Blueberry Muffin Murder (Hannah Swensen Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Joanne Fluke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2003 | Series: Hannah Swensen Mysteries

Preparations are underway for Lake Eden, Minnesota's annual Winter Carnival - and Hannah Swensen is set to bake up a storm at her popular shop, The Cookie Jar. Too bad the honour of creating the official Winter Carnival cake went to famous lifestyle maven Connie Mac - a half-baked idea, in Hannah's opinion. She suspects Connie Mac is a lot like the confections she whips up on her cable TV cooking show - sweet, light, and scrumptious-looking, but likely to leave a bitter taste in your mouth.Hannah's suspicions are confirmed when Connie Mac's limo rolls into town. Turns out America's 'cooking sweetheart' is a bossy, bad-tempered, and downright domineering. Things finally boil over when Hannah arrives at The Cookie Jar to find the Winter Carnival cake burnt to a crisp - and Connie Mac lying dead in her pantry, struck down while eating one of Hannah's famous blueberry muffins.Next thing Hannah knows, the police have declared The Cookie Jar's kitchen crime scene off-limits. She's a baker without an oven - and the Carnival is right around the corner. Hannah's only alternative is to cook up a plan to save her business - by finding the killer herself.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In her third top-of-the-line culinary cozy (after 2001's Strawberry Shortcake Murder), the delightful amateur sleuth Hannah Swensen once again faces murder and mayhem with good cheer. To fight the late February doldrums, Lake Eden, Minn., is about to celebrate its first winter carnival with ice sports on the lake, activities for children and Hannah's delicious cookies from her shop, the Cookie Jar. The whole town is involved, and even Hannah's mother, who usually spends her time trying to get Hannah married, has found a new interest in recreating the home of one of Lake Eden's founding fathers. Connie MacIntyre, bestselling cook book author and star of a popular cable TV cooking show, has agreed to make the cake for the carnival banquet. But when Hannah discovers Connie's dead body in the pantry of the Cookie Jar, Hannah and her sister Andrea join forces to track down the killer, despite warnings by one of her boyfriends, policeman Mike Kensington, to stay out of the investigation. Since everyone who had contact with the abusive Connie disliked her, the sisters have plenty of suspects. Delicious food descriptions and recipes, warm and familiar characters who grow into real people (Hannah's increasing respect for Andrea is a highlight), a vivid picture of the small lake town and a well-crafted mystery provide the ingredients for yet another tempting feast that should satisfy all fans, old and new. (Mar. 5)Forecast: A simple, bold jacket featuring a skull formed by blueberries in a sliced muffin sends just the right message to attract cozy fans.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Hannah's (Strawberry Shortcake Murder) baking plans for Lake Eden's Winter Carnival get stalled when a despotic rival baker is murdered in Hannah's bakery. With her oven declared part of a crime scene, Hannah must find the murderer before she can bake. A delightful confection and a recipe included.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Kensington Books; Reprint edition (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758218583
• ISBN-13: 978-0758218582
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #439,004 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joanne Fluke is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 20 novels. Like Hannah Swensen, she was born and raised in a small town in rural Minnesota, but now lives in sunny Southern California. She is currently working on her next Hannah Swensen mystery and readers are welcome to contact her at the following e-mail address, [e-mail], or by visiting her website at www.MurderSheBaked.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Addition to this Cozy Series, March 15, 2002

By 

Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blueberry Muffin Murder (Hannah Swensen Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Hoping to boost their winter economy, Lake Eden Minnesota is holding it's first annual Winter Carnival. Hannah Swensen is delighted about the extra revenue this will bring to her cookie shop. The town is thrilled to have Connie MacIntyre, celebrated TV chef and cookbook author, designing and baking their Winter Carnival cake. But when Connie Mac arrives, she quickly makes enemies with her overbearing personality. Hannah reluctantly agrees to let Connie use her shop to bake the cake, but arrives the next morning to find the cake burned and Connie face down in a tin of Hannah's Blue Blueberry Muffins. With her shop closed off as a crime scene and a very good friend, Connie Mac's personal assistant Janie, the prime suspect, Hannah starts investigating the murder. But can she provide the cookies for the carnival, solve the murder, and find Janie?

This is the third Hannah Swensen mystery, and the series has only gotten stronger. Hannah and her sister Andrea make a great detective team. All the supporting characters are back and used well in the plot. They're really starting to feel like good friends. I especially enjoyed watching the love triangle with dentist Norman and police detective Mike heat up. The mystery itself was very enjoyable. I had a hard time figuring out where this one was going, but the solution made perfect sense. And the climax kept me glued to the book trying to figure out how Hannah would escape with her life. There are 7 more delicious sounding recipes included. Someday I'm going to make them.

My only complaint with the book was that it ended too soon. If you're already a fan of the series, you'll love this book. If you have yet to meet Hannah, start with the first, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, and enjoy this delightful culinary themed mystery series.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Muffin murder madness, April 5, 2008

By 

- Kasia S. (New York City) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blueberry Muffin Murder (Hannah Swensen Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Imagine opening a book and finding yourself in a snow covered, chilly town of Lake Eden where the cookies are freshly baked, winter carnivals supply all the hot chocolate needed to melt of the winter chill and a detective who bakes those cookies is on the run to solve the next cozy murder mystery. Not only is this mystery actually very interesting and complex but it develops our relationship with it's inhabitants, the neighbors and family members, coworkers and tourists all add a fun touch as we get familiar with their habits and manners. I recommend reading this series starting with the first book because they only get better and better - knowing all the facts only enriches the entire storyline. Andrea has a big part in this book and I find her endearing, Norman and Mike are battling it out for Hannah's feelings and things are starting to pick up in the romance department and the new characters add a whole other layer to the all ready charming town.

Hannah and her sister Andrea have new trouble on their busy minds. When the famous television host to the best watched cooking show decides to make an appearance at the Winter Carnival, everyone is thrilled and enamored with the idea of meeting Connie Mac, the star of the show. She arrives and makes herself known all right, by pushing everyone's buttons and making their lives miserable. From ridiculous demands to her sugar coated viper spiked requests to change everything into her way, she ends up meeting her own doom. Found in Hannah's bakery munching on blueberry muffins she meets the maker and turns the Cookie Jar into an investigation site, closing Hannah out. Desperate to save her shop and still make the cookies for the carnival, she decides to snoop on her own and find out who killed Connie Mac. The funny part is that everyone who is usually mellow and calm has deep resentment to Connie and finding out the only guilty person who actually committed the crime was quite the formidable task that required a lot of work and sugar to keep up Hannah's energy. In the end the mystery is solved and the reader is left hungrier for more of these fun books.

This book was wonderful and Hannah was wittier than ever, I always felt the connection to the story and as a bonus it was full of great cookie recipes and cooking tips. I am all ready planning on making some of them, and I have tried her recipes in the past, they work perfectly. The mystery was always the most important part and the story never fizzled, it reached the ending with flying colors.

Fun, enjoyable and breezy read, highly recommended for fans of cozy books.

- Kasia S.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful Confection!, June 21, 2003

By 

Cathy Stucker "IdeaLady.com" (Sugar Land, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blueberry Muffin Murder (Hannah Swensen Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Although this is Hannah Swenen's third adventure, it is the first I've read. I'm now looking forward to reading both past and future installments in the series.

Celebrity chef Connie Mac (think a Minnesota Martha Stewart) is found murdered in the pantry of Hannah's store, The Cookie Jar, and Hannah is plunged into the murder investigation. There is no shortage of suspects, as Connie wasn't known for her pleasant manner. Hannah manages to investigate while fending off the matchmaking attempts of her sister and mother, and while baking batches of cookies for the town's winter festival. Her investigation is complicated by the fact that one of her suitors is conducting the police investigation, the other is a suspect, and her mother is concerned that Hannah's habit of finding dead bodies (this isn't the first) may ruin her reputation.

The characters and plot elements are blended as skillfully as the ingredients in Hannah's delectable cookies. Speaking of which, the recipes in the book are a wonderful addition. Gotta go--I've got a batch of Peanut Butter Melts in the oven and I can't wait to taste them!