Strawberry Shortcake Murder

I really love this series. Hannah Swensen is sarcastic, relatable, funny, and extremely smart. She owns a cafe called The Cookie Jar in a small town in Minnesota. She is great at baking and solving murders. There is also a bit of a love triangle in this series but it isn't the main focus. These stories definitely center on the mysteries and add touches of Hannah's relationships with men as well as her mom and sister. I love both romantic interests for different reasons and look forward to reading the rest of the series.

This second installment in the series focuses on the murder of Coach Boyd (a man who batters his wife and has a lot of enemies). When his wife Danielle is suspected of killing him in self-defense, Hannah steps in to find show more who really did it.

I figured out who the killer was about 10 pages before Hannah which isn't terrible at all. I still really enjoyed this book. One of my favorite parts of the series is learning about everyone in this small town. They have such fun histories and drama. show less

Hannah and her zany orange cat Moisha are back at it again. A baking contest has come to Lake Eden, and Hannah is making her famous Strawberry Shortcake Swenson (yum! I always get so hungry and want to fill my house with cupcakes reading Joanne Fluke’s cozies with all the delicious descriptions and recipes!)

But when one of the judges is murdered, and it happens to be the basketball coach who Hannah knows has been abusing his wife Danielle, suspicion turns to her. Hannah and her sister Andrea have to figure out what other clues there are and what other suspects there could be before the police make it a too-easy case of domestic abuse turned murder. This one was fun for all the twists, Hannah running all over town with a million show more cookies in the back of her truck, and the way the plot eventually worked out. I always love settling down in Lake Eden for a good cozy.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader. show less

I bought this book before I'd even finished Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, the first of Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen mysteries, and happily I wasn't disappointed! Fluke serves up another dose of dessert-related criminal mayhem, and it's just as delicious as ever!

In this installment, our cookie-baking cafe-owner-turned-sleuth is delighted to have been chosen as the Head Judge for the Hartland Flour Dessert Bake-Off being held in Lake Eden. But when she finds fellow judge Boyd Watson dead in his garage in a heap of her famous strawberry shortcake, she soon realises that there's something more sinister going on in town than fruit pies and frosting...

This series is seriously frothy and great fun to read. Hannah is a wonderful heroine, with show more a fiery personality tempered with just the right amount of sugar, and I'm looking forward to getting to know her friends and family even more as the series goes on. The mouthwatering recipes scattered throughout the book are a bonus too - seven this time, including Molasses Crackles, Chocolate Highlander Cookie Bars and, of course, Strawberry Shortcake Swensen, all of which appear in the novel - and I'm definitely considering buying some American measuring cups so I can try them out! I'll be eagerly looking forward to reading the next book, Blueberry Muffin Murder... show less

A Shortbread Mystery

Strawberry Shortcake Murder is a hard to put down mystery that leaves the reader guessing until the very end. Hannah Swensen comes alive in this story as a baker whom stumbles upon murders and won’t stop until the killer is stopped. Full of a humorous storyline injected with recipes that Hannah makes in the story this is a true guessing game.

Another entertaining visit to Lake Eden and its residents. Yes, Hannah is expanding her baking repertoire to include more than just cookies (but cookies are still the staple food item on offer, and yes, recipes continue to be included in the story). While the mystery is not too much of a head scratcher, Fluke still manages to include a couple of twists and some suspenseful moments as amateur sleuth Hannah works her way through the clues. As for the setting, I really enjoy the small town vibe where everyone knows everyone. Of course, this makes it easier for Hannah to makes use of her mother to keep her ear to the gossip mill while Hannah and her sister Andrea search far and wide (and make a few blunders in the process) in their hunt for show more clues. Even Hannah’s love life is on the upside, adding to the overall charm of the story. Of course, I am starting to notice the ever growing body count and cannot help but ponder that this would make Lake Eden an alarming crime statistic if this were real life. That and the fact that Hannah is starting to exhibit nine lives like her cat, given her uncanny knack for exposing herself to dangerous situations, time and time again.

Overall, another delightful bit of escapism mystery reading that makes for easy audio listening. show less

Another fun mystery in the Hannah Swensen mystery series. I started reading this series at book #8, so it has been fun going back to the beginning of this series and learning about the start of Hannah's relationships with Norman and Mike.
Joanne Fluke did a great job of keeping me guessing in this mystery. I did not like Coach Watson, so I was not sad that he was killed. Looking forward to reading Blueberry Muffin Murder next.

I was fairly pleased with this second book in the Hannah Swensen series. I like Hannah, even if she does have a knack for finding dead bodies. In this book, some of Hannah’s friends are acting a bit mysterious after the murder of the high school basketball coach, and she’s having a hard time figuring out what’s going on while juggling judging duties at the baking contest and keeping things going at her cookie shop. Secrets are in the air, and one person’s attempt at blackmail has serious consequences. There are elements to this series that I enjoy besides Hannah’s snooping around — I like her burgeoning relationship with her sister, Andrea, and her kinda romances with Mike and Norman. It’s a little refreshing to have a show more female main character who isn’t rushing to be in a relationship with the first guy who shows her a little interest. Hannah knows she has options, and she’s considering them! I used to be pretty heavily in favor of Detective Mike, but Dentist Norman is starting to grow on me. The recipes scattered throughout the book are a nice bonus, and I can’t wait to try a few. I did have one problem with the plot (spoiler ahead). The crime ends up being rooted in steroid use on the basketball team, and that part of it wasn’t especially believable for me. Steroids aren’t generally a problem in basketball, because in basketball, while strength is good, bulk is bad. But that might just be me being picky. show less