New York Times Bestseller USA Today Bestseller Publishers Weekly Bestseller Bakery owner Hannah Swensen is leaving Lake Eden to help a friend in sunny California. But an unexpected phone call swiftly brings her back to a cold Minnesota winter . . . and murder . . . When Hannah learns that her sister Michelle’s boyfriend, Detective Lonnie Murphy, is the prime suspect in a murder case, she goes straight from a movie studio sound stage to the Los Angeles airport.
Back in frigid Minnesota, she discovers that proving Lonnie’s innocence will be harder than figuring out what went wrong with a recipe. Lonnie remembers only parts of the night he went out to a local bar and ended up driving a very impaired woman home. He knows he helped her to her bedroom, but he doesn’t recall anything else until he woke up on her couch the following morning. When he went to the bedroom to check on her, he was shocked to discover she was dead.
Hannah doesn’t know what to believe—only that exonerating a suspect who can’t remember is almost impossible, especially since Lonnie’s brother, Detective Rick Murphy, and Lonnie’s partner, Chief Detective Mike Kingston, have been taken off the case. Before everything comes crashing down on Lonnie like a heaping slice of coconut layer cake, it’ll be up to Hannah to rack up enough clues to toast a flaky killer . . .
INDULGE IN JOANNE FLUKE’S CRIMINALLY DELICIOUS HANNAH SWENSEN MYSTERIES! CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE MURDER “Hannah’s fans will relish following Hannah’s journey as she heals and becomes stronger, surrounded by the love of family and the many familiar, quirky residents of Lake Eden. Many delicious-sounding recipes are woven through the story, and Fluke ends this cozy mystery with another cliff-hanger, which will have readers eagerly awaiting the next installment.” —Booklist CHRISTMAS CAKE MURDER “This is a lovely, frothy treat, a perfect no-hassle Christmas read.” —Mystery Scene
“Christmas Cake Murder is, at its heart, a story within a story, and both tales engage you and carry you along as the stories unfold. For those who are already Hannah fans, it’s nice to go back in time and understand the beginnings of The Cookie Jar, seeing it with fresh eyes and a new appreciation for Hannah and her family.” —The Food Channel WEDDING CAKE MURDER “There are plenty of Fluke’s trademark recipes on view here, and the New York trip and reality-show frame give the episode a fresh twist.” —Booklist DOUBLE FUDGE BROWNIE MURDER “Lively…Add the big surprise ending, and fans will be more than satisfied.” —Publishers Weekly BLACKBERRY PIE MURDER “Lake Eden’s favorite baker, Hannah Swensen finds herself on the wrong end of a police investigation…in Fluke’s good-natured 19th [installment].” —Kirkus Reviews RED VELVET CUPCAKE MURDER “Culinary cozies don’t get any tastier than this winning series.” —Library Journal
New York Times Bestseller USA Today Bestseller Publishers Weekly Bestseller Bakery owner Hannah Swensen is leaving Lake Eden to help a friend in sunny California. But an unexpected phone call swiftly brings her back to a cold Minnesota winter . . . and murder . . . When Hannah learns that her sister Michelle’s boyfriend, Detective Lonnie Murphy, is the prime suspect in a murder case, she goes straight from a movie studio sound stage to the Los Angeles airport.
Back in frigid Minnesota, she discovers that proving Lonnie’s innocence will be harder than figuring out what went wrong with a recipe. Lonnie remembers only parts of the night he went out to a local bar and ended up driving a very impaired woman home. He knows he helped her to her bedroom, but he doesn’t recall anything else until he woke up on her couch the following morning. When he went to the bedroom to check on her, he was shocked to discover she was dead.
Hannah doesn’t know what to believe—only that exonerating a suspect who can’t remember is almost impossible, especially since Lonnie’s brother, Detective Rick Murphy, and Lonnie’s partner, Chief Detective Mike Kingston, have been taken off the case. Before everything comes crashing down on Lonnie like a heaping slice of coconut layer cake, it’ll be up to Hannah to rack up enough clues to toast a flaky killer . . .
Praise
INDULGE IN JOANNE FLUKE’S CRIMINALLY DELICIOUS HANNAH SWENSEN MYSTERIES! CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE MURDER “Hannah’s fans will relish following Hannah’s journey as she heals and becomes stronger, surrounded by the love of family and the many familiar, quirky residents of Lake Eden. Many delicious-sounding recipes are woven through the story, and Fluke ends this cozy mystery with another cliff-hanger, which will have readers eagerly awaiting the next installment.” —Booklist CHRISTMAS CAKE MURDER “This is a lovely, frothy treat, a perfect no-hassle Christmas read.” —Mystery Scene
“Christmas Cake Murder is, at its heart, a story within a story, and both tales engage you and carry you along as the stories unfold. For those who are already Hannah fans, it’s nice to go back in time and understand the beginnings of The Cookie Jar, seeing it with fresh eyes and a new appreciation for Hannah and her family.” —The Food Channel WEDDING CAKE MURDER “There are plenty of Fluke’s trademark recipes on view here, and the New York trip and reality-show frame give the episode a fresh twist.” —Booklist DOUBLE FUDGE BROWNIE MURDER “Lively…Add the big surprise ending, and fans will be more than satisfied.” —Publishers Weekly BLACKBERRY PIE MURDER “Lake Eden’s favorite baker, Hannah Swensen finds herself on the wrong end of a police investigation…in Fluke’s good-natured 19th [installment].” —Kirkus Reviews RED VELVET CUPCAKE MURDER “Culinary cozies don’t get any tastier than this winning series.” —Library Journal
