The humiliation of admitting publicly that her husband, Ross Barton, was gone from her life, was almost more than what Hannah Swensen could bear at the moment. Thankfully, her friends and relatives understood how badly she hurt and stood by her side. That Eden Lake had been chosen to host a film festival sounded like a welcome distraction, until Hannah hears that Ross will attend. Would Hannah ever be free of the man she thought she knew?

The beauty of fiction is that you can wish for someone to disappear from the scenery and not feel guilty about it. Ross never really belonged in Eden Lake, and I'm glad that the author did something about it in CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE MURDER. However, it would appear that the Hannah Swensen mysteries might be heading in a new direction. The writing is good, but the dialogues have lost their distinctive Minnesota flavor; much of the sometimes corny humor is sadly absent, and there seems to be more coffee-drinking than sleuthing. I was eager to see Hannah temporarily share her mother Delores' condo. I adore Delores, but she was not her eccentric, extravagant self, and very little was made of the event, which would have been hilarious. As in the previous installment, CHRISTMAS CAKE MURDER, the crime is committed very late in the book - in the last twenty percent - and I was disappointed with the actual crime-solving process. Instead of the usual shenanigans, the murder is resolved mostly through Hannah's internal monologue, in a debate between her "rational mind" and her "suspicious mind". The identity of the victim was predictable, but I had no clue as who the killer was, and the motive was quite creative.

It almost seems as if the previous book and the current one mark the beginning of a new series, and I wonder if the book description for CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE MURDER is indicative of things to come. Major fireworks happen on the last page, but I guess I will have to revise my expectations if I am to enjoy the future installments in the series. I must admit that the cliffhanger has me seriously intrigued, and I will definitely try the French Baked Brie with Bread Knots.

Book Summary

Not even Lake Eden’s nosiest residents suspected Hannah Swensen would go from idealistic newlywed to betrayed wife in a matter of weeks. But as a deadly mystery unfolds in town, the proof is in the pudding . . .

When The Cookie Jar becomes the setting of a star-studded TV special about movies filmed in Minnesota, Hannah hopes to shine the spotlight on her bakery—not the unsavory scandal swirling around her personal life. But that’s practically impossible with a disturbing visit from the shifty character she once believed was her one and only love, a group of bodyguards following her every move, and a murder victim in her bedroom. Now, swapping the crime scene in her condo for her mother Delores’s penthouse, Hannah and an old flame team up to solve a case that’s messier than an upended chocolate cream pie. As suspects emerge and secrets hit close to home, Hannah must serve a hefty helping of justice to an unnamed killer prowling around Lake Eden . . . before someone takes a slice out of her!

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