Apple Turnover Murder (Hannah Swensen Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Joanne Fluke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 23, 2010 | Series: Hannah Swensen Mysteries

It's June in Lake Eden, Minnesota, and for Hannah Swensen, that means bridal showers galore, plus a massive fundraising event in need of confections - not to mention a killer who never learned that charity begins at home...Early summer brings plenty of work for Hannah, even before Mayor Bascomb's wife drops by The Cookie Jar to place an order...for eleven-hundred cookies! Stephanie Bascomb is organizing an elaborate three-day event to support local charities, and though it's a worthy cause, Hannah almost flips when her business partner, Lisa, suggests setting up an apple turnover stand. Hannah's never made a turnover - but, pushover that she is, she places her faith in Lisa's mother-in-law's recipe and agrees to be a magician's assistant in the fundraiser's talent show...Dozens of pastries and one hideous purple dress later, Hannah has to admit that stepping out of her comfort zone has been fun as well as profitable. The only snag is the show's host, community college professor Bradford Ramsey. Hannah and her younger sister Michelle each had unfortunate romantic relationships with Ramsey, and when the cad comes sniffing around between acts, Hannah tells him off. But when the curtain doesn't go up, she discovers Ramsey backstage - dead as a doornail with a turnover in his hand...Now, to protect her reputation and Michelle's, Hannah must get to the bottom of the professor's bitter end. There are plenty of scorned suspects, including an ex-wife who feels cheated in more ways than one, and a prominent local who may have been using Ramsey to avenge her own randy spouse. But who was unstable enough to snuff out Professor Love? A killer who's flakier than puff pastry - and far more dangerous...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cozy fans will welcome bestseller Fluke's charming 13th Hannah Swensen mystery (after 2009's Plum Pudding Murder). Hannah is working long hours at her bakery, the Cookie Jar, in Lake Eden, Minn., as well as dating two men, dentist Norman Rhodes and local sheriff Mike Kingston. Her personal life gets more complicated with the reappearance of Bradford Ramsey, a college professor with whom Hannah had a brief fling when she was a naïve graduate student. Hannah hopes ladies' man Bradford has forgotten the embarrassing episode. When Hannah winds up serving as a magician's assistant for a charity show, she has the misfortune to find Bradford, the show's host, backstage stone cold dead. With her usual wit and flair, amateur sleuth Hannah narrows down the list of suspects in Bradford's murder, but can she catch the culprit before she becomes the next victim? Scrumptious recipes include mocha nut butterballs and chocolate marshmallow cookie bars. Author tour. (Mar.)
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Kensington Books; 1 edition (February 23, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758234899
• ISBN-13: 978-0758234896
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #293,299 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

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I wish this author would turnover a new leaf!, March 2, 2010

By 

Ms. Jessica - See all my reviews

This review is from: Apple Turnover Murder (Hannah Swensen Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Arrrrgggggg........three steps forward, two steps back. All of the progress that seemed to be made in "Cream Puff Murder" has been undone in the last two books,the series has reverted to the same old beyond-belief love triangle. As referenced in prior reviews, it seems so out of character for Hannah to put up with Mike's hound dog behavior, yet she is totally over it without even calling him to task. To add insult to injury, this book portrays Mike as the good guy and now Norman is the bad guy. At this point, I could care less what the outcome of the cliff-hanger is in the next book. I won't be reading it. I wish I had read the reviews before buying this book; I gave the series a second chance after CPM, but that was obviously a mistake. I am so disappointed since this used to be one of my favorite, go-to, series.

PS- the mystery is blatantly obvious.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Awful - Didn't Even Finish Book, March 6, 2010

By 

Just Visting Earth (Earth) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Apple Turnover Murder (Hannah Swensen Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Thank God I only borrowed this book from the library for 50 cents. If I had paid full price for this book, I would have been very unhappy. I have been reading this series pretty much since the beginning, and I've really enjoyed it... until now.

I was completely confused in the first chapter, and what I did understand, I didn't like at all. In Chapter One, at a wedding reception, the bride's best friend, who is an antiques dealer, starts talking to a friend of hers about fixing a grave marker, and soon the whole table is talking about them. At a wedding! SPOLIER ALERT: peaking at the end of the book confirms that our hero will get trapped in a mausoleum (the above ground place people are buried) by the bad guy.

My confusion did not subside in the second chapter because Hannah is having a strange dream about being stuck between 2 soft things and thinking pointless thoughts about any and everything. She wakes up to find that the cause of her dream is that 2 cats are sleeping on each side of her head. What??

The love triangle has also gotten completely boring and annoying, as several other reviewers have mentioned. I say if she can't decide (and I always thought she should pick Norman), then she shouldn't have either! She won't commit to either guy, yet is upset when one of them might be interested in another woman. Ugh.

I probably won't bother with this series from here on out. And if I do, I will DEFINATLY read the reviews first!

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars BORING!!!, March 4, 2010

By 

Melodie Stickrath "Meledstick" (Aurora, CO USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Apple Turnover Murder (Hannah Swensen Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I used to love this series. Likeable characters, nice stories and great recipes. The recipes are still good, but that's about it. Hannah is becoming more & more unlikeable with each book, and I am SO beyond over this whole stupid "triangle". Ms. Fluke told me by e-mail that she can't make Hannah's mind up for her (which sounded a bit strange!), and it will be decided when it's decided. Well, there was a new character introduced at the very end of this book who might make a difference, but I doubt it. It seems these cliffhangers keep getting done and then there is still no resolution. This was the most boring book of the whole series. I knew who the killer was and what the motive was before the murder even took place. C'mon!! Make it a little more interesting for me! I won't lay out cash for these anymore, and if I decide to read the next one, a BIG IF!, I'll get it from the library.