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Hannah Swensen #18
Double Fudge Brownie Murder
Life in tiny Lake Eden, Minnesota, is usually pleasantly uneventful. But with the upcoming trial for her involvement in a tragic accident, Hannah Swensen hardly has time to think about her bakery--let alone the town's most recent murder. . .
Hannah is eager to clear her name once and for all, but her troubles only double when she finds the judge bludgeoned to death with his own gavel--and Hannah is the number one suspect. Now on trial in the court of public opinion, she sets out in search of the culprit and discovers that the judge made more than a few enemies during his career. With time running out, Hannah will have to whip up her most clever recipe yet to find a killer more elusive than the perfect brownie. . .
Features over a dozen Cookie and Dessert Recipes from The Cookie Jar!
Hannah is eager to clear her name once and for all, but her troubles only double when she finds the judge bludgeoned to death with his own gavel--and Hannah is the number one suspect. Now on trial in the court of public opinion, she sets out in search of the culprit and discovers that the judge made more than a few enemies during his career. With time running out, Hannah will have to whip up her most clever recipe yet to find a killer more elusive than the perfect brownie. . .
Features over a dozen Cookie and Dessert Recipes from The Cookie Jar!
374 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 24, 2015
1751 people are currently reading
6702 people want to read
About the author
Joanne Fluke
134 books8,550 followersLike Hannah Swensen, Joanne Fluke grew up in a small town in rural Minnesota where her neighbors were friendly, the winters were fierce, and the biggest scandal was the spotting of unidentified male undergarments on a young widow's clothesline. She insists that there really are 10,000 lakes and the mosquito is NOT the state bird.
While pursuing her writing career, Joanne has worked as: a public school teacher, a psychologist, a musician, a private detective's assistant, a corporate, legal, and pharmaceutical secretary, a short order cook, a florist's assistant, a caterer and party planner, a computer consultant on a now-defunct operating system, a production assistant on a TV quiz show, half of a screenwriting team with her husband, and a mother, wife, and homemaker.
She now lives in Southern California with her husband, her kids, his kids, their three dogs, one elderly tabby, and several noisy rats in the attic.
Series:
* Hannah Swensen
While pursuing her writing career, Joanne has worked as: a public school teacher, a psychologist, a musician, a private detective's assistant, a corporate, legal, and pharmaceutical secretary, a short order cook, a florist's assistant, a caterer and party planner, a computer consultant on a now-defunct operating system, a production assistant on a TV quiz show, half of a screenwriting team with her husband, and a mother, wife, and homemaker.
She now lives in Southern California with her husband, her kids, his kids, their three dogs, one elderly tabby, and several noisy rats in the attic.
Series:
* Hannah Swensen
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,134 reviews
April 18, 2015
Oh. My. Where do I begin?
I tend to agree with the reviews that smell a ghostwriter, but he or she must be a superfan because although Hannah’s romantic character was completely OUT of character, a lot of the same old, same old is totally present. Because we readers are all total idiots, we still have to have EVERYTHING explained to us. I think her intended audience is newcomers from the planet Venus who have no education in our earthly ways. When they are in Vegas, they are talking about German chocolate cupcakes. Ross tells Hannah she made a great chocolate cake when they were in college. She tells him then he is bound to like German chocolate cupcakes “since cupcakes are little, individual cakes.” Did you see what just happened? She. Explained. Cupcakes. To. A. Grown. Man. I almost quit reading right then and there. And then the bakery expert was just wrong, wrong, wrong. She said there was no such thing as an angel food cupcake because you have to have a tube pan. For a cake, yes, but since cupcakes are … wait for it … little, individual cakes they will bake just fine. Google it, honey. You will get PAGES of angel food cupcake recipes. They’ve NEVER heard of baked donuts or baked oatmeal. Andrea doesn’t know what a quick bread is. And yet Hannah remembers stuff no human being on Earth other than Sheldon Cooper would or could. The judge’s gavel, peppers, hydrangeas, mascots of college football teams…she’s just amazing like that.
At least our pantsuit-wearing, technophobic thirty-something woman is finally dragged kicking and screaming into the cell phone age. But even though she is the last person on earth to use a cell phone, she has to be taught to use it by Tracey. How old is she again? 8? 47? She is the most unrealistic child ever. I don’t think she’s old enough to even need a phone, let alone be a technical expert. Then later on she turns into Pavlov, telling Hannah to train Moishe with a bell. Major eye roll. Oh well, her mom’s a piece of work too. Rifling through her husband’s official police business, making copies and giving them to a civilian. That’s not illegal or unethical or anything…
Speaking of Moishe, this book really should have been titled “Moishe Finds Stuff and Everyone Loses Their S***”. Good grief. Rita Mae Brown’s CAT mysteries have less cat action than this book. TWICE in this book we have a dinner party involving Moishe and Cuddles causing mayhem. And, yes, “feet up” is also explained twice, because we are stupid. Hannah believes she is powerless to stop this. OK, how about you shut the cats in a bedroom while you eat? Problem solved. At one point Michelle says “I can’t believe we’re spending all this time tracking a cat.” Me either, Michelle, me either.
AND because the murder mystery is barely even a plot in this book, Lisa has to resort to telling Moishe stories at the Cookie Jar. Poor Lisa, who is single-handedly running the shop while Hannah is mooning over her new boyfriend, having her breakfasts cooked by Michelle, planning and executing dinner parties and, as usual, illegally running a murder investigation.
Speaking of that, I felt sorry for Mike. Since Hannah has her new love, she now has to be nitpicking the faults of her other boyfriends. Apparently it was cute before, but in this book Hannah just gets REALLY annoyed that her policeman boyfriend dares to question her even though she was the only person to find the dead body and had a possible motive for murder. The nerve. He reminds her she’s a civilian and she fumes. Oh, Mike loves to eat, based on the number of jokes sprinkled throughout the story and even multiple times on one page. Ha ha.
What is with Michelle, superwoman? She’s in college, so isn’t she about 21-22? She seems a bit too mature for the average college student. Why is she babying Hannah - letting her sleep in and making her breakfast every morning? For a drama major, she seems to be a way more accomplished chef than Hannah. She makes up recipes and twice seems to wander into restaurant kitchens to ask the chefs for their recipes. Who does this? Can you even do this? Speaking of recipes, they have always been annoying for her over-explaining every little thing and adding pointless remarks, but the most ridiculous thing over 18 books is anyone who bakes at all knows YOU DO NOT *PACK* FLOUR INTO A CUP! The most accurate method is weighing, but second best is lightly spooning flour into a cup and leveling off. Basic home economics 101. I guess if she tests her recipes and does it that way, you better do it too, but it is not correct baking procedure.
I am still convinced Kensington pays her by the word. There is no other reason for using 10 words when four would do. Example: “Bake your Double F Double M Crunch Cookies at 350 degrees” This is in the middle of the recipe. Why not just say “Bake at 350…” What else are you going to bake in this cookie recipe – lasagna? And she hates pronouns. Characters constantly use each other’s names in speaking. Nobody talks like that. Or this: “Here come Bill and Andrea” Hannah said, spotting her sister and brother-in-law coming in the door. WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF BOOK 18, so I’m pretty sure we know who these people are. How about “Here come Bill and Andrea” Hannah said, spotting THEM coming in the door. WHY DOES SHE HATE PRONOUNS????
Finally, I am still completely baffled by the whole Ross thing. As far as I can remember he hasn’t been mentioned since the Cherry Cheesecake Mystery, at the end of which Hannah realizes how much she appreciates NORMAN, yet somehow the family has been keeping in constant touch with him. Hannah says she had spoken to him on the phone just the night before. (And yet she didn’t recognize his voice when she heard him speaking before she saw him. Yeah.) So Delores and company basically set this whole thing up to throw them together and then when it works, they all freak out. This makes no sense WHATSOEVER.
Despite my growing annoyance with the series, this is the first time I am actually going to give one of these books a one-star rating. Congratulations, I’m done. But before I go … does anyone know how to beat an egg?
I tend to agree with the reviews that smell a ghostwriter, but he or she must be a superfan because although Hannah’s romantic character was completely OUT of character, a lot of the same old, same old is totally present. Because we readers are all total idiots, we still have to have EVERYTHING explained to us. I think her intended audience is newcomers from the planet Venus who have no education in our earthly ways. When they are in Vegas, they are talking about German chocolate cupcakes. Ross tells Hannah she made a great chocolate cake when they were in college. She tells him then he is bound to like German chocolate cupcakes “since cupcakes are little, individual cakes.” Did you see what just happened? She. Explained. Cupcakes. To. A. Grown. Man. I almost quit reading right then and there. And then the bakery expert was just wrong, wrong, wrong. She said there was no such thing as an angel food cupcake because you have to have a tube pan. For a cake, yes, but since cupcakes are … wait for it … little, individual cakes they will bake just fine. Google it, honey. You will get PAGES of angel food cupcake recipes. They’ve NEVER heard of baked donuts or baked oatmeal. Andrea doesn’t know what a quick bread is. And yet Hannah remembers stuff no human being on Earth other than Sheldon Cooper would or could. The judge’s gavel, peppers, hydrangeas, mascots of college football teams…she’s just amazing like that.
At least our pantsuit-wearing, technophobic thirty-something woman is finally dragged kicking and screaming into the cell phone age. But even though she is the last person on earth to use a cell phone, she has to be taught to use it by Tracey. How old is she again? 8? 47? She is the most unrealistic child ever. I don’t think she’s old enough to even need a phone, let alone be a technical expert. Then later on she turns into Pavlov, telling Hannah to train Moishe with a bell. Major eye roll. Oh well, her mom’s a piece of work too. Rifling through her husband’s official police business, making copies and giving them to a civilian. That’s not illegal or unethical or anything…
Speaking of Moishe, this book really should have been titled “Moishe Finds Stuff and Everyone Loses Their S***”. Good grief. Rita Mae Brown’s CAT mysteries have less cat action than this book. TWICE in this book we have a dinner party involving Moishe and Cuddles causing mayhem. And, yes, “feet up” is also explained twice, because we are stupid. Hannah believes she is powerless to stop this. OK, how about you shut the cats in a bedroom while you eat? Problem solved. At one point Michelle says “I can’t believe we’re spending all this time tracking a cat.” Me either, Michelle, me either.
AND because the murder mystery is barely even a plot in this book, Lisa has to resort to telling Moishe stories at the Cookie Jar. Poor Lisa, who is single-handedly running the shop while Hannah is mooning over her new boyfriend, having her breakfasts cooked by Michelle, planning and executing dinner parties and, as usual, illegally running a murder investigation.
Speaking of that, I felt sorry for Mike. Since Hannah has her new love, she now has to be nitpicking the faults of her other boyfriends. Apparently it was cute before, but in this book Hannah just gets REALLY annoyed that her policeman boyfriend dares to question her even though she was the only person to find the dead body and had a possible motive for murder. The nerve. He reminds her she’s a civilian and she fumes. Oh, Mike loves to eat, based on the number of jokes sprinkled throughout the story and even multiple times on one page. Ha ha.
What is with Michelle, superwoman? She’s in college, so isn’t she about 21-22? She seems a bit too mature for the average college student. Why is she babying Hannah - letting her sleep in and making her breakfast every morning? For a drama major, she seems to be a way more accomplished chef than Hannah. She makes up recipes and twice seems to wander into restaurant kitchens to ask the chefs for their recipes. Who does this? Can you even do this? Speaking of recipes, they have always been annoying for her over-explaining every little thing and adding pointless remarks, but the most ridiculous thing over 18 books is anyone who bakes at all knows YOU DO NOT *PACK* FLOUR INTO A CUP! The most accurate method is weighing, but second best is lightly spooning flour into a cup and leveling off. Basic home economics 101. I guess if she tests her recipes and does it that way, you better do it too, but it is not correct baking procedure.
I am still convinced Kensington pays her by the word. There is no other reason for using 10 words when four would do. Example: “Bake your Double F Double M Crunch Cookies at 350 degrees” This is in the middle of the recipe. Why not just say “Bake at 350…” What else are you going to bake in this cookie recipe – lasagna? And she hates pronouns. Characters constantly use each other’s names in speaking. Nobody talks like that. Or this: “Here come Bill and Andrea” Hannah said, spotting her sister and brother-in-law coming in the door. WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF BOOK 18, so I’m pretty sure we know who these people are. How about “Here come Bill and Andrea” Hannah said, spotting THEM coming in the door. WHY DOES SHE HATE PRONOUNS????
Finally, I am still completely baffled by the whole Ross thing. As far as I can remember he hasn’t been mentioned since the Cherry Cheesecake Mystery, at the end of which Hannah realizes how much she appreciates NORMAN, yet somehow the family has been keeping in constant touch with him. Hannah says she had spoken to him on the phone just the night before. (And yet she didn’t recognize his voice when she heard him speaking before she saw him. Yeah.) So Delores and company basically set this whole thing up to throw them together and then when it works, they all freak out. This makes no sense WHATSOEVER.
Despite my growing annoyance with the series, this is the first time I am actually going to give one of these books a one-star rating. Congratulations, I’m done. But before I go … does anyone know how to beat an egg?
March 10, 2015
Don't waste your time with this book. I am actually regretting that I spent the time to read this book. In my defense, I have enjoyed the Hannah Swenson series up to about book 14, but the series has been going downhill since then. I had actually decided to quit reading the series after Red Velvet Cupcake Murder (Number 16), but I was perusing book lists and saw that a new one had come out last year and this one for this year. I decided to read them both. Blackberry Pie Murder was all right, and at least readable, but I wasn't really prepared for this one. In this book, the recipes and Hannah's so-called love life took over the entire book, and the murder was so secondary, I almost forgot who got murdered by halfway through. The writing is juvenile as well. I don't think we as readers need step-by-step instructions on how to text on a cell phone, but that is what we got. This book appeared to be written by a pre-teen author to my mind - not at all written in the way that I know Joanne Fluke can write. I'm sad to see this enjoyable series deteriorate so badly, and I will be giving up on the series for sure now.
August 12, 2022
The 18th cozy mystery in the Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke is called Double Fudge Brownie Murder and was published in 2015. In this caper, Hannah travels to Las Vegas with her sisters for their mother's surprise wedding. Hannah is also still waffling between Norman and Mike, but everything changes in this book. A special guest shows up and follows Hannah back to Minnesota where Hannah receives not one but three marriage proposals. She also finally makes a decision at the end of the book. Hallelujah!
The mystery in this novel begins once Hannah returns to Lake Eden for her court date. In the last book, she accidentally hit someone with her car and was charged with vehicular manslaughter. But when the first day of jury selection arrives, it's the judge whom Hannah finds dead. She and her friends try to solve the crime by investigating the judge's current and former wife, children, colleagues, and political connections. When the culprit is finally revealed, Hannah's about to become his/her second victim. Will she survive in order to marry.... oh yeah, right, you didn't think I'd give away who she said yes to, did you?
This is a typical Joanne Fluke book, but nearly 400 pages this time. There are more recipes than usual, and the story content is largely based around Hannah's decision to marry and her mother's wedding. Always good fun, but it leaves less and less room for the mystery. This one started out good, but it petered away.... in the last 20 pages an unfamiliar perp shows up and we're left going... 'um, is this two different books?'
That said, I give it a 4 for the overall evolution of Hannah's and Lake Eden's inhabitant stories. We learn a lot about existing characters and feel that warm and wonderful cozy appeal.
The mystery in this novel begins once Hannah returns to Lake Eden for her court date. In the last book, she accidentally hit someone with her car and was charged with vehicular manslaughter. But when the first day of jury selection arrives, it's the judge whom Hannah finds dead. She and her friends try to solve the crime by investigating the judge's current and former wife, children, colleagues, and political connections. When the culprit is finally revealed, Hannah's about to become his/her second victim. Will she survive in order to marry.... oh yeah, right, you didn't think I'd give away who she said yes to, did you?
This is a typical Joanne Fluke book, but nearly 400 pages this time. There are more recipes than usual, and the story content is largely based around Hannah's decision to marry and her mother's wedding. Always good fun, but it leaves less and less room for the mystery. This one started out good, but it petered away.... in the last 20 pages an unfamiliar perp shows up and we're left going... 'um, is this two different books?'
That said, I give it a 4 for the overall evolution of Hannah's and Lake Eden's inhabitant stories. We learn a lot about existing characters and feel that warm and wonderful cozy appeal.
April 16, 2015
Contains Spoilers...
Joanne Fluke has, until this point, been one of my all-time favorite murder-mystery authors. The Hannah Swensen Cookie Shop books have, until right now, been one of my all-time favorite series.
Unfortunately, Double Fudge Brownie Murder reads like it was written by someone else.
Hannah spends all of Cinnamon Roll Murder (Book 15) pining over Norman and his soon-to-be marriage to Doctor Beverly Thorndike. She then spends the majority of Red Velvet Cake Murder (Book 16) worried that Norman will get back together with same. She then spends a large chunk of time feeling grateful, appreciative and in-love with Norman in Blackberry Pie Murder (Book 17).
And yet, Fluke spends all of Double Fudge Brownie Murder devaluing both Hannah and Hannah's relationship with Norman. Fluke spends the whole book downplaying Hannah's love for Norman, appreciate of Norman, and putting him and Hannah squarely, and only, in the category of friends. Meanwhile, she also makes Hannah think that Mike is the most irritating, condescending and annoying man. Fluke has Hannah pointing out in her internal-thought dialogue that she only ever loved Norman as a friend, when in the previous book that was not the case - and it goes on and on and on.
Fluke completely destroys these two relationships in the first two hundred pages - and to this reader the destruction serves no purpose and is completely untrue to the spirit of the novels.
Right up front, let me tell you that I have been rooting for Hannah and Norman from the word go. But, that doesn't mean I ignore other relationships Hannah might have. Instead, I rather enjoy the nuances of her romantic interludes with Mike too.
What I do not like, and do not understand, is her sudden lust and desire for Ross. Not only does it make no plot sense, it makes no character sense. Hannah has spent her whole life being true to herself and not settling down, only to fall head over heels within minutes with a Disney-Prince type of guy that the reader has only been introduced to one time before. It's ridiculous.
Not only that, but her whole family (sisters and mother) completely disrespect Hannah's relationships with both Norman and Mike by encouraging the new match and going out of their way to lie to both Norman and Mike (mostly by pointed omission) on several occasions.
I don't know what Fluke was thinking when she wrote the newest Swensen mystery- but she loses my vote. This book was terrible and made me both sad and angry.
It is for these reasons, and many, many others that I do not feel like I can continue reading this series.
SPOILER:
And the end ruins the entire series for me. Hannah chooses marrying Ross (a near stranger to the reader, because although he is introduced in a previous book, it's not like Hannah has even thought about him since) over her relationships with Norman or Mike and it makes no sense. Fluke turns Hannah into a desperate girl who falls head-over-heels in lust and names it love and, even worse, her whole family is on Team Ross as well, even though they all has been previously rooting for Norman. This book made me so sad, I don't think I'll even be able to re-read the series (which I own) now that I know the direction Fluke has taken it with a relationship that makes no sense. One weekend in Vegas does not equal true love. I'm totally disgusted by this book and I feel betrayed by Joanne Fluke.
Joanne Fluke has, until this point, been one of my all-time favorite murder-mystery authors. The Hannah Swensen Cookie Shop books have, until right now, been one of my all-time favorite series.
Unfortunately, Double Fudge Brownie Murder reads like it was written by someone else.
Hannah spends all of Cinnamon Roll Murder (Book 15) pining over Norman and his soon-to-be marriage to Doctor Beverly Thorndike. She then spends the majority of Red Velvet Cake Murder (Book 16) worried that Norman will get back together with same. She then spends a large chunk of time feeling grateful, appreciative and in-love with Norman in Blackberry Pie Murder (Book 17).
And yet, Fluke spends all of Double Fudge Brownie Murder devaluing both Hannah and Hannah's relationship with Norman. Fluke spends the whole book downplaying Hannah's love for Norman, appreciate of Norman, and putting him and Hannah squarely, and only, in the category of friends. Meanwhile, she also makes Hannah think that Mike is the most irritating, condescending and annoying man. Fluke has Hannah pointing out in her internal-thought dialogue that she only ever loved Norman as a friend, when in the previous book that was not the case - and it goes on and on and on.
Fluke completely destroys these two relationships in the first two hundred pages - and to this reader the destruction serves no purpose and is completely untrue to the spirit of the novels.
Right up front, let me tell you that I have been rooting for Hannah and Norman from the word go. But, that doesn't mean I ignore other relationships Hannah might have. Instead, I rather enjoy the nuances of her romantic interludes with Mike too.
What I do not like, and do not understand, is her sudden lust and desire for Ross. Not only does it make no plot sense, it makes no character sense. Hannah has spent her whole life being true to herself and not settling down, only to fall head over heels within minutes with a Disney-Prince type of guy that the reader has only been introduced to one time before. It's ridiculous.
Not only that, but her whole family (sisters and mother) completely disrespect Hannah's relationships with both Norman and Mike by encouraging the new match and going out of their way to lie to both Norman and Mike (mostly by pointed omission) on several occasions.
I don't know what Fluke was thinking when she wrote the newest Swensen mystery- but she loses my vote. This book was terrible and made me both sad and angry.
It is for these reasons, and many, many others that I do not feel like I can continue reading this series.
SPOILER:
And the end ruins the entire series for me. Hannah chooses marrying Ross (a near stranger to the reader, because although he is introduced in a previous book, it's not like Hannah has even thought about him since) over her relationships with Norman or Mike and it makes no sense. Fluke turns Hannah into a desperate girl who falls head-over-heels in lust and names it love and, even worse, her whole family is on Team Ross as well, even though they all has been previously rooting for Norman. This book made me so sad, I don't think I'll even be able to re-read the series (which I own) now that I know the direction Fluke has taken it with a relationship that makes no sense. One weekend in Vegas does not equal true love. I'm totally disgusted by this book and I feel betrayed by Joanne Fluke.
Read
February 28, 2015I won't rate this, because I can't finish it. I didn't even make it through the first chapter. If this was the author's 1st book, I might be able to overlook the cutesy, overly simple writing. But after 18 books, I'd expect a little more polish and a tone that reflected a middle-aged woman, not a breathless 16 year old.
Also how can a small town doctor have enough money to hire a private jet, buy a "trousseau" for several women, fund a vacation in Las Vegas? He better be Hannah's next victim, because he's burning through his retirement money pretty fast.
Count me out.
Also how can a small town doctor have enough money to hire a private jet, buy a "trousseau" for several women, fund a vacation in Las Vegas? He better be Hannah's next victim, because he's burning through his retirement money pretty fast.
Count me out.
March 11, 2015
Why do I keep up with this series? Do I like to torture myself with the recipes that never turn out as amazing as the text makes them out to be? Do I have an obsession with completing what I start? I don't know. What I do know is that this series is ready to die. Hannah is a character that's as unrealistic as Jennifer Grey's nose. What "30-something" year old woman is that technologically inept? The writing is utterly prudish, with references to "maintaining her reputation", and outrage over Hannah *GASP* BEING IN A MAN'S ROOM! Not to mention the torturous delay in her choosing between two men. One of whom is such a douche I can't even understand why he's a consideration. The other one being so blessedly boring (his name is Norman for God's sake)a bowl of oatmeal is exotic by comparison.
At this stage, the murders have taken a backseat to Hannah's boring life. And any attempt at making it lively is quickly shelved so we can get back to our regularly scheduled paint drying session.
God, I wish I could quit you.
At this stage, the murders have taken a backseat to Hannah's boring life. And any attempt at making it lively is quickly shelved so we can get back to our regularly scheduled paint drying session.
God, I wish I could quit you.
March 8, 2015
This book seemed to amplify the things that irritate me about the Swensens and the series. It starts off with a stylish green pantsuit (why do they all think pantsuits are the ultimate in style?) and TWO men telling Hannah to check her peephole before answering the door in her secure condo. It gets worse from there.
Hannah is to attend her trial for killing the guy whom she hit with her truck. Nobody - NOBODY - except the prosecutor thinks that Hannah should stand trial for it - because she's Hannah and therefore automatically right. Even the judge, . That she is automatically right and without fault is evidenced by her response when Mike says she's on his suspect list. Why wouldn't the person with access and motive be on the list of suspects, especially when - yet again - the victim is eating the suspect's baking. Oh, the baking. Does Hannah make food without tins and packages of stuff?
Michelle. She is not only perfect in looks and style, she can preempt what Hannah needs, is a 21-year-old who leaves the house at 5.30am to do her sister's job, before which gets a hot breakfast ready, that she made up and that is delicious. Was that Swensen or Stepford? If it transpired that they were robots of some kind, it might explain the stilted and formal way the family interacts with each other. It may also explain why Hannah has such a line of suitors queuing up. She's programmed that way. Joanne Fluke has read of readers' impatience for the Mike/Norman dilemma to be resolved (because all men who have proposed to the same woman become besties), and so as things stand, the
The series is addictive but bad, and this was worse than usual. I hope someone (Michelle, maybe) is rude to Hannah in the next one.
Oh - she was wrong about the capsicums.
Hannah is to attend her trial for killing the guy whom she hit with her truck. Nobody - NOBODY - except the prosecutor thinks that Hannah should stand trial for it - because she's Hannah and therefore automatically right. Even the judge, . That she is automatically right and without fault is evidenced by her response when Mike says she's on his suspect list. Why wouldn't the person with access and motive be on the list of suspects, especially when - yet again - the victim is eating the suspect's baking. Oh, the baking. Does Hannah make food without tins and packages of stuff?
Michelle. She is not only perfect in looks and style, she can preempt what Hannah needs, is a 21-year-old who leaves the house at 5.30am to do her sister's job, before which gets a hot breakfast ready, that she made up and that is delicious. Was that Swensen or Stepford? If it transpired that they were robots of some kind, it might explain the stilted and formal way the family interacts with each other. It may also explain why Hannah has such a line of suitors queuing up. She's programmed that way. Joanne Fluke has read of readers' impatience for the Mike/Norman dilemma to be resolved (because all men who have proposed to the same woman become besties), and so as things stand, the
The series is addictive but bad, and this was worse than usual. I hope someone (Michelle, maybe) is rude to Hannah in the next one.
Oh - she was wrong about the capsicums.
April 7, 2015
Literally my first words when finishing this book were (and I quote) "What a piece of shit."
I realize that is harsh, as I have been a Hannah fan for over 10 years now. But good god, it's time for the series to be over.
The writing is now atrocious. It reads like it's Joanne's first book ever. Most of it is filler, which is generally forgiven for first timers, but this is not her first time to the rodeo, and it's been one of my complaints as the series has progressed. It literally never progressed. In fact, I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but it honestly feels like it's getting simpler and more dumbed down the further along we go.
1) Hannah is still a know-it-all. Which is fine, but the way she speaks to you is as if you are beneath her.
2) Hannah actually isn't that smart. I'm sorry, but the whole technophobe act is so old it's not even funny. Having to have everything explained to her by the child just gets old. (I understand that Joanne is in her 70s, but come on, her character isn't.)
3) Hannah acts like she is in her 70s. Not even kidding. She still thinks Pant Suits are chic etc etc. I've been to Minnesota. It's not ENTIRELY like that.
4) BAKED DOUGHNUTS ARE NOT A NEW THING! I know for a fact that they are known even in the little podunk towns of Minnesota.
5) The bad guy. Honestly, was so poorly written I literally expected him to stand there and twirl his moustache while giving his obligatory villain monologue.
6) Hannah doesn't love Mike. Once again she didn't even like him for the majority of the book. Why does she even bother pretending to be in a relationship with him when she obviously doesn't even like him any more?
7) Which brings us to the relationships. We now have a third contestant. A contestant that I had to go "wait.. who the hell is this?" Obviously in the previous book he was in, he didn't make an impression.
8) The whole "I can't make up my mind between two guys, and now I have a third one to choose from" schtick was not cute at all in this.
9) Hannah literally turned into a starry idiot in this book. It was extremely out of character for her. And quite off-putting. She became TSTL.
10) Ross, the new love interest... is a bit of an ass. Let me explain, he is a nice guy... but he bristles a lot at the thought of not having Hannah to himself. Norman had bought Hannah and the girls tickets to several shows (OH MY GODS the amount of money he would have spent is ridiculous, but Norman is a NICE guy). What does Ross do? He buys all of them VIP tickets to one up Norman's tickets. TO THE SAME SHOW. It was very much peacocking with an extra "See I'm better than him!" attitude and it put a foul taste in my mouth from the start.
11) This is the first book where it was actually implied that the relationships actually had any kind of physicality beyond kissing... and ONLY with Ross. I've said it previously that Mike and Norman would not have stuck around if Hannah wasn't giving it up, but the books implied she wasn't. Well, this time Hannah was letting herself into Ross's hotel room to watch the sunrise (who does that when they weren't in a relationship?!), and kept going on about having 'alone time' with Ross.
12) Not even 5 days after they reconnected, Hannah was dreaming about wedding bells. Literally. <- INSTA LOVE FOREVER!!!!!! *eyeroll*
13) Norman was pretty sidelined for this book, which is a shame. He's a good guy.
14) Mike was himself, he wasn't being a d-bag, but Hannah felt he was.
15) Hannah had absolutely NO reason to "solve the crime", literally her reason for wanting to find the killer? - Oh wait, she didn't have one. I think she said something about being grateful for the judge but that was it. She literally sat there saying "I NEED TO SOLVE THIS! _I_ need to arrest the killer!" <- Yes, she did say SHE needed to arrest the killer. Hmmm... when did she actually become a police officer? Oh wait, she didn't. She can't arrest people. No, you cannot actually make a citizen's arrest the way people think you can.
16) I knew the elements of the crime pretty much in the first 10 pages. Nothing was exciting.
17) None of the recipes jumped out at me.
Yes, I know I said the word literally like a dozen times in this review. But it literally made me so annoyed to read it, and I literally had to force myself to finish it.
I don't know if I'll read the next. I'll probably force myself, because I really did used to like the series, and sometimes you just have to hold on to the hope... But this might be a Harvy Dent quote of "You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." In this case, you end up ruining the series.
Please Jo, let the next one that you so obviously set up be the last one.
I realize that is harsh, as I have been a Hannah fan for over 10 years now. But good god, it's time for the series to be over.
The writing is now atrocious. It reads like it's Joanne's first book ever. Most of it is filler, which is generally forgiven for first timers, but this is not her first time to the rodeo, and it's been one of my complaints as the series has progressed. It literally never progressed. In fact, I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but it honestly feels like it's getting simpler and more dumbed down the further along we go.
1) Hannah is still a know-it-all. Which is fine, but the way she speaks to you is as if you are beneath her.
2) Hannah actually isn't that smart. I'm sorry, but the whole technophobe act is so old it's not even funny. Having to have everything explained to her by the child just gets old. (I understand that Joanne is in her 70s, but come on, her character isn't.)
3) Hannah acts like she is in her 70s. Not even kidding. She still thinks Pant Suits are chic etc etc. I've been to Minnesota. It's not ENTIRELY like that.
4) BAKED DOUGHNUTS ARE NOT A NEW THING! I know for a fact that they are known even in the little podunk towns of Minnesota.
5) The bad guy. Honestly, was so poorly written I literally expected him to stand there and twirl his moustache while giving his obligatory villain monologue.
6) Hannah doesn't love Mike. Once again she didn't even like him for the majority of the book. Why does she even bother pretending to be in a relationship with him when she obviously doesn't even like him any more?
7) Which brings us to the relationships. We now have a third contestant. A contestant that I had to go "wait.. who the hell is this?" Obviously in the previous book he was in, he didn't make an impression.
8) The whole "I can't make up my mind between two guys, and now I have a third one to choose from" schtick was not cute at all in this.
9) Hannah literally turned into a starry idiot in this book. It was extremely out of character for her. And quite off-putting. She became TSTL.
10) Ross, the new love interest... is a bit of an ass. Let me explain, he is a nice guy... but he bristles a lot at the thought of not having Hannah to himself. Norman had bought Hannah and the girls tickets to several shows (OH MY GODS the amount of money he would have spent is ridiculous, but Norman is a NICE guy). What does Ross do? He buys all of them VIP tickets to one up Norman's tickets. TO THE SAME SHOW. It was very much peacocking with an extra "See I'm better than him!" attitude and it put a foul taste in my mouth from the start.
11) This is the first book where it was actually implied that the relationships actually had any kind of physicality beyond kissing... and ONLY with Ross. I've said it previously that Mike and Norman would not have stuck around if Hannah wasn't giving it up, but the books implied she wasn't. Well, this time Hannah was letting herself into Ross's hotel room to watch the sunrise (who does that when they weren't in a relationship?!), and kept going on about having 'alone time' with Ross.
12) Not even 5 days after they reconnected, Hannah was dreaming about wedding bells. Literally. <- INSTA LOVE FOREVER!!!!!! *eyeroll*
13) Norman was pretty sidelined for this book, which is a shame. He's a good guy.
14) Mike was himself, he wasn't being a d-bag, but Hannah felt he was.
15) Hannah had absolutely NO reason to "solve the crime", literally her reason for wanting to find the killer? - Oh wait, she didn't have one. I think she said something about being grateful for the judge but that was it. She literally sat there saying "I NEED TO SOLVE THIS! _I_ need to arrest the killer!" <- Yes, she did say SHE needed to arrest the killer. Hmmm... when did she actually become a police officer? Oh wait, she didn't. She can't arrest people. No, you cannot actually make a citizen's arrest the way people think you can.
16) I knew the elements of the crime pretty much in the first 10 pages. Nothing was exciting.
17) None of the recipes jumped out at me.
Yes, I know I said the word literally like a dozen times in this review. But it literally made me so annoyed to read it, and I literally had to force myself to finish it.
I don't know if I'll read the next. I'll probably force myself, because I really did used to like the series, and sometimes you just have to hold on to the hope... But this might be a Harvy Dent quote of "You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." In this case, you end up ruining the series.
Please Jo, let the next one that you so obviously set up be the last one.
October 22, 2015
A good old-fashioned hate-read!
So many of us reviewers who gave this book one star have declared, "This is it! I refuse to read another one of these!"
And then we do. Why? It's because we, deep down inside, are horrible people and we can't resist a good hate-read.
And there's SO much to hate about this series--this book in particular. I swear that, if we tried a drinking game in which we threw back a shot each time a Hannah Swensen/Lake Eden/recipe cliche occurred, we'd be dead from alcohol poisoning by the end of the second chapter.
Recipes/food item names capitalized? (GAAAAH.) Check. People consuming multiple cookies multiple times a day and suffering no ill effects? Check. (I'm an inveterate sweet tooth and baking fanatic, and even *I* think it's too much.) Lengthy descriptions and conversations that do nothing to develop the characters or advance the plot? Check. (In any other murder mystery, we zero in on these details, because hidden in them are clues leading us to the culprit. Not in Lake Eden!) Repetitious cat antics ad infinitum nauseamque? Check.
And then there's the total lack of logic. Out on bail? By all means, nip out to Vegas! Tired of trying to resolve that hoary old love triangle? Chuck in some minor character from umpteen books ago and invent some hunka-hunka-burnin'-love. Cast any semblance of routine police procedure to the wind.
It's like seeing a wreck on the highway. Only the most stalwart refuses to slow down and take a good look.
And don't get me started on the anachronisms. (OK--please do.) A woman in her 30s--a small business owner, no less--in 2015 who has to be cajoled into getting a computer and a smartphone? Please. Who wears elastic waist jeans and pastel pantsuits? Oh, come on--I'm nearly 63 and plus-sized and wouldn't be caught dead in either.
And then there are all the annoying characters. My forlorn hope is that Delores becomes one of the murder victims. About Tracey: I know a LOT of precocious, unusually intelligent children, and she doesn't sound like a single one of them. Ms. Fluke? Got any grandkids? Please LISTEN TO THEM once in a while and develop an ear for their speech patterns.
Chief among the annoying characters is our sleuth herself. How anyone that dour and persnickety manages to scare up three devoted swains without looking like a Playboy centerfold or having untold wealth is simply beyond me. She consistently acts and talks like a prudish, cranky 50-something who's going through a menopause so horrible she should be seeking medical and psychiatric help.
Yes, Ms. Fluke (or your ghostwriter)--I'll be back for the next installment. I can't help it.
So many of us reviewers who gave this book one star have declared, "This is it! I refuse to read another one of these!"
And then we do. Why? It's because we, deep down inside, are horrible people and we can't resist a good hate-read.
And there's SO much to hate about this series--this book in particular. I swear that, if we tried a drinking game in which we threw back a shot each time a Hannah Swensen/Lake Eden/recipe cliche occurred, we'd be dead from alcohol poisoning by the end of the second chapter.
Recipes/food item names capitalized? (GAAAAH.) Check. People consuming multiple cookies multiple times a day and suffering no ill effects? Check. (I'm an inveterate sweet tooth and baking fanatic, and even *I* think it's too much.) Lengthy descriptions and conversations that do nothing to develop the characters or advance the plot? Check. (In any other murder mystery, we zero in on these details, because hidden in them are clues leading us to the culprit. Not in Lake Eden!) Repetitious cat antics ad infinitum nauseamque? Check.
And then there's the total lack of logic. Out on bail? By all means, nip out to Vegas! Tired of trying to resolve that hoary old love triangle? Chuck in some minor character from umpteen books ago and invent some hunka-hunka-burnin'-love. Cast any semblance of routine police procedure to the wind.
It's like seeing a wreck on the highway. Only the most stalwart refuses to slow down and take a good look.
And don't get me started on the anachronisms. (OK--please do.) A woman in her 30s--a small business owner, no less--in 2015 who has to be cajoled into getting a computer and a smartphone? Please. Who wears elastic waist jeans and pastel pantsuits? Oh, come on--I'm nearly 63 and plus-sized and wouldn't be caught dead in either.
And then there are all the annoying characters. My forlorn hope is that Delores becomes one of the murder victims. About Tracey: I know a LOT of precocious, unusually intelligent children, and she doesn't sound like a single one of them. Ms. Fluke? Got any grandkids? Please LISTEN TO THEM once in a while and develop an ear for their speech patterns.
Chief among the annoying characters is our sleuth herself. How anyone that dour and persnickety manages to scare up three devoted swains without looking like a Playboy centerfold or having untold wealth is simply beyond me. She consistently acts and talks like a prudish, cranky 50-something who's going through a menopause so horrible she should be seeking medical and psychiatric help.
Yes, Ms. Fluke (or your ghostwriter)--I'll be back for the next installment. I can't help it.
March 7, 2015
As I was reading this one I wondered what happened to Hannah? When did she become so dumb, that she can't figure out a cell phone, that everyone feels the need to talk to her about men, that she can't figure out things for herself. Well...the last might be warranted as for most of the series we have gone back and forth with Hannah between Mike and Norman. That is why I was surprised when a dark horse came out of no where and it seems like he has managed to do what the previous men haven't. Not sure how I feel about that, but I do know that I am tired of the back and forth and am ready for the triangle to be over.
I also find myself waiting for Lisa to rip into Hannah about never being at the shop and working. Lisa always seems to be covering for her, along with Michelle and now we have Aunt Nancy.
I find myself getting more and more disillusioned with the series, but keep reading because I find some of my best recipes from the book. This book was no different, I look forward to trying a good 6-10 of them.
I also find myself waiting for Lisa to rip into Hannah about never being at the shop and working. Lisa always seems to be covering for her, along with Michelle and now we have Aunt Nancy.
I find myself getting more and more disillusioned with the series, but keep reading because I find some of my best recipes from the book. This book was no different, I look forward to trying a good 6-10 of them.
June 13, 2025
Not my favorite Hannah Swensen book but it's still good. The resolution of the murder seems secondary to Hannah's love life.
March 10, 2015
I am done with this series. It started going downhill about 9 books ago and with book 18 it crashed. The only bright spot is apparently Book 18 is the book where Hannah finally stops being a pedantic twit who nitpicks her (alleged) loved ones grammar on a near constant basis. Not having to read her constant commentary about their grammatical mistakes is the only reason why I'm giving it two stars instead of one.
***SPOILER***
So, in addition to believing that two men would wait around for an allegedly educated woman who can't figure out a phone or a computer but has plenty of time to make condescending remarks to herself about her family using clichés, now we are to believe there is a third guy who has had minimal mention after his role in Book 8 that both she and her family have been talking with on a near constant basis for 9 books? And now she's madly in love with him, despite him not being important enough to give more than passing mentions in the preceding 9 books? And despite this mad love still can't stop stringing along the two other guys?
Enough.
Oh, and there is an actual mystery to solve, though you'd be pretty hard-pressed to find it since the murder doesn't happen until around Chapter 9 and the killer has zero part in the novel until they are just randomly mentioned 90% of the way into the book.
Check it out from the library only if you want closure on the love triangle (square? parallelogram?). Don't waste money buying it.
***SPOILER***
So, in addition to believing that two men would wait around for an allegedly educated woman who can't figure out a phone or a computer but has plenty of time to make condescending remarks to herself about her family using clichés, now we are to believe there is a third guy who has had minimal mention after his role in Book 8 that both she and her family have been talking with on a near constant basis for 9 books? And now she's madly in love with him, despite him not being important enough to give more than passing mentions in the preceding 9 books? And despite this mad love still can't stop stringing along the two other guys?
Enough.
Oh, and there is an actual mystery to solve, though you'd be pretty hard-pressed to find it since the murder doesn't happen until around Chapter 9 and the killer has zero part in the novel until they are just randomly mentioned 90% of the way into the book.
Check it out from the library only if you want closure on the love triangle (square? parallelogram?). Don't waste money buying it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 11, 2015
Why do I keep reading these? Have they gotten worse or have they always been this bad? The writing is incredibly simplistic. I have an 11yo and she uses this system at school called Accelerated Reader. They label each book with a reading level basic on it's complexity. I'm quite sure that if this book were in there, it would be written on a low elementary school level. There are exclamation points in odd places that make it look like a child with delusions of writing the great American novel at their age wrote it.
Hannah's an idiot, except when the author's trying to make you think she's a genius with her annoying tidbits of knowledge. There are lots of portions of this book where the most mundane things are explained and explained again. We get an entire paragraph on why Hannah likes to sit in one particular chair in her kitchen, instead of the other three. She never works. She's about to go to trial and legitimately thinks she could be put in jail, but doesn't really seem to care at all. She's not been able to decide between Norman or Mike for 18 books now, but this new guy comes in and all of the sudden he's THE ONE for sure. She's let Mike treat her like crap for ages now. She can't figure out how to work a cell phone.
Then there's everyone else. Doesn't Andrea have a job? She's always helping out at Hannah's cookie shop. When does she do her actual job? Why isn't Lisa pissed? She constantly works 12 hour days getting little to no help from Hannah. Hannah's mom and Doc set her up with Russ, but then seem concerned when Hannah seems to fall for Russ. Mike's an ass.
And how many times do we need an explanation of Feet Up or the Invisible Waitress? Also, that last one? Who does that? If I'm talking and a waitress/waiter comes to our table, I stop talking, thank them for the refill (or whatever) and wait until they go away to start talking, whether I'm talking about something stupid or serious.
And don't get me started on how many recipes are in this book. I counted...there are 84 pages of recipes. Even one for an incredibly simple recipe I always do at Christmas. Here it is: crush one package of Oreos, combine with a block of cream cheese and form into balls. Dip the balls in chocolate and let harden. THAT recipe took up 3 pages in this book.
Gah! But I keep reading. I definitely wouldn't if I had to buy them, but I guess I'll read if the library keeps getting them. Meh.
Hannah's an idiot, except when the author's trying to make you think she's a genius with her annoying tidbits of knowledge. There are lots of portions of this book where the most mundane things are explained and explained again. We get an entire paragraph on why Hannah likes to sit in one particular chair in her kitchen, instead of the other three. She never works. She's about to go to trial and legitimately thinks she could be put in jail, but doesn't really seem to care at all. She's not been able to decide between Norman or Mike for 18 books now, but this new guy comes in and all of the sudden he's THE ONE for sure. She's let Mike treat her like crap for ages now. She can't figure out how to work a cell phone.
Then there's everyone else. Doesn't Andrea have a job? She's always helping out at Hannah's cookie shop. When does she do her actual job? Why isn't Lisa pissed? She constantly works 12 hour days getting little to no help from Hannah. Hannah's mom and Doc set her up with Russ, but then seem concerned when Hannah seems to fall for Russ. Mike's an ass.
And how many times do we need an explanation of Feet Up or the Invisible Waitress? Also, that last one? Who does that? If I'm talking and a waitress/waiter comes to our table, I stop talking, thank them for the refill (or whatever) and wait until they go away to start talking, whether I'm talking about something stupid or serious.
And don't get me started on how many recipes are in this book. I counted...there are 84 pages of recipes. Even one for an incredibly simple recipe I always do at Christmas. Here it is: crush one package of Oreos, combine with a block of cream cheese and form into balls. Dip the balls in chocolate and let harden. THAT recipe took up 3 pages in this book.
Gah! But I keep reading. I definitely wouldn't if I had to buy them, but I guess I'll read if the library keeps getting them. Meh.
December 12, 2015
The dialog for this entire series sounds like it was written by a 3rd grader. It's stilted, and ridiculous.
The story line is just as ridiculous. A 30 something woman who can't even figure out how to turn on a cell phone? A mom going on a honeymoon when her daughter is being charged with murder and may go to jail? And a 3rd man in love with her?
And yet I read every book. I can't explain it. The books are not good, but I read them all anyway, and will probably read the next one when it comes out.
The story line is just as ridiculous. A 30 something woman who can't even figure out how to turn on a cell phone? A mom going on a honeymoon when her daughter is being charged with murder and may go to jail? And a 3rd man in love with her?
And yet I read every book. I can't explain it. The books are not good, but I read them all anyway, and will probably read the next one when it comes out.
February 25, 2015
Did she really need another boyfriend and half the book was on recipes.
Not as good as her other books
Too many recipes. Too many boyfriends.
I've read all her books not happy with this one.
Not as good as her other books
Too many recipes. Too many boyfriends.
I've read all her books not happy with this one.
August 30, 2022
*Warning, there will be spoilers*
This is the worst Hannah Swenson mystery I've read thus far. I didn't like how Hannah was cleared from her charges from Blackberry Pie Murder by Judge Colfax minutes before he was murdered. Is it just me or does this sound too convenient to anyone? The book didn't do a good job at mixing the mystery and Hannah's baking life, often letting the baking outshine the investigating far too often than it should.
The love triangle, no, wait, scratch that, love square was absolutely irritating. Ross returns out of nowhere, and Hannah immediately falls into insta-love with him. It goes up to the point where it becomes WAY too cheesy.
Oh, and Hannah decides to marry Ross. Because truw wuv. *sighs*
Also, the culprit comes out of nowhere. I do hope that other mysteries are better in this series, as this is my 8th in total, but this was a bad mystery, especially for the most recent one.
This is the worst Hannah Swenson mystery I've read thus far. I didn't like how Hannah was cleared from her charges from Blackberry Pie Murder by Judge Colfax minutes before he was murdered. Is it just me or does this sound too convenient to anyone? The book didn't do a good job at mixing the mystery and Hannah's baking life, often letting the baking outshine the investigating far too often than it should.
The love triangle, no, wait, scratch that, love square was absolutely irritating. Ross returns out of nowhere, and Hannah immediately falls into insta-love with him. It goes up to the point where it becomes WAY too cheesy.
Oh, and Hannah decides to marry Ross. Because truw wuv. *sighs*
Also, the culprit comes out of nowhere. I do hope that other mysteries are better in this series, as this is my 8th in total, but this was a bad mystery, especially for the most recent one.
March 23, 2021
Update 3/23/21:For some reason, my most obscure, angry rant reviews have been seeing likes.
I only point this out because I don't want friends (many of whom are much, much more mature and nuanced about certain issues than I) thinking that all I do is spew angrily about books.
Now, on to said spew.
**WARNING: This is a lengthy and fairly negative review, one that contains a spoiler. That said, if you are at all on the fence about picking up this installment of the Hannah Swenson Series, you might consider checking it (and don't forget the status updates below) out before squandering your time or money on this tragic excuse for a book.
Again I say, Joanne Fluke’s Double Fudge Brownie Murder is, by far, one of the most embarrassing examples of hack writing I’ve come across in quite some time, and I regret the hours I spent slogging through the audio book. Read on to find out why.
Aaaaaaaand we’re back to the Joanne Fluke I know!
We’ve got stiff, insipid and amateurish prose, political talking points (This one was your basic helping of fiscal conservatism with a side of ableism. Also, I love that the elevator she decries early in the book is the very one to save her silly ass), sexism, moralizing, generalizations, unrealistic scenes, convenient plot devices, digressive filler with a side of stupid, lame puns and jokes, androids where characters used to be, profound and unmitigated sociocultural ignorance and lazy plotting.
This installment of the Hannah Swenson series is a far cry from the previous one, to which I very generously awarded four stars.
Fluke stuffs this book so full of convenient plot devices that it keels over, stone dead, before the end of chapter one.
For starters, the nail-biting trial you likely came for isn’t going to happen; let me burst that bubble for ya right now. Miraculously, Hannah’s open and shut, iron clad vehicular homicide case has been thrown out of court, in spite of a clear crime, bail hearing and subsequent indictment.
Now I’m neither a lawyer nor a legal scholar, but wouldn’t a shitty case, as this one apparently was, have been laughed out of court long before Voir Dire?
Having Hannah stand trial, even for a “trumped up charge,” would have created more conflict and tension, which is probably why Fluke decided against it. It'd be too much like good writing, I guess.
After all, an anxiety inducing trial, one brought to an abrupt end by the judge’s murder, would take the focus off the romance novel and cookbook Fluke really want’s you to read.
To continue, the temperamental, autonomous, self-assured Dolores Swenson we’ve gotten to know over the entirety of the series is, apparently, perfectly okay with and swoony over having her wedding highjacked by her selfish daughters and controlling fiancé (see the end of BBPM).
It was almost like watching The Faculty, Disturbing Behavior or Invasion of the Body Snatchers; while Dolores is her usual, nosey self, she is no longer the elegant, cantankerous, ambitious dynamo of previous books.
Rather, what we’ve got is a lobotomized, cooing, giggling, dough eyed ditz-bag who needs to be managed and chastised lest she get out of pocket.
I’m not buying that someone as sophisticated as Dolores Swenson would be at all understanding about or gooey over a sleezy Vegas Wedding at which an Elvis impersonator is acting as photographer.
I’m especially not buying that she would still be speaking to anyone involved in “taking the wedding away from her” (Fluke) because it was what was best for *them*.
Please, please, please, do not offer to accept the responsibility of planning someone’s wedding if you aren’t prepared to deal with indecision. Honestly, Hannah grins and bears everything else people throw at her (people specifically meaning Mike, Andrea, Bill and anyone else who takes advantage of or disrespects her), yet she’s so frustrated with her mother’s indecision that she throws up her hands and delegates the responsibility for her special day to the groom?
My theory is that she never wanted to plan the wedding to begin with; she is selfish and immature enough that aiding and abetting the replacement of her long dead father was never in the cards. I’d argue that she was butthurt over her mother’s daring to fill their father’s place in the bed; she figured that if it was going to happen, she was going to do what she could to punish her mother.
Her sisters are soulless, spineless robots with no wills of their own, so I have no trouble believing that convincing them to jump on her vindictive, manipulative bandwagon was anything close to an issue.
The only reason Hannah didn’t go out of her way to bring the wedding to a complete stop was because she figured out at some point that Doc was a controlling partner, one who would regulate her mother’s behavior, effectively neutralizing any threat she posed to Hannah’s single life.
So, Hannah gets what she wants; she gets to punish her mother for ending her years long morning period, ensure that her overbearing mother gets hitched to a controlling patriarch and shrug off the onerous task of planning her mother’s wedding.
Know what else she gets, a free pass to engage in premarital sex (hers is special because lerve) while at the same time moralizing and casting watchful, judgmental eyes on her college aged sister’s behavior. She can pound tequila sunrises left and right while at the same time interrogating her 21-year-old sister about *her* drinking habits.
She also gets to sleep in and question, with zero legal authority, total strangers while other people make her breakfast, feed her pet and run her business for her without being compensated for their time or labor.
Hannah also gets to impose on a child's time because she's too lazy or stupid to teach herself to use a smartphone.
Apparently, Hannah is so special that Andrea pulled her six-year-old daughter out of school just so she could teach her grown ass aunt how to use it.
Come to think of it, if everyone else in Hannah’s circle of friends, boyfriends, relatives, and unpaid labor has and is proficient at the smartphone, why is the task of teaching Hannah to use one being undertaken by a second grader?
To switch gears for a second, I want to get into why I think Fluke has created such an unrealistic world for Hannah. Underpinned by his theory of the mind and situated between his theory of dreams and of the imagination, Sigmund Freud’s theory of creative writing locates literary significance in the unconscious mind of the author; elements of literature such as plot and character are manifestations of latent and repressed desires.
Rather than overtly expressing his or her unfulfilled wishes, an author constructs reality and creates characters through which these desires can be played out.
Simply put, me thinks Hannah Swenson is the person Joanne Fluke badly wishes she could be. Honestly, she doesn’t really bother to hide it, what with Hannah’s close resemblance to an elderly, humorless, conservative, sanctimonious luddite of a matronly figure.
If you’re at all interested, look at Freud’s theory of creative writing and at Fluke’s biographical information and things will make some sense.
Ultimately, this book was no more and no less than a complete disappointment; 2 stars.
I only point this out because I don't want friends (many of whom are much, much more mature and nuanced about certain issues than I) thinking that all I do is spew angrily about books.
Now, on to said spew.
**WARNING: This is a lengthy and fairly negative review, one that contains a spoiler. That said, if you are at all on the fence about picking up this installment of the Hannah Swenson Series, you might consider checking it (and don't forget the status updates below) out before squandering your time or money on this tragic excuse for a book.
Again I say, Joanne Fluke’s Double Fudge Brownie Murder is, by far, one of the most embarrassing examples of hack writing I’ve come across in quite some time, and I regret the hours I spent slogging through the audio book. Read on to find out why.
Aaaaaaaand we’re back to the Joanne Fluke I know!
We’ve got stiff, insipid and amateurish prose, political talking points (This one was your basic helping of fiscal conservatism with a side of ableism. Also, I love that the elevator she decries early in the book is the very one to save her silly ass), sexism, moralizing, generalizations, unrealistic scenes, convenient plot devices, digressive filler with a side of stupid, lame puns and jokes, androids where characters used to be, profound and unmitigated sociocultural ignorance and lazy plotting.
This installment of the Hannah Swenson series is a far cry from the previous one, to which I very generously awarded four stars.
Fluke stuffs this book so full of convenient plot devices that it keels over, stone dead, before the end of chapter one.
For starters, the nail-biting trial you likely came for isn’t going to happen; let me burst that bubble for ya right now. Miraculously, Hannah’s open and shut, iron clad vehicular homicide case has been thrown out of court, in spite of a clear crime, bail hearing and subsequent indictment.
Now I’m neither a lawyer nor a legal scholar, but wouldn’t a shitty case, as this one apparently was, have been laughed out of court long before Voir Dire?
Having Hannah stand trial, even for a “trumped up charge,” would have created more conflict and tension, which is probably why Fluke decided against it. It'd be too much like good writing, I guess.
After all, an anxiety inducing trial, one brought to an abrupt end by the judge’s murder, would take the focus off the romance novel and cookbook Fluke really want’s you to read.
To continue, the temperamental, autonomous, self-assured Dolores Swenson we’ve gotten to know over the entirety of the series is, apparently, perfectly okay with and swoony over having her wedding highjacked by her selfish daughters and controlling fiancé (see the end of BBPM).
It was almost like watching The Faculty, Disturbing Behavior or Invasion of the Body Snatchers; while Dolores is her usual, nosey self, she is no longer the elegant, cantankerous, ambitious dynamo of previous books.
Rather, what we’ve got is a lobotomized, cooing, giggling, dough eyed ditz-bag who needs to be managed and chastised lest she get out of pocket.
I’m not buying that someone as sophisticated as Dolores Swenson would be at all understanding about or gooey over a sleezy Vegas Wedding at which an Elvis impersonator is acting as photographer.
I’m especially not buying that she would still be speaking to anyone involved in “taking the wedding away from her” (Fluke) because it was what was best for *them*.
Please, please, please, do not offer to accept the responsibility of planning someone’s wedding if you aren’t prepared to deal with indecision. Honestly, Hannah grins and bears everything else people throw at her (people specifically meaning Mike, Andrea, Bill and anyone else who takes advantage of or disrespects her), yet she’s so frustrated with her mother’s indecision that she throws up her hands and delegates the responsibility for her special day to the groom?
My theory is that she never wanted to plan the wedding to begin with; she is selfish and immature enough that aiding and abetting the replacement of her long dead father was never in the cards. I’d argue that she was butthurt over her mother’s daring to fill their father’s place in the bed; she figured that if it was going to happen, she was going to do what she could to punish her mother.
Her sisters are soulless, spineless robots with no wills of their own, so I have no trouble believing that convincing them to jump on her vindictive, manipulative bandwagon was anything close to an issue.
The only reason Hannah didn’t go out of her way to bring the wedding to a complete stop was because she figured out at some point that Doc was a controlling partner, one who would regulate her mother’s behavior, effectively neutralizing any threat she posed to Hannah’s single life.
So, Hannah gets what she wants; she gets to punish her mother for ending her years long morning period, ensure that her overbearing mother gets hitched to a controlling patriarch and shrug off the onerous task of planning her mother’s wedding.
Know what else she gets, a free pass to engage in premarital sex (hers is special because lerve) while at the same time moralizing and casting watchful, judgmental eyes on her college aged sister’s behavior. She can pound tequila sunrises left and right while at the same time interrogating her 21-year-old sister about *her* drinking habits.
She also gets to sleep in and question, with zero legal authority, total strangers while other people make her breakfast, feed her pet and run her business for her without being compensated for their time or labor.
Hannah also gets to impose on a child's time because she's too lazy or stupid to teach herself to use a smartphone.
Apparently, Hannah is so special that Andrea pulled her six-year-old daughter out of school just so she could teach her grown ass aunt how to use it.
Come to think of it, if everyone else in Hannah’s circle of friends, boyfriends, relatives, and unpaid labor has and is proficient at the smartphone, why is the task of teaching Hannah to use one being undertaken by a second grader?
To switch gears for a second, I want to get into why I think Fluke has created such an unrealistic world for Hannah. Underpinned by his theory of the mind and situated between his theory of dreams and of the imagination, Sigmund Freud’s theory of creative writing locates literary significance in the unconscious mind of the author; elements of literature such as plot and character are manifestations of latent and repressed desires.
Rather than overtly expressing his or her unfulfilled wishes, an author constructs reality and creates characters through which these desires can be played out.
Simply put, me thinks Hannah Swenson is the person Joanne Fluke badly wishes she could be. Honestly, she doesn’t really bother to hide it, what with Hannah’s close resemblance to an elderly, humorless, conservative, sanctimonious luddite of a matronly figure.
If you’re at all interested, look at Freud’s theory of creative writing and at Fluke’s biographical information and things will make some sense.
Ultimately, this book was no more and no less than a complete disappointment; 2 stars.
July 24, 2016
I've read all of the books in this series as "comfort" reads--nothing too scary will happen. But this time I felt like I was reading a bad 1950s romance with a murder subplot.
Hannah once again is like a 60-year-old woman. Even in rural Minnesota, a pantsuit is not a dynamic fashion statement. She is always exhausted. She has a small child teaching her how to text. Hannah would have to have an IQ of 65 to be this challenged in technology. And the kid's use of language and grasp of concepts gives her an IQ of 195. Good grief.
Characters spend a lot of time laughing and gasping for breath at wisecracks that would barely bring a smile to anyone's lips.
I could go on complaining, but why bother? This is a truly bad book.
Hannah once again is like a 60-year-old woman. Even in rural Minnesota, a pantsuit is not a dynamic fashion statement. She is always exhausted. She has a small child teaching her how to text. Hannah would have to have an IQ of 65 to be this challenged in technology. And the kid's use of language and grasp of concepts gives her an IQ of 195. Good grief.
Characters spend a lot of time laughing and gasping for breath at wisecracks that would barely bring a smile to anyone's lips.
I could go on complaining, but why bother? This is a truly bad book.
October 29, 2015
I have read every book in the Hannah Swenson series and maybe that is my problem, but this book drove me nuts. I swear there was a lecture every other page. A lecture on hydrangea bushes, a lecture on what grenadine is, a lecture on how to make pork chops, a lecture on private jets, etc. etc. etc.
I'm half tempted to go back and read the first book to see if they have always been this bad. I know there has been comments in the past about the recipes and how she made them or what were in the cookies, but I just don't remember them being in lecture mode. (BTW, never make any of the recipes in the books. I have tried a couple and they are complete flops. I'm an experienced baker and the amounts of some the ingredients in the recipes are unbelievable. I can't believe they have actually been successfully tested.)
This book just seemed too predictable from the "mystery" of how Moishe was stealing items to if her and Ross would proceed in a relationship. The only mystery was whodunit and because the murderer wasn't introduced until a few pages before he's revealed, that managed to stay a surprise.
I'm half tempted to go back and read the first book to see if they have always been this bad. I know there has been comments in the past about the recipes and how she made them or what were in the cookies, but I just don't remember them being in lecture mode. (BTW, never make any of the recipes in the books. I have tried a couple and they are complete flops. I'm an experienced baker and the amounts of some the ingredients in the recipes are unbelievable. I can't believe they have actually been successfully tested.)
This book just seemed too predictable from the "mystery" of how Moishe was stealing items to if her and Ross would proceed in a relationship. The only mystery was whodunit and because the murderer wasn't introduced until a few pages before he's revealed, that managed to stay a surprise.
April 3, 2015
Wow this series was my first real entrance into the cozy-mystery world, and I've not followed the series order, just skipping around, but awhile ago I got fed up with the series and put it down. However, I heard some things were resolved in this book so I got it from my library and I was disappointed. The writing was sophomoric, the main characters annoying, and the ending rushed.
I really had not remembered how Ms. Fluke wrote, and I must say it was a disappointment! The writing is almost juvenile and the scenes that are supposed to create tension end up falling flat. There are an abundance of exclamation points. at some points three to five per page! They were overused and made parts almost comical in the book. Tracey's character was also very poorly written. I couldn't figure out her age, because the last book I read she was like 5 but in this book she is such a know-it-all, and extremely annoying.
Mike and Hannah's characters were disappointing, also. I never liked Mike and he's such an arrogant jerk. Hannah was always an okay character to me but she seemed so stupid in parts of this book and then in the next scene she's acting like she knows everything.
However, the book was okay. I read it really quickly, it kept my attention. Most of the rest of the characters were also alright, I really like Lisa, Michelle, Delores, Norman, Ross, and Bill. The ending was really rushed and there were no real clues as to who the killer was, which made the mystery bland.
Overall an okay book I probably won't read again. However, this does resolve the love triangle in Hannah's life, so if you're sick of that aspect of the other books in this series, like I was, this wraps that up.
I really had not remembered how Ms. Fluke wrote, and I must say it was a disappointment! The writing is almost juvenile and the scenes that are supposed to create tension end up falling flat. There are an abundance of exclamation points. at some points three to five per page! They were overused and made parts almost comical in the book. Tracey's character was also very poorly written. I couldn't figure out her age, because the last book I read she was like 5 but in this book she is such a know-it-all, and extremely annoying.
Mike and Hannah's characters were disappointing, also. I never liked Mike and he's such an arrogant jerk. Hannah was always an okay character to me but she seemed so stupid in parts of this book and then in the next scene she's acting like she knows everything.
However, the book was okay. I read it really quickly, it kept my attention. Most of the rest of the characters were also alright, I really like Lisa, Michelle, Delores, Norman, Ross, and Bill. The ending was really rushed and there were no real clues as to who the killer was, which made the mystery bland.
Overall an okay book I probably won't read again. However, this does resolve the love triangle in Hannah's life, so if you're sick of that aspect of the other books in this series, like I was, this wraps that up.
March 22, 2015
Wow, I have read a lot of fluke, and while she isn't noble prize material, I've generally thought her books were fun. This book, however needs a strong editor and maybe a ghost writer. It was silly and poorly written.
And of course there is 30 year old Hannah who is really a 60 year old who attracts all the single men in town. Huh? Yes, all men want frumpy grumpy out of sync woman. It isn't as if she even is old fashioned in a 50s housewife kind of way. I really don't like books where a woman who isn't even smart or fun, and also doesn't have any looks gets some hot rich guy. Are we becoming delusional guys?
And of course there is 30 year old Hannah who is really a 60 year old who attracts all the single men in town. Huh? Yes, all men want frumpy grumpy out of sync woman. It isn't as if she even is old fashioned in a 50s housewife kind of way. I really don't like books where a woman who isn't even smart or fun, and also doesn't have any looks gets some hot rich guy. Are we becoming delusional guys?
August 19, 2019
I love Hannah Swensen's world and in this book she finds a judge murdered in his chambers! Who did it? And why did it have to happen after she had a romantic weekend with Ross in Las Vegas?!? Who will she end up marrying?!? Love this series.
September 25, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️ -Audiobook
I was disappointed in this one. There was so much potential with the storyline, but Hannah swooning over an old crush she had only seen once in fifteen years ruined the plot.
I was disappointed in this one. There was so much potential with the storyline, but Hannah swooning over an old crush she had only seen once in fifteen years ruined the plot.
March 16, 2015
Spoilers abound as I can not think of a way to express my discontent without mentioning the sudden reappearance of an old boyfriend. If you do not want spoilers, please stop reading. Still here? Okay.
I have long waited for Hannah to grow up and chose Norman. I know there are plenty of people on Team Mike but I was never one of them. He seems just as interested in every other woman in the room as he is in Hannah. He often opposes her murder solving schemes and since she is always going to get involved, it is always a source of tension between them.
Norman has always loved her as she is including her annoying habit of correcting everyone's grammar and having every bit of trivia in her head. He supports her; he loves her. He tells her she is wonderful. He is everything you would want in a husband except Mike is better looking.
I had become thoroughly sick of her stringing them both along. Well apparently Fluke decided to end that but tried to keep either team from revolting because she brought back the college boyfriend Ross who was in maybe 2 out of 20 books and that was 9 books or so back. This just makes Hannah look like a (blank).
Ross proposes and Hannah says yes. Later on Norman proposes and Hannah does not tell him she already agreed to marry Ross; just continues to string Norman along. Mike then kisses her and proposes again as well. She both kisses this guy who is not her fiancée and strings him along too. Grow up and be honest with these men.
There was also about 85 pages of recipes in this 355 page book and a lot about the mystery of how her cat is getting other people's things into the house. There was also a small amount of talk of a dead judge. The mystery was at best an afterthought. So if you want a basic fluff piece of cozy mystery and don't mind the Norman/Mike/Ross stuff, by all means read and enjoy.
I have long waited for Hannah to grow up and chose Norman. I know there are plenty of people on Team Mike but I was never one of them. He seems just as interested in every other woman in the room as he is in Hannah. He often opposes her murder solving schemes and since she is always going to get involved, it is always a source of tension between them.
Norman has always loved her as she is including her annoying habit of correcting everyone's grammar and having every bit of trivia in her head. He supports her; he loves her. He tells her she is wonderful. He is everything you would want in a husband except Mike is better looking.
I had become thoroughly sick of her stringing them both along. Well apparently Fluke decided to end that but tried to keep either team from revolting because she brought back the college boyfriend Ross who was in maybe 2 out of 20 books and that was 9 books or so back. This just makes Hannah look like a (blank).
Ross proposes and Hannah says yes. Later on Norman proposes and Hannah does not tell him she already agreed to marry Ross; just continues to string Norman along. Mike then kisses her and proposes again as well. She both kisses this guy who is not her fiancée and strings him along too. Grow up and be honest with these men.
There was also about 85 pages of recipes in this 355 page book and a lot about the mystery of how her cat is getting other people's things into the house. There was also a small amount of talk of a dead judge. The mystery was at best an afterthought. So if you want a basic fluff piece of cozy mystery and don't mind the Norman/Mike/Ross stuff, by all means read and enjoy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2015
I told myself that Blackberry Pie Murder was going to be the last Hannah Swenson book that I would ever read. Why, oh WHY did I go ahead and read Double Fudge Brownie Murder?!? I knew I should of stopped with BPM, but no, I thought that maybe the next book in the series would be better. Wrong. Anyway, I'm so disappointed that these books have become so boring and annoying. The only redeeming quality that this snooze-fest has is that Hannah FINALLY agreed to marry *someone*. It took 80...EIGHTY pages into the book before there was even a murder. That's why I read these cozies-for the "whodunnit" factor, and this book took forever due to the issue of Hannah's personal life swallowing up the previous pages. Even the murder was second-fiddle to her love life, and the murderer was, IMO, random. This IS the last book in the series that I will read.
July 7, 2015
I read reviews before getting this book from the library. I wish I had listened to them. This is awful. No disrespect to Ms. Fluke, but this book is horrible. On page 239, Michelle says, "I think I could have lived my whole life without knowing that," and that pretty much sums up how I feel about this story.
Every irritating thing about this series just came to a head in this book. The awkward dialogue, the boring cat stories, the will-she, won't she aspect of Hannah's relationships with men....the whole book is just awful.
Every irritating thing about this series just came to a head in this book. The awkward dialogue, the boring cat stories, the will-she, won't she aspect of Hannah's relationships with men....the whole book is just awful.
June 16, 2021
4.25 stars
So glad Hannah finally made a decision about who she is going to marry. The main point of this particular book was to showcase the love lives of the Swensen women. It was also fun seeing the family outside of Lake Eden. Las Vegas is as different from Minnesota as you can get haha.
The mystery was intriguing. It was nice that both Hannah and Mike found this case difficult to solve. (My theories on who the killer was turned out to be wrong.) I liked the realistic showing that not all avenues are the weight ones when trying to solve a murder. Even though I was genuinely curious on who killed the judge, the solving of it felt phoned in. Expected more than him just confessing to her. It does go to show that knowing how to text is important lol.
I can see why this book could be well liked by those who grew tired of the series. It’s a fun read that’s more romance than mystery. Lucky for me, I like both.
So glad Hannah finally made a decision about who she is going to marry. The main point of this particular book was to showcase the love lives of the Swensen women. It was also fun seeing the family outside of Lake Eden. Las Vegas is as different from Minnesota as you can get haha.
The mystery was intriguing. It was nice that both Hannah and Mike found this case difficult to solve. (My theories on who the killer was turned out to be wrong.) I liked the realistic showing that not all avenues are the weight ones when trying to solve a murder. Even though I was genuinely curious on who killed the judge, the solving of it felt phoned in. Expected more than him just confessing to her. It does go to show that knowing how to text is important lol.
I can see why this book could be well liked by those who grew tired of the series. It’s a fun read that’s more romance than mystery. Lucky for me, I like both.
February 27, 2015
After seventeen books of the Hannah-Norman-Mike love triangle, book eighteen finally provides closure! The winner is, drum roll please,
The murder in this book seems a bit secondary and the way Hannah's homicide charges from the last book however after a decade and a half of Hannah Swenson murders I am just reading for the character "development" (Hannah didn't go around correcting people's grammar, over explaining things, and actually got a smart phone in this book, though she did seem a bit mature/elderly for a lady in her early-thirties).
This is a quick fluff read, I finished it in a day, that's a bit repetitive and overall mediocre (I'd probably rate it 2 1/2 stars, not 3, if I could). It isn't as bad as some of the past books and actually redeemed the series for me, though I do hope it ends soon, maybe after book twenty? In the next book we can have and in book twenty, which would be a nice place to end the series, we can have
The murder in this book seems a bit secondary and the way Hannah's homicide charges from the last book however after a decade and a half of Hannah Swenson murders I am just reading for the character "development" (Hannah didn't go around correcting people's grammar, over explaining things, and actually got a smart phone in this book, though she did seem a bit mature/elderly for a lady in her early-thirties).
This is a quick fluff read, I finished it in a day, that's a bit repetitive and overall mediocre (I'd probably rate it 2 1/2 stars, not 3, if I could). It isn't as bad as some of the past books and actually redeemed the series for me, though I do hope it ends soon, maybe after book twenty? In the next book we can have and in book twenty, which would be a nice place to end the series, we can have
March 5, 2015
Hannah’s trial is coming up, and she’s hoping to finally have the entire things behind her. Instead, she finds another dead body, this time the judge who was supposed to preside over her trial. With her name once again on the suspect list, Hannah must find the real killer.
While it is always fun to check in with these characters, I do enjoy a good mystery. Sadly, the mystery took a back seat to other things happening. Too many scenes were devoted to cooking. On the other hand, there is significant progress on the love triangle. And really, I do love these characters.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
While it is always fun to check in with these characters, I do enjoy a good mystery. Sadly, the mystery took a back seat to other things happening. Too many scenes were devoted to cooking. On the other hand, there is significant progress on the love triangle. And really, I do love these characters.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
March 21, 2015
My two stars is being very generous. I'm about 1/3 of the way through and I just can't stomach it to finish. I'm thoroughly upset that after all of these years of waiting for Hannah to make a choice, she chooses an old flame who is, to me, very fake. Also there's some lazy writing with having all of the characters talk alike (I noticed this in Blackberry Pie Murder as well). Sadly, this is an end of an era for me, unless I find a review for the next book that the new flame is the murder victim. And even then...if I were Mike and Norman, I wouldn't take her back.
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