Author: Joanne Fluke
Publisher: Kensington
Published: March 2010
ISBN: 0758234899
Author's website: http://www.murdershebaked.com/
Rating: 3/5
The cover on this is a flashy, shiny, emerald green, which catches your eye easily. I'm a big fan of Joanna Fluke's Cookie Jar mysteries. They are easy and fun to read, as well as light.
I think I've read most of this series so far....and Hannah, the main character has a consistent relationship with two men at the same time. Norman - steady, dependable and homely, and Mike - charming, full of promises, but unable to commit to one person. Both have offered their hand in marriage, and both are still waiting for an answer. They also know about each other and are friendly with no animosity between them, which I find odd, especially after more than one book with this set up. I really had hoped Hannah would make a choice in this book, so that her life could change...but it doesn't happen. There is change in the wind though towards the end, but it's not Hannah's doing.
As ever, there's deliciously mouthwatering cookie delights, both used in the storyline, and with accompanying cookie recipes throughout. There's some fun characters. Andrea, Hannah's sister, the fashion doll of the community. Andrea's husband comes across as dim in this book. It surprised me that Hannah was the one to shed light on a company's job offer for Andrea's husband. Michelle, Hannah's other sister, excels as breakfast cooking - maybe there's another storyline in the making (or book?).
I found Apple Turnover Murder to be rushed towards the end....and unusually, I guessed the perpetrator of the murder before it was stumbled upon. This is an easy, and fast read.
Book Synopsis:
"It's June in Lake Eden, Minnesota, and for Hannah Swensen, that means bridal showers galore, plus a massive fundraising event in need of confections not to mention a killer who never learned that charity begins at home... Early summer brings plenty of work for Hannah, even before Mayor Bascomb's wife drops by The Cookie Jar to place an order ...for eleven-hundred cookies! Stephanie Bascomb is organizing an elaborate three-day event to support local charities, and though it's a worthy cause, Hannah almost flips when her business partner, Lisa, suggests setting up an apple turnover stand. Hannah's never made a turnover but, pushover that she is, she places her faith in Lisa's mother-in-law's recipe and agrees to be a magician's assistant in the fundraiser's talent show... Dozens of pastries and one hideous purple dress later, Hannah has to admit that stepping out of her comfort zone has been fun as well as profitable. The only snag is the show's host, community college professor Bradford Ramsey. Hannah and her younger sister Michelle each had unfortunate romantic relationships with Ramsey, and when the cad comes sniffing around between acts, Hannah tells him off. But when the curtain doesn't go up, she discovers Ramsey backstage dead as a doornail with a turnover in his hand... Now, to protect her reputation and Michelle's, Hannah must get to the bottom of the professor's bitter end. There are plenty of scorned suspects, including an ex-wife who feels cheated in more ways than one, and a prominent local who may have been using Ramsey to avenge her own randy spouse. But who was unstable enough to snuff out Professor Love? A killer who's flakier than puff pastry and far more dangerous..."
Source: Library
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