Red Velvet Cupcake Murder

A Hannah Swensen Mystery with Recipes!

By: Joanne Fluke

Narrated by: Suzanne Toren

Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best-selling author Joanne Fluke’s cozy mysteries grow in popularity with each new series entry.

One summer in Lake Eden, Minnesota, Hannah Swensen attends the grand opening of a newly refurbished hotel, where her famous red velvet cupcakes will be served in the new Red Velvet lounge. But when a party guest falls from the hotel roof, festivities come to a screeching halt - and Hannah becomes the surprising target of a murder investigation.

©2013 H.L. Swensen, Inc. (P)2013 Recorded Books

Makes me want to bake and eat!

If you could sum up Red Velvet Cupcake Murder in three words, what would they be?

Why not Hannah?

What was one of the most memorable moments of Red Velvet Cupcake Murder?

When Hannah shows how unselfish she is by trying to save Dr. Bev.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Moishe saves Hannah and Barbara from the white monster.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Dolores and Doc announce that they will be getting married.

Any additional comments?

Enough already. Hannah needs to get engaged to Norman. She can finally see that Mike takes her for granted. Norman truly loves her and she loves him. Please move this relationship along.

Readable

The story moves a little slow with Hannah being slow to connect some of the clues. Knowing the police force as she does, and being connected through family, the police would never have taken her in for intense questioning-especially not the one she dates. Also, it was illegal for the police to leave her in danger at the end. I’m still a big fan of the Hannah Swenson books.

Another good one :)

I loved this trip to Lake Eden. The town, the character and the cookies are all well woven into the mystery. I can’t wait to read the next one. The narration was excellent as always. Thank you Susan Torrin for sticking with the series.

Sadly disappointing...!!

I am a great fan of the whole Hannah Swenson series by Joanne Fluke and normally I LOVE her stories. I have read every one starting with the first and continue reading in order of publishing date. However, the last 2 books have been less than ideal. I don’t like finding out who the murderer is in Chapter 2 or 3!!

But this last one was worst by far and that makes me very sad. I knew exactly who the attempted murderer was the second the intended victim said who attempted to kill her!! At that point it just becomes boring and sad to wait for the characters to catch up and figure out ”who”. Especially when it seems that they want to avoid finding out at all cost.

I was also sad to see the recipes at the end of each chapter again. It kills the storyline and it is so irritating to have to pick up my phone and push the bar to get to the next chapter. I was certain the last few books had recipes at the end.

There are also spots in the book where it seems like “story filling or fluff” was added just to extend the books page numbers. Otherwise why would we go on for 20-30 minutes about whether Barbara really called..and how hard it is to push a coffee machine ON button before having coffee!

Lastly, I have to agree that the book narrator needs to learn to change her voice between female characters instead of just making them either all a different version of “whining” sounds or making them sound like small children. I sincerely hope that the next few books show the wonderful mystery and suspense shown in the earlier books. Anyone who was disappointed in this book should give a few early books a try. You won’t be disappointed.

Boring

Too many recipes, not enough storyline. Glacial pace. I had to stop early in the second half.

No recipes please!!

This is my first try with this series. I guess one of the reasons people might listen is for the recipes but I find them extremely annoying and detracting from the flow of the story. If I can skip through the recipes, I might finish but I'll listen to other books first.

Couldn't get past the third chapter

I'm notorious for not quitting a book, no matter how bad, until I reach the end. I could not force myself past the third chapter. Just too slow.

Dull, Dull, Dull

Would you try another book from Joanne Fluke and/or Suzanne Toren?

Definitely not Joanne Fluke and a big maybe to Suzanne Toren.. I can't decide if the narrator made the book bad or the book made the narrator bad, but the combination is a snooze.

Has Red Velvet Cupcake Murder turned you off from other books in this genre?

Not necessarily the genre, but definitely this author.

Would you be willing to try another one of Suzanne Toren’s performances?

Maybe - something by a different author.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Red Velvet Cupcake Murder?

Hard to tell because the plot moved so slowly there weren't many scenes in the half that I read.

Any additional comments?

I bought this as a daily special, and I got what I paid for.

Ugh

I used to really like these but this one was so boring and pointless. Also the characters got really mean and nasty. There was essentially an entire chapter of them picking a part another woman and her plastic surgery. It was just cruel and I couldn't listen to it anymore. Gross

I remembered why I stopped reading this series

I'm not sure if I liked this so little because it was an audiobook and the reader did not do it justice, or if I did not like it because it was just not a good book. Either way, the only reason I finished it is because I paid for it and I was working on my knitting and nothing was on television.

First, when I am listening to an audiobook I don't want to listen to someone READ a recipe at the end of every other chapter, it's annoying.

Second, it what universe does a woman in her mid 30s have two boyfriends for over five years and not have sex with either one and they stick around. Pick one, kill one, meet Prince Charming at the racetrack and drop them both, I don't care, it's just stupid. Also stupid is that Hannah is jealous when either one of them talks to another woman socially.

Third, the police department is so inept they come to Hannah for help solving their crimes.