Review: Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke

Author: Joanne Fluke
Publisher-Format: Recorded Books, 2011, 9 hr 30 min
Narrator: Suzanne Toren
Subject: who killed the band member?
Setting: Lake Eden, Minnesota
Series: Hannah Swenson Mystery
Genre: murder mystery - amateur sleuths
Source: public library

This is the latest in what I've often called the "sweet tooth" mystery series.  I 'd given up on them for awhile because I got tired of our heroine, Hannah Swenson's complete inability to make up her mind about whether or not to marry, and then to choose between two equally eligible (and willing) gentlemen.

Cinnamon Roll Murder is a great improvement over earlier books in the series. The mystery is much more tightly plotted with lots of red herrings to throw the reader off the track of the real killer; the main characters are all involved and engaging, including the cats.  Hannah is actually showing some leanings toward one of her beaus (no spoilers), and while we are treated to descriptions of some yummy treats, we are not (at least in the audio version) overwhelmed with a seemingly endless recitation of recipes.  Of course, there are a few that sounded so good, I'll be digging out a copy of the print edition to get my hands on the recipes.

Hannah and her sister Michelle are on their way to deliver cookies to an event when they witness a chain-reaction accident involving a bus belonging to the Cinnamon Roll Band.  The driver and one of the bank members end up dead and Hannah immediately concludes that murder is involved. Essentially, Hannah, along with her sisters Michelle and Andrea, and her mother Delores, band together to form a quasi-official private detective agency to prove their theories and bring the murderer to justice. Using their relationships to the town sheriff, the town coroner, and a deputy, they are able to ferret out information about the current decendent, discover his true identify, and ultimately flush out the murderer.  In the meantime, they also uncover some unsavory information about Norman's current fiancèe and help him decide whether to marry her or return to his courtship of Hannah. 

If you're a fan of the series, you'll love this one.  If you've not read any before, this one could easily stand alone.  And one of these days, I'm going to have to get me a copy of Joanne Fluke's Lake Eden Cookbook.