Helpful Score: 4
UGH! I really don't know WHY I continue to torture myself by reading this series! It's a good thing I'm getting them via PBS, and NOT paying for them!
Where to begin ...
In the early Hannah Swensen mysteries, the characters were interesting, even engaging. By about book #7, they became plastic and flat. Now they are getting beyond annoying! Hannah is a whiny, waffling waste of good ink and paper.
I'll admit to not figuring out who the killer was. But I think that was because the author didn't know herself until she wrote the final scene. The "evidence" was just that "manufactured" ...
And ... there wasn't much to the mystery part of the story .. so it was filled with a lot of pointless, meaningless stuffing. I kept wondering what this scene or that scene added to the story ... a whole lot of nothing!
Save yourself the time and money (or PBS credit) .. don't bother!!
Where to begin ...
In the early Hannah Swensen mysteries, the characters were interesting, even engaging. By about book #7, they became plastic and flat. Now they are getting beyond annoying! Hannah is a whiny, waffling waste of good ink and paper.
I'll admit to not figuring out who the killer was. But I think that was because the author didn't know herself until she wrote the final scene. The "evidence" was just that "manufactured" ...
And ... there wasn't much to the mystery part of the story .. so it was filled with a lot of pointless, meaningless stuffing. I kept wondering what this scene or that scene added to the story ... a whole lot of nothing!
Save yourself the time and money (or PBS credit) .. don't bother!!
It had been a while since I had read the previous book in this series, but I was surprised to realize that I had actually been looking forward to finally getting this book from my WL. As much as Hannah annoys me sometimes, ok a lot of the time, I felt like I was re-visiting an old friend while I was reading this book. Hannah is still investigating and showing up her cop "friend", who apparently doesn't know how to solve a murder, since Hannah has to do it for him. And then there's Norman... why can't she just admit she loves him and be done with it? He is much better for her than Mike anyway! All in all, another great read from Joanne Fluke, and I look forward to the next one, which is coming up soon on my WL!
Helpful Score: 2
This book did not have the same quality as the rest of the series. The plot was thin, the "whodunit" easy to figure out, and basically the characters were very 2 dimensional.
The relationship between Hannah, Norman & Mike is never really explored beyond a few interactions, and the ending leaves you thinking "Huh?". It ends in a whisper, and having already figured out 1/3 of the way through who did it & why (and the motive for the killing is VERY pathetic) the rest of the book wasn't worth finishing - but I suffered through it.
It was, overall, a very weak attempt from Ms Fluke to continue with a series that started great....but is slowly losing it's appeal.
The relationship between Hannah, Norman & Mike is never really explored beyond a few interactions, and the ending leaves you thinking "Huh?". It ends in a whisper, and having already figured out 1/3 of the way through who did it & why (and the motive for the killing is VERY pathetic) the rest of the book wasn't worth finishing - but I suffered through it.
It was, overall, a very weak attempt from Ms Fluke to continue with a series that started great....but is slowly losing it's appeal.
Helpful Score: 2
While this book was very entertaining, the plot was not as well crafted as it has been for some of the other books in the series. There are also some places where Hannah's naivety is a little hard to believe. I also think that it is time for Hannah to choose a boyfriend to marry. Maybe a change of scenery would be good too? Hannah goes on a trip...I don't know! :) I still really enjoyed this book as light reading.
Caroline H. (cottonmouthfan) reviewed Carrot Cake Murder (Hannah Swensen, Bk 10) on + 11 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Need some light, fluffy reading? How about a new recipe? You get both in this book. A light murder mystery with some truly excellent recipes. The Scandinavian Almond Cake is incredible. All recipes have easy to follow instructions and every one I tried turned out well. The story is interesting without being demanding. A perfect weekend filler or lunch-time read.
