Blackberry Pie Murder

By: Joanne Fluke

Narrated by: Suzanne Toren

Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

It's been a sleepy summer for the folks of Lake Eden, Minnesota. In fact, it's been a whole four months since anyone in the Swensen family has come across a dead body - a detail that just made the front page of the local paper. And that means Hannah Swensen can finally focus on her bakery. . .or can she? Life is never really quiet for Hannah. After all, her mother's wedding is a little over a month away and guess who Delores put in charge of the planning?

Yet just when Hannah believes her biggest challenge will be whether to use buttercream or fondant for the wedding cake, she accidentally hits a stranger with her cookie truck while driving down a winding country road in a raging thunderstorm. Hannah is wracked with guilt, and things get even worse when she's arrested. . .for murder! But an autopsy soon reveals the mystery man, his shirt covered in stains from blackberry pie, would have died even if Hannah hadn't hit him. Now, to clear her name, Hannah will have to follow a trail of pie crumbs to track down the identity of the deceased, find a baker who knows more about murder than how to roll out a perfect pie crust - and get herself to the church on time. . .

©2014 H.L. Swensen, Inc. (P)2014 Recorded Books

Blackberry Pie Murder

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, these are such fun, lighthearted books.

Any additional comments?

I love all the characters in this series. The mystery keeps you guessing. There are moments that just make you smile or laugh out loud. The recipes are nice too.

It is all about food...no mystery.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I was bored by this book. To much eating and drinking, not enough mystery. The character's were undefined. If I hadn't read the first few books in the series I would not have known who these people were, beyond their name, occupation and marital status.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I don't know

Which character – as performed by Suzanne Toren – was your favorite?

Norman

Did Blackberry Pie Murder inspire you to do anything?

Bake cookies.

Any additional comments?

Some of Joanne Fluke's books are a bit more mysterious.

Just okay and a little annoying

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

So so. I was a little down so I wanted something a little lightweight to take my mind off of stresses and that's what I got. Mission accomplished.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I would have taken out the FAR TOO MANY recipes in it. In a paper book you can simply skip over the recipes. In an audiobook it really interrupts the story in a very annoying way. The recipes are also way too long. In order to skip over the recipes I have to guess how far forward to go and it takes several attempts to get back to the story. In the audiobook I would've left the recipes for the end of the book. This is no "Like Water For Chocolate." There are also too many "dears" and "mothers" and other stodgy words. Do people really talk like this? Also, everyone in this town must have diabetes with all the cookies and pies they're eating! Oh and they mentioned a woman raising her daughter with money from a life insurance policy after her husband committed suicide by shooting himself. Is there a life insurance that pays after suicide?

What aspect of Suzanne Toren’s performance would you have changed?

The voices and style are exaggerated and corny. Although, the story is written that way, it would have been nice if the narrator could have toned it down a bit. If it were a play or movie, it would never make it because it's over-acted and somewhat boring.

Could you see Blackberry Pie Murder being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No! No! If I had to pick actors, I'd say the cast of "The Andy Griffith Show" before they became good actors.

Any additional comments?

I wish that I remembered that I listened to another one of this series before and had not purchased this. It's not a terrible book, just not very good and a little annoying.

Cliff hanger

I enjoy this series but would prefer the recipes not be read by the narrator during the story. If you are reading your eye and glance over the page then you move on with the story. Reading the recipes breaks up the flow of the story. Also this book was a cliff hanger. It didn’t resolve the main issue that came up in the first scene of the book.

Need some recipes?

This is a cozy mystery with many, many recipes...a bit more than I like. I felt they were used to fill out a weak story. If you are a baker, the recipes sound really good.

I did like the characters of a mother, her 4 daughters (who have a habit of finding dead bodies), her mother's intended, and the men involved with said daughters.

While one mystery is solved, the other is left hanging. If you've read many of my reviews, you know I generally like books that don't leave you hanging. This book did not catch me enough to make me want to get the next book in the series or start in from the beginning.

well done

Very different story line. Did not expect the intensity and depth to the story. Well done. Knowing the whole town makes it seem personal.

Love Hanna Swenson

I enjoy hearing the different voices Susan Toren comes up with. Makes the book more entertaining.

Great Story With A Few Issues

I have enjoyed all of the books from this series except one. I'm not sure why the 'privileged' attitude of some of the characters seemed heightened & irritating.
I'm getting sick of the Hanna-Mike-Norman love triangle. It's getting OLD and ANNOYING! I'm reviewing before finishing, so maybe I'll be surprised.
The overall story is great. The earlier ones are better, but at least this one had an actual mystery to sink my teeth into. I'm a huge mystery buff. I have to remember how 'wholesome' these tales are in comparison to most.
As always, the recipes are excellent 👌🏽.

Didn't want a recipe book!

What would have made Blackberry Pie Murder better?

Leaving out the recipes would have made the book a lot better or at least putting them at the end of the book. I couldn't even get interested enough to finish the book because the story line was interrupted by the recipes.

Has Blackberry Pie Murder turned you off from other books in this genre?

Maybe not the whole genre but at least this author.

What three words best describe Suzanne Toren’s performance?

I cant judge because I really was distracted by the interruptions

What character would you cut from Blackberry Pie Murder?

not sure

Any additional comments?

will not be buying any more from this author

Did I miss something?

Where's the end of the book???? The book just abruptly stops. Good thing I didn't pay for this and listened to it for free, or I'd be asking for my credit back. Don't waste your time or credit! So DISAPPOINTING!