Ethel I. (RoyalCatwoman) reviewed Sugar Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen, Bk 6) on + 278 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
For months, Hannah has been working on the Lake Eden Cookbook. Now it's time for the final test, tonight's potluck at the community center. With a winter storm blowing outside, everyone is inside enjoying all the delicious food and feeding the gossip mill about Martin Dubinski and his new wife, Brandi Wyen. Seems the two got married when Martin was in Vegas and she's a dancer from the famous city. Meanwhile, Andrea is finally off bed rest, and Hannah finally gets to meet her mom's new boyfriend.
But when Hannah finds Brandi stabbed with her mother's antique cake knife, things take a turn for the worse. With a full blown blizzard raging outside, everyone is trapped at the community center with the killer. Hannah sets out to help Mike solve this crime while the trail is still fresh. But can she do it without letting everyone else know what's going on?
If you're a fan of this series, you need this book. The series character's storylines take a step forward, and you won't want to miss what happens to them. Plus, as always, there's a good mystery. Personally, I didn't have it figured out before the end.
This entry in the series is really only a novella. The second half of the book features the recipes from the cookbook. Naturally, there are a few awkward paragraphs listing the dishes, but everything mentioned makes an appearance in the back. As with any cookbook, there are some wonderful sounding recipes and some that don't appeal to me (like the fish), but considering I bought the book for the mystery, I'm really not complaining. (And a side note, there's an error on a recipe in this book as well. For the Not So Swedish Meatballs, you really only need one 50 ounce can of cream of mushroom soup, which should be fairly obvious.)
But when Hannah finds Brandi stabbed with her mother's antique cake knife, things take a turn for the worse. With a full blown blizzard raging outside, everyone is trapped at the community center with the killer. Hannah sets out to help Mike solve this crime while the trail is still fresh. But can she do it without letting everyone else know what's going on?
If you're a fan of this series, you need this book. The series character's storylines take a step forward, and you won't want to miss what happens to them. Plus, as always, there's a good mystery. Personally, I didn't have it figured out before the end.
This entry in the series is really only a novella. The second half of the book features the recipes from the cookbook. Naturally, there are a few awkward paragraphs listing the dishes, but everything mentioned makes an appearance in the back. As with any cookbook, there are some wonderful sounding recipes and some that don't appeal to me (like the fish), but considering I bought the book for the mystery, I'm really not complaining. (And a side note, there's an error on a recipe in this book as well. For the Not So Swedish Meatballs, you really only need one 50 ounce can of cream of mushroom soup, which should be fairly obvious.)
Helpful Score: 4
I generally like this series of books, but this one was a let down. A bit misleading to say it's 352 pgs, when at least half that is recipes. When the mystery was solved so "early" in the book, I thought I was in for a treat with a double helping of mystery, but imagine my surprise to find that in fact it was just a whole lot of recipes... Oh well.
Helpful Score: 4
This is a holiday based book, filled with mystery and some romance. I found it to be very interesting. recipes are listed in the back of hte book also. A good read, sepecialy since this is the first time I have read this author.
I enjoy the Hannah Swensen mysteries. They are a quick and easy read but still entertaining with delightful characters. The recipes that are included in the books are also fun to try out at home if you enjoy cooking.
Helpful Score: 3
SPOILER ALERT
I enjoy Joanne Fluke's cozy mysteries. I like the omission of graphic details, the focus on building characters (her partner, her sister & mom, even her cat!), the open & caring relationship with family/friends, the old-fashioned values of this small town & the people who live there. SPOILER: In this story, the murder doesn't take place until Chapter 9, which means the murder/mystery portion of the book is shorter than usual. That's why I gave this one 4 stars instead of 5 stars - I prefer more focus on the actual mystery, finding clues, solving the case etc.. On the other hand, it's more of a special occasion novel, with many more recipes aimed at the holidays.
I enjoy Joanne Fluke's cozy mysteries. I like the omission of graphic details, the focus on building characters (her partner, her sister & mom, even her cat!), the open & caring relationship with family/friends, the old-fashioned values of this small town & the people who live there. SPOILER: In this story, the murder doesn't take place until Chapter 9, which means the murder/mystery portion of the book is shorter than usual. That's why I gave this one 4 stars instead of 5 stars - I prefer more focus on the actual mystery, finding clues, solving the case etc.. On the other hand, it's more of a special occasion novel, with many more recipes aimed at the holidays.
