Customer Reviews

Fudge Cupcake Murder (Hannah Swensen Mysteries)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Hannah's life is very full. Not only is she juggling the demands of running The Cookie Jar, but her brother-in-law is running for sheriff in a very tight race and she's trying to organize the recipes for the Lake Eden cookbook. One night, as she's taking the trash out after her potluck cooking class (a convenient way to test all the recipes to make sure they're right before the book goes to print), she finds the body of Sheriff Grant in the dumpster. Now Bill is suspended from work because he's a suspect, and Hannah must clear him by finding the killer before he drives the very pregnant Andrea crazy cleaning out their house. This also adds major complications to Hannah's relationship with Bill's partner Mike. Meanwhile, her mother is acting strangely, and she needs to get her cat to eat his senior cat food. And she's searching for the missing ingredient in Mrs. Koester's fudge cupcake recipe so it can make the book. Can Hannah juggle all these competing demands?

Needless to say, there's never a dull moment in this book. There are a few times when the murder investigation seems to stall briefly, but the other sub-plots take up the slack. Frankly, I hardly noticed because there is so much else happening. The mystery does progress well, with an ending I figured out a little before Hannah, but not by much. All the characters we've come to love are back, and it's definitely a wonderful visit with old friends. This book contains 10 delicious sounding recipes. (A word about the title recipe. The first edition contains an error. It should read 1 1/2 teaspoons baking POWDER not baking soda. This will be fixed in all future editions.)

Is it possible to get the warm fuzzies from a murder mystery? If so, this is the series to do it. If you like your murder served cozy, look no further then this fun series.

Hannah Swenson, owner of the Cookie Jar in Lake Eden, Minnesota is having a couple of problems.

First there's the sheriff's race, where Bill, her sister Andrea's husband is running against Sheriff Grant.

Secondly, she's attempting to put together a cookbook filled with Lake Eden's favorite Potluck dishes. And the late Mrs. Koester's fudge cupcakes are proving a problem.

Beatrice Koester's very anxious to have the cupcake in the cookbook, for her husband Ted's sake. He & mom were very close. Unfortunately, the recipe includes 1/2 cup of secret ingredient. It's up to Hannah and her partner Lisa to try and find out what that ingredient is.

So it trial and error as they bake and bake. Hannah's first batch is taking to the Potluck Cooking class that she's teaching at the local community college. (They're testing all the recipes.)

Sheriff Grant is at the college, and Hannah gives him a couple of cupcakes to try out. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to give a review as when she's putting out the trash, Hannah finds the Sheriff's body in the dumpster.

Who'd want the sheriff dead? Did it have anything to do with the election? What about his son's death in a car accident a couple years ago? Or maybe it was the "big case" he always found and solved just before elections.

Things get even worse, when Bill is taken off duty by acting Sheriff Mike Kingston,(Hannah's Boyfriend), as a possible suspect.

Hannah and Andrea have to work hard to find who the killer is, before Bill gets arrested.

Highlights:

Hannah's relationship with her two boyfriends, Mike the Cop and Norman the Dentist. Both great guys, and it's unusual for there to be two boyfriends in a series.

Family and Friends. This series has wonderful relationships between Hannah and her family and her friends. There are a lot of returning characters in each book, you really get to know them well.

Murder Victim - Another unusual thing to this series, is that the murder victim is often someone who has appeared in previous books. Sheriff Grant has been in the books from the first, so it was surprising to have him killed off.

Hannah's cat Moishe. He almost makes me a cat lover.

Great Recipe's.

Lowlights:

Guessing the killer was too easy. I knew who did it very early, but not why, so it was still an enjoyable mystery.

Hannah acting totally stupid at the end of the book. There was no reason for any of it to happen if she had done things a little smarter.

This is a great series. I've already pre-ordered the next one, The Sugar Cookie Murder.

If you're looking for another good series to read while you're waiting, I found a one by Victoria Pade, there's only two books, Divorce Can Be Murder & Dating Can Be Deadly, but they're both very funny along with a good mystery.

Finishing Lemon Meringue Pie Murder, I could not wait to start Fudge Cupcake Murder. How could anyone believe Ms. Fluke would disappoint? It's nearing Halloween in the small town of Lake Eden, Minnesota, Hannah's niece Tracy can't wait for trick-or-treating, and Hannah is teaching a fun cooking class at the Lake Eden school. Hannah is compiling an amount of recipes for the Lake Eden Cookbook, and receives a recipe for fudge cupcakec from Beatrice Koester, but then learns that Beatrice's mother-in-law wouldn't give up the secret ingredient that makes the cupcakes fruity and thick, and Hannah must experiment with other ingredients. After her cooking class, Hannah tries making cupcake test batches, and gives one to Sheriff Grant to try, and when Hannah is about to leave, she discovers Sheriff Grant's body in the dumpster, his shirt smeared with chocolate frosting from one of Hannah's cupcakes. And if that wasn't bad enough, Andrea's husband Bill is accused of murder Grant so he could become the new sheriff! Hannah vehemently investigates the murder once again to clear her innocent brother-in-law. Joanne Fluke has written another great Hannah Swensen mystery with funny characters, a stumping murder, and subtle clues, along with the hilarious subplot of Hannah's attempts to make Moishe, Hannah's lovable tomcat, eat his newly needed Senior Cat Food. Read this book!

Spoiler alert!

The other reviewers have given a good "recipe" of the plot so I won't do the same. Hannah Swenson can be entertaining and I've copied down some good recipes. But for someone who is supposed to be smart, Hannah Swenson can be incredibly stupid. She locates the murder weapon, a tire iron, is left alone with it for an apparently lengthy period of time while waiting for the murderer to return (knowing he's the murderer), but instead of putting it in her vehicle and taking off, she tries to buy it from the murderer. When the murderer realizes he's been outed, she runs off into the salvage yard with--not her car keys--but a bag of cupcakes.

Then, while hiding in a junk car, listening for the sound of footsteps on gravel to indicate the approach of the murderer, she somehow misses the sound of heavy equipment approaching. It's ridiculous that someone can miss the sound of car moving equipment and then be completely stunned when the car mover scoops up the car in which she's hiding. Had she stumbled across a tree root, it would have been a perfect rendition of the incredibly dumb girl in horror movies that everyone in the audience yells at not to be so dumb.

Then, when Mike the handsome cop arrives and stands immediately below her elevated hiding place, he somehow misses the leather jacket that floats down from above (which Hannah tossed down to get his attention), gets hit in the head with a fudge cupcake but doesn't look up and only becomes suspicious that something is afoot when he gets bonked with a second cupcake. Honestly! How dumb and blind can one supposedly brilliant cop be?

And Hannah's approach to romance needs serious work. She's blindly attracted to Mike for his looks and sex appeal, even though he treats her like a silly girl, cautioning her in a clearly paternalistic and condescending manner (more than once) to "let the professionals handle it," the murder investigation, which he has done in each and every book. The only thing missing was a pat on the head. A dozen pages later, Hannah's mooning about, wondering if Mike will propose, despite the fact that she knows he's condescending, knows he's still mourning his deceased wife, knows he's not interested in commitment.

Hannah is supposed to be level-headed, no-nonsense and bright. What she apparently really embodies are all the old cliches about women--willing to overlook the handsome man's personality flaws, dreaming about proposals of marriage, getting into tight corners (in this case, a junk car about to be squashed to bits in a junk yard car crusher) because she just doesn't think logically and relying upon the big strong men in her life to rescue her. It would be different if Hannah recognized the dichotomies of her life; at least there would some depth there, but she doesn't. The characters in this series simply are not progressing.

Another winner in the Cookie Jar mystery series. Hannah has her hands full! She's still in a quandry over two handsome beaus; her sister is still pregnant; her kitty, Moishe, is not happy; her Mother is, as usual, critical and has a secret; Mike, her brother-in-law, is suspect #1 in the murder of the Sheriff that happens to be who Mike is running against during a close election. Said Sheriff just ate one of Hannah's cupcakes minutes before he's murdered and thrown into a dumpster.
Now, all she has to do is get her kitty to eat again, slueth with her expectant sister to get Mike off "suspension pending investigation"; figure out what her Mother is hiding; bake for her thriving business at the cookie jar while she tests recipes and puts together a Lake Eden Cook Book whose deadline has been pushed forward by three months!
The recipes are excellent and all you cookie party gals will find the new Hannah Banana cookie delicious!
Now, don't read the recipes first; she gives a really good clue in the beginning, as to the secret ingredient missing from the Fudge cupcake recipe entry and it was fun to figure it out with her.

Someone is murdered, and the secret ingredient for the fudge cupcake recipe is a mystery. Hannah is determined to solve the murder and still find time to find out the secret ingredient for the recipe before the Lake Eden cookbook is published. And if that is not enough, Hannah suspects one of her boyfriends, Mike, is cheating on her with pretty Shawna Lee.

The hominess, warmth, and coziness of this Minnesota mystery series is indescribable. Not to mention the superb mystery plots and lots of clues. I give 5 stars to a lot of books, because they deserve it. But of all the 5-star books, this Hannah Swensen cookie series is definitely the one I like most. There is only one other series I like as much as this one: Kate Borden's "Death of a Tart", "Death of a Trickster", and "Death of a Turkey".

I had read the first 4 Hannah Swensen books, then stopped and read many other mysteries. Then I decided it was time to come back and finish up the Hannah Swensen series. I just finished the 5th book (Fudge Cupcake Murder), and it was like coming home after a long absence! There are no words to describe how much I truly enjoyed this book. Now I will read the remaining books in the series.

This series is a model cozy mystery series. The pure pleasure, comfort, and satisfaction I get from these books are inexpressible, and I feel they are a gift from the heavens.

Ultimate enjoyment.

I look forward to each new Hannah Swenson mystery like a kid waiting for Santa. I'm not going to give away even a smidgen of the plot, but suffice it to say that as usual, Hannah is up to her elbows in another town mystery. There are unexpected twists and turns and will keep you guessing all the way from beginning to end. I love the way Joanne Fluke writes. The story never bogs down and will keep you turning page after page. All of her books in this series have a wonderfully 'homey" feeling. You feel like you're getting together with old friends and family as Hannah sleuths her way to the unmasking of another culprit. I can never figure out who the bad guy is, and once again, I was amazed at the ending. And of course, last but not least is the bonus of more mouth-watering recipes from the Cookie Jar to add to your collection. Once again Fluke has a winner on her hands. Another great book for all ages. One that the whole family can enjoy.

If cozies are your cup of tea, you'll savor this latest entry in the popular Hannah Swensen series. It's charming, chatty, pleasant, and easy to digest. Adding to the fun are the several original (and quite good) cookie recipes and enough baking tips to warrant keeping Fudge Cupcake Murder on the shelves in the kitchen.
--Marcianne Miller, author of The Artful Cupcake

Sitting down with a Joanne Fluke novel is like visiting old friends. Anyone who has followed this series from the beginning has by this fifth novel, invested plenty of money and time, (not to mention emotion) into these characters. As far as this goes, Fudge Cupcake Murder does not disappoint. It is always a treat to catch up with our friends in Lake Eden and to literally see whats cooking. The book opens with Hannah finding yet another body. This time it is the sheriff. Complicating matters, Hannah's brother in law is up against the sheriff in the local election. Could he have murdered the sheriff in an effort to get rid of his competition? My gripes include a mystery that pretty much disappears for the middle portion of the book. Day-to-day going ons seem to trump the storyline. When the mystery does kick into high gear at the end of the novel, all the answers come a little to easily. The romance trianagle between Hannah, Norman, and Mike is really getting tired as well. Something needs to be resolved. I think all the readers can see how this is meant to turn out. All Fluke needs to do is make it happen on the page. This book is recommended to the die-hard Hannah Swenson fans who won't care if the book contains more frosting than cake.

The mystery in this book starts with the murder of Sheriff Grant and Hannah's pursuit to clear Brother in law, Bill. The mystery was ok.

But, Hannah is a successful 30-ish woman and is being entirely too indecisive with Mike and Norman. She's been 'dating' both men for over a year, thru the first several books of the series, and never gone beyond kissing them. Also, both men are perfectly happy to sit back and 'share' dates with Hannah. Beyond prudish. There is a line between overly-prudish and erotic fiction, and Fluke isn't even beginning to toe at it.

I agree with the review that mentioned that Hannah should actually have a real relationship with either Mike or Norman before hoping that one of them will propose. Not realistic at all.

On the positive side, you will be drooling over the descriptions of the food. The subplots of Moishe and his senior crunchies, as well as the secret ingredient in the fudge cupcakes, were both more intriguing to me than the mystery and the dulling relationship twist.