Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Mystery Pick:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

by Joanne Fluke

Published: 2000
Pages: 301
Setting: Lake Eden, Minnesota
Time Period: Present day
Synopsis: This is the first book in the Hannah Swensen Mystery books. Hannah is a small town bakery owner turned detective. The story begins with a man found murdered behind the bakery. Hannah's brother-in-law, Bill, is a local deputy who asks for Hannah to keep her 'eyes and ears open' to help him solve the case so that he can get promoted to detective. With the help of her sister, Andrea, Hannah digs up the clues.  Hannah gets into some tight, dark, and not-so-nice smelling situations to figure out who in the small town is keeping a big, homicidal secret. 

   x 8

Forget-Me-Not Review: 
*8 Forget-Me-Nots:Pretty good plot-line with a lot of characters I liked.

Characters: Not all the characters, just the ones I actually cared about:

• Hannah Swensen, heroine: Amateur detective who lives in a small town and is okay with it. Owns her own bakery and identifies as average looking who would be happy with a man, but is just as happy without.
• Andrea, Hannah's sister: A real estate agent who has very little time for her family (at least at the beginning of the story). Andrea and Hannah's relationship grows a lot closer by the end of the book, which is one of the best aspects of the story.
• Bill, Andrea's husband:  Bill definitely had his moments where I really liked him. He may or may not try to match make at one part of the story which is just HILARIOUS.
• Lisa, Hannah's business partner: Lisa is friendly and knows when to accept gifts. Lisa is the key reason why Hannah was able to go gallivanting around searching for clues. Her dependable nature allows Hannah to rely on her to cover for her.
• Moishe, Hannah's cat: Incidentally, my favorite character. Moishe cracked me up. His dislike of Hannah's mother made me smile.
• Delores Swensen, Hannah's mother: The woman who only sees you if you don't see her first (at least if you are an unmarried daughter of hers).
• Norman, Love Interest #1: The safe choice. He's a dentist who her mother tried to set her up with. Only in her attempt to investigate him does Hannah realize he's pretty funny and befriends him.
• Mike, Love Interest #2: Team Mike. He's the Tom Selleck of the town. A new detective from the big city. Mike brings the sexy, which Hannah (and this book) seriously needs more of. Mike is the better choice from the two love interests, but he's more earnest than witty--so if she meets someone else who is smoking and witty, I'm jumping ship. 

This book is definitely a "cozy" read. It read to me like a grown up Nancy Drew...almost. Hannah is a "wholesome" character who enjoys baking, taking care of her cat, and genuinely cares for her community and the people in it. I think she's also a little judgmental towards her sister, but it made me identify with her. I am the same way towards my sister (I realized with a bit of shame). It definitely makes her more "real".  One thing I had problems with was the concept of cookies for breakfast. It could be a regional thing, but my mama would never allow me to have cookies for breakfast. And yet, here is an entire town who thinks it's perfectly normal to eat cookies for breakfast. Weird. There is only one reference to her dating in college where she became sexually involved with someone, but it was very brief and not descriptive at all. This book would not offend many, if any, people. The town seems like an interesting setting, which is one of the things I really liked about the book. I love small towns full of interesting characters. It's not quite Stars Hollow, but I wouldn't mind visiting.

Definitely read this book if:

1. You enjoy baking/culinary mysteries. The book has all sorts of recipes, one of which I decided to make for myself. It turned out okay, but not really my cup of tea. 

2. You like love triangles. Okay, so it's not as exciting as say...Bella/Edward/Jacob or even Jenna/Matty/Jake. I'm sure you picked up one the Twilight reference, but the Jenna/Matty/Jake triangle is from the MTV show "Awkward" which is AWESOME. 

3. You like for your mystery pieces to not be suspenseful and to be located in a small town with lots of quirky characters.

Characteristics that fit the genre:
Tone/Mood: lighthearted, amateur detective, gentle/cozy
Frame/Setting: small town in Minnesota
Storyline: murder, amateur detective with another job,
Style/Language: relatively clean, emphasis on dialogue
Characters: heroine is smart, funny, and views the mystery as a puzzle with limited danger. 
Pacing: slower, with an attention to detail

Appeal:
1. Culinary mystery
2. Cozy pace
3. Amateur detective, woman

 

Author read-a-likes:
Diane Mott Davidson (NoveList)

Katherine Hall Page (NoveList)

Carol Culver (NoveList)

Jessica Beck (NoveList)

JoAnna Carl (NoveList)

 Book read-a-likes:

Bleeding Hearts by Susan Wittig Albert (NoveList)

Glazed Murder by Jessica Beck (Goodreads)

On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle (Goodreads)

Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson (Goodreads)

The Chocolate Cat Caper by JoAnna Carl (Goodreads) 

 

Kirkus Review

The Princesses of Iowa by M. Molly Backes

What if? What if the horrible accident that happened last summer had ended much worse? This is the question that plagues three high school friends as they try to maneuver their way through the peer pressures of their senior year of high school.

The story is told from the perspective of Paige Sheridan. Paige and her friends are at the top of the food chain. Popular, beautiful, wealthy, and shoo-ins for homecoming court. What more could they ask for? After drinking at a party, the girls get in an accident last summer that has both physical and emotional scarring for the three friends. Paige's mother ships her off to Paris to be an au pair for the summer and when Paige comes back she realizes that there is a distance between herself and her friends that is wider than the Atlantic. All of these emotions get an outlet when Paige takes a creative writing class and begins to question if she can meet the expectations of her mother, friends, and boyfriend. She's always wanted to be a princess...and that's what she still wants, right?

Full of high school insecurity and figuring out oneself, this book highlights the struggles that high school students go through today...even if it is from the shallow and vain end of the spectrum. A decent read, but nothing spectacular.