Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen, #1)
by Joanne Fluke
by Joanne Fluke
Pages: 436
My rating: ** (and a half star)
No one cooks up a delectable, suspense-filled mystery quite like Hannah Swensen, Joanne Fluke’s dessert-baking, red-haired heroine whose gingersnaps are as tart as her comebacks, and whose penchant for solving crimes—one delicious clue at a time—has made her a bestselling favorite. And it all began on these pages, with a bakery, a murder, and some suddenly scandalous chocolate-chip crunchies. Featuring a bonus short story and brand new, mouthwatering recipes, this new edition of the very first Hannah Swensen mystery is sure to have readers coming back for seconds…
Hannah already has her hands full trying to dodge her mother’s attempts to marry her off while running The Cookie Jar, Lake Eden’s most popular bakery. But once Ron LaSalle, the beloved delivery man from the Cozy Cow Dairy, is found murdered behind her bakery with Hannah’s famous Chocolate Chip Crunchies scattered around him, her life just can’t get any worse. Determined not to let her cookies get a bad reputation, she sets out to track down a killer. But if she doesn’t watch her back, Hannah’s sweet life may get burned to a crisp.
Hannah already has her hands full trying to dodge her mother’s attempts to marry her off while running The Cookie Jar, Lake Eden’s most popular bakery. But once Ron LaSalle, the beloved delivery man from the Cozy Cow Dairy, is found murdered behind her bakery with Hannah’s famous Chocolate Chip Crunchies scattered around him, her life just can’t get any worse. Determined not to let her cookies get a bad reputation, she sets out to track down a killer. But if she doesn’t watch her back, Hannah’s sweet life may get burned to a crisp.
This book what some where between a mystery and chick lit. It’s about a twenty-something woman named Hannah who owns her own bakery (what a job!). She is constantly at the mercy of her mother, who is a perpetual matchmaker. Hannah is much happier living in her apartment with her half-blind cat (see where the chick-lit comes in?).
One morning Hannah discovers a body behind her bakery and thus begins the search for the killer. Her brother-in-law (who she gets along with surprisingly well) just so happens to be one of the police officers in town, and he’s vying for a promotion to detective. Hannah goes on a mission to help find the killer and help get her brother-in-law the promotion he deserves.
I am such a sucker for cheesy mystery series (can you say Stephanie Plum or The Cat Who???). I tend to get sucked in even though the writing may be below par. This definitely was. It wasn’t quite as bad as a Harlequin romance, but I doubt we’ll be seeing it on any of the bestseller lists anytime soon. The main characters in the story were enjoyable enough, but somewhat flat. I can definitely see myself picking up the second in the series, so don’t be surprised when you see the review on here.
I’d recommend this book for anyone who needs a quick read that doesn’t take much brainwork. It comes with some of her cookie recipes that actually sound sorta tasty. If I can get my oven to cooperate, I just might have to make one of them!