| Title | : | Strawberry Shortcake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1575667215 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781575667218 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 310 |
| Publication | : | First published February 1, 2001 |
Between perfecting her Cheddar Cheese Apple Pie and Chocolate Crunchies, Hannah’s snooping into the coach’s private life and not coming up short on suspects. And could Watson’s harsh criticism during the judging have given one of the contestants a license to kill? The stakes are rising faster than dough, and Hannah will have to be very careful, because somebody is cooking up a recipe for murder…with Hannah landing on the “necessary ingredients” list.
Strawberry Shortcake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #2) Reviews
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Hannah is great. She seems very real but I don't know the mid-west all that well, so I have a few more books to read in this series before I come to a conclusion... but I'm looking forward to it.
(MINOR SPOILER, skip next paragraph)
I was glad the coach bit the dust in this one, as he was not a very nice guy... the whole abuse factor (not brought up a lot) made it clear he had to go.
(OK to read)
I loved the way this one was portrayed on the TV series with Alison Sweeney when the made it into a show. Fun books in the beginning.
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. -
Hannah and her zany orange cat Moisha are back at it again. A baking contest has come to Lake Eden, and Hannah is making her famous Strawberry Shortcake Swenson (yum! I always get so hungry and want to fill my house with cupcakes reading Joanne Fluke’s cozies with all the delicious descriptions and recipes!)
But when one of the judges is murdered, and it happens to be the basketball coach who Hannah knows has been abusing his wife Danielle, suspicion turns to her. Hannah and her sister Andrea have to figure out what other clues there are and what other suspects there could be before the police make it a too-easy case of domestic abuse turned murder. This one was fun for all the twists, Hannah running all over town with a million cookies in the back of her truck, and the way the plot eventually worked out. I always love settling down in Lake Eden for a good cozy. -
"Most people don't lock their garages in Lake Eden. There's practically to crime. If you don't count murder."
When Lake Eden is chosen to host the annual Bake Off competition, Hannah gets busy baking special creations to show off on television. Unfortunately, the violent death of one of the judges will leave everyone with a bitter taste in their mouths. And, once again, Hannah will find a way to get as involved as possible in the investigations... is someone developing a taste for murder?☠️
Hannah is up for another adventure, and she's having even more fun than the first time discovering corpses, breaking properties and tricking people into giving information. Man, that woman would steal a grandma's purse and punch her in the face with a roll of cookie dough if she would think it would benefit her.
This time, she even involves her nice, unsuspecting little sister whose husband is the town cop in her evil plans, so she can also show off her talent in fabricating excuses for the poor girl so she can lie to her cop husband without damaging the investigation.
Will Hannah be able to uncover the truth behind the evil actions that stained Lake Eden's water with scarlet blood? And will she able to do so without being convicted for the hundreds of crimes she has to commit meanwhile and without having to close her shop because she literally has no time to bake since she has to do the job of the town cops who, by her own admission, were perfectly able to solve the crime without her?? But the most important question is: why are these books so entertaining??? Man I love cozy mysteries 🤣 -
3.5
Another enjoyable cozy mystery with Hannah. I'm not sure why she seems to head every investigation for the police department, but I've enjoyed her and the cookie shop.
This is only the second in this long running cozy series. This one was a library loan. -
I really liked book #1 and I quickly bought and finished the second installment. Had to lower my rating though because the book is EXACTLY the same as the first one. As if it was written by a template or paint-by-numbers.
I gave three stars because it was still a light, easy, enjoyable read, and I may even give the third one a try to see if Fluke has any other tricks up her sleeve. But if nothing changes then I won't be reading any more. -
Book 2 was no better than book 1. Hannah is still insufferable, and she still treats everyone in town like they're an idiot (in her defense some of them are. "I didn't know raisins are a dried fruit. I thought they just came in a box." Seriously?). The detectives apparently don't do anything, while Hannah's running around nosing into people's personal lives and condescendingly telling her sister how helpful she is! She can count the beeps on an answering machine!
I hope the real Eden Lake, Minnesota is nothing like Lake Eden, MN from the book, because there's an awful lot of murder for a small town and your HIPPA rights can be violated for a couple of lousy cookies and a red cream soda. -
Eden Lake, Minnesota, has been chosen as the site of the Heartland Flour Dessert Bake-off. Bakery owner Hannah Swensen was named the head judge for the contest. High School Basketball Coach Boyd Watson is one of the other judges. Shortly after the contest, Boyd Watson is found bludgeoned to death. His wife, Danielle, who was abused by Boyd for years, is the number one suspect. Hannah doesn't believe that Danielle would hurt anyone and sets out to prove that she is innocent. Hannah questions people who were close to Boyd, learning that there was more than one person who wanted him dead.
This is a cute cozy mystery with lots of suspects. I enjoyed watching Hannah and her sister, Andrea, sift through evidence a piece at a time. I also thought some of the recipes used throughout the book sounded delicious. My rating: 4 Stars. -
:: 4 Delicious Stars ::
I adore this series. It is light, action packed, fun, and leaves readers craving for more. Hannah Swensen (the books heroine/amateur sleuth) is very likeable. She is smart, charming, and really knows how to dish out delicious treats! While I do feel like her character could be a bit more dynamic, there really isn’t anything bad I can say about her. Hopefully as the series progresses her character will develop a bit more. In addition to this, the plot is a bit predictable in this book. Those who enjoy a good cozy mystery will notice that this is true for most of them. However, that’s okay because these books are made to be light and fluffy; the brain doesn’t have to go into overdrive to figure out what is going to happen next. So, all in all I enjoyed this book and I will continue to read the series. Joanne Fluke does a wonderful job mixing in yummy recipes with the story and I can’t wait to try some of them! Fans of cozy mystery, I do recommend this book. Try to read the first one in the series first though (Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder) as it gives a bit more character information. You can also find a movie adaptation of that book on the Hallmark Channel (and another one coming out December 2015).
You can find my full review and more by checking out my blog:
www.prettylittlebookreviews.com -
This is the second cozy mystery in the Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke. For those of you who don't know, you can currently watch this series on the Hallmark channel. I personally haven't seen it, although I have heard it's great.
Set in the fictional tiny town of Lake Eden, MI, Hannah Swensen is the owner of a bakery called The Cookie Jar. Once again, there's been a murder, and once again, we find Hannah placing herself in the middle of the investigation.
Why she gets away with this, I don't know, but maybe it's because one of her love interests is a detective. Plus, it doesn't hurt that her brother-in-laws is also a detective, so she's easily able to talk her way out of trouble. :P
In this particular story, the victim is a wife-beating sleazeball, so it was hard to feel sorry for him. Of course, that doesn't mean that a killer should be allowed to run loose in the usually safe town of Lake Eden, but it's worth a mention.
Overall, this is brain candy for people who just want to sit down and enjoy a simple book without having to think too much. Also, it's worth noting that this novel is written a bit more smoothly than the first one, perhaps because the author is more comfortable with the characters, or has more confidence. Either way, that's a great sign, although I personally enjoyed the first story a little bit more. But that's just a matter of preference. -
First chapter in and the MC starts getting nostalgic about the racist crap (a note book) they used to be able to buy, but now it's not "PC," and according to their friend Natives aren't actually Native at all, and I couldn't throw this book because it was an e-edition and I love my eReader.
It'd be one thing if I wasn't reading reports about lead in the water of reservations and no one giving a damn, it'd be one thing if the Washington D.C. 'Merican football team changed their name; there might even be a point to the reactionary "oh my god times changed and now I can't call people a slur I really liked to use," if in fact this was an issue we had adequately addressed.
That said, if you like mildly racists bakers in Minnesota this might just be your series. Also, props to baking fiction for learning how to pad the page before Amazon started paying by the page turn. Too bad the recipes are terrible too. -
It's a cop-out, but the Hannah Swensen mysteries really only need a lump review:
For some reason, I keep reading these when they show up at the library. I don't know why. Do I enjoy them? Sure. They're trashy murder mysteries that don't always make sense. I can huff at them in irritation when the main character does, or thinks, something especially stupid. They involve recipes.
Actually, the books are formulaic enough that they themselves were written by recipe.
Yes, I will keep reading them, assuming that new books keep showing up on the library shelves. I will enjoy them, and I will probably root for Norman as Suitor of the Day. But no, I will not be spending any money on these books. -
NOW I remember why it has taken me so long to get to the 2nd book in this series. Hannah just makes me so irritated! There are 3 things that are very wrong about this book:
1) I know it's a little town and the police force might not be that experienced with murder and mayhem but in bulldozes Hannah with her English Lit degree and cookie recipes and thinks if only she plays a sort of Nancy Drew she can do so much better and solve the case. She actually tells her cop boyfriend, "I'll tell you what I think you should know" about what she had found out in her breaking and entering. Why he or her policeman brother-in-law haven't put her in prison for obstruction, I don't know. By the end, I was almost rooting for the killer (who was so obvious to me but not to our crime-fighting heroine Hannah) to shoot her after she was taken hostage! She wraps up the "case" by arrogantly thinking back to all her wonderful (eye rolling) contributions and the fact that without HER the murderer would have never been caught! Which means she is basically calling her cop boyfriend and brother-in-law idiots. Nice.
2) ENOUGH with the cat! Joanne Fluke has described ad nauseum the most spoiled cat since Garfield. Why do I care and what does it have to do with the story to know the daily activities of Hannah's cat? Oh, I see, because of above, maybe she is getting us ready for Book #29 where Hannah becomes a lonely cat lady.
3) Why Hannah's business hasn't gone bust yet, I can't imagine. In a small town, there can't be that much business for cookies, especially in the winter and it doesn't help that on every other page she is giving cookies away or eating them all herself. I'd hate to have to balance her books. Ingredients in this town, like chocolate and butter and sugar must be FREE? While Hannah is haring off trying to play girl detective she leaves her "assistant" to run the business--much more competently than Hannah it seems.
No. This was not a good effort and I was going to be kind and give it 2 stars but after outlining what was wrong with this book I had to bump it down to 1 star. Is there a zero star option? -
This was cute enough but very dated! Publisher, remove the body shaming and casual usage of the R word and "anorexia" as a joke!
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The recipes were delightful and I loved the relationship between Hannah and Lisa (although are they setting up Lisa to be a villain???)
There was a bunch of shocking and ableist language including calling a member of the community “the R-word man.” Couldn’t give it the three stars it would’ve gotten without the gut punching and derogatory language. 🍓 🍰 -
“Strawberry Shortcake Murder” book is used in the "Just Desserts" movie.
2nd in the Hallmark TV series “Murder She Baked”.
Book and Movie Comparisons List
Hallmark’s Murder She Baked TV series
A “cozy mystery” with Hannah Swensen of Lake Eden, Minnesota, running “The Cookie Jar”, her coffee shop “serving and selling” goodies.
In this book, Hannah bakes her “Strawberry Shortcake Swensen” & organizes/runs the “Lake Eden Inn” town’s first annual “Bake Off” contest.
Jordan High’s basketball coach Boyd Watson (husband) is killed with his own hammer? Found face down in a “cake, whipped cream and crushed strawberries” in his home garage?
Hannah finds Daniele (abused wife) crying with a black eye at home.
The Lake Eden sheriff’s investigation case is rushed, because of upcoming town elections.
Hannah & her sister sneak into the hospital to meet Daniele & investigate clues.
Why was Boyd’s pegboard hammer used? No robber weapon? Suicide? Retribution against Boyd? Then missing town reporter? Killed?
Like “Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder” & other series book, humor breaks the plot with cooking recipes at the end of some chapters........ -
Another delicious murder mystery! Hannah has become a cooking judge in front of a live audience. She is also given her few minutes of fame before each contest begins by baking a recipe and sharing it with the viewers.
One of the judges has to back out at the last minute due to a dental emergency, so the station has to have another person randomly choosen to be a judge on such short notice. They draw the name Boyd Watson. A basketball coach at the local high school where they are filming the baking contest.
It's a rather interesting mystery surrounding Boyd Watson's murder. Secrets are kept in this small town with someone blackmailing almost each and everyone. Hannah finds herself in more trouble than she bargins for when she promises the wife Danielle that she would help prove she is innocent since the new cop and her brother in lasw are pretty much not looking for another suspect and she is their main target.
I could not put this book down, it was a wonderful read. Without spoiling the book, there was one part in particular where I could not read fast enough. The first person that I felt was the killer and then changed my mind, I should have stuck with my initial instinct as I would have been correct. This book had me laugh out loud a few times because of the silly puns, or because of an insult coming from one of the characters when you had not expected it.
I am really getting sucked into this series and will have to look at getting the recipe book that was just released this month since all of them seem so tasty.
If you're ready for a good read that will have you on the edge of your seat, can't stop turning the pages even though you sould be making dinner or going to sleep, and have a sweet tooth this is the book for you. -
The Hannah Swensen series has it all: racism, fat shaming, sexism, trivialization of mental health issues, blatant HIPAA violations, police misconduct, sexual assault that’s swept under the rug, extreme condescension, and more. I picked up her second book first and then started the first because I hate the thought of not finishing a series. 20+ books of unapologetic outdated writing is too much. I’ll be calling it quits at 1.5 books. Joanne writes like the Queen of Boomers who stopped evolving in the mid-80s. She reminds me of my grandmother and not in a cute way.
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The bad thing about these books is that I want to eat the entire time I'm reading! I enjoy Hannah Swensen and her uncanny ability to find herself in yet another murder mystery. It sort of reminds me of Scooby Doo and the gang and how they always wound up at the scene of a crime or in the middle of a case no matter what. I could do without the "too cheerful" dialogue and way happy ambience of these books, but I do enjoy them! This one had me stumped until the end. Now I'm on to the 3rd one :)
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Love this series!
I love this series! I love the recipes and I love that the mystery is truly a mystery and it's fun and has great humor! I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries! -
I loved it
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Enjoying reading through this cozy mystery series.. but ready for more storyline with the characters
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Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo after reading this I really wanted Strawberry Shortcake. Heck, I wanted to eat some while reading it. Even now I would go for some. Ugh, I love Strawberry Shortcake. Which is weird because I am not a sweets person anymore - the bakery life has killed my love of it.
While diving into this delicious murder mystery, we meet Hannah who is judging a bake-off contest. Yum! Along the way, we meet Boyd and honestly I wasn't a big fan of his. He was just really rude and I'm all for not sugarcoating things to people when needed but dang - he was harsh. So I wasn't surprise by what happened to him one bit.
Now this was pretty entertaining but some of it was a bit unbelievable. Does this mean I'm going to stop reading this series? Heck no. I want more delicious murders coming my way and maybe some more dessert ideas. Summer holidays are coming and I need some yummy treats. -
Here I am on a diet and after finishing this all I’m craving now is sweets! I like how there are several recipes in these books for the deserts that are mentioned throughout it and I like the light hearted love triangle that’s developing! It’s mainly the same plot as the first book and I figured out the killer a little before he was revealed but I enjoyed it and I look forward to the next one.
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I am going for more Hannah Swensen mysteries! Because her cookies are absolutely delicious! Okay, maybe it's not just because of the cookies. But because this is probably the next best set of cozy mysteries I have read yet, while this is my second in this series with over 20 more. Also because while Hannah is an amateur because she is a baker and not holding a badge of her own, she is very intelligent on taking in information to put out a helpful theory for authorities, and most of all, because Hannah is *ahem* single LOL!
The setting being a small county makes it easy to remember the characters from the previous book as a cozy mystery should, making it easy to get attached to one of them. And makes me ravenous every time I run into more recipes. Gosh...Hannah Swensen, marry me... -
Our lovely amateur sleuth Hannah Swensen is back and has been thrust into an opportunity to solve yet another murder. Hannah is an exceptional bakery owner who already has enough on her plate, literally.
This time around, Hannah is afforded the opportunity to serve as head judge at the town of Lake Eden's first annual Desert Bake-Off. However, Coach Boyd Watson, a fellow judge is murdered. Hannah does two things: she keeps perfecting her delectable recipes, which are shared with readers throughout the pages of this novel, and she sets out to discover what happened to Boyd.
Meanwhile, Hannah's mother is still die-hard determined to act as matchmaker for her. Hannah may enjoy the company of one of the town's cops, but she also gets to work a bit closer with someone who is proving to be a good friend. It is of interest to see which man she will choose.
I knew from the advice of strong recommendation, that delving into this prolific series would be enjoyable. At only the second book, I already love Hannah. I look forward to devouring each book in the series, which will have twenty-five titles come February, 2020. -
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Basic Info
Format: Audio
Pages/Length: n/a
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Reason For Reading: I like the series
At A Glance
Love Triangle/Insta Love/Obsession?: No
Cliff Hanger: No
Triggers: n/a
Rating: 3.5 stars
Score Sheet
All out of ten
Cover: 6
Plot: 6
Characters: 6
World Building: 6
Flow: 7
Series Congruity: 8
Writing: 7
Ending: 7
Total: 7
In Depth
Best Part: Food, duh.
Worst Part: Kinda the same plot as book 1.
Thoughts Had: Being on a diet stinks.
Conclusion
Continuing the Series: Yes
Recommending: Yes
Short Review: When the coach dies, i did a little happy dance. For starters, how dare you not even share the damn cake with your m'effering wife. You selfish POS. And because he's a horrible person so yay death for him. Really wish Hannah wasn't dragged into it thou, should have just left it alone and once they tested the cake for poison, you would have been off the hook. Side note: i'm 100% sure it's not okay to have a bakery shop owner in a freaking bake off! Not fair at all. I like how the sisters were closer in this book than they were in book 1.
Misc.
Book Boyfriend: N/A
Best Friend Material: Andrea
Review in GIF Form:
I really want some cake! -
It’s not all sugar and sweetness for Hannah in this cozy mystery. Judging a Dessert Bake-Off sounds like fun, until one of the judges is found dead. But the dead man, a coach and abusive husband, had more than one enemy, and Hannah is determined to narrow down the suspects. Hannah enlists the help of her sister to do some sleuthing, but they find more than they bargained for. The only thing that will slow down your reading of this tale are the recipes that are sprinkled throughout the story. You just might want to stop reading long enough to bake some cookies to enjoy as you match wits with Hannah.
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Where is my insulin?? This book was way to sticky sweet and the emphasis was on how the author was going to be able to fit her recipes into the storyline versus the story line itself. I do believe, unless I need them for a challenge, this is my last Joanne Fluke book, unless I grab them to see what recipes she puts in them!
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Hannah Svenson returns in the second installment in Joanne Fluke's cozy mystery series. Hannah once again uses her amateur sleuthing skills to help solve a murder in her small Minnesota town. I enjoy these novels simply for what they are: quick, easy reads.
In truth, Hannah has no business inserting herself into murder investigations, but apparently law enforcement looks the other way in this small town. Also, can we talk about how much she feeds Moishe, her already 22 pound cat!? I also cannot fathom how someone who owns a cookie shop could possibly stomach eating cookies at all times...or at least it seems. Totally understand the abundant consumption of coffee though. 😌 Jokes aside, I enjoy this series and look forward to reading the next installment! -
Strawberry Shortcake
Otro caso para la galletera Hannah.
Aquí al inicio hasta parecieran felices con la victima, pero como las sospechas recaen en alguien inocente, Hannah se pone a investigar, para encontrar al verdadero asesino, que
Un cozy mistery muy agusto, sencillo, ya que llega la pista es como que transparente quien, y aun así. Nuevamente se agradece que el componente romántico, menos que al mínimo.
3.5 star
