Hannah's still devastated from her failed marriage; she's desperately trying to pick up the pieces of her life. Working at the Cookie Jar helps and the whole community's been supportive. She still doesn't understand why Ross made the choices he made, but she's slowly coming to terms with the fact that he's not the man she thought he was. When he shows up on her doorstep, she realizes there's something desperate about him. He demands the money he left in the safe deposit box. He turns dangerous threatening her if she doesn't help him recover the money. His demeanor goes a long way towards hardening her heart towards him. Hannah isn't sure what to do next; she doesn't trust Ross. But she does believe him when he says he will hurt her if he doesn't get the money. She turns to Mike and Norman for help. When Ross turns up dead, everyone in town is a suspect with the exception of Hannah due to her around the clock protection. Hannah's determined to uncover the truth about Ross's death in order to put this whole mess behind her.

Given the cliffhanger from the last book, readers have been wondering what happened with Ross and Hannah. So far there isn't a satisfactory answer. Hopefully, the next book will answer more questions about the hasty marriage and the terrible betrayal.

Since the murder doesn't happen until the last third of the book, most of the book centers on the characters, new recipe ideas, and surviving a blizzard.

As this is the twenty-fourth book in the series, the murders appear to be secondary as the characters take center stage. It's great catching up with old friends. As usual, plenty of recipes pepper the book, making readers want to bake and eat the scrumptious treats. CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE MURDER ends on another cliff hanger, leaving readers eagerly awaiting the next installment of the long-running Hannah Swensen series.

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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