The Bottom Line: Cozy, quaint, and immersive, Carrot Cake Murder has it all including a stellar plot, a confounding mystery, and an atmosphere to die for.
countess_eva's Full Review: Joanne Fluke - Carrot Cake Murder
Cozy capers and conniving criminals combine to create one of Hannah’s best escapades ever. The Beeseman family reunion suddenly hits the rocks when a long lost relative with attitude turns up dead, stabbed to death with an ice pick, surrounded by the remnants of Hannah’s famed carrot cake. The hunt is on and the stakes are upped as Hannah sorts through piles of suspects, all of whom are mired deep in sinister motives. But, can she catch the killer in time before he catches her?
The homicidal hotbed of Lake Eden is once again teaming with criminal activity, awash in hatred and violence. Sporting the highest crime rate of the United States, with delightfully oblivious citizens, a penchant for gluttony, and the frizzy red headed baker that we have all come to love, Carrot Cake Murder redeems a failing series. The Hannah Swenson Series started to go downhill drastically from book five, Fudge Cupcake Murder, however, in this installment Joanne Fluke goes back to the cozy, edge of the seat, clue fraught sleuthing stories that originally attracted readers to her series. Starting with a bang, Carrot Cake Murder gets kicking immediately introducing the victim and his begrudging family in red tinged hints of familial angst and long hidden animosities. The plot thickens when Hannah stumbles onto a gory scene and the sleuthing is off!
The murder occurs early on, is suitably grotesque and mysterious, and the suspicions and snooping begin early and stay steady and unpredictable throughout. The reader will never guess who the real culprit is until it is too late and Hannah finds herself in a sticky predicament. Well done!
As the conclusion springs on the reader, a killer is revealed and Hannah discovers herself in the most contentious confrontation with a cold blooded criminal yet, relying on her quick reflexes and calculating mind. This time, the reader really isn’t sure if our beloved sleuth will make it and the tension keeps pumping until the very last scene painting an oh so vivid picture on the canvas of imagination, making the reader truly feel Hannah’s discomfort as she hides in one of the most unlikely places ever!
Hannah and her sleuthing entourage once again capture the reader’s hearts, reminding fans of the glory days early in the series where the characters were not only fictional creations, but members of our family, possessors of our hearts and imaginations. The stagnate characterization has vaporized, returning to that airy realm of past literary mistakes and near fatal sequel-itis and in its place, the characters begin to grow and come alive once more.
Hannah is no longer the unrealistic, demi god ice queen, but is simply that lovable red head who has a reasonable amount of talent and foible mixed into her personality. Her love triangle with Mike and Norman, while originating in the Twilight Zone, has developed and finally begun to move along, intimating the degeneration of one relationship and the blossoming of another. Andrea, while still a little ditzy, has regained some of the good old gray matter and is once again a useful member of society. Michelle, a previously one dimensional beauty queen Swenson sister, is beginning to actually belong in the tale and Delores is delightfully irritating and lovably loud mouthed as always. Even the victim is well characterized (that is, before his horrendous murder anyway). And, for those ruled by an iron paw, there is some serious Moishe action that was much needed! Well done. All prior harm done to characters by faulty character development has successfully been eradicated in one well done pen stroke, returning the series to its glory days.
Above all else, even the characterization and the stellar plot, shines the atmosphere - - - the main attraction in the cozy genre. Reading this novel was an almost magical experience, coming in a much needed period of my life. Cuddling by the fire place in the living room, reading with my mom and sharing a lap with a warm kitty, I was transported to Lake Eden as never before and the air of cozy, wholesome, familiar warmth bathed me like a cleansing water, eradicating the stress of school life. Sometimes in life it is so easy to just forget to stop and smell the roses, but something about this series (when its good that is) is that way in which it takes the reader and wraps them in a warm flannel blanket of home cooked meals, home spun ideals, and just a general aura of all’s right with the world. Highly therapeutic.
Joanna Fluke has always been a consummate author, never allowing the writing style to slip even when the plot did. Carrot Cake Murder was no exception and her pen flowed smoothly and eloquently throughout creating a certain ambiance that lingers long after the last page.
In The End: The series faltered at book five and now, on book ten, has once again returned to the glory days. Cozy, quaint, and immersive, Carrot Cake Murder has it all including a stellar plot, a confounding mystery, and an atmosphere to die for. Even the recipes sound tempting enough this time around to make me ( an ardent fan of fast food ) want to start cooking. For those who have become disenchanted with the series, never fear, for Hannah is here returning better than ever. Perhaps this bespeaks a bright new future for the series? Highly recommended.
Hannah Swensen is happy to help her business partner prepare for a big family reunion. When her long-lost uncle Gus is found dead with two slices of H...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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