Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and review A Chocolate Cream Pie Murder. I am a true fan of Hannah Swensen and the colorful characters of Lake Eden. With that being said, I feel like the genre for this series should now be classified as Cozy Cookbooks rather than Cozy Mysteries. I feel with each book there is less mystery and more cookie/bar recipes. Yes, Hannah solved who the Antagonist was, but not with the effort she once put into solving crimes. I guess we will have to wait nine months to find out the outcome of Hannah’s next predicament.

Another amazing installment in the Murder She Baked series. Poor Hannah! After discovering she was not in fact, married to Ross (poor thing), she sets out to make this right in Lake Eden. Of course the town sides with her and supports her through this difficult time. Come to find out though, Ross had much bigger issues than what appeared on the surface. Hannah, along with her friends Norman, Mike, and start unraveling the mystery of Ross and figure out what his real deal was. Along the way, there's both dinner and dessert recipes to keep them all up and running along with one more mystery for Hannah that leaves readers hanging. I really do enjoy this series and I can't wait to find out more.

This author has definitely managed to suck me in and leave me wanting the next book in the series. This follows Hannah, who owns a cookie shop in Minnesota, and her friends and family. Like the previous two books in the series, this story ends on a cliffhanger and I am curious as to what happens next. I questioned the actions that led to this point as they seemed out of character for Hannah, but I am now seeing the reason. A good choice for those who like their murder mysteries fairly tame and likeable characters.

After reading these, I started to read Chocolate Cream Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke via Net Galley (to be published in 2019).

I have read others in the series and have even watched and enjoyed the movies, but I struggled with this book.

I think it’s charming to add in the recipes (I may even try a couple), but I felt this book had too many paragraphs (really pages) of the characters talking about the recipes…I felt like I was reading (ie watching) an infomercial.

I got about half way through the book and put it down and haven’t picked it back up (I honestly don’t think I will finish it).

Book # 27 ( or # 24?) in this series, and still Hannah has Norman and Mike at her beck and call. There are more recipe pages than story plot but it is a good light read and great if you like recipes.

The Cookie Jar is gearing up for Valentine's Day and new recipes for cookies, dessert bars, and bundt cakes fill this book.

Hannah's decision to face the town with Ross' betrayal allows everyone to express their support for/of Hannah.
Norman, her faithful BFF, does guard duty shifts with Mike and Lonny when Ross threatens to harm Hannah.
The plot plods on in a steady Hannah fashion and the recipes look delicious.

This is a series that I have followed over the years. I have not read every single book, but I have read enough to know that I enjoy the series, the characters and the author. I have even seen some of the Hallmark Channel movies (as usual, not as good as the books).

Chocolate Cream Pie Murder starts right in the aftermath of book 23. Hannah has been abandoned by the man she thought was her husband. Turns out he was already married and has returned to his wife. Just when Hannah is starting to get over things, Ross returns! He wants some money he left in their bank accounts. Hannah is willing to give him the money, but Ross can't wait for the bank to get all the money together. He becomes very demanding and scary. Why he needs the money immediately is a mystery.

Although the title promises a murder, there is not death until the 80% mark in the book. I felt like the book really didn't get started until then. Additionally, the recipe sections in the book were very long. It felt like half the book was taken up with recipes. I do enjoy the descriptions of the cookies, but have no desire to make them myself. That's what bakeries are for.

This series is comforting to me. I like revisiting the characters, and the plots are generally fun. I felt that this was not the strongest mystery of the series, but it did provide closure to the Hannah/Ross plot line, and I know that was important to the fans. Also, I felt Norman was especially charming in this one.

I received an ARC from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Another mysterious murder in Lake Eden has The Cookie Jar owner and sleuth extraordinaire, Hannah, looking for clues. The murder hits close to home this time and after all Hannah has been through, with her false marriage to Ross, the end seems to be in sight, but is it really? I have faithfully read Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series from the beginning and this is another showstopper. I anxiously await the next book in this series!

Newlywed Hannah is just beginning to deal with the fact that her missing husband, Ross, has another wife when he reappears. It immediately becomes clear that he is even more dangerous than she could have ever imagined and her friends and family all come to her aid. The question is will they be able to protect her from his threats?

There is a lot of dialogue about food throughout the story and I would have liked a little more focus on the mystery. Nonetheless my favorite part of the book was all the great recipes that come at the end of each chapter.

I've waited one long year to find out what happens next in this series, and this installment didn't disappoint. I enjoyed where the author has taken us, and I'm happy with the way that the marriage has been resolved (though I'm still on the fence about the very end). That said, I tend to like a little more mystery in my mysteries :) This book was more story than mystery, and while I liked that the author gave so much information leading up to the murder, I think it happened and resolved way too quickly. At about 80%, I was actually thinking that this would be a two-part mystery, where it happens and the sleuthing begins in this book and continues and is solved in the next one - I think I would have preferred either that, or starting the murder mystery part earlier in the book. But I'm happy that the story will clearly continue and keep us in the lives of these characters.

After Ross, her husband, disappeared, Hannah decides to tell her friends the truth about what she learned about him. Her friends are standing behind her no matter what happens. Then, Ross contacts Hannah and threatens her. Ross wants the money he left with Hannah. Norman and Mike come to her aid to protect her when mysterious events start happening. When a body is found in Hannah’s condo, can she figure out whodunit?
I usually love this mystery series, but this one missed the mark. There seemed to be an overabundance of recipes, and not much of a mystery plot. The actual murder didn’t occur until I had read approximately eighty percent through the book. I didn’t feel that Hannah really investigated anything. She just looked at a picture of the perpetrator, and he winds up on her doorstep. I hope the next book in this series is more compelling. I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily reviewing it.

Turns out Hannah’s new husband Ross had a good reason to go missing in the Raspberry Danish Murder: he returned to his wife leaving no note or a call to Hannah explaining. Detective Mike Kingston finally tracked him down and found out the truth. Chocolate Cream Pie Murder opens with Hannah announcing the facts to her neighbors following the Sunday morning sermon in church, apologizes for the deceit and offers to return all the wedding gifts she received.

A week later, early one morning, Hannah is surprised by a visitor – Ross. He says he loves her and wants her back, but he needs the money he left and the key to his safe deposit box. Hannah explains all the money is in his account at the bank. He wants Hannah to get it for him, that he needs it for his wife who has promised to get a divorce once she gets the money. Hannah refuses and insists that he leave. Ross becomes angry and threatens Hannah.

Ross continues to stalk Hannah so detective Mike Kingston arranges for friends to accompany Hannah wherever she goes while he and the banker try to figure out how to trap Ross. Unfortunately, Ross manages to avoid compromising situations with the law but falls victim to a killer and ends up dead.

Since everyone in Lake Eden is indignant about the way Ross bamboozled Hannah there are plenty of suspects to investigate. As usual, Joanna Fluke creates an engaging cozy with comfortable characters, warm community interaction and a good mystery. Moishe (Hannah’s cat) and Cuddles (Norman’s cat) provide smile prompting antics for readers’ relief. The surprise, with which Ms. Fluke ends this 24th book, presents Hannah with a myriad of possibilities. Looking forward to No.25.

When The Cookie Jar becomes the setting of a star-studded TV special about movies filmed in Minnesota, Hannah hopes to shine the spotlight on her bakery—not the unsavory scandal swirling around her personal life. But that’s practically impossible with a disturbing visit from the shifty character she once believed was her one and only love, a group of bodyguards following her every move, and a murder victim in her bedroom.

Now, swapping the crime scene in her condo for her mother Delores’s penthouse, Hannah and an old flame team up to solve a case that’s messier than an upended chocolate cream pie. As suspects emerge and secrets hit close to home, Hannah must serve a hefty helping of justice to an unnamed killer prowling around Lake Eden . . before someone takes a slice out of her!

I loved this book!! First off it was set in Minnesota, which is my home state and current state, so that always makes me excited to read a book. Secondly, that ending left me completely shocked! It had all of the delicious mystery that we've all been waiting for!

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of #ChocolateCreamPieMurder
Pub Date: 26 Feb 2019

I really enjoyed this book. The setup and plot was different than a typical book which I liked. The writing was on par with the other books which made it a fun, comfortable read. I felt connected to the characters instantly, especially Hannah and was able to empathize with her. I loved the descriptions of the food and addiction of the recipes (which are really good!). While this book this book fit in nicely with this rest of the series,I feel like plot was enough of a variation to keep it fresh and interesting. The description of the weather helped paint a good background setting. The writing was tight and concise. I feel this is a great addition to the series.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for my honest review. I have read every book in the Hannah Swenson series, and loved most of them. However, the last couple of books don't seem to be as well done as earlier books. Even so, I decided to give the series one more try. This is, without a doubt, the last book I will read in this series, and at a $27 price point, I would be upset by the book. There are SO many recipes that they really cut into the flow of the chapters. There's not much of a story, and what's there isn't very realistic. I don't believe the entire town would be up in arms over Ross's treatment of Hannah. It's sad to see a series that I've loved go so far downhill. I think it's time for Hannah to choose her man and bring the series to an end.

I had given up on this series but wanted to give it one more shot.
Since I don’t want to post spoilers it’s hard for me to really express my opinion.
There was some hints of the series I used to love but not enough to save this series.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Mystery with recipe interruptions, the book's protagonist is Hannah, owner of a bakeshop in Minnesota. It's winter and Hannah's ex-husband has reappeared in her life, unwanted, and is demanding money. The tension builds as the book continues and as the atmosphere becomes more threatening.

I liked the characters and the book but I was far less impressed with the recipes, which end almost every chapter. They too often rely on cake mixes and convenience foods. The also are far too sweet for my tastes.

This book involves pivotal changes in Hannah’s life and is a MUST READ(!) for any fan of this series. It can also be read by someone new to the series, as there’s a good recap of past events at the beginning. A lot of the recipes look good and the book has everything we’ve come to love about this series (antics from Moishe, Mike & Norman dropping in for cookies, dinners at the Lake Eden Inn)- making for a cozy and familiar read.

Easy cozy. Not complicated in plot not characters. I didn’t care for the decisions made by Hannah in the confrontation end scene. Just seemed really not an intelligent thing to do

To be clear, I haven't read the entire series. I did read some of the earlier books but now jumping in on #24 I clearly missed some important background. That being said, I found this to an enjoyable read. I enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot and of course the recipes.

I was hooked!!!
I started late in the series, but I love these books. I can't wait for the next one.