found dead in the walk-in cooler at the Lake Eden Inn. With the other judges and contestants on the suspect list, Hannah is sleuthing out a killer, while trying to win the biggest cooking contest of her life and still be standing to take her vows.
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The first half of the book is introducing the chefs and the judges, prep through the first round of the contest, and Hannah’s mother and grandmother taking over the wedding planning. All Hannah had to do was pick out her dress and show up for the wedding. Of course, she did have her hands full with other things. I did enjoy several of the new characters. The judges were not as realistic as on the actual cooking shows we see on television but they fit in well with the plot as did the other contestants. The cast regulars continue to gather to go over evidence and theories, but there still seems to be a strong connection between Hannah and her former loves.
The mystery portion is well-plotted with several twists have and after this many cases, everyone knows Hannah is investigating. She does continue to leap into situations without a clear plan, which brings some tense moments. I did not sleuth out the killer myself until Hannah did, and it was kinds a surprise for both of us.
About a third of the book is yummy recipes for cookies and desserts that are featured in the story. The author includes them at the end of chapters and I sometimes feel they should all be at the end to not mess with the flow of the story but I have become accustomed after this many books to skipping them over and reviewing them when I complete the book when I can scan the ones I want to try into my recipe folder on my computer.
This series continues to be one of my faves. I am anxious to get caught up and see what Hannah gets herself mixed up in next.
Hannah Swensen is getting married in just a few weeks, but first she has the dessert competition that her sisters signed her up for. It turns out this televised competition is anything but sweet when the backstage tension leads to murder. Can Hannah solve the case before she gets married?
The baking competition allowed food to be brought into the book seamlessly, and the competition itself was plenty of fun. It’s always great to revisit the characters, too. The murder takes a back seat early on, but it gets plenty of focus as we rush toward the ending. I do hope the wedding sticks because, while it was rushed, I do love the potential I see in this character and relationship.
In all of Joanne Fluke’s books, her marvelous characters create a delightful & intriguing read, full of humor & suspense!
Love the characters. Bought this book immediately after reading the one before it.
This book was much better than I expected. It handled the ex-boyfriends in a respectful manner. I was not really looking forward to enjoying this latest book but was pleasantly surprised. Ms Fluke delivers a good read.
Hannah is getting married to a guy I can’t stand. I liked parts of this story BUT every time Ross was mentioned I wanted to skip it. Hannah herself ticked me off when her Mom took over the wedding and she did nothing to stop her. I wanted to stop so many times and just not finish but I just couldn’t do it. When I reread this series for the umpteen time I’m going to skip this one.
Love these books. A series of greatness.
Love the author.
I love to read Jo Anne Fluke books.
Given the cover of the book (not to mention the description on the book jacket), it is no spoiler that the event longtime readers thought would never arrive is here: Hannah is getting married. And here we are at the start of another adventure.
What I liked about “Wedding Cake Murder”:
The pace – One thing this book did not lack was action. Between the obvious murder case, wedding planning, and the baking competition, there wasn’t time for a lull.
The twists in the murder case – I liked that there were plenty of suspects and red herrings. I did have a nagging suspicion about the killer but there were enough of the aforementioned suspects and red herrings to keep me just enough unsure for things to stay fun. I also liked the way the motive played out.
Hannah’s expected moment of peril – Without spoiling anything, I liked that it had a somewhat different tone than we usually encounter when Hannah inevitably confronts the killer.
Hannah’s role – For the first time in — what is it now? — three books, Hannah wasn’t in the hot seat. And that wasn’t the only way her role slightly shifted in this book. It’s nice to have a slight change of pace.
What I didn’t care for:
Predictability – And by that, I mean with the baking competition. I would have preferred even a tiny bit of angst here or something.
THE WEDDING – And that’s all I have to say about that.
I am still coming to terms (if I ever will, who knows?) with Hannah’s choice in spouse, but that doesn’t change the fact that I like so many of the characters in this series. I am looking forward to Hannah’s next case, if not getting more deeply invested in her marriage.
All I can say is that I really used to enjoy this series. I had not read one of the books in a while, but was able to borrow this one.
First, I was wondering how Hannah managed to fall madly in love with Ross when she had been stringing Mike and Norman along for YEARS through several books. She and Ross didn’t seem to have either the camaraderie or chemistry she had with Mike or Norman.
The dialogue was crap. How many times could they mention their mother’s “look”? How many really bad, dull, dry jokes could she and her sister Michelle share? How many cookies, muffins, pies, cakes, etc., could they eat without blowing up like Violet in Willy Wonka? At least they wouldn’t have turned blue.
Why do the police (Mike) completely defer to Hannah to solve the murder? It was a little easier to swallow when she was dating Mike, but since she dumped him, not really. The entire concept of Hannah, Ross, Norman, and Mike all being friends after she chose Ross, was ridiculous.
I am not prone to giving one star reviews, if for no other reason that you can usually tell a writer put some work into a book. The book may not have been my cup of tea, but I can recommend that it be read and a pepole can judge for themselves. I can t do that with this book.
Having read this author’s earlier works, this one felt like it was phoned in. It was lacking in so many areas, I’m both surprised and disappointed. I’m glad I didn’t spend and money on it. I won’t bother to try and catch up with the books after this one. It is not often I feel like I have wasted my time reading a book. This really makes me sad.
Very good & humorous book. Read it in 2 days & want more of her books
These stories may be based in a bakery, but the action takes place away from and the brain storming at the bakery. Love the story lines on all of these mysteries. Have read the whole series.
I love the characters and the relationships.
I wanted a different hero; I wanted a different partner. Hannah chose someone else though; at least she still solves murders well.
I love all of Johanne’s books
Hannah, the main character, always manages to find trouble or vice versa. This light reading but enjoyable. I read for entertainment not to get depressed.
This book was ridiculous. A disappointment from the others.