Dollycas’s Thoughts

Hannah and Ross are back from their honeymoon cruise just in the nick of time. Her mother is caught up in a murder investigation when she finds her downstairs neighbor dead after hearing a ruckus below. Victoria Bascomb had been very active in the local theater community after her own acting career fizzled. The problem was that she really wasn’t well-liked in Lake Eden and may have had some other enemies before arriving in town. The police believe her death was a random act but Hannah nor her mother believe that is not the case. With a little help from her friends and family, Hannah starts to peel away at the clues and suspects but she may slip up and this could be the last we hear from Hannah Swenson.

I am still adjusting to Hannah choosing Ross over Mike or Norman. The decision has really changed the Hannah I have come to love over the course of this series. The relationship just doesn’t feel comfortable and seems to have zapped a lot of her confidence. At times, she just doesn’t seem happy. She also appears to have become technologically inept. Please, Hannah is a smart woman and would know how to use a smart phone. There are a few other instances where Hannah just comes off as a shell of the woman I have come to love. I hope we get the old Hannah back in future books.

I did like that Hannah’s sister Michelle is back in town. In fact, she is the one that does most of the baking in this book. Dishing up new ideas for breakfast for Hannah and Ross. She is their houseguest while she is visiting. Mike and Norman are also thankfully still around, dropping by to eat mostly but Norman does spend a little sleuthing time with the sisters. Dolores and Doc redecorated most of Ross and Hannah’s home while they were away on their honeymoon cruise. Another thing I don’t think the old Hannah would have been on board with. Dolores finding the body this time allowed her to be in the limelight for a lot of the book.

The mystery itself didn’t take shape until way past the halfway point and for me, it was an easy solve even with the variety of suspects. Hannah did find herself in some dicey situations, and the reveal was very entertaining. The ending of the book was the biggest surprise. A surprise that sets up a cliffhanger. A surprise that may be an answer to my prayers. The next book, Raspberry Danish Murder, is on my To-Be-Read Shelf and I hope to be reading it soon.

Banana Cream Pie is one of my favorites. I can wait to try Hannah’s recipe. There are also about 20 more recipes to try. The recipes are interspersed throughout the book, so my taste buds were tempted the entire way.

Banana Cream Pie Murder was a fun, lighthearted read with plenty of humor. I do enjoy catching up with these characters and am looking forward to another trip to Lake Eden.

I am sorry for the inconvenience, but I don't have the time to read this book anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

Great story as always by Joanne Fluke. Brilliant, and I would recommend this entire series to everyone who loves a good cosy mystery.

Solid mystery once again. I love time with Hanna Swensen and her family and have to say I really loved the addition of Hannah's husband Ross. I did wonder if we would get as much time with Mike and Norman once Ross was in the picture full time, and loved they were all friends. I was completely thrown for a loop at the end of this book so much so that I couldn't even wait for the library to get the next book in the series. I bought it while I was still listening to Banana Cream Pie Murder.

Before Hannah Swensen can return from her honeymoon with new hubby, Ross, Hannah’s mother stumbles over a dead body in the apartment downstairs from her. Delores thinks she can be just like Hannah and do some sleuthing. But what she finds is more than she can really deal with. Thank goodness Detective Mike is on it and comes to Delores’s rescue.

Hannah returns to a great housewarming party in her new condo with Ross. Everyone had gotten together and renovated her new digs. I am not sure I would be so happy to now people broke into my house just to put their on stamp on my new place.

When her sister, Michelle, needs a new place to stay after taking over as the director of the musical the dead woman had been running (dead woman is Mayor Bascomb’s sister Tory), Hannah starts to realize she will need to confer with Ross about a lot of things she never considered … like asking Michelle to stay with them. When she was single, she never had to let anyone know what she was up to.

I enjoyed this book on many levels. I always love seeing one of my favorite series put out another book, but it seems like a lot of the regulars are demoted to “friend who brings the pizza” or “friend who picks locks”. Ross is pretty much the invisible husband who has no personality and barely makes an appearance. I miss getting to se Mike and Norman in more out front roles. Fluke has pulled in Hannah’s sister and her partner, Lisa, to give someone for Hannah to bounce ideas off of. The dynamics have really changed in these books.

There is quite a twist at the end which I think will make a lot of the die hard Hannah Swensen fans really happy. So I am hoping for business as usual in many future books.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

A very interesting tale that held my attention all the way through. Great plot, plenty of smiles & the writing kept me hopping! Thanks for the opportunity with this ARC!

Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to read and review this title before it was archived.

I received a copy of this novel for a honest review from netgalley.com

If you are a huge fan of the Hannah Swensen series like I am this book will not disappoint. After returning home from her amazing honeymoon to discover that her mother discovered a dead body of her neighbor Victoria Bascomb and Hannah has to solve the crime of who killed her. This book has the usual amazing recipes that leave your mouth watering. Can't wait for number 23 in this series!

I enjoyed this series five books back. I don't like Hannah the author has made her into this know it, even smart the police themselves. Ross came out of the blue the get married, honeymoon and now he's missing. We gave patrons that love this author but me I'm done

I was not familiar with this series until viewing the televised series on the Hallmark Mystery Channel and I instantly became a fan. When I saw this book was up for review I was so happy to receive a copy and the book is just as delightful as the television version. An added bonus to the books is there are actual recipes almost after every chapter and they're written so even baking novices like me can understand them. I can't wait to read the next book in this series!

Culinary Mystery aficionados have already made the previous novels in Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swenson series bestsellers, but Banana Cream Pie Murder is a little different in that it leaves readers with a cliffhanger ending.

Hannah Swenson has just returned from her dream cruise honeymoon after marrying Ross Barton. However when the newlyweds arrive home, they find that Delores’ neighbor, a retired stage actress and the mayor’s sister, has been murdered. It’s not like Victoria Bascomb didn’t make enemies during her renowned stage career, but Hannah is puzzled as to why she would be murdered here in Lake Eden. Hannah’s sleuthing is sure to solve the mystery, but in the meantime, Ross is out of town, which is hard on her, and as she gets closer to finding the identity of the killer, there may not be anyone to save her when she gets herself (as she always does) into danger.

The regular beloved characters are here, of course, and the “Leave it to Beaver” lifestyle continues on. It’s amazing how Hannah, Delores, Andrea, and Michelle, et al, can spend hours drinking coffee and eating cookies and never gain an ounce. With all that down time (it adds up to several hours each day), it’s even more amazing that Hannah runs a successful cookie business and even has time to solve murders.

One of the best things about the series is that all of the novels contain recipes. The recipes are written in such a way that Fluke either assumes her readers are morons, or they are written for cooks whose IQ is less than 50. Nevertheless, it’s fun to read about Hannah and her idyllic lifestyle in Lake Eden; fans know that these novels are make-believe and about as far away from real life, but they are easy to read, fast moving, and Fluke’s characters seem like old friends. The recipes, once you get over being talked down to like a child, are mouthwatering, and they turn out great.

Although Banana Cream Pie Murder is a typical cozy with minimal violence, no language, and no graphic sex, it is still full of suspense. Readers will want to find out who the murderer is, and will be left hanging at the end, anticipating the next novel to be released.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Lake Eden doesn't need Hannah Swensen to be home to have a murder victim discovered my someone in the family. Delores, Hannah's mother, hears arguing and a gunshot in the apartment below and so she is the Swensen to find the body of Tori Bascomb - sister of the Mayor and the Director of the Lake Eden Players.

Hannah is summoned from her honeymoon to conduct the private investigation into the murder. Surprises of all types await the newlyweds on their return.

I have read other books in this series but the best thing I can say about this book is the recipes. I have enjoyed the others but this is one is the weakest. Hannah's Mother finds the body and Hannah sets out to solve the murder. Now that Hannah is married she is far less confident and spends a lot of time worrying about her husband and her marriage. She does not share any of her information with Mike and spends more time talking food and recipes that detecting. The mystery was very easy to solve and was not a large part of the story. This book also ended on a large cliff hanger. I hope Hannah returns to her senses in the next book. This series should be read in order. Read the earlier books if you want to enjoy this series

A fun, cozy, tasty mystery. Love Ms Fluke's work. Have recommended it highly to all of my reading friends...and my three local libraries.

I enjoyed this book and liked spending time with Hannah, family and friends in Lake Eden. The characters continue to develop and it's nice always learning a little more about each one as the series progresses. As always, the recipes sound delicious.

Although the mystery and story-line was somewhat predictable, I still enjoyed the mystery. However, I did not like the way the books ended as I think Hannah deserves a period of peace in her life.

Very popular series and I have read them all and will continue to recommend to patrons looking for a gentle cozy mystery. Location and people are the biggest plus to this series (and probably what keeps me reading one after the other) but the writing is getting very tired. Fluke's dialog is rather stilted and plodding.

This is another series that I've been a loyal fan of since the first book. I've also seen the Hallmark movies based off of this series as well. As always, I enjoyed this book, as well as the characters, recipes, and subplots. On the down side, I must say I think there could have been more focus on the actual mystery and less on the day to day things. In the majority of books, the author does a great job of balancing out the many aspects that make this series the delight that it is. I feel like this was one of the books where maybe it wasn't quite as balanced as in others.

On the plus side, I'd say the most well known and well debated subplot is that of Hannah and the men in her life. I personally was always team Norman and did not like it at all when Ross came into the picture. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I'll say with this book's ending I am extremely hopeful that maybe a more agreeable resolution to that story line is still to come! I'd give this book a 4 out of 5 and after the ending, I'm definitely anxiously awaiting the next one!

Hannah and the whole Lake Eden crew are back in Banana Cream Pie Murder to solve the latest killing in their small town. Hannah’s mother discovers the body this time, just before Hannah returns from her honeymoon cruise. It’s full steam ahead when Hannah and hubby arrive home and they are tossed into the investigation, along with two very busy careers – her cookie store and Ross’ thriving television career – all while they’re settling into married life. A bake sale and pie-eating contest serve as a fundraiser for the local theater group as well as the chance to draw out the murderer. Of course, intrepid Hannah is at the center of the danger and the action, following clues, discovering and discarding red herrings and figuring out whodunit in this latest installment of the fun, popular series. Fans will not be disappointed…especially with the great twist at the end that will have readers eagerly awaiting the next release in the series from author Joanne Fluke.

As Joanne Fluke's latest Hannah Swenson mystery opens, Hannah and new husband Ross are enjoying the last days of their honeymoon cruise. Meanwhile, back in Lake Eden Hannah's mother discovers the body of retired actress/community theater director Victoria Bascomb. Within hours of arriving home, Hannah is involved in trying to solve the mystery along with her younger sister Michelle. While the book starts out with some interesting details about Hannah and Ross adjusting to life as a married couple -- do they like the whole apartment makeover done by Hannah's mom and sisters? Will Ross mind having Michelle stay with them for a few weeks? Can Hannah adjust to having Ross around every evening? Before she even has a chance to consider the last question, Ross is gone (for work?) and really never appears much again. That appears to leave Hannah free to snoop and pry into the murder. Was it the mayor, who appears to be a suspect in several Fluke novels? But perhaps this time, he is guilty. Victoria was his sister and she was planning to change her will, cutting him out as punishment for his bad behavior.

Although I've known about the Hannah Swenson mysteries for years, I did not start reading them until after I saw the Hallmark movies based on the series. With my interest sparked by television, I read the newest Christmas tale CHRISTMAS CARAMEL MURDER and now BANANA CREAM PIE MURDER, plus I downloaded a few others on my Nook. While the idea of inserting actual recipes into the stories is appealing, I found that this book just had too many recipes. Now, I often spend evenings reading cookbooks like they were novels, but the inclusion of a new recipe or two at the end of every chapter of the had me distracted. Mostly it was the lengthy instructions with all sorts of "personal comments" from Hannah, Michelle, or the author that had me skipping ahead to the next chapter. I mean there was a murderer on the loose. Recipe overload aside, this mystery offered a bit of humor via a trick on the mayor during a pie eating contest. Then there was an ending packing two surprises worthy of another television adaption. While this wasn't my favorite cozy mystery of all time, it was a quick, entertaining read. Plus, I have to admit I have a hankering for an old fashioned banana cream pie; so much so, that I put bananas on my grocery list and I hope I get a pie made before hubby eats all the bananas on his cereal. I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley. All opinions are mine

Characters a bit stereotyped. Author spent extra words explaining the obvious. I thought the storyline was adequate; perhaps not as much as some of the earlier books in the series.