Monday, February 8, 2016

Review -- Wedding Cake Murder


Wedding Cake Murder
By Joanne Fluke
Kensington Books

Fans of Joanne Fluke’s Minnesota-set mystery series have been anticipating the nineteenth whodunit, Wedding Cake Murder, complete with tasty recipes as always.

As Hannah Swenson prepares to marry her college sweetheart, Ross Barton, she’s also competing in a nationally televised baking tournament. Talk about pressure for Hannah, but with the support of her family and friends, she’s ready to take it all on—competition, a wedding and cooking on television.

In New York City to tape the first leg of the contest, Hannah meets the judges and other competitors, then wins the Hometown Challenge and brings the final rounds of the competition home to Lake Eden. Just as the rivalry heats up, one of the judges turns up dead in Lake Eden Inn’s walk-in refrigerator with a knife in his chest. Celebrity chef judge Alan Duquesne’s spiteful reputation means there is more than one person with a motive to murder him, including some of the contestants in the Food Channel’s dessert chef competition.

I’m a fan of the Hannah Swenson cozy mysteries, but I will admit I’m not thrilled with her marriage to Ross in this book. Perhaps the author has something in mind for a mystery going forward and this is part of that story arc, but Ross seemed to come out of left field after readers invested many hours following Hannah’s efforts to decide between Mike and Norman, rooting for one or the other to become Hannah’s partner in crime!

Readers will not be disappointed with the mystery or Hannah’s sleuthing escapades in Wedding Cake Murder. It’s an easy read and it’s nice to visit with the Lake Eden residents once again.