Three of my most favorite authors under one jacket, what more can one ask for? Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine and Leslie Meier not only wrote some fun mysteries for our enjoyment this holiday season but included yummy recipes as well.
Candy Cane Murder (Hannah Swenson) - Joanne Fluke: The town's wealthiest, but stingiest, man playing Santa is found by Hannah and her sisters bludgeoned to death after his appearance at Lake Eden Inn's annual Christmas party. Although Mike Kingston, a detective and one of Hannah's boyfriends, urges her strongly not to get involved, Hannah is determined to track down the murderer. Hannah finds herself with an endless list of suspects and getting to close for comfort. With the assistance of her sisters ... Read More:
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Three of my most favorite authors under one jacket, what more can one ask for? Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine and Leslie Meier not only wrote some fun mysteries for our enjoyment this holiday season but included yummy recipes as well.
Candy Cane Murder (Hannah Swenson) - Joanne Fluke: The town's wealthiest, but stingiest, man playing Santa is found by Hannah and her sisters bludgeoned to death after his appearance at Lake Eden Inn's annual Christmas party. Although Mike Kingston, a detective and one of Hannah's boyfriends, urges her strongly not to get involved, Hannah is determined to track down the murderer. Hannah finds herself with an endless list of suspects and getting to close for comfort. With the assistance of her sisters ... Read More:
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I have this series on my keep bookcase. I adored them from the get go. Hannah was a likeable, capable character and I enjoy that. I especially like that she is a little chubby and not 'model perfect', like far too many heroines. For many of the books in the series, I enjoyed the suspense of Hannah choosing between her two men, Norman and Mike. I am on team Norman all the way, but it is beyond time for Fluke to end this tired storyline. I recently emailed her and thanked her for the lovely stories (the early ones are FABULOUS) and asked if Hannah would soon make a choice. From her answer, I don't believe Hannah will be choosing any time soon, if ever. This bothered me a bit, because Hannah and her family seem to be stuck in a time warp where nothing ... Read More:
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I've read all the books in this series, but I think I'm finished now. It just seems that the author is just filling in a story around some recipes. Also, I've never read a book with so many typos. Were they trying to get it to the printer so fast they decided to skip this process? All in all, a very dissapointing book.
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That's what keeps this mystery series interesting and exciting. In a lot of ways the goings on in the small town of Lake Eden are not realistic, but who cares? Hannah and her friends are just so much fun. It took awhile for this book to get going, and the actual murder doesn't occur until over half-way through, but the pacing after that is pretty good. I figured out who the murderer was right away since it seemed to me only one could have done it, but it was fun to find out the motive and to watch Hannah and her crew discover the clues that they needed to put it all together. The book has a Hollywood movie being shot in downtown Lake Eden, and this puts the whole town in a state of excitement. I also loved the parts of the book with Moishe (Hannah's cat) ... Read More:
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I purchased the book because I enjoyed the Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Hannah Swenson Mysteries), and I also liked the concept of recipes in a murder mystery. The venue of a neighborhood bakery makes a great center for the gathering of information and gossip, as the local bakery in my old home town certainly did. This rather clever choice of a central source of community information reminds me of the Lois Meade series: Murder On Monday (Lois Meade Mystery), Terror on Tuesday (Lois Meade Mystery), etc. by Ann Purser, which I also enjoy.
The book, like the other I've read, is a delightful depiction of Minnesota as it's often viewed by others. The nurses I worked with in New York City knew exactly one thing about Minnesota, it's COLD!! The author perpetuates ... Read More:
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When I started with the Hannah Swensen Series I was just looking for a new author I started with cherry cheesecake Murder and then found the ordeer of books and am currently on key lime pie. I think this series is one of the most amusing I have read in a long time. I love the mystery I love the humor it is the best of both worlds. On top of that my husband loves the cookies. I hope Joanne continues to write Hannah novels and I hope Hannah marries Norman.
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I am a mystery buff and devour the likes of James Patterson, Tami Hoag and many more. This author was recommended on one of the websites and I found her totally enjoyable and will buy all of her publications. There is no blood and gore and an additional benefit are terrific recipes in every book.
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I loved this book. I read the fourth or fifth one in the series and had to buy all the others! Now I know why Hannah has two "boyfriends". The cookie recipes are mouthwatering too.
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This was my first Hannah Swensen mystery. The concept of having recipes embedded within the story made it interesting. However, there are flaws that were difficult to overlook. The writing has problems, for instance, repeating words within a paragraph and repeating thoughts within a page or two. Very distracting.
One of the most difficult things to accept in the story is how Hannah gives away so many of her cookies. Why would anyone buy them when all they have to do is wait around a while and be given a package of them? I did not find Hannah as irritating as another reviewer did, but she seems very two-dimensional. Except, of course, for her romances with Mike and Norman. Who will she choose? Choice not yet made.