Christmas Cake Murder

By: Joanne Fluke

Narrated by: Suzanne Toren

It's Christmas many years ago, and topping young Hannah Swensen's wish list is becoming the go-to baker in Lake Eden, Minnesota. But as Hannah finds out, revisiting holiday memories can be murder....

With her dream of opening The Cookie Jar taking shape, Hannah's life matches the hectic December hustle and bustle in Lake Eden - especially when she agrees to help recreate a spectacular Christmas ball from the past in honor of Essie Granger, an elderly local in hospice care. But instead of poring over decadent dessert recipes for the merry festivities, she instantly becomes enthralled by Essie's old notebooks and the tale of a woman escaping danger on the streets of New York.

Hannah's surprised by Essie's secret talent for penning crime fiction. She's even more surprised when the story turns real.

As Hannah prepares to run a bakery and move out of her mother's house, it'll be a true miracle if she can prevent another yuletide disaster by solving a mystery as dense as a Christmas fruitcake....

©2018 H.L. Swensen, Inc. (P)2018 Recorded Books

How It Began

I loved hearing how The Cookie Jar started, and the “diary mystery” thread was emotional and riveting. I enjoy all the daily details and especially the recipes in the series.

Best book of the series What will be next?

I enjoyed more than any of the other Joan Fluke Hannah Swensen series. Can’t wait to see what is next.

Enjoyable story

I thoroughly enjoyed. I hated that it ended. That was a great story line inside the story.

One of my favorites by Fluke.

The sub plot is well thought and engaging.
The delivery, however, does not hold to Suzanne Toren’s usual quality, especially towards the end of the novel. In some scenes Hannsh sounds like a man, while Annie sounds like a bird.

Loved it

The story was well written and flowed smoothly. I like the recipes breaks as well.

A Flashback to when Hannah Came Home

This is a prequel to the whole series. Hannah is home from college and wants to stay due to a miserably failed romance at college. Delores encourages her to use her college money from her father to start a business, and even helps Hannah find her condo.

The real story is of Essie Granger, an older woman who lived in a tiny (illegal) apartment (no bathroom or electricity) above a defunct hotel. When she was younger she took care of many children whose parents dropped them off for her "Story Hour." Old and young have fond memories of Essie. When she's found after falling down the steps to get to the bathroom, she's rushed to the hospital, and everyone wants to help by holding another "Christmas Ball" -- which was the highlight of Essie's life. The Swenson sisters obtain Essie's notebooks and start reading a gripping story she wrote about a young pregnant wife escaping a mob hit by train. The husband was supposed to join her but never made it. Luckily the woman meets a doctor who takes care of her and delivers her baby.

Essie is thrilled when the night of the ball arrives.. Then a man enters the ball and shoots her. And the origin of Essie's manuscript is revealed.

Start of series

It was interesting to see Hannah at a younger age, & I am going to try some of the recipes.

The Rest of the Story

Fun story that gives us the background of how the Cookie Jar came to be.

bah humbug!!!

don't know if it's thestory line. or the reader but these books are v ery hard to f inish. story had no rymn or reason. and narrator voice reminded me of. fing er nails on a chalk board.

story good, performance fair.

Reading sounded juvenile and choppy at times. Story was very good. Nice to see where the characters began.