Customer Reviews

Apple Turnover Murder (Hannah Swensen Mysteries)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(18)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

Ms. Fluke really needs to move the story line along lest this series become unreadable. I have read all of the books, but with each one I grow increasingly weary and wonder why I bother. The love triangle is as frustrating and asinine as ever and had the audacity to end with a ridiculous cliff hanger. The mystery seemed to be an afterthought, and there was much more in the way of unrealistic dialogue and recipes than substance. I would like to see Hannah make a decision for once and for all with regard to Norman and Mike and let the story move in a new direction. This series needs some new life. I am giving Ms. Fluke one more chance before I find another recipe murder mystery series. If you are a long time reader of the series, don't waste your money buying this books. Check it out from the library. In fact, you can probably just read the last 10 pages and you will be all set for the next book.

I have read every book in this series, and find this one to be the worst of the bunch. I've actually been finding that each new release is worse than the one before. The romantic triangle between Hannah, Mike and Norman has gotten old and tired. I'm sick of reading about Hannah's inability to make a final decision between the two. I'm actually to the point where I wish they both would just dump her and get on with it already. I stopped buying the books and started taking them out of the library because I don't feel that they're worth the money. Even the recipes don't sound that good. As for the actual story; nothing happens until almost halfway in. There isn't any challenge in figuring out who the murderer is. Just knowing who the victim was I was able to figure out who the murderer was even before the murder occurred. This series has definitely gone on way too long. It's just like a bad TV show now. It may have been fun to read for a while, but it's way past its prime. I won't be reading any more books from this series.

Hannah hasn't known how to handle the fact that Bradford Ramsey is back in town. The man used her and then broke her heart several years before, and appears to be doing the same to Michelle. Fortunately, he doesn't seem to remember Hannah, so that helps.

But Hannah doesn't have much time to dwell on this particular problem. It's the busy season at The Cookie Jar with wedding showers and other parties to cater. And that's before they agree to provide apple turnovers for a fundraiser and Hannah reprises her role as Herb's assistant in a magic act for a talent show. Backstage at the show, Hannah stumbles upon Bradford's body. The last thing she wants is her past with Bradford to surface. Can she solve the crime quickly before the entire town finds out?

Those who are familiar with the series pretty much already know what to expect, and this book won't disappoint. The mystery is light but interesting. I figured it out earlier than I would have liked, but several sub-plots and the wonderful characters kept me engaged while I waited to see if I was right. There is no resolution to the love triangle in sight, and this book further muddies the waters. There is plenty of talk about baking with approximately 17 new recipes for humans and even one for a dog.

If you haven't enjoyed the last few books, there will be nothing here to change your mind. But I continue to enjoy these trips to Lake Eden. This is another fun visit with old friends.

This is more of a cook book with a little mystery thrown in rather than a mystery book with a couple of cookie recipes. The author seems to be unsure how to carry this series forward so resorted to stuffing it with recipes and shortening the story line. I expected better from this series and this author.

I can't imagine a more ridiculous conversation than Hannah's and Andrea's over the Sun moon cookies it was just unreal! The dialogue makes me crazy and I'm so sick of Hannah correcting other characters grammar I could scream. I think if I knew her personally I might slap her. I'm so done with this series. Could Sherry's pregnancy be any more obvious? I mean c'mon I just had a baby 6 months ago and the only thing I craved was Mexican food the whole portion with her dipping the Apple turnover in the mustard? Give me a break..

Ms. Fluke you need to go back to the drawing board with this series! The series is now very dull and very boring. The "threesome" is way over the top - time to decide!

please get on with it. tell mystery stories. most of the background of life in town is fun. the norman vs. mike part is stale. as to the mystery i figured out who would be killed. who would do it and why before the murder ever happened. please go back to more interesting mysteries. my apologies for the way this appears. there are things i still need to learn about using my kindle.