There are as many recipe pages as cozy mystery in the latest Hannah Swensen mystery.

Hannah accompanies her mother to California to help a friend close up house for her move to lake Eden. Andre's in a panic when she calls Hannah for help. Lonnie is under suspicion in the death of their friend Darcy. The police chief welcomes Hannah's help when his senior officers conflict of interest hinders the investigation.

Unraveling what really happened during Darcy's last day is aided by Norman whose love for Hannah hasn't wavered in spite of the past year of Hannah's life choices.

A lot of cookie eating goes on and family and friends gather for meals keeping this a cozy mystery with humorous scenes when pets are added.

A great long-running cozy mystery where in this episode Hannah is moving on with life.

This is the 25th book in the Hannah Swenson series. Hannah and her mother go to California to help a friend pack up her house so she can move to Lake Eden. Hannah cuts her trip short when her sister, Michelle calls her for help. Michelle's boyfriend, Lonnie is accused of murder and Michelle needs Hannah's help to clear his name.
Hannah works with the ususal crew of Norman, Mike, her sisters, and her mother to solve the case. I always love visiting with these characters. I am glad to see that the writing and plotlines have gotten better than the last few books. I will continue to read this series.

This series is consistently good, and this latest book was no different. Although it seems like even during the worst of times, the characters solve everything with eating, for some reason it really doesn’t detract too much from the story. It’s always a nice bonus when there are recipes too!

I love returning to Lake Eden to visit with old friends like I do every time I read one of these books. The plot was creative and as always, I love all the characters and the creative ways the mystery unfolds. These stories have heart and warmth and are wonderful to read on a cold winter day with a nice cup of hot chocolate or tea. Oh, and don’t forget the cookies!

I thought this book was fun. "Coconut Layer Cake Murder" is about Hannah, who learns that her sister's boyfriend (Lonnie) is a prime suspect in a murder case. Hannah tries to prove Lonnie's innocence, racks up the clues, and finds some interesting facts. "Coconut Layer Cake Murder" is able to be red on a stand-alone status, even though it's #25 in a series. This book was fun to read, and had a little taste of mystery and murder, which I always enjoy.

Veteran cozy murder mystery writer Joanne Fluke seems to have tapped out on the stories she can tell in the Hannah Swenson series. There simply wasn’t much (any?) tension in the book nor real plot twists. At times Ms. Fluke would describe something prosaic in great detail just to up the word count. And it was odd to just drop in the scene at the storage center where they find Ross’s money, clothes and fake IDs. And who wears a single velour jogging suit these days much less several?

There just doesn’t seem to be anything creative left in this series. I would not recommend this book to my patrons.

The Coconut Layer Cake Murder
Joanne Fluke
February 25, 2020


Fluke is publishing her 25th Hannah Swensen novel. Each Fluke title in this series has to do with Hannah’s bakery and the treat is the new plot. In this journey, Hannah is still feeling herself overwhelmed with the death of her husband, Ross. The engagement, wedding and honeymoon plans all seemed too perfect. By the end of this story we find that Ross had lead others down the same path, one that conceals his money-making talents and underhanded lifestyle. Hannah of course was overwhelmed with grief. This plot brings her to us back in the bakery working with Lisa and Michelle helping out. Her sister, Michelle is now teaching at the high school and at the bakery part-time. She and Detective Lonnie Murphy are still an item. Both are trying to help Hannah get through the reconstruction of her condo so it doesn’t remind her of the life she might have had with Ross. Hannah is stressed out. Her father-in-law makes arrangements for she and her mother, Delores to help out a friend with moving arrangements as she comes back to Minnesota. Lynne lives in a large home in California and needs help with sorting and selling of her possessions while finishing up her job on a LA movie set. Doc feels that getting Hannah and ‘Lori’ out of town will help Hannah relax and Lori to put her mind on something else rather than plague him with her worries.
A short week after their arrival, Hannah receives a desperate call from Michelle. Lonnie has been arrested and charged with the murder of an old high school acquaintance. The small department doesn’t have the personnel to investigate properly. She feels that Hannah needs to come home and help to clear Lonnie. Hannah of course drops all and books an emergency flight home to help.
The story goes on with Hannah working with the help of Mike, Norman, and friends all trying to solve who took Darcy’s life. This was the first time in a few of Fluke’s novels that the mystery’s conclusion was not obvious. I have read all 25 of her Swensen books now and for the most part enjoyed reading them. Perhaps I pick up each new one to see what problems she and her friends and relatives get into next. Regardless, if you are a Cookie Jar fan, do read this one. Most are familiar with Hannah’s life through Hallmark movies. There have not been any recently so we all must continue reading to discover the next chapter for her.
The Coconut Layer Cake Mystery by Joanne Fluke will be published by Kensington Publishing Corporation on February 25, 2020. I am certain it will be a hit with readers who are fans of her stories. We know her family, friends, and hometown. It makes reading her novels comforting and enjoyable. I appreciate Kensington Publishing allowing me to read and review Fluke’s new novel. It was a pleasure for me to read and it gives me an opportunity to pass on the info of her new release.

I voluntarily read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I've read some of this series so was thrilled to be able to read this

I really enjoyed this

I loved that the mystery was woven with recipes - its a lovely way to set a book

Coconut Layer Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke 4 stars

This is Hannah Swensen Mystery #25... wow it has been 25 books (plus some short stories) and this series is still going strong. After the events of Chocolate Cream Pie Murder, we find Hannah stressed out and told to take a vacation to help a friend in Los Angeles. Everything is going fine until she receives a phone call from her sister Michelle calling for help.. Her boyfriend Lonnie is a suspect in a homicide and over half the detective staff has to recuse themselves. So Hannah to the rescue...

This is a decent mystery interwoven with lots of recipes. We are still seeing the impact that Ross's betrayal has on Hannah and more questions come forth. I look forward to the next Hannah Swensen mystery.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for this ARC.

Although the cliffhanger from the previous book didn't quite happen the way I'd imagined I was still entertained, as usual, by an interesting mystery. I've yet to be disappointed by a Hannah Swenson story.

I was kind of bummed that the cliffhanger at the end of the previous book didn't come true. Hannah needs something else going on in her life besides just baking and her cat. The mystery in the book was good, I didn't have it figured out.

I always love Joanne Fluke’s books about Hannah, her family, her bakery, and her town. This book is about helping Lonnie (her sister’s boyfriend and a cop) fight a possible murder charge since he was the last known contact with the victim. The book also continues the back story about Hannah and her personal issues, so it is always nice to hear more about her. I keep crossing my fingers she chooses the right guy for her, who loves her the most!

I'm a huge fan of Hannah Swenson and I could not wait for this next installment in the saga! The plot was very fast-moving, but felt a little flat for me.

I enjoyed this newest Hannan Swensen mystery, as I usually do. There were definitely some parts of the book that were drawn out and unnecessary. I won't post spoilers, but the fact that Hannah waited as long as she did to do the last thing she did was beyond me. I had it nearly figured out from the get go, which is unusual for me. All in all, it was a good 'ol usual from Fluke, but she's drawing this series out way further than it needs to be.

I have been reading the Hannah Swensen series ever since the first book, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, came out in 2000! I love the setting, the characters, the recipes, and the light mysteries. Each time a new book comes out, I nab it as quickly as possible and binge read it to find out what's going on in good ol' Lake Eden, MN.

Coconut Layer Cake Murder is the 25th book in the series. I happily curled up with this newest book, a cup of tea and my chihuahua for a long night of happy reading. The last book ended on a bit of a cliff hanger of sorts and I just HAD to find out what was going on..... I waited an entire year to find out! :)

I enjoyed this newest book. About 3 books ago, there were some major writing problems with this series, but it's HANNAH....I can't do without my Hannah-fix each year. The writing seems to have smoothed itself out for the most part, as have some plot developments that left long-time Hannah fans upset (the evil R...boooo hisssss). But, I still see differences in these later books when compared to earlier books in the series. The mystery portion of the plot is much lighter, and the recipes are much longer (instead of just recipes and cooking instructions, they include cute comments from story characters and other things. And each one can be 3 pages long or more). After reading a series this long, I'm ok with the books being shorter, but it does make me think that the series might be winding down. Maybe when Hannah finally makes The Decision, the series will have a final book? I read through this entire book in less than 2 hours....I'm a fast reader, but a lot of this book is recipes. I'm ok with that -- some of them really sound YUMMY this time! I'm going to do a bit of experimenting and see if I can't change over some of the cookie recipes to a diabetic version my hubby can enjoy. :) There are several savory recipes as well -- a mushroom rice dish as well as other non-dessert goodies.

All in all, a fun entertaining read as usual. I'm definitely in line for my next visit with my book friends from Lake Eden! And maybe......The Decision???? It's been 20 years....we need The Decision.ha ha Full stars from me..... 'cause it's Hannah. :)

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Reading a new Joanne Fluke book is like a family reunion! I love finding out what is going on in Hannah's life.
Hannah and her Mother have gone to California to help a friend pack and prepare to move back to Minnesota. While there, Hannah gets a phone call from younger sister Michelle asking her to come home because Lonnie, Michelle's boyfriend and a Sheriff deputy has been accused of murder. Hannah is on the next plane home and the entire family gets busy trying to clear Lonnie's name and bring the real killer to justice. As always, Norman and Mike are assisting and letting Hannah know how important she is to them. And the many recipes included in this book will have you gaining 10 pounds just from reading them! Another wonderful book in this series.
Thank you Net Galley for the ARC of Coconut Layer Cake Murder.

Wow, this story is filled with a great mystery that really kept me guessing until the end.
I have been a big fan of this series for years, and I am so happy to see that Hannah is getting back to her old self after the disaster that came along with her marriage to Ross.
This book really brought all of the characters together and I appreciated the easy going relationship between Hannah and Norman.
Working together to prove Lonnie innocent made for a great story and I am looking forward to seeing what’s in store for everyone next.

Thank you NetGalley for my arc. I cannot believe this is the 25th book in this series. I always enjoy the combo of Hannah baking and solving a murder and this one didn’t disappoint. Usually I can figure out mid book who the murderer is but this one I couldn’t piece everything together until the end. This series is my guilty pleasure and I definitely loved this title!

Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley and Kensington Books.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

When Hannah’s sister Detective boyfriend is prime suspect in a murder case she rushes to investigate. The major problem is that the main suspect does not remember much just having a few drnks at a bar and waking up the next morning on the couch.

His partner at work and brother are both thrown off working the case. Things do not look good for him as Hannah will eventually figure who the real killer is.

Enjoyable light hearted read for fans.

As did the 24 books in the Hannah Swenson series before this one, this mystery did not disappoint. I admit to the occasional twinge of frustration over some of the books and there have been a couple of missteps along the way but this one seems to be getting us back on track and hopefully some ongoing issues will be resolved in the next book. The plot here is solid, lots of great recipes and we got a little more insight into some characters we don't hear a lot about. All in all this series pretty much always satisfies and if you aren't reading Hannah you should be. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy for review.