Blueberry Muffin Murder

Hannah Swensen #3

by Joanne Fluke

Bakery owner Hannah Swensen is back-and the cookies are crumbling-as acclaimed author Joanne Fluke serves readers another helping of murder, mayhem, and mouthwatering mystery

Preparations are underway for Lake Eden, Minnesota-s annual Winter Carnival-and Hannah Swensen is set to bake up a storm at her popular shop, The Cookie Jar. Too bad the honor of creating the official Winter Carnival cake went to famous lifestyle maven Connie Mac-a half-baked idea, in Hannah-s opinion. She suspects Connie Mac is a lot like the confections she whips up on her cable TV cooking show-sweet, light, and scrumptious-looking, but likely to leave a bitter taste in your mouth.

Hannah-s suspicions are confirmed when Connie Mac-s limo rolls into town. Turns out America-s -Cooking Sweetheart- is bossy, bad-tempered, and downright domineering. Things finally boil over when Hannah arrives at The Cookie Jar to find the Winter Carnival cake burnt to a crisp-and Connie Mac lying dead in her pantry, struck down while eating one of Hannah-s famous blueberry muffins.

Next thing Hannah knows, the police have declared The Cookie Jar-s kitchen crime scene off-limits. She-s a baker without an oven-and the Carnival is right around the corner. Hannah-s only alternative is to cook up a plan to save her business-by finding the killer herself.

Includes seven original cookie and dessert recipes for you to try! Delicious food descriptions and recipes, warm and familiar characters who grow into real people-a vivid picture of the small lake town and a well-crafted mystery provide the ingredients for yet another tempting feast that should satisfy all fans, old and new.--Publishers Weekly

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Cozy, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2001

About the author

Like 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

Reviews

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I thought in 2012: I'm loving this series... will have to incorporate it in every other book to catch up! And then I tried, but sometimes they get so sugary!

Connie Mac is the focus here... and it's all about cooking and the winter carnival. It's an early book in the series and helps you create a strong understanding of Hannah. I wonder if they'll make this one into a TV movie. I don't think it has been yet.

About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.

[Rebbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 delicious stars!!!

This is the third book in the Hannah Swensen series, with each book centering around a murder mystery in her tiny town of Lake Eden. I must say that even though bodies keep popping up (O_O) I would still love to visit such a cute little town.

There's something to be said for establishing a long-term relationship between the readers and the characters in a book series. When written properly, you get the effect we have here, which is the desire to know more about the characters and what happens to them. You root for them, want them to triumph, and may even wish their cute town were real!

Speaking of which, I simply adore Joanne Fluke's ability to weave a mystery together while offering the perfect amount of description in each scene. It makes it easier to visualize, which in turn makes it more enjoyable than the average cozy mystery series.

In this particular story, we have a celebrity chef (a spoiled rotten diva) that's murdered right in Hannah's bake shop. In order for Hannah to be able to resume her business so she doesn't go bankrupt, she puts her amateur detective skills to work in order to solve the crime as quickly as possible.

I really enjoyed this story, especially the dynamic between Hannah and her sister Andrea, who served as her amateur sleuth sidekick. It was nice to read more of Andrea in this novel, particularly as it pertains to how well they work together to solve a crime.

Seriously, they should open a private detective agency right next to The Cookie Jar. They might as well get paid for all their hard work! They make the real detectives' jobs all too easy (Bill and Mike). Speaking of Mike, the love triangle between him, Hannah and Norman seems to be heating up. I'm not sure how it's going to end up, but I'm totally rooting for Mike over Norman, because his chemistry with Hannah is on FIYAH. :P

I already can't wait to read the fourth book in this series.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, a return to cold, snowy Minnesota where Hannah runs a cookie shop, has a spoiled cat, and always seems to find herself in the middle of a murder investigation. I love these for their charming small town life, Hannah’s meddling mother, and the delicious recipes. In this one, a famous cooking show star comes to town, But when something terrible happens, and Hannah finds herself in the middle of it, she has to hurriedly find the real killer in order to get back to her normal life. The atmosphere and setting in these are brilliantly done, as always. A cozy mystery treat.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this 3rd book in the Hannah Swensen series, the baker/amateur sleuth investigates the murder of a cooking show host. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Hannah Swensen, who owns the 'Cookie Jar' bakery in Lake Eden, Minnesota.....



......has two beaus: dentist Norman and detective Mike.





Other regular characters in the books are Hannah's fashionista sister Andrea.....



and Hannah's mom Dorothy, who's constantly plotting to get Hannah married.



As the book opens Lake Eden is planning a winter carnival. TV star Connie MacIntyre (Connie Mac) - who hosts a cooking show, writes cookbooks, and own cookery shops - is in town for the festivities.



Connie Mac is haughty, conceited, and bossy. When her winter carnival cake suffers a mishap she commandeers the Cookie Jar to bake a replacement and is soon found dead on the premises - apparently clubbed with a baseball bat. There are plenty of possible suspects, including Connie Mac's husband, her harassed employees, and even Norman - who was asked to photograph her.

Though warned by detective Mike to stay away, Hannah jumps in to investigate the murder with the help of her sister. The lady sleuths question one person after another, hoping to establish alibis for the people they like. As usual in this series, the actual police investigation is a miniscule part of the story.

Some of the winter carnival activities like the family snowman contest.....



and the ice fishing contest add interest to the book.



So does Hannah baking and distributing cookies around town. The book includes several recipes for Hannah's cookies; the multiple choice cookie bars seem particularly intriguing.



Amidst her mother's maneuverings and her romantic forays with Mike and Norman, Hannah carries on and solves the crime. If you're a fan of cozies you'll probably enjoy this book.

Recipes in the book include:


Peanut Butter Melts


Blue Blueberry Muffins


Twin Chocolate Delights


Little Snowballs


Grilled Cream Cheese Sandwich


White Chocolate Supremes


Short Stack Cookies


Multiple Choice Cookie Bars

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com

[☾❀Apple✩ Blossom⋆｡˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hannah! You simply got to stop finding bodies!



The little pretty town of Lake Eden is once again busy, this time with the preparations of the annual Winter Carnival. Everyone and their mothers have a role in it, and Hannah Swensen is no exception, as her cookie shop is loaded with orders for the incoming celebrations. This is definitely not the best moment for her to find the main guest of the show, celebrity chef Connie Mac, dead in her pantry.



Of course, there is nothing so bad that is not good for something, and a corpse is no exception - if you are Hanna Swensen, at least - because now you can play cop and find out who the killer is... again!



And that is how our "heroine" ends up being involved in yet another investigation, mildly pissing off the town cop who doesn't put her in jail because he wants to put her in his bed; endangering her sister who she suspect being pregnant but is more concerned of her eating her whole portion of fries than facing a potential killer; and spreading everyone's dirty secrets three seconds after swearing to never do that ever (like, really, who do you think I am???).
All of the above, while dating two men at the same time because "you never put all your eggs in one basket" like her mom - who, incidentally, she keeps treating like garbage - has wisely suggested, and getting upset for not managing to make them jealous enough.

At least, this time she has an excuse not to bake since her store has been sealed as a murder scene! Whoa, she almost had to do her own job for once!



Well, I mean, let me get another of these books. Man, they are just like cookies: you can never stop at the first one! 🤦‍♀️

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Celebrity Chef Connie Mac is in town for Lake Eden's Winter Carnival. She has been chosen to bake the official Winter Carnival cake and has asked to use Hannah Swensen's kitchen at The Cookie Jar to do the baking overnight. But when Hannah opens up in the morning, she finds Connie Mac dead in the pantry. The police quickly shut down The Cookie Jar because it is a crime scene. Hannah needs to find a place to finish baking her cookies for the various people who have ordered them for the carnival. Since Hannah can't get back into her bakery, she decides she must hurry up and solve this case so she can get her kitchen back soon. It won't be easy though. Connie Mac had a lot of enemies, including members of her staff and some people she came in contact with at Lake Eden.

This was an enjoyable mystery. There were several suspects to work through. I actually had no clue who the killer was, but I enjoyed this book anyway. Hannah is dating both Cop Mike and Dentist Norman. I wish she would decide which guy she is interested in. My rating: 4 Stars.

[Elle G. Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Hannah Swensen series #3

:: 5 Pretty Little Stars ::

I don't get a lot of time to read cozy mysteries because I am heavily involved in romance books but this one really hit the spot for me. I absolutely ADORE this series. It is filled with mystery, suspense, and some of my absolute favorite characters of all time! Anyone who is looking to getting into this genre I highly recommend starting with this series. It's very well written and a lot of fun. Not to mention the recipes that are included in each book are AMAZING. Yes, I have been known to try out a few and have loved them. Anyways, this is the third book in the series and follows Hannah Swensen, owner of The Cookie Jar, as she finds yet another dead body and sets out to find the killer!

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you like a light reading mystery novel, you'll enjoy this book. If you like an exciting and intriguing suspense full of surprises and twists and turns... you'll want to pass. However if you like baking recipes you'll LOVE this book! If you only can eat Gluten Free then you'll hate the recipes (Same goes for lo-cal, fat free, lo-carb, Atkins, etc...). If you like simple to follow clues and easy to read dialogue you'll like this book. If you hate simple to follow clues and easy to read dialogue then you'll REALLY hate this book.
In the end it was entertaining at best, and completely frustrating and annoying at worst. A lot of the dialogue is very pedestrian and at times not realistic. I really couldn't see some of the conversations every happening in real life.
Hannah is a baker and she's demanding facts and clues from people she's interviewing... and they comply! Without asking for a lawyer! She takes it upon herself to completely disregard police orders and protocols to solve a murder because her poor widdle shop has been closed down until the forensics team finishes their investigation of the murder, which took place in her business. Of course it happened at the most inconvenient time, during a Winter carnival her little town is hosting. Don't you hate it when murders and personal tragedy ruin your chance to increase your profit margin?
Things just work out a little too perfectly for Hannah: She catches the killer (oops spoiler! or is it? not really.), gets to bake all of her cookies, helps a friend discover her past, and even gets both guys! Can she do no wrong?
If not for the recipes, this novel might have been a complete loss for me.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun, easy read in the Hannah Swensen Mystery series. :)

[AmBerGUR · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed it even though I guessed who the killer was from the beginning haha.

[Jalyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Brief summary
Hannah Swensen is really good at finding dead bodies. In this book, she finds the body of a famous cookbook author/tv celebrity chef in the kitchen of her bakery.

What I liked
A few of the recipes look really good. I think I'm going to try the blueberry muffin one. I like the addition of blueberry pie filling in the batter.

What I didn't like
Unfortunately, most of this book. The characters are so flat to me. I don't feel like I'm a part of the story at all. Hannah's love interests aren't that interesting and I felt like she should just drop them both.

Brief thoughts
I wasn't a big fan of Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, but I decided to give the Hannah Swensen series another try. Apparently I missed book #2, but I didn't feel lost. I'm officially throwing in the towel on this series, but that doesn't mean other people out there won't like Hannah's stories. They just aren't for me.

[Laura • lauralovestoread · Rating 4 out of 5]

My fave so far! I loved that the sisters are on the mystery solving mission together, and their banter was so fun. I also love that we are finally getting to see more into Hannah’s romantic love interests, and the characters seem more multi dimensional now.

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a lame duck. Uninteresting story, uninteresting sideplots, uninteresting characters. The mystery was incredibly easy to solve (for the reader). Meanwhile, the main sleuth and her friends treat it like some frivolous party-game. Nobody (except the cops, because it's their *job* though they don't see to be any good at it) takes into consideration that people actually died. The whole murder-solving thing is treated as some sort of hobby for the main character. There's no respect at all for the victim as a person (well, she was a *mean* person, so there). Yuck. The first time I've read a Joanne Fluke book, and also the last.

[Brittany McCann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was it just me, or did it seem like there were many more recipes in this one than in the previous novels? maybe I have just taken too long of a break since book 2.

Overall this is a quick and easy read sort of a series; it flipped Hannah around but almost too much.

Instead of Hannah being dense in this one, she seems to be the only one able to connect any of the murderous dots.

The romance is so unconvincing that it is almost a waste of space to read about.

I still like the female characters, but Fluke seems to be lacking in depicting male characters.

Solid 3.

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy crap I really am liking this series. I can't say much because it's the 3rd book in the series but I love that we continue to learn so much about each character. The murders have all been different and really interesting.

[Emily Schultz · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know what? It wasn't the worst thing I've ever read.

Hannah is an idiot, tho.

[Readaholic Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable mystery and definitely one of my favorite Hannah Swensen's mysteries. I was not sad nor surprised that Connie Mac was the victim and that she was a horrible person. I was surprised to see who the killer was.

[Tabby Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her third top-of-the-line culinary cozy (after 2001's Strawberry Shortcake Murder), the delightful amateur sleuth Hannah Swensen once again faces murder and mayhem with good cheer. To fight the late February doldrums, Lake Eden, Minn., is about to celebrate its first winter carnival with ice sports on the lake, activities for children and Hannah's delicious cookies from her shop, the Cookie Jar. The whole town is involved, and even Hannah's mother, who usually spends her time trying to get Hannah married, has found a new interest in recreating the home of one of Lake Eden's founding fathers. Connie MacIntyre, bestselling cook book author and star of a popular cable TV cooking show, has agreed to make the cake for the carnival banquet. But when Hannah discovers Connie's dead body in the pantry of the Cookie Jar, Hannah and her sister Andrea join forces to track down the killer, despite warnings by one of her boyfriends, policeman Mike Kensington, to stay out of the investigation. Since everyone who had contact with the abusive Connie disliked her, the sisters have plenty of suspects. Delicious food descriptions and recipes, warm and familiar characters who grow into real people (Hannah's increasing respect for Andrea is a highlight), a vivid picture of the small lake town and a well-crafted mystery provide the ingredients for yet another tempting feast that should satisfy all fans, old and new. (Mar. 5)Forecast: A simple, bold jacket featuring a skull formed by blueberries in a sliced muffin sends just the right message to attract cozy fans.

[Jacalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's another Hannah Swensen mystery filled with savory treats I must attempt in my own kitchen, murder, and mayhem.

This one involves a fellow cook, one from television, and the body ends up in Hannah's own kitchen. Yikes!

Check it out. Once more, it's all about the characters. There's some great one liners in this one that are absolute gems!

[Ashley Baez Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another quick, easy cozy mystery from Joanne Fluke’s series. I enjoy these reads in between more serious novels. They are not exactly complex and the characters are straight out of a rom-com, but sometimes it’s nice to curl up with an easy read. On to the next Hannah Swensen installation!

[Erica Chaillot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoying this series. Hannah and her sister are relatable characters. The plot was interesting and the love triangle fun. I will continue to read this series.

[Luffy Sempai · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can see some thought has gone into writing this book. Some of the products of this effort has been accessible to me. There's the elegant tone in the final few pages, which prevented the aftermath of the climax from being monotonous. I could appreciate the irony of Greg's prank with Hannah right at the beginning and what happens in the end. My problem is that there's a demand for some unimportant characters to gather into the spotlight. I didn't want to know about Lisa's afflicted dad. I also didn't want more of Tracey. She's got to be the most fake and faked character I've come across. But I suspect people have told the author to put her into her books, which is bad news for me, unless Tracey grows up. Then there's no problem.

I found the storyline of the two suitors competing for Hannah's affection slightly unoriginal, and from the way things are going I say Mike's the front runner. Parts of the book was predictable soon as the author focused on these lines. I also detected the vibe of competitiveness between the two sisters. What they say. Sometimes they say some pretty mean stuff. Andrea calls her marriage without problems, yet a slight scratch at the surface yields competition between her and her co bread earner of a husband. I was sure the author might be telling us that she's bound to present cookie cutter characters but she's adding depth to her story. But the author might instead just be fine with what she's included and considers her characters pristine.

The mystery is one which could have been solved by the police. It seems to me that the murderer was not very clever or cautious. There's no details of his crimes frankly. For most of the investigation carried out by Hannah a long winding false trail is tread, and the trail is the spine of the journey of the mystery. But the ending is out of the blue. Speaking of blue this book is like those old films where the title doesn't reflect the content. I'm slightly disappointed by the lack of development of Hannah's fortunes. She seems nastier. That may be because Andrea comes up with the most recurring help of the two, even if they were on the wrong track. Despite its many fault I rate this book quite highly. It would be less if there had been yet another energetic burglary plus frantic room search of some elusive artifact. Maybe that will happen next time. Till then and even after, I'll carry on reading this series.

[Di · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as part of #MarchMysteryMadness

It's been a while since I read the previous book in this series, but it was very easy to get back into it and it was nice revisiting the characters. Of course the recipes all look and sound yummy. I enjoyed the mystery aspect of it, but the love lines are getting on my nerves.

Three books in and we still have a love triangle. I'm not a fan of that because it seems like she's just stringing both guys along with no intention of making a decision. It sure seems, at least to me, that she likes one more than the other, but she shares romantic gestures more with the other guy. Not sure how long this is going to keep up, but I hope she makes a decision soon.

[Darinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's time for the Winter Carnival, and a famous cook, Connie Mac, is in charge of the carnival cake. Unfortunately, Connie Mac is not nearly as pleasant a woman as she appears on her cooking show. Hannah lets Connie Mac use her bakery to cook the cake. When Hannah opens the bakery the next morning, she discovers the place a mess, and Connie Mac dead. The police close the bakery while investigating the murder, and Hannah looks for the killer so her bakery can open back up sooner.

The third book in the Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke. A fun and entertaining cozy mystery. This book includes recipes for the bakery items that Hannah makes throughout the story.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, pleasant, easy read. This was the first of the Hannah Swenson series I have read. I love the Goldy the caterer series by Diane Davidson Mott and this was equally enjoyable. I am planning to pick up the first two this weekend so I have something to read now that my semester of school is over and I can pleasure read again!

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Onto the next one.

[Jesus Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blueberry Muffin Murder

La verdad, para ser un cozy mistery, este si me sorprendió.
Hanna y Andrea le hacen de detectives, con complicidad de varias personas más del pueblo.
Me han gustado los libros, para una lectura ligera de misterio, van bastante bien

4 star

SPOILERS

Y si, los policías se comieron la evidencia, los muffins

retoposugar 2022 - 23. Un libro con una receta

[Natalia🌙 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was sooo fun!!!

[✨ABookGirl✨memoirs are my jam✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 3rd read in this series and probably my favorite so far. Planning on reading more frequently so I can catch up on these 29 books! I hope the charm keeps up throughout the series because it is such a cozy read.

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are pure, culinary, cozy, fluff. And sometimes that’s just what I want to curl up with.
Lake Eden seems to be a picturesque, small, town that people would want to visit. Well, if not for the amount of homicides that seem to be happening there. These mysteries are simple and the clues are there if you want to solve it on your own as a reader.
The characters are interesting enough to want to know more about without having super dark backstories or being complex. The included recipes are a nice addition.
In Blueberry Muffin Murder a celebrity chef is found murdered in Hannah’s pantry, putting Hannah’s sleuthing skills to the test. The chef was a particularly rude and nasty character; so the suspect list is long.
There’s a love triangle here that some readers will love. For me personally, it’s meh. I did like getting to see more of Hannah’s relationship with her sister, Andrea. Their banter was cute and the way they related to each other made the book better.