Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (A Hannah Swensen Mystery)

A fun summer read. A light hearty mystery along with a love story and interesting characters. This was a book club selection which I enjoyed and I am looking forward to reading others in her series.

Joanne Fluke (aka Joanne Fischmann, b. 1943) is the author of a series of “cozy” murder mysteries set in Minnesota and featuring detective Hanna Swensen, owner of The Cookie Jar, a local bake shop—a woman who has a knack for stumbling into mysteries and solving them. Published in 2003, THE LEMON MERINGE PIE MURDER is fourth in the series.

The book is very much in the “cozy” style, which is to say that violence isn’t graphically described, the puzzle doesn’t make any demands on the reader’s intelligence, and the emphasis is actually on the central character and her friends and family, many of whom have nothing to do with the story of the murder mystery itself. Hannah’s beau Norman has purchased a house, which he plans to demolish in order to build a “dream home” on the property. Before the house is torn down, however, Hannah, Norman, and Hannah’s mother Delores visit the house—and discover a body in the basement. At first Hannah resists the temptation to investigate, but friends and family insist, and she sets about interviewing those who seem connected with the crime. A decades-old bank robbery and an assault play into the mystery, while Hannah’s romantic complications and the city’s Fourth of July celebrations round out the novel as a whole.

Fluke makes no attempt to generate the head-spinning plots of the great mystery writers, nor does her workman-like narrative offer the light-touch-charm of the best of the “cozy” subgenre. Even so, the book is entertaining in a casual sort of way, the perfect choice for “something to read” when you are stuck in the airport or a doctor’s office. Mildly recommended.

GFT
Posted 7-2018

This series is my guilty pleasure. Whenever I am in a book slump and get tired of reading the same old books over and over again I know I can count on a good Hannah Swensen mystery to lighten up my reading experience. This book did just that!

Hanna Swensen, amateur sleuth and bakery owner, always finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation-- whether she wants to or not. -- In many cases, one of her delicious desserts will be present at the scene, but this doesn't make her the guilty party, it's just that she is a popular baker and everyone loves her delicious treats (recipes are included in the story). So when she spots her Lemon Meringue Pie at Norman's new house -- Rhonda's aunts home that she sold -- and her mother finds a body in that very basement, things get messy and Hanna is thrown into yet another murder case in Lake Eden.

This series, while it has a lot of books, doesn't get old for me. In each book you witness character growth and some fantastic connections between the characters. I love how close knit the town of Lake Eden is, and how everyone knows everything about what's happening. Now, while I wish Hannah would make up her mind on who to settle down with (Norman the dentist, or Mike the cop) I have a feeling that she may figure it out soon...

Fans of cozy mysteries or those who are new to the genre should definitely pick up a Hannah Swensen novel. Like I said before, this series is my guilty pleasure, and I love going sleuthing with the characters. Do would I recommend it? Highly! But make sure to read the series in order!

Incredibly simple minded (and simply worded, reminding the reader of The Magic Schoolbus). The main character is unabashed and naive, her actions all too often incomprehensible. Did anyone ever hear of an answering machine at that time (2003)? I don't read a cozy mystery without expecting some improbable turn of events, but the main sleuths strategies to question suspects and actually getting answers or being let into the victims apartment, are really too much. Needless to say that the police seems enormously incompetent and dimwitted to have overlooked the clue that she is, of course, stumbling upon. And all this topped by a love-triangle that is as exciting as a choice between two types of surgical stockings. So Mrs. Swanson keeps dating her two beaus (the nice dentist? or rather the 'wild and mysterious' police officer?) and at some point she sits on a blanket holding hands with both her suitors - while claiming to enjoy that, no less. This is so unbelievably awkward it made me cringe while reading. No more of this series for me.

Hannah Swensen, owner of a cookie shop, is surprised to hear that one of her boyfriends, dentist Norman Rhodes, has purchased a house - lock, stock, and barrel - from Rhonda Scarf. He plans to tear down the house and build a dream home. Before the house is demolished Hannah and her mom, an antique shop owner, go out to look for treasures. In addition to a few valuable antiques they find the dead body of Rhonda Scarf. Hannah's other boyfriend, detective Mike Kingston tells her to keep her nose out of the investigation but Hannah can't resist and dives right in. This is a real cozy mystery in the sense that the police/detectives seem to do nothing at all. As Hannah runs around questioning people and making phone calls and taking photos of the crime scene, etc. it seems like she's the first one on the scene every time. Soon after the murder money from an old bank robbery starts circulating through town which provides clues to the crime. The book is chock full of fun characters - Hannah's sisters, mom, and friends. It's a fun light mystery that includes recipes for lemon meringue pie and a variety of (what sounds like) delicious cookies.

Do you realize that each Hannah Swensen "mystery" contains endless, pointless paragraphs dedicated entirely to Moishe? Pick any title...I guarantee there will at least 6 descriptions of Moishe "hurtling" into Hannah's arms when she enters. You will be forced to read about how Hannah always fills his bowl twice. About how she keeps a bungee around the closet that holds his food. About how horrified Delores the Mother would be if she knew Hannah fed Moishe vanilla yogurt in heirloom crystal. About how Moishe steals Hannah's feather pillow. (At least that was resolved in Lemon Meringue when Michelle - the previously invisible sister who turns up out of nowhere - gets Hannah a new pillow.) Is that considered a spoiler? Is it even possible to spoil a Hannah Swensen mystery? Honestly, remove the Moishe-ness and meandering chats over coffee and cookies and these books would be about 50 pages long. This was an okay story...but as usual the villain is obvious from about page 10. This one takes place in summer, so the usual blather about Hannah plugging in her car is replaced by blather about mosquitoes and humidity. Oh and Hannah's diet, which I would love to see because apparently she lost 5 pounds in 36 hours just by eating one salad and cutting out cookies. See, now THAT'S a mystery!

This is the fourth book in the Hannah Swenson murder mystery series by author Joanne Fluke, although it is actually the sixth installment that I have read (I read two out of order before going back to the beginning). As with all the Hannah Swenson novels, this one opens early on with a murder, but this time, it is Hannah's mother, Dolores, who discovers the body. Norman, one of Hannah's two suitors, has just purchased an old house situated on a beautiful piece of real estate from town gossip Rhonda Scharf; he plans to tear down the dilapidated homestead and build the "dream house" which he and Hannah designed together. Rhonda, meanwhile, is planning a 2-week vacation with the proceeds from the sale of what was her great-aunt's home, but before she has the opportunity to make good on her life's dream, she unfortunately meets with a bad end.

Once she sets up the plot for the novel, Fluke works on character development. Hannah continues her relationships with both Norman and police detective Mike in this book, becoming more deeply involved with both men yet still not committing to one or the other. In addition, this is the first time that readers meet Hannah's youngest sister, Michelle, who has been only mentioned in the earlier three books; this story takes place around the Fourth of July, so Michelle comes home from college on break. Other lesser-known Lake Eden regulars make their appearances here as well, including Doc Knight, Edna Ferguson, and Ken Purvis. But it isn't too difficult to discern just who doesn't belong in this happy little community, and I must admit, I solved the mystery long before Hannah did this time: I identified the killer about halfway through the book.

Since what makes the Hannah Swenson series unique is the recipes, I would be remiss if I didn't mention exactly what is included here. In addition to the requisite Lemon Meringue Pie recipe, there are seven recipes for cookies and one for healthy pancakes (Hannah is dieting throughout this book, a sort of joke that becomes a bit tedious by the end). Unlike in Blueberry Muffin Murder (Hannah Swensen Mysteries), where I felt that many of the cookie recipes were fairly run-of-the-mill, the ones offered in this book seem more original: there are Orange Snaps, Walnuttos, Cinnamon Crisps, Praline Charlottes (I really want to try these!), and even a cookie made with tomato soup, Mystery Cookies.

Mainly, it is the recipes which keep me reading these novels, and in that, I wasn't disappointed. The plot itself wasn't all that complex or creative, but in the end, it was enjoyable as a light, fun read, and I do plan to move on to the next book in the series, Fudge Cupcake Murder [FUDGE CUPCAKE MURDER] [Mass Market Paperback].

Admittedly, this book made it fairly obvious from the start who the "bad guy" was.

As for those reviewers who complain about how the REAL cops don't seem to do anything on the case....Hello....anyone out there remember Murder, She Wrote? Did THOSE cops ever solve the cases? And that was a successful TV series for YEARS.

Those of you complaining about the 50s style writing must be those who prefer SEX with all your books. So, the characters are kind of cheesy, dorky (bet none of you watch The Duggars, either, do you?) There are plenty of us out there who do enjoy the series, which, by the way varies quite a bit from other books Fluke has written (and, no, she isn't "self-published", she's a "real" author). Those other books out of the Hannah Swensen series DON'T appeal to me, but that is just my style.

As I mentioned in my earlier review of "Blueberry Muffin Murder" readers shouldn't expect a deep involved mystery from Joanne Fluke. These books definately run in the 'cozy' category. My 6th grade step-daughter reads and enjoys them, as well. In my opinon each of the four novels have gotten progressively more interesting. (I seem to read them each a little quicker than the previos volume as well!) This volume finds Hannah involved in the murder of one of the town's residents. She also finds out about an old bank robbery, and some suspicious activity involving a local mentally handicapped man. How do these relate, if at all, Hannah wonders. By now, residents of Lake Eden are used to Hannah involving herself in murder investigations despite the lack of encouragement from local law enforcement. As a side note, things seem to be coming to a head in Hannah's love triange with handsome policeman Mike, and fun and earnest dentist Norman. Readers know all these characters now, and probably everyone has their favorites. We enjoy Hannah's attitude and delight in the antics of her sisters, mother and niece. There are flaws here, hence my three star rating. Readers obviously have to suspend reality when reading Fluke's novels. Medical information is quickly given to parties it shouldn't be. Everyone seems to run their mouths and volunteer information. Hannah has yet to meet someone who kicks her to the curb for questioning them. I guess the clues and information come across a little too conveniently. Still the entertainment value here is high. This is a fun series to hook yourself on. If you question whether or not to buy it, especially if you haven't tried a Hannah mystery before, borrow it from the library or buy it here used cheaply.

Hannah Swensen returns in the 4th book in this series. In this installment, Hannah jumps in to help solve a murder when a lemon meringue pie from her bakery, The Cookie Jar, is found at the crime scene. When Norman Rhodes, one of Hannah's "boyfriends", purchases a home, he does not realize that the dead body of the previous owner will be found inside. It seems that this owner, Rhonda, stopped at her old home to pick up a few last items and thought she would have one last meal there. This meal was definitely her last, as the person that met her there may have been the last to see her alive! Adding to Hannah's troubles is the fact that some of her clothes just seem too tight, and so she sets out to put herself on a diet (even while she is baking all kinds of yummy cookies!). Playing a part in this mystery is Hannah's nagging mother, Norman's mother, and Mike, the policeman who usually fights to keep Hannah out of each case but finally gives up this time. As Hannah fights to keep her life in order and her weight in check, she must find a killer before he/she strikes again!
I have enjoyed each of the Hannah Swensen mysteries and have loved the recipes that are included in each book. Each time I have read one of the books, I find myself getting hungry (not good for my waistline either!) for all of the goodies that Hannah serves. The mysteries are interesting, but as I like culinary cozies, I enjoy the books more for the food and the characters. My only complaint about this series has to be in the dialogue between characters, as they are constantly repeating each other's names. Other than that, this delightful read will leave you "hungry" for more!
The first book in this series is "The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder". Enjoy!
A Cozy Lover

I just love the Hannah Swensen mysteries, and the recipes included are so mouth watering when I read them (I cannot say that I have tried one yet though, but I will in the near future).
For this particular murder mystery, I knew who did it early on, but I just could not figure out how or why. I think Joanne Fluke, kept putting clues throughout the book even to the very end, so the reader could try to guess.
One thing I dont understand in this recent book is the romantic relationship between Hannah and Norman and then Hannah and Mike. It seems Mike and Norman are getting a bit too cozy with each other, and acting very passive about knowing they each are dating Hannah. I suppose all of this is to still keep the readers in suspense of who she might finally end up with...if either.
This mystery involved the murder of the drugstore makeup counter lady, and how she was found dead in the house Norman bought from her. Of course, Hannah has to save the day to find the killer because Norman is not allowed to go through any plans in order to make his and Hannah's dream house (Hannah acknowledges that this is so, but makes no reference to her moving in anytime soon) while the investigation is going on.
There is also another tiny mystery thrown in half way through...not another murder, but it certainly made things more interesting.
Joanne Fluke book lovers, cozy mystery fans, and those that love to bake should definitely pick this book for a read.

The cozy continues… I can’t get enough of these type of books. They transport me out of regular life and drop me in the reality I sometimes want to be my own. But I can also escape it when I need to…

A cop and a dentist after me? Perhaps not my ideal but it is for Hannah. I enjoy her escapades and look forward to what comes next!

I love this fun series from Joanne Fluke. In this cozy mystery we see that Hannah is offering pies on Fridays, and as you could guess, lemon meringue pie is featured in this cute novel. Norman is going to build the dream house that Hannah and he designed, and he has found the perfect spot where to build the new home. After he signs the papers, he allows Hannah and her mother to go through the home removing any antiques inside that may be of value for Hannah's mother and Norman's mother's store. There they find much more than they bargained for. I am amazed in each of these stories how Hannah is able to date both Norman and Mike, and no one seems to care. Oh, well. This book is just another one of Fluke's sweet confections, and I look forward to reading more! 5 stars for fun!