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Sugar Cookie Murder (2005)

Sugar Cookie Murder (2005)

Book Info

Author
Rating
3.76 of 5 Votes: 2
Your rating
ISBN
0758206828 (ISBN13: 9780758206824)
Language
English
Publisher
kensington

About book Sugar Cookie Murder (2005)

Sparkling sugar sprinkled on pale and crunchy buttery cookies promises a season of cheerful festivities, but when you're Hannah and you own a bakery in Lake Eden sleuthing is never far behind. Holidays or not, there's always time for mischief and this time tragedy strikes again. With an air of Agatha Christie type mood the novel is different than previous five, all of the action happens in one evening and the killer is in one place with other people who have come together to celebrate the season and to taste all the recipes that have been submitted to the Lake Eden cookbook contest, Hannah of course whips up a whole new batch of sweets and the reader once again feels seduced by sugar and spice as they read the cozy series.From what I know this was supposed to be a short novella that somehow stretched into a book and half of it is recipes ( on purpose) but the best part is that all the recipes are mentioned in the story line and there is a lot of new fun savory stuff, desserts kind of take a back seat to baked bree with onions and wine and all sorts of yummy concoctions that I'm looking forward to trying myself. I actually liked this book, yes it was very short, the story itself is around 200 pages but it was cute, it was exactly what I was in the mood for when I picked it up, I honestly don't read them for the crackling murders alone, they are fun when it comes to solving them but everything else about the setting and the people is so adorable that I'm always looking forward to each new book that comes out. I find that not reading the back of the book makes it even more exciting, I know it sounds crazy but trust me, the surprise of who gets whacked is as good as trying to figure out who did it, so I'm not talking about the suspects on purpose. I picked up the next book in the series the same day I finished this one and reading it that way is fantastic.For those who have missed Hannah, Moishe, Andrea, Mike, Norman and Lisa this will be a sweet little treat, I know I like them more and more and their stories get more interesting as the novels progress.

Last night I finally got around to reading Sugar Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke. I shocked that it looked like a very long book. I was surprised though, that there was a huge section in the back with tons of recipes. Many more recipes then are usually in her books.I have unfortunately, been reading these books completely out of order. I know that I had already read at least 1 book after this one.However, that didn’t stop this from being a great book. One great thing about this series is that you don’t have to read every book in the series to feel right at home. I know that there are many series where if you pick up a book in the middle of the series, you are completely lost. That is not true with this series.One interesting thing about Sugar Cookie Murder was that it all takes place in one location. I believe that this is a first in this series. Normally, you get to travel all over the area going from house to house, store to store. However, they were snowed in and could not leave the crime scene, which happened to be the winter potluck. It doesn’t help that Brandy Wyen Dubinski is found dead out in the snow with a few of Hannah’s Christmas sugar cookies and Delores’s antique jeweled cake knife stuck in her chest.Joanne definitely hit the right balance of sleuthing and food in this one. And let’s not forget the balancing act that Hannah is doing between hunky police detective Mike and yummy dentist Norm. I know eventually Hannah will have to decide between them, but I hope it won’t be for quite a long time. The by-play between the 3 is great. Norm and Mike try so hard not to like each other because of their feelings for Hannah, but they can’t. They both realize that they are great friends and can’t begrudge each other’s happiness.I haven’t personally tried any recipes from this particular book yet. However, I have tried recipes from her past books and they have always been yummy. So of course, I made sure to make copies of the recipes so I can try them out at a later date.

Do You like book Sugar Cookie Murder (2005)?

I'm always torn as to how many stars to give this series. I love the books themselves, but there are just a few things that annoy me so I always take a star away for that. This was a short book in the series when you don't included the many pages of recipes for the cook book. However, I am getting annoyed at the fact that Joanne needs to write " It was 7:30 pm , I looked at my watch". Really you can't say 7:30ish!! I really find it hard to believe people look at their watch at those exsact places. The other thing is when she nags people about their grammar. I get that Joanne is the writter here, but the good part about a book is, you can say your character has bad grammar, but not actually write it out. My finally thought is please, please, please put Norman as the boyfriend or Mike. At this point just pick one, not both. Hannah needs to step up to the plate already!
—Michelle

While I was thinking about this book after I finished reading it, I had two distinct opinions about it. First and most prominent was the idea that this book was very disappointing. The murder was more boring than the previous entries. I did like the idea of all the suspects being together in a building during a blizzard where no one could leave. That felt all Agatha Christie to me. However Hannah felt more forced and less personable then usual. Even the secondary characters felt like caricatures of themselves. I didn't care about the victim or the suspects. Wow, this series is going downhill I thought. Half the book is recipes so it reads more like a short story or entry into an anthology then it did a regular Hannah Swenson murder mystery. Joanne Fluke for a fact, gets tons of comments and complements on her novels. It's almost like for some of her readers, the recipes are the best part. Everyone's always wanting more. I think Joanne wrote this book to do something different for her faithful readers. I think this is a Christmas gift to them, in a way. I refuse to make any judgments about this book not being up to par or going downhill until I read the next full volume in the series. Two stars given because the story is too short, too many recipes for my taste, and a plot that could have been planned out a little better. I'm also about sick of Mike snapping at Hannah and then being forgiven because his kisses are so "hot". Its time for Hannah to settle down with Norman, who would NEVER snap at her. I think together the two of them could make for some great future adventures. Hannah wouldn't suffer as a character at all for her marriage. All of Fluke's characters need to be evolved a little bit. Thanks for the gift here, but I think I'd prefer another full book any time.
—Stacey

This was a disappointment. As with others I thought I was getting a whole book instead of a novella. The mystery felt forced, perhaps if she'd had an entire novel to work with Fluke could have rounded the characters out a bit more. Hannah was pushier and more controlling that ever. Mike was total jerk,but he is always a jerk, it was just more emphasized in this one. Mike's jerkiness made Hannah seem very shallow. He's rude, overbearing and sexist to her but because he is tall dark and handsome all is forgiven as soon as he smiles at her. Dump the idiot already. And just what is wrong with Delores' new man? Lots of hints that are not developed at all which makes Hannah & her sisters seem very petty & jealous that her mom has met someone. Perhaps it's all foreshadowing for a later novel where he turns out to be a mass murderer and extortionist or something. But I put this book down dearly hoping Hannah is completely wrong about him because I am just sick of her know it all attitude. Not to mention her petty nagging about the use of English. Only Norman & his mom came out of this one ok.Probably I am so annoyed about the interpersonal relationships of the regular characters because the mystery itself was so forgettable. It was all about the food for a cookbook, oh and someone died. Mike was a jerk and Hannah solved who dunnit by being so exceedingly nosy she sounded like a blackmailer half the time, but then she often does.Very disappointed in this one
—Stacey Lynn

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