Library's review
Amateur investigations can't help but verge on the ridiculous in a cozy like this, and either you decide ahead of time to suspend your disbelief or you just stop reading them. I tried to keep my eye-rolling to a minimum and found I didn't mind it as much as I have in other series. A love triangle that lurked in the background in the first two books threatens to burst onto center stage in this one, and if that's what has to happen to resolve it once and for all I say go for it. I'd like to see that particular plot thread wrapped up for good in the next book, because it's fairly tiresome. I enjoyed the rest of it, though, despite the emotional whiplash from sandwiching this cozy between two of the Duffy noir police procedurals. I'll read the fourth if I can find it at the library.
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Fiction. Mystery. HTML:Bakery owner Hannah Swensen is back�and the cookies are crumbling�as acclaimed author Joanne Fluke serves readers another helping of murder, mayhem, and mouthwatering mystery. . . Blueberry Muffin Murder Preparations are underway for Lake Eden, Minnesota's annual Winter Carnival�and Hannah Swensen is set to bake up a storm at her popular shop, The Cookie Jar. Too bad the honor of creating the official Winter Carnival cake went to famous lifestyle maven Connie Mac�a half-baked idea, in Hannah's opinion. She suspects Connie Mac is a lot like the confections she whips up on her cable TV cooking show�sweet, light, and scrumptious-looking, but likely to leave a bitter taste in your mouth. Hannah's suspicions are confirmed when Connie Mac's limo rolls into town. Turns out America's "Cooking Sweetheart" is bossy, bad-tempered, and downright domineering. Things finally boil over when Hannah arrives at The Cookie Jar to find the Winter Carnival cake burnt to a crisp�and Connie Mac lying dead in her pantry, struck down while eating one of Hannah's famous blueberry muffins. Next thing Hannah knows, the police have declared The Cookie Jar's kitchen crime scene off-limits. She's a baker without an oven�and the Carnival is right around the corner. Hannah's only alternative is to cook up a plan to save her business�by finding the killer herself. . . Includes seven original cookie and dessert recipes for you to try! "Delicious food descriptions and recipes, warm and familiar characters who grow into real people. . .a vivid picture of the small lake town and a well-crafted mystery provide the ingredients for yet another tempting feast that should satisfy all fans, old and new."�Publishers Weekly.… (more)