Hannah Swensen is now Mrs. Todd, even minus Ross, but Hannah is still on the investigation when murder happens in Lake Eden.

A Fishing Derby comes to Eden Lake and Hannah is helping lodge owner, Sally, with keeping the fishermen in desserts for all meals and fishing sessions. Pretty-boy, Sonny Bowman, joins fishing expert, Joey Zee, as the faces of Wally Wallace's fishing boat empire and sponsor of the event. When Sonny is found dead, Hannah begins to investigate and this time she has Det. Lonnie's blessing.

Story moves quickly. New characters round out the cast along with the old gang we've come to know and love.

Looking forward to the next episode as some characters have faced themselves and may be approaching their futures differently.

Recipes look delicious and I will attempt a couple myself!

It was a good title for those who haven’t been following Hannah’s saga. Lots of great dessert recipes and I liked that it took place at the Lake Eden Inn. As a diehard fan, I have been waiting years to find out about Ross and why he would marry Hannah while being married to another. If she had closure, maybe she could move back into her townhome with her cat. At least the Mike/Norman debacle took a rest. I really missed the antics of the cats too!

Caramel Pecan Roll Murder is the twenty-ninth installment in the Hannah Swensen series featuring Cookie Jar owner, Hannah and set in Lake Eden, Minnesota. Owners of the Lake Eden Inn, Sally and Dick are short a baker for the week of the upcoming Walleye Fishing Tournament so they ask Hannah if she will fill in for them. Not yet back living in her condo and becoming more uncomfortable living at Norman's house, Hannah agrees if Sally can provide a room for both her and her sister Andrea, (Andrea is coming along because her husband Bill is out of town at a convention).

Night one readers are introduced to Sonny Bowman, the showy host of the the syndicated fishing show. A braggart, a drunk and a little too handsy, it's not surprising that Sonny doesn't have too many admirers among the men in the fishing community, so when Hannah finds him dead in a boat the next day, it's not much of a shock. With Mike appearing not to care about investigating anymore, he asks for Hannah's help in reeling in the killer.

This book is 90% filled with overly detailed recipes and perhaps 10% plot. It really makes no sense that the girls, along with Norman had to move to the Inn just to bake a few cookies each morning. The one good thing about the change of venue was that we didn't have to listen to the incessant "door knocking" at the Cookie Jar. Still completely baffled as to why the characters have to address each other by their formal names every time they speak to each other - even if there are only 2 people in the room. Fortunately, there is very little interaction between Hannah, Mike and Norman so the dreaded (dragging) love triangle takes somewhat of a backseat to the minimal plot.

I received an advanced copy of Caramel Pecan Roll Murder from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

Caramel Pecan Roll Murder is Joanna Fluke’s latest installment in her Hannah Swenson mystery series. In this latest one, Hannah helps out friends, Sally and Dick, as they are hosting a fishing tournament at their inn. Hannah and her sister, Andrea, help with the cooking, baking, and serving. And true to form, a dead body turns up. Hannah and Andrea turn on their investigative skills and try to find the murderer.

I have read all of the books in the series and thoroughly enjoy revisiting the community of Lake Eden and the wonderful cast of characters. However, in later years, the books seem to have less “meat” in them than her earlier books. The addition of the recipes is always a favorite, however, they seem to take up more and more of the books. I would prefer that Fluke would focus less on the food and give us more plot. That being said, I will always read the latest Hannah Swenson book as long as Fluke writes them. I have always looked forward to her books with anticipation. The books are entertaining and a light read.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Kensington Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Hannah Swenson is back! What a joy it is to read about Hannah getting back to <almost> normal in Lake Eden. This time, she's filling in for the baker at the Eden Lake Inn, helping the owners host a fishing tournament. Sister Andrea is there to help (Grandma McCann is conveniently babysitting while Bill, the sheriff now, is at a law enforcement convention). The 'talent' for the the fishing tournament is really just a pretty face to draw in viewers, and when he is found dead, no one is really grieving. Mike and Lonnie investigate, but welcome Hannah's help (for once!). The story is well written and reads like the early days of Ms Fluke's books. Welcome back Hannah!

Thank you NetGalley, Joanne Fluke and Kensington Books for the ARC of Caramel Pecan Roll Murder. This is my personal review.
Joanne Fluke has another excellent addition to the Hannah Swensen Series.
Hannah again finds herself in the middle of a murder and she along with all the regulars in the series are there to help her solve this mystery.
This has the victim as Sonny Bowman who is at The Lake Eden Inn for the Walleye Fishing Tournament.
This book is filled with recipes that Hannah and others make for things to serve to the contestants at the fishing tournament. As I was reading the recipes, I knew I was going to bake some of the goodies.

I enjoy this series. I like them even more than the Hallmark Series based on the books. The recipes are such a nice addition because they are recipes I would actually make when time permits (I do, however, wish they all came at the end of the book). This book is a little more slow-moving than many cozy mysteries, which means it takes me a bit longer to read. I can comfortably set it down and pick it back up again when time permits, and I like that.

In this installment of the Hannah Swenson Mystery series, Hannah is baking desserts for a fishing tournament taking place at a lake house inn. In true cozy mystery fashion, someone shockingly ends up dead at the rather benign community event. Queue the amateur sleuthing we love about the genre.

The book is good. The series is well-loved by many and deservedly so.

Caramel Pecan Roll Murder (Hannah Swensen, #28) by Joanne Fluke
Many of the regulars are at the Inn where a fishing tourneament is going on. Hannah and her sister are helping in the kitchen and bar when needed.
They stay in the same room there so there's no travel involved. Sally and Dick had the same agreement for Doc and others in town as well, to keep them nearby in case of an emergency.
Love when Hannah after cooking is able to spend time on the lake fishing. It's a lot different on the ocean but interesting to learn about the new words they use and what they mean.
As things go a body is found and women go into gathering clues to help solve the mystery of who killed the fisher.
Lots of recipes at the end of every other chapter. Of course it's never who you think it is.
Lot more characters invovled but they are easy to follow along. Mike is a bit off his game and we find out a bit more as the story goes along...
I received this review book from Kensington via Net Galley and this is my honest opinion.

I love the Hannah Swensen series! I have been slowly working my way through all of them but when I saw this one was up for request I had to request it! I love the cozy-mysteries genre and this one was swell!
Hannah along with Andrea is helping out at the inn when they have a big fishing contest with tv stars involved. While the whole town is buzzing about the ordeal, one of the TV Stars is flirting with married women and making a scene. Sonny is a womanizer, and even his fiance can't control him and his ways. Suddenly he is found dead on one of the boats and it is up to Hannah to help solve this mystery!
So, in the past couple of books, Hannah has kind of been in a daze because of what she went through. However, in this book, she kind of gets back some of her spunk along with her independence. She is still leaning on Andrea but, not so much the boys as much.
While she is working to uncover who is the murderer, Hannah is still making great recipes and they all sound absolutely delicious!
I would like to thank Netgalley and Kensington Books for the extraordinary opportunity to read and review this one! I definitely recommend it!

I was drawn to this series by watching the Hallmark series with Alison Sweeny, which is excellent! I have read a couple of the books at the beginning of the series and missed the whole Ross storyline! The recipes in this book are drool-worthy, and I bookmarked them all! The story itself, however, left me a bit bored. Some parts are pretty cozy and reminiscent of the earlier books that I love, but this one felt like it had too much filler and unnecessary dialogue that didn't move the plot forward or add to character development. A huge thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC. I know many of my library patrons will enjoy this cozy mystery.

It is always nice to return to Lake Eden, Hannah Swensen, and crew! While there are no surprises, it is still entertaining and familiar. I enjoy catching up with the characters in the story and seeing what mystery Hannah solves. This is an easy and light series to read. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC!

Thank you to Kensington Books for a gifted copy of Caramel Pecan Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke. All opinions are my own.

Hannah is back in book 25 of the Hannah Swensen series. This time the cozy mystery murder revolves around a fishing tournament taking place in Lake Eden. Hannah is asked to help bake at the Inn during the tournament and then, as usual, she's pulled into the murder mystery.

The recipes look amazing in this one. It's been a while but I have tried some of the recipes from the earlier books and they have always been a hit with my family. I'm looking forward to trying a number of recipes from Caramel Pecan Roll Murder.

Mystery & Thrillers
Release Date: February 22, 2022

Baker Hannah Swensen along with her sister Andrea have taken up an offer from their friends Dick and Sally to help provide desserts at their Inn at Lake Eden during a fishing tournament. But when TV personality Sonny Bowman is found dead in his boat, foul play is suspected, and Hannah is tasked once again to use her super sleuthing skills to bait and hook the killer…

While this may be the 29th installment in the Hannah Swensen series, it is a first for me. The blending of the cast of characters made them feel like old friends, especially when Hannah is baking up a new batch of cookies and brewing a fresh pot of coffee. This simply sweet mystery is perfect for a light read that doesn’t require a lot of concentration. My only complaint is with all the recipes listed between the chapters, it sometimes feels like I’m reading a cookbook, and takes away from the plot of the story. Perhaps if I wasn’t reading as an eBook, I could flip to the next chapter quicker, or if the recipes were all at the end of the book, would make them easier to find when and if I wished to make one. That’s just a reader preference, and should in no way take away from this cozy little mystery. Personally, I look forward to going back and catching up with Hannah and the gang, and would recommend this book to those that have a love of this genre or looking for an escape.





**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

This was another good entry in this ongoing series. Like many readers of the Hannah Swensen series, these books are a real comfort read and this one is no exception. The story line is good and the development is worthwhile for any constant reader.

One minor complaint in this one would be the number of recipes and how they interrupted the flow of the narrative. I'd have preferred to have the recipes at the end of the book and not at the end of the chapters. Often, I had to go back and really work on picking up the narrative strain. There was also a bit of filler in these sections that could have been reduced or eliminated.

Final thoughts: if you like this series, then you'll want to read this one. Another solid entry in the overall series.

I’m honestly not sure what else I can say about these books that I haven’t said already.

These books are like the ultimate comfort for me. Reading them is always a fun way to unwind after a long day.

This new book makes me feel exactly the way all of the others do.

I have been reading Hannah Swensen mysteries since high school, and the characters have become so familiar to me over the years. There is always something comforting to me about returning to Lake Eden, Minnesota to learn about the newest murder that Hannah and her sisters will solve. Of course, I also love to read about what recipes the Swensen sisters are baking as well.

The victim of the murder in Caramel Pecan Roll Murder, Sonny Bowman, is impossible to like. He is a cheating womanizer who treats everyone around him badly. He is a star of a fishing show who doesn’t know anything about fishing. He is so deeply unlikeable that he feels like a caricature of a villain, but it certainly isn’t hard to imagine that someone would want to murder him.

As the second of three daughters, I have always connected with the middle Swensen sister, Andrea. In the earlier books, Hannah and Michelle, Andrea’s sisters, often make fun of her for being unable to cook or bake. In this installment, Andrea becomes a real help to Hannah in the kitchen, and she even is asked to share a recipe that she creates. I was glad to see Andrea getting more credit in this book.

There were a few moments in this book that rubbed me the wrong way as they seemed to determined to perpetuate stereotypical gender roles. There was an entire page where Hannah, Andrea, and their mother discussed how they had to have their male partners check to make sure they’d set their televisions to record properly. Another moment that bothered me was when Lonnie, Michelle’s partner, asked Andrea to give Michelle a cookie recipe. I didn’t like the implication that it was Michelle’s role to cook and bake for Lonnie.

I have always found Mike Kingston, one of Lake Eden’s detectives, to be an interesting character. He often asks Hannah not to interfere in his murder investigations, but that all changes in this book. Mike no longer seems invested in solving murders. He even turns to Hannah for her advice in solving Sonny’s murder. This seems like a sudden shift, and I am eager to learn more about what prompted it.

Returning to Hannah and Lake Eden is always cozy and comforting. I will certainly return to Lake Eden for the next mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

In this book, Hannah is working at the Lake Eden Inn, helping Sally with baking for the breakfast and lunch buffets for the walleye fishing tournament. She asks Andrea to help her too, and they are sharing a room at the inn. The tournament is sponsored for a local celebrity, Wally, with the help of his two assistants from his TV show, Joey and Sonny. Sonny is a very handsome man, and all the women at the hotel notice him, and he's looking back, a real flirt. But he's also a drunk, and has to be helped to his room the first night before he spoils the dance. The next day, after baking, Hannah and Andrea take out a boat to see the lake. Near the water lily garden, they see a boat spinning in circles and suspect it's Sonny's boat. Mike and Lonny come and Mike reports that Sonny has been shot in the back and is dead. Hannah agrees to help Mike with the investigation. Mike reveals that he's just not feeling up to doing interviews, which is unusual for him.

This was a short book, plumped out with lots of recipes. It was fun to have Hannah out from the kitchen of the Cookie Jar. She's still having difficulty with her memories of Ross. There an abrupt ending with a spoiler for the next book to cover.

Once again Hannah Swensen is in the middle of a murder mystery that involves intrigue and a boatload of sweets. I found the storyline had many moveable parts and the recipes are ones to savoir. I only wish the ending didn't leave the reader on the edge of their seats - the saga continues!!

Joanne Fluke brings us back to Lake Eden and Hannah and the gang. Hannah and her sister Andrea are recruited to help out their friend at the local inn when the world of fishing shows up for the competition. When the flashy TV host Sonny is found dead on his boat, Hannah and Andrea are on the case. In between baking goodies for the breakfast buffet at the inn, they help Mike and Lonny out with the investigation. This is the one time when Mike intentionally asks Hannah for help and this worries her. Will Hannah and her gang of family and friends be able to solve Sonny's murder before it is too late? Will Hannah be able to juggle baking for the competition, solving the murder, and helping Mike figure things out?

Joanne Fluke has let us visit Hannah and the gang again in the latest installment in this series. It is always nice to visit with them and see how they are doing since last we met. Her stories are peppered with recipes from the book and makes you want to make them after reading each chapter. You want to keep turning the page to see what happens next and are sad once you get to the end. I look forward to visiting Hannah and the gang in the next installment of this series.

I have read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for this privilege.

Carmel Pecan Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke (Hannah Swensen Mystery #28) 3 stars

Hannah Swensen is back again baking her way through murder and mayhem. The scene is set at a fishing competition hosted at the Lake Eden Inn. Hannah and her sister Andrea are helping out because Sally's pastry chef had an emergency. The host of the fishing competition is Sonny Bowman, a TV show celebrity. Unfortunately, Mr. Bowman is a drunkard and a philanderer. It is not a big surprise when he ends up dead in a boat. Mike needs help and its Hannah to the rescue to solve the case and catch the murderer.

I have read all of the Hannah Swensen mysteries and I feel they have lost their way somehow. The interactions of the characters are predictable and the delicious recipes are a given. But Hannah is a different person now due to her fraudulent marriage to Ross and his subsequent death. This seem to affect her and everybody around her. But the mysteries are still cozy and a quick read and fun. I look forward to the next book in this series (sometime in 2023 maybe??)

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for this ARC