Customer Reviews

Cream Puff Murder

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I have been a fan of this series since the beginning and have faithfully read each and every one of them as they are published. It's one of my favorites and I look forward to settling in with Hannah and her friends and family as well as having a mystery mixed in for good measure.

This one was different for me. The first 100 pages or so I was really enjoying the book. Definitely a "cozy" story since no murder had been committed yet. I was appreciating getting caught up with the characters from the previous novels and zipped right along. Around page 110 things started deteriorating. The mystery portion was introduced and I thought it was fairly weak. Lots of unrealistic situations occur to the point of spoiling it. All cozies have bits of reality that you have to ignore, but this one pushed it past acceptable. All of the police department's detectives are unable to work the case for some reason or another, so they decide to have a cookie shop owner run the police investigation? It's one thing for a mystery to revolve around a person sticking their nose in where it doesn't belong, its another thing to have us all swallow that four different police officers recruit an amateur and let her solve the mystery. A detective is brought in from the big city and even she lets Hannah take the lead and do all the investigation. Just too over the top for me.

By the time the last 100 pages came around, I was finding it hard to stay with the book. I wasn't motivated to finish other than out of loyalty to the series and a personal desire to finish every book I read.

I did like the Mike/Norman/Hannah situation and was glad to see some movement in that story line. I also got a real kick out of Moise (Hannah's cat) and the mystery of the disappearing food. I actually liked that mystery better than the main murder in the novel.

I'll keep reading these since they have been so good so far, but I am hoping for better in the future. If you have never read this series, I would recommend going back and starting with the very first one. Since so much of this book is dependent upon characters, it would be really helpful to have all the previous background -- won't stand alone very well.

Hannah has two weeks to lose enough weight to fit into the dress that her mother bought her to wear for a book launch party. That means a strict diet and joining Heavenly Bodies, the new gym out at the mall. With Andrea cheering her on, Hannah might actually make her goal.

On the down side, membership at Heavenly Bodies means interacting even more with Ronni Ward. One of the instructors at the gym, Ronni has made enemies out of every woman in town with her constant flirting. Still, Hannah is shocked to find Ronni floating face down in the gym's Jacuzzi. To make matters worse, sometimes boyfriend Mike is a suspect in the case. Since Mike is suspended until things are resolved, he is becoming irritating. Can she solve the case before Mike drives her completely crazy?

Let's be honest, there are a couple of things in this series that are highly unrealistic. And this book does nothing to change that. Mike and other police officers are actually trying to run their investigation through Hannah. Realistic? No. But it does provide for some very funny scenes. As in Murder, She Wrote, I ignore it and move on. The Mike/Norman triangle certainly doesn't seem to be going anywhere either, although this book makes it very clear who she should chose.

Now that I've noted those items, I must confess I still enjoy these books. The cast of series regulars always makes me smile. This is another great visit with old friends. For that reason alone I will keep reading the series. The mystery could have been stronger earlier, but it still captured my interest and kept me guessing until the end. I count something in the neighborhood of 20 recipes that made my mouth water as I was reading.

Like the chocolate Hannah is always prescribing, this series is a cure for any problem. This is another light, fun read.

Joanne Fluke needs to just stop - her books are all exactly the same. I am so disappointed in how this series has turned out. Hannah doesn't act like a 30 year old, but like a celibate 50 year old. Not making up her mind about Mike or Norman is completely annoying and both men have ceased to be fleshed out characters and are now just caricatures.

After reading the last book and finding it dull, I decided to give her one more chance with this novel. I am now finished with this series. It doesn't go anywhere, it's boring, and it is completely unrealistic (even by cozy standards)

I have read all of Joanne Fluke's books and this one was as good or better than I'd hoped.

Hannah had to try on the special order dress for her Mom's book launch and had a slight problem. It was too tight. There wasn't enough time for Hannah to order a new one so Hannah had no choice than to diet and exercise.

Hannah works hard and goes with Andrea to the gym.

As always Hannah is the one who finds the body, although not many tears are shed for the victim.

Good story line. Good romance. Wonderful recipes. There is even a diet recipe. I think Hannah is getting closer to choosing between her two men.

You will love this installment in the Hannah Swensen series.

Okay, I've been a fan of this series since the beginning and I've loved seeing characters develop and such and this one was no exception. Cute story, I liked Hannah's attempts at weight loss. LOVED that there were more recipes than usual but seriously...is she going to forgive Mike? I sure wouldn't! This book makes it plain who she should choose but she is so stubborn...honestly how many hot men can there be in Minnesota that she thinks she can put this decision off? And Norman built the dream house and all! I'm sooooo over Mike!

Also did anyone else get the feeling that Michelle might be ahem...in the family way? Hannah makes some comments about her eating and there are many little hints to the quantity that Michelle is eating...just curious what everyone thought! Either way her getting married before Hannah would be hilarious. Although Hannah had better hurry up, either dump them or marry one! We're over waiting already! Besides with the entry of a female detective Mike could leave and we could have some cat fights over who is the better detective!

All in all this was a good one, much better than the last honestly. Still we're ready for the triangle to end now! Go Norman!

While it is pretty unbelievable that the town sheriff and all of his detectives would recruit Hannah to head up a murder investigation, this book is still much better than the last few. The murder mystery was more unpredictable since there was such an abundance of characters that hated Ronni Ward. The victim was so unlikeable, it is surprising that anyone thought her death was worth investigating. Each of the Swensen sisters has her own reason for wanting to solve the crime and it was a lot of fun having all three of them involved as well as the "mothers".
The best part of the book, in my opinion, was that we finally get a dose of realism in the Norman/Mike situation. The true colors of Hannah's two suitors come out in this book. While some of what is revealed about one of the men should have been obvious to Hannah several books ago, she finally seems to be getting with the picture. I would have liked more of a comeuppance for the dirtbag, but maybe that will come in the next book. I just hope it doesn't mean that Hannah is going to forgive and forget. Also, we finally see some more realistic, adult relationship issues addressed in this book (albeit in a very tame manner) like sleepovers and (gasp) s-e-x. I thought mentioning these issues was far overdue and the way the author handled it stayed true to the tone of the series while finally injecting some more realistic 21st century material. Overall, much improved and I will give the series another chance.

Let me begin this review by saying that for the most part I have enjoyed this series of books. And while the last book or two has been dragging a bit- this book picked up the pace some- and made some things very clear to faithful readers (although I truly think if we were being honest with ourselves after reading Peach Cobbler Murder, we all should know which way that Hannah should lean toward in her men, hmmm?) With all those things being said... Let's move on to the review portion!

Plot- Let's face it.. The plot is the same formula pretty much every time. Hannah bakes, Hannah finds a body, Hannah helps out with the investigation (either with or without the blessing) Hannah figures out who the killer is through some random conversations and clues that she found during her daily travels of taking cookies places or "using the invisible coffee server" trick or with some sleuthing by her and her sisters. Hannah then is in danger as that she has figured out who the killer is and there is no one to help her. Then Hannah's life is saved, b/c just shortly after the killer is revealed- the police have come to the same conclusion.
If I sound like I'm being negative- I'm truly not. I have every book and plan to continue to get them- the formula obviously works- but it does get a bit tiring.
This book, however, the victim is Ronni Ward- and Ronni has no problems with chasing after men, married or not. It's funny to me that Ronni is painted in such a bad way- because in real life, while Ronni might be labeled a hussy or worse- you can't steal a man who doesn't in some way want to be stolen. But that's neither here nor there. Moving on- Ronni's body is found by Hannah- and this time all the police want her help becasue for some reason or another- they have all been disqualified to work on her case ( Mike, Bill, Lonnie- all the Swensen sisters boyfriend/husband)
Another funny thing- all the men want Hannnah to work the case using their methods, when Hannah has always solved the case by using the methods that come naturally to her- sleuthing and listening.
This mystery throws out some red-herrings, but if you go back and read some sections of the book- you will realize that clues were pointing to the guilty party earlier in the book.

Romance- This author has defintely been very hesitant for Hannah to have a "grown-up relationship". While at first I understood- Hannah had been in love with a college professor or perhaps it was a teaching assistant who had lied about having a fiancee- at times Hannah's behavior toward the men is almost childish. Norman is over 40! Hannah is 30 or almost 30 and I believe that Mike is the same age or maybe a little older. Now while I applaud the writer for not shoving s-e-x down our throats, it would seem that given their ages, length of relationship, and other factors that s-e-x may not be as hush-hush as it is in this series.
Personally, even though Norman is a bit boring- I think Hannah should pick him. He's better than Mike- and has proved it by caring for her in countless ways.

Overall- this book was pretty good. I enjoyed it- and finished reading the book in a couple of days. I am looking forward to the next installment- and am hoping that the Mike-Norman- Hannah triangle will be solved, in some form or another.

I did housework to avoid reading. That never happens but this book was awful. Cream Puff Murder made its predecessor Carrot Cake Murder look good - and I gave that dismal book one star. This story doesn't deserve a quarter of that rating. It's beyond boring and pathetic. Insipid and unintelligent are more accurate descriptions. I actually had to force myself to finish reading the rubbish.

The plot revolves around Hannah's need to lose weight. Her dress is too tight and she has to fit into it in two weeks for her mother's book launching party. Andrea convinces her to work out at the local gym. A relaxing dip after exercising is unrealized when Lake Eden, Minnesota's resident harlot is found floating in the spa's Jacuzzi. An overturned tray of Hannah's cream puff is nearby. Of course, she's the one that discovers the body and soon Hannah's investigating the murder. She's encouraged to help a professional homicide detective brought in to solve the case. She's also receiving secret messages from four of Lake Eden's police force that were dismissed from the case due to their involvement with the victim. Sounds plausible, right?

Even more ridiculous is Hannah's inability to recognize a dish of Jell-O! Hannah is a grown woman with a college education. She's a professional baker. Yet she can't easily identify this colorful, wiggling, translucent mass that any three-year old could readily tell you is Jell-o? Yet she solves a murder case better and faster than the trained professionals.

Most of the book was as lame. The only miniscule amount of redeeming quality is the possible ending of the absurd love triangle between Hannah, Mike, and Norman. Mike's been painted as a horn dog and Norman a saint. However, I tend to believe Mike's an almost normal guy. I liked his character when first introduced to him. He was more believable then and his devotion to his late wife was endearing. Lately he acts like he's had a lobotomy and testosterone reduction. As for Norman, I seriously question the integrity of this character as he sort of comes off as either an obsessed lover or repressed homosexual. At one point, I liked him but now he's bordering on mildly creepy. Hannah doesn't deserve either of the men. But I don't truly care. I just want the whole "romantic" entanglement to be finished.

The Hannah Swensen series has suffered a horrendous decline. I'm not sure I can stomach the twelfth book due out this October. When doing house chores is more enjoyable than reading then you know the book is BAD.

I must say, I have read every single Hannah mystery up through this one, and I will not be continuing any further. There are several reasons why I've decided to stop reading. The plot has gotten old, and the details are dull. Not only is it an extremely easy read, written well below a high-school reading level, but Hannah is most certainly not an adult. Disney makes more risque characters.

For one, dating two men is fine, for a while. Eventually, one or both men would give up and move on after waiting as long as they did with such prude. That woman is not in her thirties! Unable to cope with a cell phone, or standard technology, operating a business without computers, and still driving a 1992 Suburban, nothing changes with her. Additionally, why is there no intimacy? There is no way a grown man in his thirties, let alone two, would wait several years with chaste kisses and nothing more. As you can see in this book, Mike doesn't, he gets what he needs from someone else. Besides, Norman builds her a house, no expense spared, when she'd never even spent an overnight with him? That's not sane. Throw some spice in and for goodness' sake, let her let loose! Has she even been drunk?

The thing is, I could, maybe, but not quite, understand if there were psuedo-religous grounds for acting like an old Christian spinster who looks down her nose at anyone not like her, and its getting worse.

Also, how many murders can a town that size really have? How many bodies can one woman find without becoming the main suspect herself?

As a cook, I find her non-pastry recipes horrific. They are a throwback to the times when canned soups were the height of cuisine, and if ground beef or worse, canned meat and canned soup casseroles are the best Minnesota has to offer for cuisine, I certainly never need to visit. No one eats like that anymore. Also, Andrea's Jello "salads" are gag-inducing.

At first, Hannah was relatively charming, and the dating circle was amusing, and at $2.99 a book, it was acceptable for wasting two hours. Now that the prices have gone up, I feel like I'm wasting my money. I am certainly not spending $9.00 on the same old plot, with the same old spinster. If something changes, maybe.

Just as an aside, I'm 26 and nearly everyone around me is in the 25-35 range. I can promise you that no one in this demographic will find her believable.

Waste of time for the reader and author (although it doesn't seem she spent much time on this "mystery"). I really enjoyed the first books in Joanne Fluke's series, but this one was terrible. Hannah has become a character I don't really like anymore, nor really care about. I don't understand why her personal life can't advance anywhere. This book actually has characters over the age of thirty who blush at the thought that Hannah spent the night at a man's house and Hannah gets so crazy she gives one of her men a hug. Wow -- racy. And what year is Ms. Fluke living in -- this book published in 2009 features VCRs and leotards worn in a gym (circa 1980's?) -- where is her editor? Getting on to the murder -- the mystery is really how this book ever got published. One or two new characters introduced early on, pathetic "red herrings" -- gee - who could it be? And how can such a clever, smart person as Hannah is thought to be by every person in town, not figure out what an egotistical jerk Mike has turned into? Are we supposed to be impressed with the contrived rescue scene? Ugh! Don't waste your time -- there are much better cozy mysteries out there!
(Try reading M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin series for a really entertaining cozy series with a character whose personal life has many changes, but who also realizes she enjoys solving crimes enough to start a new business).