Cherry Cheesecake Murder (2006)

Come on, Joanne! Mike is a slut, Norman is everything a woman could possibly want, and this is what you do? Sigh. I give up. You make Hannah look like some kind of nasty tease. Norman needs to go find a woman who won't lead him around by the nose and then go chasing off after some pretty boy who has told her more than once that his job is more important than her! No more, Joanne - I didn't finish this one - - and I am really disappointed. Not only is Hannah such a screw-up that she not only teases two men, but then decides that maybe she wants to try someone new? What? You were afraid if you put her in a stable, loving relationship, we wouldn't read any more? BUZZZZZ! Wrong.....

I give up here. And it is a shame, I was really enjoying seeing Hannah as a strong, thoughtful, considerate and loving woman, well able to make her decisions knowing that she could rely on her own heart. Point me at Norman - I will take him if she doesn't want him! ( )

In this one, a film crew comes to Lake Eden and brings an old friend of Hannah to town, creating now a quadrangle of some sort with Hannah, Mike, Norman and the newcomer. The mystery is pretty slim, I knew the culprit mid way through the book and I think it's time for Hannah to choose between her suitors because it's getting a little old as a plot. It will take a while before I read Key Lime Pie Murder. I'm not that eager to read it. ( )

Completely out of the realm of anything I normally read. First, I didn’t imagine I’d enjoy a mystery. Then I couldn’t imagine I’d enjoy one with such a feel good sentiment. While, I can’t say I’ve been converted, I do appreciate the genre and the nature of the book.

This was a feel good book, with a tinge of old-fashioned (ness) to it. It was sweet and pure. It was the cozy mystery that was described.

I just began, not long ago, to read Joanne Fluke. I was drawn by the knowledge that there were recipes tied into these books and maybe I would find something really yummy. I decided to put these books on my bookmooch.com wishlist and see if anyone had any to give away. I was soon rewarded with several of the titles and anxiously awaited their arrival in my mail box. I received and "hungrily" started to read my first book. I was a bit disappointed to see that the recipes were for large amounts, not for the two person family I cook for. Being that I have worked in the food industry I knew that not every recipe, especially those in the baking world couldn't always be cut in half or quarters or whatever.
I then received a few more books and happily read through them all the while looking for a good recipe that I could fix for my husband and I. Then I found it "Jane's Mini Cherry Cheescakes"! Wow, these are good. They are so simple and yes very easy to cut the recipe in half without possibility of them being hard or runny or not tasting right. My husband, myself and the neighbors loved them.
So, this being my first taste test, this was the book I would review...

Hannah Swensen is the owner of "The Cookie Jar", the gathering spot in her small town, after all who doesn't like a good cookie!
Hannah has a bad habit of finding dead bodies. Her mother continually tells her she needs to stop doing that and worrying about what people will think. Hannah doesn't see the problem, even though she doesn't like finding dead bodies either. Hannah also has a knack for investigation and she is always eager to investigate these murders. The local police always tell her to let the authorities handle it, but Hannah doesn't listen. In this book there is a film being shot in town and the director, a big shot actor, has been murdered. I won't tell you what happens, you will have to read and maybe indulge in a little cherry cheesecake!

Happy eating...oh I meant reading :) ( )

The little town of Lake Eden gets caught up in a blur of excitement when a famous Hollywood director decides to film on Main Street. Local baker and amateur sleuth, Hannah Swensen finds herself drawn into the mix when an old college buddy turns out to be the film's writer. But it seems that the real drama concerns the film's director, womanizer and perfectionist, Dean Lawrence. When a murder occurs on the set, it's up to Hannah to put her best snooping skills to use and solve the mystery.

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Other than a few Miss Marples, I haven't read many mysteries. My selection was based entirely on the cheesecake illustration on the cover. I had no idea what I was getting into but the idea of a mystery with recipes was enough for me.

I did not realize at the time that this is the 7th volume in Fluke's Hannah Swenson series, but I had no trouble becoming familiar with the characters and the main plot did not require continuity within the series.

Overall, the novel was an enjoyable, quick read and just what I expected--a light and fluffy read that made me want to bake every time I came across a recipe.

Much of the novel explored the relationships between Hannah, her family, her beaus, and the people of Lake Eden, so much of the novel didn't seem to be a mystery. The whodunit plot was a bit predictable, but no less enjoyable because of it.

Gricel @ things-she-read.org ( )