"Scrumptious recipes and murder"

Hannah Swensen owns The Cookie Jar in Lake Eden, Minnesota along with her partner Lisa Herman. Norman Rhodes, one of Hannah's favorite people and one she dates occasionally, has bought the Voelker place from Rhonda Scharf. He is a dentist in town. He is planning to tear the house down and build their dream house. They had designed it together and won a contest. Hannah is surprised by Norman's decision to actually build it. She wonders if he is going to pop the question. When he doesn't she worries that she has gained too much weight and goes on a diet -- tough to do when you bake cookies all day long!

Hannah is also seeing Mike Kingston, head detective with Winnetka County Sheriff's Department. So, on one hand she is happy Norman hasn't asked her to marry him. She'd have to give up Mike!

Delores Swensen, Hannah's mother, and Carrie Rhodes, Norman's mother, own and run Granny's Attic, an antique store. Before Norman demolishes the Voelker house, Delores is going to go through it looking for antiques for their store. She asks Hannah to come. Norman is coming too. Delores has a habit of putting Norman and Hannah together. She is hoping they will eventually get married. Although there are times both Norman and Mike are invited to events by Delores. Then she places Hannah between them at the table!

When the three of them are looking through the Voelker house, Hannah discovers one of her Lemon Meringue Pies partially eaten with ants crawling on it. She takes it out to the trash. She sees the remains of two take-out meals of osso buco.

Delores goes downstairs to see if there are any antiques. When she returns, she looks like she has seen a ghost. Close. She'd found a dead body.

In this book Mike doesn't mind Hannah looking into this murder. Usually he has fought with her when she has looked into a murder. Hannah's older sister, Andrea, who is pregnant with her 2nd child, begs Hannah to let her assist. Andrea is married to Bill, Mike's boss. Their younger sister, Michelle, has come home to visit and assists them as well.

Not only has there been a murder, but then some money from a long ago bank robbery appears.

I thoroughly enjoy this series. This latest book is very enjoyable. The recipes sound scrumptious too. Hannah and her relationships with Mike and Norman are fun to follow in order to find out the latest.

Lake Eden is a great setting for books. It is a small town but near the big city. Joanne has made me want to vacation there from her fabulous descriptions. The people sound like they would be fun to get to know. I like that Hannah and Andrea are getting closer. I would like to see Hannah get married, but I can't decide which man I'd want it to be with. Hannah's cat Moishe sounds like a playful but loving cat. I like how he keeps stealing her pillow and how he insists on getting his food.

I guarantee reading this book, and the others in this great series, will make you laugh but will also make you hungry!

Reviewed by Dawn Dowdle
Posted March 16, 2003