Hannah Swensen has become an excellent amateur sleuth. When she discovers that her sister Michelle’s boyfriend, Detective Lonnie Murphy, is being charged with murder, she changes her earlier plans to help Lonnie out. Not only does she plan on proving Lonnie’s innocence in a case of murder, she plans on finding the killer.

Quite naturally, Hannah begins by asking Lonnie questions. No doubt, some of the same questions that were asked by other members of the very police force he is on. Curiously, Lonnie’s memory is hazy. This is suspect, especially when it comes to Lonnie’s unclear alibi and where the victim was found.

A couple of Lonnie’s fellow officers are immediately taken off of the case. No doubt due to conflict of interest. This makes exonerating Lonnie even more challenging for Hannah. But, try she will, so she continues onward.

There is a personal element to this cozy mystery as well. Hannah has recently lost her husband, Ross, and is still dealing with that trauma. Lastly, another fun element in this 25th book in the series is more delectable recipes.

This is an exceptional series, and if you have access to your online library, I highly recommend borrowing the first book and reading this series in its entirety. The series maintains a strong continuity between Hannah and the other characters, which will undoubtedly delight fans of the genre.

Many thanks to Kensington Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Coconut Layer Cake Murder is a good cozy mystery. I recommend her stories. They are all fun with some very good. receipes.

As always, this book is stocked full of recipes and murder. Reading this book is like catching up with friends. I'm happy to see Hannah has moved on from the Ross debacle and taking time for herself, giving us a new setting. However, her trip to California is short lived and she's back to Minnesota to help solve a murder.

Another great cozy mystery by Joanne Fluke. Lonnie has found himself in some deep and suspicious trouble and it's up to Hannah to figure it out, because Mike is off the case! Filled with lots of recipes to try too.

Fabulous plot which I could not put down. Brilliant characters, and twists and turns. Highly recommend to other fans of this genre!! Love this series so very much!!

As someone who has read all of the books in this series, I really love Hannah and her cohorts. But the conversations they have are too basic and are silly. If you read, “They’ll love your…” (whatever creation Hannah has just made) once, you’ll read it 100 times in the book. Really?! We all know Hannah … and Lisa … and now Hannah’s sister, Michelle … are wonder ful cooks.

The saving grace for this book was that the mystery was really good and had you guessing until the end. I love the recipes and look forward to making them in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book finds Hannah after her husband Ross’ death, and she is feeling very stressed. So stressed that Doc sends her California with her mom to help a friend pack. However, when another murder victim turns up in Lake Eden and someone close to her is the prime suspect, Hannah rushes home to help solve this case!

I like these books, but sometimes Hannah bugs me. Or actually the writing bugs me. Why does the author feel the need to explain common phrases? And the thing with recognizing knocks and discuss it every time someone knocks? It just feels like a way to up the word count, not add to the story. It’s not necessary, and it’s distracting.

I really enjoy the Hannah Swensen series, and this one didn't disappoint. I would have liked a little bit more originality, but after 24 books, there's only so many ways someone can be murdered!

I always look forward to Joanne Fluke's next Hannah Swensen novel. It always feels like you are catching up with old friends that you haven't seen in a few months. I recommend this series to anyone that enjoys a good cozy mystery. The recipes are an added bonus and this one is no exception. Thanks for another great read! I am anxiously awaiting the next one!

What a great who done it, and it comes complete with so many yummy recipes! There are so many suspects that you are sure the whole town is guilty! I love reading Joanne’s books, they are always fun to read! Thanks for the great book!

Fun story for cozy mystery lovers. I am a longtime fan of the series, this one was fine but just not as good as some of the earlier outings with Hannah Swensen. Always love the recipes that she bakes throughout.

I'm such a fan of the Hannah Swensen cozy series, but let's level set, some of the more recent books just can't hold a candle to the earlier books in the series. There are several over the more recent years that feel the same as previous stories, just with a new title and new recipes. Thankfully, Coconut Layer Cake Murder is breaking that mold.

Can we all agree that we all wish we (and Hannah) could forget the Ross storyline ever happened? I miss Hannah's confidence and independence that seems to be missing in the last few books. I miss the woman who was confident in herself and her decisions, even with the occasional stumble. Thankfully, the latest Ross tangential cliffhanger is resolved in the first few pages and Hannah and her mother get the story rolling by shipping out to a Los Angeles suburb to help a friend pack up for a move to Lake Eden.

Somehow the plane travels back in time while en route to California, as all the description of Brentwood needs to feel like 1994 is a slow white Bronco chase. Thankfully when Hannah's sister's long-term police offer boyfriend is accused of murder and Hannah rushes back to Minnesota, the space-time continuum is righted.

With most of the Lake Eden police department out of commission for one reason or another, Hannah's skill set is in hot demand. While I jest about the description of Southern California, the mystery in Coconut Layer Cake Murder is a good one. I didn't even begin to guess the suspect or the motive. The plot reminds me of the earlier books and it kept me interested and entertained. Well done!

To balance my distaste of Ross, I would just like to nominate (yet again) Hannah and Norman as end game. It's obvious he loves her, just like it's obvious that Mike has moved on. Can Hannah and Norman just make it official already? I'm excited to see where their relationship heads in Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder.

With the recipes interwoven, this isn’t your traditional detective mystery book! It is a part of a larger series and you definitely need to read the other books to keep up. Well written but this one was a bit slow for me.

I have been a fan of this series for years. The last book left in a cliffhanger and I was excited because I thought I knew what happened and thought it would be perfect for Hannah but instead it started with disappointment. It seems that Hannah has been nothing but stressed in the last few books. This book was okay but I didn't get into it like I usually do.

Thank you to Kensington books and NetGalley for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Coconut Layer Cake Murder ticks all the marks for a great Hannah Swensen mystery! I’ve been really loving the way the series has been going, getting somewhat more serious, and referencing previous events. It makes for a richer story arc for the series.
I appreciate that this didn’t leave off on too hard of a cliffhanger, as I’m now caught up with this series, and have to read along with publication now!
I’ve never had to do a trigger warning for a Hannah Swensen book before, but there is reference to miscarriage and infant loss in here.

I'm a HUGE Hannah Swenson fan, and this one did not disappoint! I have not read the books necessarily in order, but that never stops me from reading them! This one had some twists I never saw coming, and that's always a huge bonus as these books typically all follow a similar formula. Super good story!

A good mystery and interesting characters made this a very satisfying read for me .I recommend for cozy mystery lovers.

Bakery owner Hannah Swensen is leaving Lake Eden to help a friend in sunny California. But an unexpected phone call swiftly brings her back to a cold Minnesota winter and murder. When Hannah learns that her sister Michelle’s boyfriend, Detective Lonnie Murphy, is the prime suspect in a murder case, she goes straight from a movie studio sound stage to the Los Angeles airport.

Back in frigid Minnesota, she discovers that proving Lonnie’s innocence will be harder than figuring out what went wrong with a recipe. Lonnie remembers only parts of the night he went out to a local bar and ended up driving a very impaired woman home. He knows he helped her to her bedroom, but he doesn’t recall anything else until he woke up on her couch the following morning. When he went to the bedroom to check on her, he was shocked to discover she was dead.

Hannah doesn’t know what to believe only that exonerating a suspect who can’t remember is almost impossible, especially since Lonnie’s brother, Detective Rick Murphy, and Lonnie’s partner, Chief Detective Mike Kingston, have been taken off the case. Before everything comes crashing down on Lonnie like a heaping slice of coconut layer cake, it’ll be up to Hannah to rack up enough clues to toast a flaky killer.

The mystery has plenty of suspects, clues, twists, turns, and red herrings that may have some constantly guessing who the killer is right up to the surprising conclusion. The author gives us characters who are so well written and well developed that they draw you into the story and entertain you throughout the whole book.

With the last few books I was disappointed with the whole Ross story line, I felt that the whole story line was crazy and didn't really make a lot of sense. I would like to say that we are finally free of the Ross story line in this book, but it rears it's ugly head for a couple of chapters. I hope that in the next book we may be free of this disappointing story line.

For the longest time Hannah has been caught between making a decision between Mike and Norman, and after some of the events in this book it seems that her heart is trying to tell her that it has made a decision. I have been on team Norman for a long time and I hope that is where her heart leads.

I look forward to reading the next book in the series Christmas Cupcake Murder to see what the characters get themselves into, and to see if Hannah hopefully has made a decision between the two men in her life.

I received an ARC of this book from Kensington Books though Netgalley for my honest review.

The cliffhanger from the previous book was resolved quickly and predictably. The author must believe her readers to have a low IQ with the number of definitions and explanations of simple, every day tasks. It is mostly recipes.

Get your cookies ready and coffee brewing as we join Hannah Swensen on another adventure!

All seems peachy as Hannah take off for a well-deserved vacation. All too soon this break is cut short by a frantic phone call. Somebody Hannah knows has been accused of murder! Early on you will get the details from Lonnie, who is being accused of this ghastly murder. Did Lonnie actually commit murder? You will get to make the call yourself as you follow Hannah and all of her crew as they try to solve this murder before something bad happens again.