I have loved this series from the first book and was thrilled when I received this one from NetGalley! I love Hannah, her family, and friends. They all make the book complete. In this book, Hannah is just back from her honeymoon and right back into looking into a murder. Her mother found one of her friends dead in her home and of course wants Hannah to help solve it. I have to admit that this book kept me guessing until almost the end as to who had done it. I love the stories and recipes that Ms. Fluke always includes in her books. I hope there is no plans for this series to end!
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

I'm always excited to read the next Hannah Swensen mystery. This newest book in the series does not disappoint. The mystery was fast paced and kept me guessing. I like that Hannah is getting more cautious in her investigative techniques. The recipes given at the end of chapters sounded interesting. I was mad that Hannah married Ross at the end of the previous book, but I do like that their relationship is being developed instead of casting them as lovey-dovey newlyweds. I look forward to reading the next installation in the series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher,via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review

I look forward to each new entry into JoAnna Fluke’s Hannah Swensen’s series for the following reasons:

it is based in Minnesota
Relatively honest in it’s description of Minnesota
I like to bake
I was excited to find other books that JoAnne Fluke’s had written, which have, in my opinion, have an Alfred Hitchcock’s twist to them. Now I have noticed that Ms. Fluke has been putting those “Alfred Hitchcock” twist last few Hannah Swenson’s books, especially this one “Banana Cream Pie Murder.”

Synopsis

Hannah’s mother has found a dead body. screenshot-2017-02-05-21-51-15-pngThe person is her neighbor a well-known actress who has retired and moved to Lake Eden. Consequently, Hannah receives a telegram from her family while she is on her honeymoon with Ross Barton, which is about the murder and her family will celebrate their return from the honeymoon. Hannah and Roos took a 7-day honeymoon, which by all accounts was very romantic and wonderful for both of them. Upon returning, Hannah and Ross find that their condo has been completely transformed, new furniture, new entertainment set, and some new clothes to replace Hannah’s old clothes.

In addition, Hannah has a new investigation that Ross fully supports and Michelle help with the investigation. Ross is not acting like besotted new husband, he encourages Michelle to stay in the Condo, he leaves for York to complete a story on the dead actress, and he communicates with her using the cell phone. What is going on with Ross?

My opinion and a 4.0 rating

The aspect of this book that I found interesting was that if you took out Ross and the murder suspect, the book really would not have changed that much in any form. However, the last chapter provides a weird ending. Really, I miss Audrey, the middle sister who has some really interesting ideas to the investigation, but she just shows up at a family dinner. I, also, miss Norman’s contribution to the investigation. You need to read this book and the next book in the series, so that we will find out why the ending happen the way it did.

This ARC was given to me by Kenningston via Netgalley for an honest review.

Hannah Swenson is trying to settle into married life when a gruesome discover puts that sweet life on hold. As usual Hannah is on the case and it's always interesting to see how she figures out "whodunit". My favorite part of every Fluke book is always the recipes, some of which I actually try at home. Thanks.

This series is something you read when you need a break from whatever you are currently dealing with in your life. They are full of food descriptions and inconsequential fluff. Pages of descriptions of what everyone is having for breakfast, lunch and dinner, followed by recipes. I love the recipes given in this series. They are quite tasty.

Hannah owns a bakery. She is very technologically challenged. While initially somewhat funny, this has out lived its use. She owns and runs a very successful bakery yet just recently got a computer and a cell phone and struggles to use both. Even I, who is definitely technologically challenged, and MUCH older than Hannah, figured out how to use both of these rather easily and quickly. It just feels like Hannah has become dumber as the series has progressed yet she still solves the murders before Mike, a detective, or Bill, the sheriff and her brother in law.

Throughout this series, the triangle has been Hannah, Norman and Mike. All of a sudden, Ross, an old college boyfriend, makes an appearance, and they get married. WTH? And if he called her Cookie (so original) one more time!!!! Ugh! It should have been Norman! They are the perfect fit. It is obvious from the get go that Ross and Hannah will never work out. They don’t even know each other as the adults they are now. Their relationship just felt tossed in. Hopefully the next in series will give us some answers as well as booting Ross back out of the picture.

While Hannah’s character seems to be stunted, we get to see Michelle and Lisa growing as characters. In fact, Michelle does more of the baking in this book than Hannah.

This book did not feel as well put together as previous stories and it ends on a cliffhanger. I am curious where the next book will take us.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley.

I love Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series. It's hard to believe that this is the 21st book in the series. Hannah and Ross are back from their honeymoon and right into the thick of a murder. The recipes are yummy sounding and look easy to make. Lake Eden is a wonderful small town in Minnesota and the characters are growing with every book. There is a twist in this story that has you reeling. Can't stand the thought of waiting very long for #22 to find out what's going on. This could be read as a stand alone but I think you need the background of previous books to fully enjoy this one.

This book serves two purposes. First, it is an easy to read cozy mystery featuring bakery owner Hannah Swensen. Hannah just returned from her honeymoon to find out her mother wants her to figure out who murdered her neighbor. There is a short list of suspects but you will be trying to figure it out who did it until near the very end. Second, there is a great collection of unique recipes in this book. I have tried recipes in all 21 Hannah Swensen mysteries and they have all been delicious.

This story does have a 5 star ending that will make you anxious for book #22.

This is the 21st book in Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swensen Mystery series. This is the first book I’ve read in this series; however, the author provided sufficient character information that I easily understood their backgrounds and relationships and didn’t feel lost jumping in this far into the series. The book flowed at a steady pace and the mystery was interesting and kept me guessing until the reveal. I was disappointed that the story ended in a huge cliffhanger.

Hannah (Swensen) Barton is the owner of The Cookie Jar in Lake Eden, Minnesota and is on her honeymoon when she receives a message that her mother, Delores, has discovered her neighbor, Victoria (Tori) Bascomb murdered in her condominium. Tori was directing the local theatre group’s Thanksgiving play and Hannah’s sister, Michelle, is asked help with the production. Hannah and Michelle do a lot of baking (recipes included). Other than being a talented baker, Hannah comes across as being rather inept. Hannah does some sleuthing with the help of Michelle, Ross, and some of their friends but places herself on harm’s way.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

If you have been reading the Hannah Swensen series you probably know what to expect from this book. First, the recipes are fantastic. I've made several, and they are all quite do-able and sound delicious. These books have the pretty standard cozy format - they are like book comfort food. I also like that the characters in the book pretty much expect Hannah to investigate the murder now - that is a smart and believable choice.

I'm glad that after so many books the annoying love triangle is gone. I think the friendship demonstrated between our "triangle people" is much more fun and believable than the stupid romantic triangle. However, I do not like Ross - and I don't really feel like there is any chemistry between him and Hannah.

I also thought Hannah's total incompetence with technology is not believable - maybe if she were in her 70s I'd find it less of a stretch.

The mystery was not bad for a cozy - I did guess the killer, but not right away, and as I said at the start....those recipes!! Great!

Lake Eden, MN is possibly the most dangerous small town in America with its frequent murders. Good thing Hannah, newlywed owner of The Cookie Jar, is there to investigate. I was annoyed by the cliffhanger ending, but enjoyed the rest of the book.

I received this title from NetGalley for review. I was anxious to read it because of the events that took place in Wedding Cake Murder. Reviews of Joanne Fluke's previous novels were mixed because fans were not happy with Hannah's choice of a husband. It had been expected that she would marry either Mike or Norman. Hannah, however, married Ross, her college sweetheart. This was a complete surprise to Hannah's family and to many of her readers. I wanted to see how Hannah would manage her relationships with Mike and Norman and how she and Ross would work as a married couple. In Banana Cream Pie Murder, Hannah and Ross have just returned from their honeymoon to find that Hannah's entire family, along with her former boyfriends Norman and Mike, have refurnished her apartment and are waiting to have dinner with them. At dinner, Hannah learns that her mother has discovered the body of her neighbor in her downstairs condo. As Hannah works to learn the murderer's identity, she bakes a LOT of food, and tries to adjust to marriage with new husband. Fans of this series will find this a comfortable, cozy read. The same quirky characters and great recipes are there waiting for them as they fall back into the story. I am not sure that they will enjoy the relationship between Hannah and Ross. I found myself very annoyed that he constantly calls her "Cookie". I also found it quite unbelievable that Norman and Mike would remain so close to Hannah after her marriage. I almost gave up on this one because of the relationships. Then Ms. Fluke left me hanging with the mystery in the cliffhanger ending. Well played, Ms. Fluke. I, and many other readers, will be anxiously waiting for the next title in this series.

Really enjoyed the book especially the twist at the end. An added bonus is the recipes which if you are a fan should try.

This is book 21 in the series and nice to be able to pick up with characters I've come to know and love..

Hannah's new husband, Ross Barton, doesn't seem to mind his sister-in-law Michelle moving into their guest room when they return from their honeymoon. In fact there's a lot about Ross that Hannah doesn't know.

When Hannah's Mom, Delores, finds her neighbour Tori Bascomb dead, Hannah is the first person Delores needs. That Michelle is asked to step in to help the local theatre group to replace Tori is an added bonus for everyone.

Mike & Norman & Ross get along well together and they all pitch in to help find Tori's killer.

Lots of recipes fill this novel. A surprise ending leaves a puzzle for Hannah to solve in her next book.

Hannah Swenson is on her honeymoon with her new husband, Ross. At the same time in her hometown her mother, Delores hears a strange sound. Delores investigates and finds her neighbor dead. The victim, Victoria Bascomb was a renowned actress and theater director in the local community. She didn’t have a lot of friends, but being the mayor’s sister, everyone respected her work. Except the one person who hated her enough to kill.
This was a quick lighthearted cozy mystery. I love reading about these wonderful characters. The one troubling thing I felt was the lack of growth in Hannah’s character. In the first part of the series she doesn’t like technology and needs help with computers and cell phones. You would think that by the 21st novel she would’ve learned something. It seems that her technological growth is lacking. There was also something odd with how the characters related to one another. They seemed weirdly polite. I missed the banter and camaraderie between the Swenson sisters and their mother. Even with the abovementioned quirks, I can’t wait to read the next installment. An Advanced Reading Copy was received in exchange for an honest review.

Lovers of the series won't want to miss Joanne Fluke's latest Hannah Swensen Mystery. A newly married Hannah returns from her honeymoon with Ross to the murder of her mother's downstairs neighbor. The mystery is well done, but for me the sparkling aspect of the series is always Hannah's relationships. I was mildly confused by her reactions to longtime 'friends' Mike and Norman as a married woman. However, in the unbelievably startling conclusion my confusion dissipated with a bang! I will have a very anxious time awaiting the next addition to the series!

**This review posted to my blog at www.myinterdimensionalchaos.blogspot.com on 2/4/17.**

Banana Cream Pie Murder is the 21st book in the Hannah Swensen Mystery series. This new book will be published February 28th!

Hannah isn't even back home from her honeymoon before she gets news that a famous resident of Lake Eden has been murdered. She arrives home and immediately starts trying to figure out who killed the director of the Lake Eden community players. Hannah's family and friends join in as usual. And sprinkled in among the chapters are lots of yummy recipes.

I enjoyed this book! Hannah was on the case immediately. There were plenty of suspects and a few twists and turns before the murderer was caught. The book ends on an exciting cliff-hanger that I didn't see coming. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book! I sincerely hope I don't have too long to wait! :)

I loved the pie eating contest subplot. Mayor Bascomb, after all of his shenanigans in most all of the prior 20 books, deserved a little pie on his face and a few jokes at his expense. Fictional character or not, the man is truly an ass!

Readers who are new to this series don't necessarily have to start at the beginning. Dive in at book #21 if you like -- you will still enjoy the mystery! If you want to see the development of the personal relationships between all the key characters from Lake Eden, it's best to start at the beginning though. But, it's not a requirement to enjoying the books.

This is a cozy mystery, which means there is no cussing, spurting blood, graphic sex. It's light reading, with a cute subplot (Hannah owns a bakery and discusses dessert recipes throughout). She lives with her cat Moishe, her husband and her family and friends stop by her condo all the time for dinner or to assist Hannah in her amateur sleuthing. The ability to suspend reality is necessary because Hannah finds more dead bodies than any other baker I've ever heard of. It's like Jessica Fletcher finding all those dead bodies in Murder She Wrote.....nobody ever batted an eye, unless it was intrinsic to the plot that she be a suspect. Hannah's slay-dar is still in full force after 21 books. :)

For lovers of cozy mysteries and the Hannah Swensen series, this book will be an enjoyable, relaxing read. Those readers looking for a more in-depth police procedural with graphic gore and realistic investigation, then cozy mysteries are not the right fit. This is a perfect mystery to read by the fire place with fuzzy socks on and a cup of coffee. Relaxing, cute and enjoyable. With lots of ideas for yummy things to bake!

I'm looking forward to the next book!!

For more information on Joanne Fluke and her books, check out her website: www.murdershebaked.com.There are also recipes on her site!

FYI: Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel has made 4 Hannah Swensen movies starring Alison Sweeney. They are cute and really enjoyable! There are some plot changes and character differences (Moishe isn't a ginger cat but a striped tabby and doesn't have the mangled ear, etc that he does in the book, and Hannah is a beautiful blonde instead of a slightly chunky redhead with frizzy hair, etc), but that's something to be expected in nearly every film adaptation of books. The newest movie, Strawberry Shortcake Mystery, will premiere March 26th!!

**I voluntarily read an Advance Readers Copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**

I really liked this book, but I still wouldn't give it 5 stars. It was great, but not huge hit for me. However, when I can, I will read more from this series.
This is a stand-alone story, But I feel I should've read the others in the series before. Only to help with small details-thing characters bring up regarding previous stores. Like how everyone knows Hannah is investing the murder separate from the police.
I loved having recipes in the book!!
I don't like the relationship between Ross and Hannah, and by the end, I had every reason to feel the way I did.
The "storytime" with Lisa at the Cookie Jar, that was just weird.
And how does Hannah make any money at that place?! It seems like they were giving away food all the time!

*I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the next installment in the Hannah Swenson popular mystery series. I have enjoyed the entire series as well as the made for TV movies based on the earlier books. In this book our Hannah is suffering from a disastrous quickie marriage to a high school boyfriend she reconnected with who is controlling and lying to her.
Hannah has always been a smart, happy independent woman running a successful; cookie bakery and living her life fully with a great cast of friends and family. Her appeal was in her joy for life and the wonderful career, friends and home she created for herself.
. In this book, we see a concerning departure from the old Hannah, a woman who is subservient to her new husband and lives in fear of disappointing him. She is constantly disappointed in herself and blames herself if "he" is disappointed in her. She suffers from many actions of a emotionally abused wife. Her personality has completely changed and it is a shock to the long time reader. She has stopped standing up for her most basic needs or wants and has changed her personality.. She is deeply unhappy . It becomes clear early on that the new husband will leave her and has no interest in her other then to control her and run her life. he calls her by a derogatory insulting name and makes demands while lying to her about his activities. Clear to the reader he has a second life with another woman. While Hannah spends her days questioning her ability as a wife and berating herself, he is busy lying to her and leading his double life.
In the meantime Hannah is pulled into investigating a murder that has nothing to do with her . Its strange that her Mother asked her to investigate upon her return from her honeymoon. when her daughter is adjusting to her new life. as a married woman and trying to run a business. Her Mother as usual is very pushy and demanding on Hannah's time even though she is trying to adjust to being a wife to a demanding harsh man.
She begins the sleuth as always with help from great characters that struggle to help Hannah regain some of her former self. Her friends and family seem confused and worried about the major changes they see in her. As the sleuth grows Hannah is distracted and not even interested in her beloved bakery or baking any longer. She drags herself through each day and only solving the murder seems to cheer her up. . In this book everyone else is baking and making suggestions to Hannah about her menu but she is not present or involved. The bakery is a wonderful aspect of these stories and normally the center of her universe.
One strange aspect to this story is that Hannah who has always loved her condo as it was, embraced her home life and made her friends a big part of her home, comes home from her honeymoon to a complete redo authorized by her new husband without her permission . It seems nothing is to her liking and she admits to herself she liked it the way it way and misses her old life. yet she says nothing and feels obligated to act as if she likes it for him This is not the Hannah we love who enjoyed her life as a happy home owner, with her own routine that she loved. surrounded by her own comfort . Her former life with her wonderful cat, her friends, cooking for joy and homemaking are no longer important to her. Even the cat is left behind with only a bit part in this book.
The much loved triangle of Mike and Norman is still very present and the main focus of the story. As she uses them again to investigate the murder they stick close to her as they realize her new husband is not who he said he was. Each vies for her attention and her time. Hannah solves the mystery although predictable, its a fast paced good sleuth. The recipes are delicious to read about and definitely swoon worthy . There are many wonderful recipes here that the author obviously spent a great deal of effort on.
Its always disconcerting when a author makes such a departure from a well loved character and reading about Hannah as a subservient woman with no opinion from one who was living a wonderful; happy independent life is hard to take. I am sure the next book will have Hannah back in her game, the ex husband long gone and Hannah back to another great sleuth with her side kicks her real loves, Mike and Norman. I look forward to the next in series and our beloved character retuning to the bakery and enjoying life. once again. In every life rain must fall and for our beloved Hannah this book is definitely her stormy sea.

I had to think about what to write in this review after finishing the book. I love this series but the last few books have me not wanting to read anymore, yet I feel compelled since I have loved the characters so much. In this book, I did find some cringe worthy moments with the way Hannah seems to be to dumb to work a cell phone & not really interested in baking or running her business.

The book starts out with Hannah & Ross on their honeymoon and Delores finds her neighbor dead. When Hannah returns, she begins trying to solve the mystery of who killed Tori Bascomb. Michelle plays a larger role in this book and seems to be the caregiver to Hannah and helps run The Cookie Jar with Lisa. Ross spends most of his time away on business, while Norman & Mike are over for dinner and have Hannah's back when she confronts the killer. Andrea, Bill and the girls make an appearance in this book. The last few chapters leading to the cliffhanger ending was the best part for me! Overall, I liked the book.
I can't wait for the next book to see what happens with this cliffhanger.

There are many good recipes in this book, several I've already tried!

Thanks, Netgalley, for this arc!

Another simple -- almost juvenile -- and predictable installment in the Hannah Swensen mystery series. Just fun and fluffy and I read it in a single evening. Of course, what attracts me to these books are the food scenes and the recipes. Ross, Hannah's new husband, seems to be acting very weird, and the author has set the stage very well for the next book. No matter how simple and annoying these books can get, I definitely will keep reading... #guiltypleasure #teamnorman