APPLE TURNOVER MURDER by Joanne Fluke

The hinted storyline from Plum Pudding Murder played out in this book when a womanizing ex of Hannah's is murdered during a community event. As the creep had wooed both Hannah and her sister, Hannah is invested in finding the killer before she or Michelle are under suspicion.

Another good entry in this series. I figured out the mystery early on, but lots of other life events with the main characters fill out the story well. One of those stories is unresolved at the end of the book, so that may reappear in the next book. Plenty of yummy sounding recipes in this series, and this book is no exception. I have loved every recipe I have ever tried from these books, and I am eager to try a new one.

4 out of 5 stars

PLUM PUDDING MURDER by Joanne Fluke

It's Christmastime in Lake Eden, MN, and Hannah is baking up a storm. There are several mysteries afoot - a friend missing from her job; Norman's mom lying, canceling plans and being evasive; and the murder of a sneaky and dishonest business man. Hannah and friends are up to sorting out all these mysteries, but one of them just might get Hannah killed.

This was a good mystery, and I enjoyed figuring out the solution before the characters did. I love the characters in this series and watching the relationships evolve. One thread of the story only seemed to be there to set up something for the future, which is pretty clever plotting by the author. My only complaint is the love triangle. One of Hannah's suitors can really be a selfish, thoughtless guy, and I don't see why he is still in the picture. But I keep coming back for more in the next book to see if he'll redeem himself or if Hannah will finally choose the steady, sweet, thoughtful one who always puts her first.

4 out of 5 stars

CREAM PUFF MURDER by Joanne Fluke

Hannah is drawn in to investigate the murder of an odious fitness instructor who put the moves on any many who came her way while insulting all the women in her classes. And because the dead woman taught classes at the police station, Hannah's brother-in-law has to excuse himself from the investigation, as does Hannah's sometimes beau Mike. But Mike is also off the case because he was dating the dead woman. All the cops want the killer found quickly so they can get back to work. This means they all have advice for Hannah! But Hannah has her own methods for finding a killer - methods that have worked fine many times before. With her usual crew of helpers, she'll track this killer down with ease.

A great mystery with a twist ending I didn't see until Hannah did. The law enforcement guys offering methods and instruction was funny, and I loved seeing Hannah and Norman's mom get involved. I wish Hannah would just say yes to Norman - Mike was a thoughtless punk at times, but I know this isn't going to happen any time soon.

5 out of 5 stars

BLACKBERRY PIE MURDER by Joanne Fluke

* I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher for free in the hope that I would review it honestly on my blog. Regardless, I only review books I enjoyed. I don’t believe in passing on negative reviews. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Hannah has her hands full with her cookie shop. She's also helping plan her mother's wedding - a feat made more difficult because her mother changes her mind daily about what she wants. Thankfully, Hannah hasn't found a dead body in awhile - what a relief! Before she can really enjoy that realization, though, Hannah hits someone with her car in the middle of a storm and kills him. Now she's the one in a jail cell, wondering what the future holds for her.

This departed from the usual formula in my opinion - the "mystery" is figuring out who the guy is that Hannah hit. There wasn't the traditional murdered person with secrets to discover and multiple enemies who could have offed him/her. Even though it felt mystery-light to me, the story and the characters are completely enjoyable, as always. I was immediately drawn into the story, and when I had to put it down, I was eager to get back into the story. If the mystery piece had been a larger portion of the story, I would have given it four stars. As always, there were several recipes in the book that I would like to try some times. I have had great luck with the ones I have tried from previous books - many are simple and use ingredients I routinely have on hand.

3 out of 5 stars

This book releases on February 25th. Barnes and Noble is offering a free preview for Nook readers. I did not find a similar offer for Kindle.

MYSTERY for ADULTS: Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke

[I received a review copy of this book from the publisher, Kensington.]

This is book 15 in the Hannah Swensen Mystery series. In this story, a jazz pianist is injured in a bus accident. While he is in the hospital recuperating, he is killed and Hannah and her sisters - and mother - are on the case. The pianist wasn't who he seemed to be, so Hannah has to figure out who he really was in order to figure out who wanted him dead. At the same time, she is determined to figure out if her ex-boyfriend's fiancee is who she claims to be as well.

I am several books behind in the series, but it was easy to get caught up. I figured out the mystery before the end, but the motives weren't clear to me until the final reveal, keeping the mystery portion satisfying. Hannah and her sisters are great fun and I enjoyed spending a few hours with them while reading this novel. The recipes were even fun to read - with little asides and commentary - and sound delicious. I was only lost for a moment on Hannah's romantic situation because I have missed the last three books or so, but it didn't impact my enjoyment of the book. In fact, I will probably enjoy those earlier books even more now that I have read this one and know how some things are resolved. This is a great series with wonderful characters - people I would happily hang out with in real life.

4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: fans of the series, cozy mystery fans, fans of cooking/recipe stories