Rating: 
Summary: A Delicious Murder...
Review: This was my first time reading a a Joanne Fluke mystery. I had never heard of her before until one day at the bookstore, I picked up one of her other books. I decided to look it up on Amazon and found out that the one I picked up, was part of the Hannah Swensen series. They seemed pretty interesting.
"Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder" focuses on Hannah Swensen, the owner of the The Cookie Jar, a quaint cookie shop in the small town of Lake Eden in Minnesota. Hannah finds Ron LaSalle, Lake Eden's football hero dead in his delivery truck with one of her famous Chocolate Chip Crunches still in his hand.
From then on, Hannah sets out to find Ron's killer. She questions everyone in town, but has no leads, because everyone she questions has a motive.
We learn about the small town, and and fall in love with the coziness and friendliness of it. Everybody knows everyone, and this can be a good and a bad thing. In Hannah's case, it works to her advantage, because where there is a small town, there are a bunch of nosy and informed people who feed her with loads of clues.
There are a lot of characters so you have to keep up.
All in all, I thought it was a good mystery, because the person who I thought committed the crime didn't. I was left surprised in the end. The book was also full of yummy cookie recipes, that left my mouth watering everytime I picked up the book. I don't suggest that you read this mystery on an empty stomach.
I definatly will be reading the second installment of the Ms. Fluke's Hannah Swensen mysteries.
Rating: 
Summary: Hannah Swensen is First Rate!
Review: When I read the review of this book in Publisher's Weekly, I had a strong suspicion I was going to like it. I was wrong. I loved it! In the tradition of Diane Mott Davidson, Joanne Fluke gives us a down-to-earth, girl-next-door heroine, who bakes wicked good cookies, came home to help take care of her [matchmaking] mother and is owned by a huge stray cat named Moishe. Oh yes, and she's tracking down a killer. In this 'cozy' mystery, Ms. Fluke kept me guessing until the last chapter or so. Usually I have it figured out before then. I chuckled over Hannah's reasons for why Minnesotans did not rush out to buy Currier and Ives winter scenes and her endeavors to take her sister's mind off their discovery of a victim by plying her with inexpensive wine. I'm looking forward to the next in this series, as it looks as if Hannah may have herself a couple of fellows angling for her favor. If you're looking for a pleasant way to spend an evening or two, you can't do much better than Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder. Oh, and the recipes look great, too!
Rating: 
Summary: Okay mystery, nice characters, great recipes
Review: You'd think thirtyish, single, cookie store owner Hannah Swensen, living in small Lake Eden, Minnesota, would lead a quiet life, but no. There has been a murder, and she is trying to help her brother-in-law Bill solve the crime so he can get a promotion to detective. This is the premise of Joanne Fluke's first Swensen mystery, and it is an enjoyable read. The mystery is average and the amateur sleuth is sometimes slow to figure things out. Sometimes the internal chatter gets a bit silly and distracting, but in general this is a likable character. More problematic is the large cast of characters; it's difficult to get to know anyone well when so many are introduced. Most annoying is brother-in-law Bill. I'm not sure, other than familial loyalty, why anyone would sleep better knowing that Bill is a detective. He is rarely confident or competent, repeatedly asking Hannah what he should do next or what information means. The cookie recipes included are quite good, and I would read another mystery by this author, but I would wait to buy it in paperback.
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