What can be tastier than fresh, juicy strawberries nestled in a bed of whipped cream, gently cascading down the crumbly slopes of a golden pound cake? In her second installment of this fantastic culinary cozy mystery series, Joanne Fluke truly outdoes herself with the Strawberry Shortcake Murder. She gives the reader great recipes in-between the chapters that are being discussed and baked in the book as the small town nestled in beautiful nature has murders galore. I have to recommend reading the series in order, because it's a real pleasure watching Hannah Swensen, our amateur sleuth who runs the Cookie Jar in Minnesota's always chilly Lake Eden grown and develop and make new friends and enemies.
This book was even better than the first in the series and I read it in one day, hungry for more! I was deeply impressed with the array of characters introduced into the tale to make the mystery harder to guess, I can't say how many times I read a mystery book that only had three suspects, the obvious one sticking out like a sore thumb. This is not the case with this delicious book. I must also warn that the reader will want to wrap up in a comfy blanket, make a pot of coffee and eat cookies all throughout the book. I love to bake and have great success with it but do not indulge in the art often, yet this book made me hungry for the entire day I was reading it. I have made some of the recipes form the first book and they have came out with fantastic results, so I am really looking forward to reading all of Joanne's books because they are laden with cookies and some savory dishes in the latter books. This is a series that is fun to collect and can be used to bake with once the mystery is solved.
Few of the recipes in the book were used in the story line as Hannah Swensen has agreed to bake at Lake Eden's first annual Dessert Bake-Off and serve as the head judge. Some mouth watering creations such as Apricot Bread Pudding and Hawaiian Flan are on the menu. What else is on the menu is murder...another judge, Boyd Watson a mean coach who works at the local school is found dead in his driveway, face down in Hannah Strawberry Shortcake. It is up to Hannah and her sister Andrea to snoop around friends and family to figure out ties to Boyd, a man few liked and many disliked for his harsh comment during the bake off and his violent temper with his wife. I adored the wide array of clues that kept my mind busy as my mouth was watering for the recipes mentioned, and I really enjoyed solving the mystery along Hannah's side. This book was rich in intriguing characters, also introducing Lucy Richards, a reporter at the local town paper who seemed to have dirty scoop on many of its members, including Boyd. The story lines crossing like an angry river gave me much to think about as I read the book and proved to reach a satisfying ending that made this book a good purchase.
For those who love mysteries and watch cooking shows this will be a heavenly treat. Honestly this book will even appeal to those on the diet, but I recommend not getting too close to the pagers, this tale is too delicious to read on a hungry stomach and I cannot wait to read the next installment in this warm and cozy series.
Strawberry Shortcake Murder (Hannah Swensen Mysteries) 1575667215
Joanne Fluke
Kensington
Strawberry Shortcake Murder (Hannah Swensen Mysteries)
Books
Good to the last crumb...
What can be tastier than fresh, juicy strawberries nestled in a bed of whipped cream, gently cascading down the crumbly slopes of a golden pound cake? In her second installment of this fantastic culinary cozy mystery series, Joanne Fluke truly outdoes herself with the Strawberry Shortcake Murder. She gives the reader great recipes in-between the chapters that are being discussed and baked in the book as the small town nestled in beautiful nature has murders galore. I have to recommend reading the series in order, because it's a real pleasure watching Hannah Swensen, our amateur sleuth who runs the Cookie Jar in Minnesota's always chilly Lake Eden grown and develop and make new friends and enemies.
This book was even better than the first in the series and I read it in one day, hungry for more! I was deeply impressed with the array of characters introduced into the tale to make the mystery harder to guess, I can't say how many times I read a mystery book that only had three suspects, the obvious one sticking out like a sore thumb. This is not the case with this delicious book. I must also warn that the reader will want to wrap up in a comfy blanket, make a pot of coffee and eat cookies all throughout the book. I love to bake and have great success with it but do not indulge in the art often, yet this book made me hungry for the entire day I was reading it. I have made some of the recipes form the first book and they have came out with fantastic results, so I am really looking forward to reading all of Joanne's books because they are laden with cookies and some savory dishes in the latter books. This is a series that is fun to collect and can be used to bake with once the mystery is solved.
Few of the recipes in the book were used in the story line as Hannah Swensen has agreed to bake at Lake Eden's first annual Dessert Bake-Off and serve as the head judge. Some mouth watering creations such as Apricot Bread Pudding and Hawaiian Flan are on the menu. What else is on the menu is murder...another judge, Boyd Watson a mean coach who works at the local school is found dead in his driveway, face down in Hannah Strawberry Shortcake. It is up to Hannah and her sister Andrea to snoop around friends and family to figure out ties to Boyd, a man few liked and many disliked for his harsh comment during the bake off and his violent temper with his wife. I adored the wide array of clues that kept my mind busy as my mouth was watering for the recipes mentioned, and I really enjoyed solving the mystery along Hannah's side. This book was rich in intriguing characters, also introducing Lucy Richards, a reporter at the local town paper who seemed to have dirty scoop on many of its members, including Boyd. The story lines crossing like an angry river gave me much to think about as I read the book and proved to reach a satisfying ending that made this book a good purchase.
For those who love mysteries and watch cooking shows this will be a heavenly treat. Honestly this book will even appeal to those on the diet, but I recommend not getting too close to the pagers, this tale is too delicious to read on a hungry stomach and I cannot wait to read the next installment in this warm and cozy series.
Kasia, this was beautiful and you made my mouth water! I love it. Girl, you sound like a food-oriented person, like myself. It probably is in our blood. When are you reading a book about pierogi? haha......Best wishes.
I do love food, maybe if I was one of those indifferent chick who never ate I would be that size zero haha. Cozy mysteries have been an old favorite of mine and the recipes in this series are better than half the cookbooks I own, so they are highly recommended.
As per Pierogi, my grandma makes the best ones with cabbage and mushrooms, two things I never thought I would like as a child but I ate in infinite numbers...
Almost every line in this one is a quotable keeper in being perceptive as well as posh in prose presentation. Here you've astutely captured the blend of senses and concept which have carried this series:
>> I adored the wide array of clues that kept my mind busy as my mouth was watering for the recipes mentioned, and I really enjoyed solving the mystery along Hannah's side. <<
Excellent, crisp composition, "The story lines crossing like an angry river..."
YUM to your lead-in sentence! And, a clever conclusion, too. Well done!
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