12 December 2010

Review: PLUM PUDDING MURDER, Joanne Fluke

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 278 KB
  • Print Length: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Kensington Books (October 1, 2009)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B002OM67MM
  • Source: I bought it
 Publisher's Blurb
The yuletide season in Lake Eden, Minnesota, guarantees a white Christmas, delectable holiday goodies from Hannah Swensen's bakery, The Cookie Jar and murder. As a shadow hangs over her friends' Christmas wedding, Hannah's determined to cook a killer's goose before anyone else gets burned. . . 

The Cookie Jar's busiest time of the year also happens to be the most wonderful time. . .for Christmas cookies, Hannah's own special plum pudding and romance! Holiday orders are high, and Hannah's slated to provide dessert at the Reverend Knudsen's upcoming nuptials. She's busy as can be and loving it. She also gets a kick out of "Lunatic Larry Jaeger's Crazy Elf Christmas Tree Lot," a kitschy carnival taking place smack-dab in the middle of the village green. Larry thinks he's crazy like a fox with his wild business schemes, but this time, the entrepreneur may have bitten off more than he can chew. Rumor has it that Larry's in the red an idea that takes a sinister turn when Hannah discovers the man himself dead as a doornail in his own office. . . 

It seems quite a few people would have liked to fill Larry's stocking with coal and then bash him with it including his bitter ex-wife, his ex-partner's daughter, a woman he was wooing, and the Crazy Elf Tree Lot's extremely exasperated investors. . .
Now, with so many suspects to investigate and the twelve days of Christmas ticking away, Hannah's running out of time to nab a murderous Scrooge who doesn't want her to see the New Year. . .
Includes Hannah's favorite Christmas dinner recipes! 

My take
Crime fiction really takes a back seat in this light fluffy read, #13 in Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series. It's hard to take murder seriously when you are constantly being distracted by delicious recipes, placed in the book almost at the end of every chapter.
Not that there is anything wrong with the story. It is well plotted and all the threads resolve. Hannah coopts friends and family to help her investigate mysteries large and small, but in the long run she is the one who comes up with the answers.
And for those who like it, there is also a little light romance.

My rating: 3.4

Joanne Fluke's website

Recipes you'll find in this book
Easy Cheesy Biscuits
Hot Fudge Sundae Cakes
Holly Jolly Coffee
White Chocolate Pumpkin Dreams
Christmas Cheese Rounds
Pork and Beans Bread
Frosted Ginger Cookies
Minnesota Plum Pudding
Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies
Fudge-Mallow Cookie Bars
Christmas Lace Cookies
Triple Threat Chocolate Cheesecake Pie
Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
Frosting Splatters
Orange Julius Cookies
Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Chocolate Raspberry Truffles
Dixie Lee’s German Apple Cake
Nancy Dunn Bar Cookies
Shrimp Louie Spread
Holiday Squash Soup
Pineapple Cranberry Jell-O Salad
Christmas Bell Salad
Jeweled Pork Roast
Lingonberry Gravy
Scandinavian Spuds
Cranberry Scones
Petite Pea Boats

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kerrie - I have to admit, some of those recipes do look delicious. As you say, for those who like very light mysteries, the Hannah Swenson stories to tell a solid story and all of the threads get "tied together."

Margaret said...

That's an awful lot of recipes - the Triple Threat Chocolate Cheesecake Pie sounds deadly!

Laura said...

I love Joanne Fluke's murder mysteries! They are funny, charming, and unpredictable. And the recipes? An added bonus! : ) YUM!

Marg said...

I read a lot of these books but kind of lost interest after a while because I got sick of the love triangle. I am not sure if that element is still a major part of the plot.

Kerrie said...

it still is, Marg, and a bit annoying at times

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