Customer Reviews

Carrot Cake Murder (Hannah Swenson Mysteries With Recipes)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I've read all of the Hannah Swensen mysteries, and generally I enjoy them. They are very light fare - I typically finish them in a day or two. That said, some of the story lines are getting old. This particular mystery did not have very much depth and I figured out who the murderer was about halfway through the book. I am getting really sick of the Norman/Mike storyline - it has been dragging on for book after book. It is wholly unrealistic as no men would be waiting around for a woman who is self-described as average at best to decide between the two of them. The story needs to go somewhere fast. I vote for Norman as I just do not see it working out between the arrogant, egotistical Mike and Hannah. This is an okay continuation of the Hannah Swensen mysteries, but the author needs to tighten up the mysteries and resolve the love triangle. If you like the series, you will most likely enjoy this book, but you will probably feel like me - ready for some story lines to be tied up.

Oh, Hannah, you never change. And I don't know how to stop reading you. Truly, I think this is a series that has run its course. I can no longer believe that Hannah is that much smarter and better than an entire police department, even in a small town. The lengths to which the author goes to smooth this over are also beginning to show - there's too much of a deal made over it. Her involvement - and justifications for it - is mentioned every other chapter, and it's painfully obvious it's a bit of a sticking point.

The mystery itself was run-of-the-mill cozy, nothing great, nothing awful. The recipes, as usual, sound incredible (makes me think the next book should just be a cookbook). Hands (paws?) down the best character is the cat, and even he's getting a little boring, despite the neuroses foisted upon him this installment. Even some of the better secondary characters seemed to lack fizzle, and the whole cast came across as a bit flat. There's not much to make me feel compelled to read forward, other, perhaps, than force of habit. It would take something amazing to turn this series around at this point.

I'd recommend the first few books in the series, then I'd say to wean yourself off them or just get them for the recipes.

I cannot believe I actually made it through to the end of this book. I justified checking it out from the library by telling myself this newest installment should finally wrap up the Norman/Mike triangle. But no such luck. Except for the victim, the scenario is the same in each book - a new dessert, a person found dead with the new dessert nearby, Hannah solving the murder, Hannah in danger, Hannah being rescued by Mike & Norman...DESSERT, MURDER, RESCUE, OH MY, (sing along with me now). The only good thing about this one is that Hannah is less condescending to the people not quite as intelligent as she.

I think the Hannah character is quickly becoming unlikeable. Is she really that much smarter than the entire Lake Eden Police Department? So much so that people beg her to investigate?! She's always just one step ahead of Mike. Another thing I find totally unrealistic (in this book & the previous ones) is that Norman & Mike seem to be fine with Hannah dating both of them at the same time - sitting between them at dinners, having them both walk her to the van. Seriously, are they going to take turns kissing her goodnight? I am also getting tired of the way recipe talk is thrown in so awkwardly (pg 105 & 106 Sunny Vegetable Salad), especially when Hannah is talking to her sisters who don't cook.

I think the author needs to re-evaluate where she is going with this series & wind it up fast before she loses all her fans. If she decides to keep it going, she needs to shake it up a bit.

I just don't have the patience anymore. Initially the series was tight and fun, with recipes thrown in as an added bonus. Now Hannah is getting unlikeable and full of herself and, if she is so concerned with being an old maid, why doesn't she do something about it? It's tiresome and I think an earlier reviewer put it best when likening it to having a high-school crush on two boys at the same time. This isn't high school and it is a bit insulting to "small-town" living in that it's ridiculous to believe that Hannah and only Hannah has this amazing ability to solve crimes whilst her little cult of personality grows by leaps and bounds. Soon there won't be anyone left who hasn't had a family member killed and had to deal with Hannah's crime-solving prowess. Yikes. I get the impression that the author is getting a bit lazy and personally doesn't feel like bringing the triangle to a resolution for fear of alienating either the "Normans" or the "Mikes". Unfortunately, this leads to cringe-inducing moments that just make these books almost intolerable anymore. Perhaps Fluke should take a break from the series, compile a nice cookbook, then just be brutal and be done with it. It's just not fun anymore.

I have enjoyed Ms. Fluke's "Cookie Jar" series since the beginning and this book was actually pretty good. However, I am SOOOOOOO sick of the "Hannah-Can't-Decide-Between-Mike & Norman" angle that I can't stand it. I have decided that I'll get the next book from the library, and if this same absolutely silly line continues, I'll be done with the series. What a shame to ruin a nice cozy series with such a dumb story angle. How many men do you know who would show up to a social event and sit on either side of the woman they're supposedly in love with and act like it's a normal occurence? Get real!

This was a great book. I have read all the others. I thought this was far superior.

An appearance by Herb's long lost uncle at the family reunion was too good to be true. He had left in the middle of the night 30 years before. Unfortunately for Gus, the uncle, he became murdered. It became apparent why he left and why he was murdered.

Hannah methodically investigates and solves the murder.

I liked the way Joanne ended this one. Hannah didn't have to decide between Norman or Mike.

Lisa and Herb have put lots of work into putting together a reunion of both their families. And all that work is about to pay off as relatives start pouring into Lake Eden from all over the United States. But the talk of the reunion is Herb's uncle Gus. No one has heard from Gus since he left Lake Eden in the middle of the night 30 years ago. His surprise appearance makes several people happy, but it also stirs up lots of old hurt and gossip.

As everyone gathers for the group picture the next afternoon, no one can find Gus. Hannah is enlisted to find him. And find him she does, dead. Was someone carrying a grudge for 30 years? Can Hannah solve the mystery before the reunion ends?

This is a strong entry sure to please long time fans. The mystery is given more prominence then it has in the last few books, with plenty of clues and red herrings. There are quite a few funny scenes as well. The climax is terrific. While I did figure out the killer before Hannah, it wasn't that long before. Some of the series regulars don't have as much page time as in previous books, but that allows more time for the mystery to take center stage. There is plenty of cooking in this book as well with 10 new dessert recipes and 5 other recipes to enjoy. I've tried three of them and just think about them makes my mouth water.

It's always a joy to spend time in Lake Eden. Hannah's many fans will welcome this latest entry with open arms.

I used to really love these books, but they are wearing thin. I'm all for a light, fluffy mystery but these are getting really old really fast. I cannot believe the Norman/Mike story line is still a question. It is so boring! I get it, she can't make up her mind, enough already!

Hannah and her friends also don't act like any 20 or 30 somethings I know, and I am a 30 something. She acts like an older lady as does everyone in the town. I used to look past it because I thought the books were cute. But, now I am just bored by them. If the next one doesn't have some sort of resolution I think I am done with this series.

Let me first say that I did purchase this book since I think these books are worth owning for the recipes even if you don't plan on re-reading the stories. I will definitely be making the S'Mores Bars!

I really had high hopes for this book since I had read on the author's website that Norman's "secret" finally comes out and I assumed that might result in a conclusion to the silly Mike/Norman/Hannah love triangle. Not so much. I thought the "secret" was irrelevant and didn't add anything to the series, and the love triangle was in the same exact place is has been for the past ten books. I am always hopeful that authors will read these reviews and consider readers' suggestions. I don't understand why Ms. Fluke does not wrap-up this story-line that virtually every review complains about. It does not add anything to the serries, in fact, it detracts from it since it has become so annoying. It is an unpleasant distraction from the characters and the story. Worst of all, resurrecting yet a THIRD love interest from the past is downright ridiculous.

I love catching up with the rest of the characters and as always, the author's descriptions of this small town made me want to book a summer get-away at Lake Eden. Hence, I still enjoyed the book enough to give it three and half stars. If the stupid "love triangle" is not resolved in the next book, I will give-up on this series.

This is now the second book that I've read in the Hannah Swenson Mystery series. I actually started reading right in the middle of the series with Key Lime Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen Mystery With Recipes), the novel immediately preceding this one. Last time out, it didn't seem to matter that I had jumped right in, as I picked up the story and got to know the main characters pretty easily. This time, however, I admit that I was much more confused by the many different players making up the Beeseman-Herman families--I am not sure if this was some fault of my own or related to author Joanna Fluke's writing, but the end result was that I did not enjoy Carrot Cake Murder (Hannah Swenson Mysteries With Recipes) as much as the first Hannah Swenson Mystery I read.

The setup for this book is a Beeseman-Herman family reunion. Twin sisters Marge and Patsy are thrilled when their long-lost brother Gus shows up seemingly out of nowhere to attend the reunion. However, Gus's joyous homecoming does not last long--this wouldn't be a Hannah Swenson Mystery if Hannah didn't discover a body, and this time, Gus is the poor victim. Of course, Hannah takes it upon herself to try to help solve the murder. At the same time, the show must go on, so Hannah and her sisters Andrea and Michelle continue to assist with the week-long reunion events in the midst of their sideline sleuthing.

This book was a quick read, and I did find it to be entertaining, but as I mentioned above, I didn't find it quite as enjoyable as my first encounter with Hannah. Similarly, I was a bit disappointed in the recipes which appear in this novel. Not only have many of Hannah's usual cookies and cakes been replaced here with casseroles (or "hotdish" if you are from the midwest) and other dishes appropriate to large gathering, such as a reunion, but also the recipes are less interspersed throughout the book (i.e., there is almost a 100-page gap between the final two recipes, which appear on Pages 234 and 332, respectively). Despite this, however, there are a few recipes that I do plan to try, including the Red Velvet Cookies, the Scandinavian Almond Cake, and the Black Forest Brownies.

In the end, I found this to be a fun, light mystery, and my final rating is 3 1/2 stars.