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    Sugar Cookie Murder
    Sugar Cookie Murder
    Sugar Cookie Murder
    Audiobook6 hours

    Sugar Cookie Murder

    Written by Joanne Fluke

    Narrated by Suzanne Toren

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    The holidays are the icing on the cake for bakery owner Hannah Swensen.

    Surrounded by her loved ones, she has all the ingredients for a perfect Christmas—until murder is added to the mix …

    When it comes to holidays, Minnesotans rise to the occasion—and the little town of Lake Eden is baking up a storm with Hannah leading the way. The annual Christmas Buffet is the final test of the recipes Hannah has collected for the Lake Eden Holiday Buffet Cookbook.

    The recently divorced Martin Dubinski arrives at the buffet with his new Vegas showgirl wife—all wrapped up in glitter and fur. His ex-wife, however, seems as cool as chilled eggnog. And when Hannah’s mother’s antique Christmas cake knife disappears, its discovery in the
    décolletage of the new—and now late—Mrs. Dubinski puts the festivities on ice.

    With everyone stranded at the community center by a blizzard, Hannah puts her investigative skills to the test, using the ingredients at hand: half the town of Lake Eden—and a killer. Now, as the snowdrifts get higher, it’s up to Hannah to dig out all the clues—and make sure
    that this white Christmas doesn’t bring any more deadly tidings …

    “Wacky and delightful characters, plus tempting recipes from appetizers to desserts, make this lighthearted offering sure to please the palate of any cozy fan.”—Publishers Weekly

    “Fluke’s talent for spinning a mesmerizing tale carries on in this sixth book, and its holiday recipes are an added treat for readers.”—Times News RecordIncludes over fifty original recipes for you to try!
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateFeb 25, 2008
    ISBN9781436112369
    Author

    Joanne Fluke

    JOANNE FLUKE is the New York Times bestselling author of the Hannah Swensen mysteries, which include Chocolate Cream Pie Murder, Raspberry Danish Murder, Cinnamon Roll Murder, and the book that started it all, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder. That first installment in the series premiered as Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel. Like Hannah Swensen, Joanne Fluke was born and raised in a small town in rural Minnesota, but now lives in Southern California. Please visit her online at www.JoanneFluke.com.

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    Reviews for Sugar Cookie Murder

    3.5/5

    344 ratings21 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This short novel takes place at the annual Christmas buffet where this year, they have tested all the recipes for Hannah's community cookbook. Martin Dubinski's new wife is found dead in the parking lot (by Hannah of course). Hannah, her sisters and Norman solve the case just in time to whisk Andrea off to the hospital to have her new baby girl. The second half of the book is devoted to all the recipes tested at the buffet.
    • 4/5
      My first Hannah Swensen book, and I'm a fan. Will be picking up more to read along the way.
    • 3/5
      Very short on story and long on recipes but still an enjoyable read.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed the descriptions of the holiday potluck.
    • 3/5
      The Sugar Cookie Murder is the sixth book in the in the popular Hannah Swensen mystery series and the first one in a new subset called a “Hannah Swensen Holiday Mystery”. Hannah is the host of the Lake Eden Christmas buffet party, which is also being used as the test kitchen for her upcoming cookbook. There's a winter storm brewing outside and all the residents of the town are gathering for the party, including Martin Dubinski and his new wife, Brandi Wyen, a Las Vegas dancer. Apparently they were married after knowing each other five hours. It's not long before Hannah finds another dead body, this one stabbed in the back with her mother's antique cake knife.

      This book is a slightly different format from the author's previous mysteries. In this one, the mystery takes place in the first half of the book and the second half is comprised of the recipes that will be going into the “fictional” Lake Eden Holiday Buffet Cookbook. If you are a fan of the series, you'll enjoy this one. It has some very humorous sections and of course, it's a cozy series, so the murders are not graphic at all.

      It's a bit of festive run to read this time of year. I don't often read cozy mysteries but when I do, I always reach for this well written series. The character are interesting and, if you come from a small town, you'll recognize many of them. I look forward to visiting with Hannah and her friends again next year.
    • 4/5
      Hannah and her friends are holding a buffet and testing recipes for the new community cook book. An awful snowstorm strands everyone at the center, including the no-longer-flamboyant murder victim and the murderer. It’s not exactly a closed room murder, but it’s close enough. Mike is his usual obnoxious self while investigating the crime, and Hannah, as usual, is a step ahead of him. This is an entertaining and delightful Christmas cozy, but it’s good any time of the year you want to read it.
    • 3/5
      Hum, a decidedly shorter novel “audio-wise”, compared with previous installments but longer in page count. It turns out, the print version of this installment has 81 appended recipes (considerably more than the average 10 recipes in the earlier installments of the series). It appears that Fluke continues her diligence in providing recipes for all food items mentioned in the stories. Since this one takes place at the Lake Eden holiday buffet, the recipes run the full gamut of appetizers, soups, sides, mains and desserts (for all the foodies out there). Not the best story to read on an empty stomach! As far as the mystery goes, Fluke has made use of a classic “whodunit” strategy by employing a blizzard to contain the investigation (and the suspects) to the snowbound community hall where the holiday buffet occurs. Once again, this becomes a Swensen "family and friends" investigation, even though the police, in the form of detective Mike Kingston and a couple of constables, are on site. Hannah can be an annoying character as she tends to be driven to action too often by her emotions, not logical thought. I found some of what she gets up to in this installment – fueled by the green eye of jealousy – unappealing as she takes on the antics of a woman who just doesn’t understand when she should back down and let the police handle things. Maybe this appeals to some readers – having the female amateur detective prove she is smarter than her sometimes boyfriend detective Kingston - but that ploy is starting to wear thin with me. It is really the fun supporting cast (sisters Andrea and Michelle, mother Delores, alternate boyfriend Norman Rhodes and other Lake Eden residents) that really help carry the story along.Overall, an alright story and a really quick read and a perfect if you are looking for a December holiday-themed story to read.
    • 4/5
      Christmas time in Lake Eden, where the world looks like a peaceful scene in a snow globe. But that is not what it really is like.The annual Christmas Buffet is the testing ground for the recipes that will be in the upcoming "Lake Eden Holiday Buffet Cookbook;" a compilation of recipes from the locals. All the recipes are on the menu.An addition is recently divorced Martin Dubinski and his new Vegas showgirl wife, Brandi Wyne. His ex-wife and mother are also on the guest list. Curiosity is strong on the outcome.Hannah's mother has loaned an antique Christmas cake knife to be used for the occasion, but when it is found sticking out of the chest of the Vegas bride things get complicated. Add to that a blizzard that strands everyone at the community center and you really have a challenge. With Hannah, Lisa and Andrea do int the leg work while Mike Kingston is interviewing suspects, the action moves quickly. The trick is to solve the mystery and not let everyone else know what is going on.This was interesting in that there was a short time for the characters to come up with the solution and that all the suspects were together. Usually the story goes along over a much longer time frame.It was still fun and interesting and enjoyable. As I've written, this is a cozy series and I'm still enjoying the light reading.
    • 3/5
      Not my favorite in the series, but the holiday recipes are top notch.
    • 1/5
      Book # 6 in the Hannah Swenson series has our heroine / amateur sleuth coordinating the Lake Eden Christmas Potluck supper. Everyone will be bringing the dishes they’ve offered for inclusion in the latest community cookbook, and Hannah’s mother has offered a beautiful antique cake knife to cut a very special cake. This is Minnesota and a snowstorm isn’t about to keep the residents of Lake Eden away from the Community Center, so the place is packed. But before the desserts are even set out on the buffet tables, the valuable antique goes missing, and Hannah finds it embedded to the hilt in the latest murder victim.

      This novella (168 pages of the 341 total pages in the book) is a barely concealed attempt at interesting us in the recipes which take up more than half the book. And it’s a failed attempt at that. The mystery is weak, Hannah and her sisters run around like fools jumping to conclusions and keeping notes on the backs of napkins (and Fluke gives us a description of every napkin’s design), while Mike is holed up in a small office “interviewing and investigating.” Of course, Hannah solves the crime – on page 151 – and Fluke fills another seventeen pages with a side story dealing with sister Andrea.

      It’s just a waste of time (and paper). I’ve read several of the books in this series and at least they usually have some good cookie recipes in them. This time all the recipes are in the second half of the book, and like a community cookbook they’re arranged from soup to “extras” (including catfish bait – I kid you not). Most of them require a slow cooker and most of them include canned mushroom soup. Several had serious errors in the recipe instructions or ingredients list.

      Like I said, a waste of time. Well, it fulfilled a challenge requirement … and there were a couple of dessert recipes that look worth the effort to try them, so they earned 1 star.
    • 5/5
      Sugar cookie murder by Joanne FlukeHave read all the other books in this series and was happy to find one I hadn't read.This one we find Hannah of the Cookie Jar is competing in the Christmas party and providing some food. There will be a contest and she's compiling Lake Eden Cookbook of recipes from those who live there.This is also the book Andrea, her sister is pregnant. Special knife is missing and they think the cake knife may be on another table of food. They soon find out where it is and then Hannah goes into investigation modewith others to question those who might know something about the murder. The crowd also gets snowed in...Lots of recipes at the end.I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
    • 3/5
      Hannah Swensen is helping to compile a town cookbook. The final recipes will be tested at a holiday buffet with many of the town's residents in attendance. Hannah's mother's contribution to the event is a recent acquisition – a valuable antique cake knife that she insists that Hannah use. The arrival of Martin Dubinski with his new wife, a Vegas showgirl, creates a stir. Her presence upsets someone in the crowd enough to murder her – with Hannah's mother's cake knife. Fortunately, Hannah's policeman boyfriend Mike is at the event, so when Hannah stumbles over the body, she immediately informs him of the death. However, Mike's presence doesn't keep her from doing her own investigating.The events leading up to the murder and its conclusion take place over the course of a single day. A snow storm strands the guests at the party, giving the police – and Hannah – plenty of time to conduct a discreet investigation without raising a general alarm. I think Fluke could have come up with a better reason for the gathering. Recipe testing provides the author with an excuse for filling the book with recipes, but it's a weak excuse. I've been involved with several community cookbooks and none of them required recipe testing. We've already sampled most of the contributions at church pot lucks or similar gatherings.The Christmas novels in this series are enjoyable fluff for the busy holiday season, but I couldn't tolerate a steady diet of this series. Hannah's unwillingness to commit to just one of her two boyfriends annoys me. Her relationship with Mike is more adolescent than adult. He brings out the worst in Hannah – jealousy, keeping score, and one-upmanship. On the other hand, dentist Norman treats Hannah with respect. I have a strong urge to sit down with Hannah and talk some sense into her.
    • 1/5
      This proved to be an abortion of a story. It diverges from the other books. I'm glad I finished it ahead of schedule but in the end there is little meat to the story as 30 % of the book consists of recipes. It's the same length as the preceding ones. I simply think I read a short story. The mystery is like one of those stories where the writer wrote like a beginner from start to finish. It's got a sweet ending but nobody will feel anything but apathy for the victim and the murderer, a rare combination of indifference.
    • 2/5
      Sugar Cookie Murder was a wash. Very inconsistent writing, I thought. Her characters veered from good potential to wooden and stupid. One moment I would find them interesting, the next, they were dull as dishwater. Also, this one line was a deal-breaker for me."Excuse me Miss Swensen?" he said, phrasing it as a question.Well, yeah, I kinda got that from the QUESTION MARK!!!! Made me want to quit right there. However, I finished it, and as a mystery it was a wash, too. She set up some nice possibilities and clues, then totally ignored them to pull a resolution out of thin air. Anyway, more than half of the book is recipes, so I'll read through those to see if they sound reasonable. I'll try one more of her books, just to make sure this story wasn't a "fluke," but if the writing isn't any better, I'll be done.
    • 3/5
      Sugar Cookie Murder, by Joanne Fluke is part of a series but unfortunately I haven't read any of the other books. I don't think I will either. While I found parts of the book to be fun, the rest was just a little boring and didn't hold my interest. I was also surprised that the whole second half of the book was recipes! They do look good so I'm going to keep the book!
    • 1/5
      This was a disappointment. As with others I thought I was getting a whole book instead of a novella. The mystery felt forced, perhaps if she'd had an entire novel to work with Fluke could have rounded the characters out a bit more. Hannah was pushier and more controlling that ever. Mike was total jerk,but he is always a jerk, it was just more emphasized in this one. Mike's jerkiness made Hannah seem very shallow. He's rude, overbearing and sexist to her but because he is tall dark and handsome all is forgiven as soon as he smiles at her. Dump the idiot already. And just what is wrong with Delores' new man? Lots of hints that are not developed at all which makes Hannah & her sisters seem very petty & jealous that her mom has met someone. Perhaps it's all foreshadowing for a later novel where he turns out to be a mass murderer and extortionist or something. But I put this book down dearly hoping Hannah is completely wrong about him because I am just sick of her know it all attitude. Not to mention her petty nagging about the use of English. Only Norman & his mom came out of this one ok.Probably I am so annoyed about the interpersonal relationships of the regular characters because the mystery itself was so forgettable. It was all about the food for a cookbook, oh and someone died. Mike was a jerk and Hannah solved who dunnit by being so exceedingly nosy she sounded like a blackmailer half the time, but then she often does.Very disappointed in this one
    • 4/5
      As always, a fun great, light read. Perfect for those days when you can't really read for more than a few moments at a time! LOL! I really like Hannan and her family and friends and the food always sounds sooooooo yummy! LOL!
    • 4/5
      As enjoyable as this Hannah Swenson mystery was, it was all about the food. The book has the recipes from the Lake Eden cookbook in it, so there are a lot more than cookies. The recipes look great, and I want to try some. The mystery was pretty good too. It's a holiday mystery, so Christmas is the theme. All the citizens of Lake Eden are caught at the Community Centre for a pot luck that is supposed to be a trial for the cookbook, and they get caught in a snowstorm. So we have all our favourite characters under one roof. And, of course, Hannah discovers another body, so her and her sisters are "helping" Mike try to solve the crime. The mystery isn't that difficult, but the story is still fun, and there are over 50 recipes to enjoy with the book! What more could you want?
    • 2/5
      While I was thinking about this book after I finished reading it, I had two distinct opinions about it. First and most prominent was the idea that this book was very disappointing. The murder was more boring than the previous entries. I did like the idea of all the suspects being together in a building during a blizzard where no one could leave. That felt all Agatha Christie to me. However Hannah felt more forced and less personable then usual. Even the secondary characters felt like caricatures of themselves. I didn't care about the victim or the suspects. Wow, this series is going downhill I thought. Half the book is recipes so it reads more like a short story or entry into an anthology then it did a regular Hannah Swenson murder mystery. Joanne Fluke for a fact, gets tons of comments and complements on her novels. It's almost like for some of her readers, the recipes are the best part. Everyone's always wanting more. I think Joanne wrote this book to do something different for her faithful readers. I think this is a Christmas gift to them, in a way. I refuse to make any judgements about this book not being up to par or going downhill until I read the next full volume in the series. Two stars given because the story is too short, too many recipes for my taste, and a plot that could have been planned out a little better. I'm also about sick of Mike snapping at Hannah and then being forgiven because his kisses are so "hot". Its time for Hannah to settle down with Norman, who would NEVER snap at her. I think together the two of them could make for some great future adventures. Hannah wouldn't suffer as a character at all for her marriage. All of Fluke's characters need to be evolved a little bit. Thanks for the gift here, but I think I'd prefer another full book any time.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book, but I wished it was longer.. The recipes all looked great though :)It was nice to see all the recipes that were mentioned in their cookbook in the story.The thing I liked most about book is that it was different from the others in the series... the mystery took place all in one building.. from the crime to being solved the whole town was stuck at the party in the snow storm :)
    • 1/5
      lots of recipes in this one