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  • Published: 24 September 2019
  • ISBN: 9781617732348
  • Imprint: Kensington
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $21.99

Christmas Cake Murder




Queen of culinary capers, Joanne Fluke, cooks up the most delicious gift of all: a recipefilled holiday mystery prequel to the beloved Hannah Swensen Mystery series! Readers will devour this story, as it brings them back to when it all began, during Christmas season many years ago, when a young Hannah was preparing to open The Cookie Jar and investigating her first murder...

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 . . .
 
Features Over a Dozen Cookie and Dessert Recipes from The Cookie Jar!
 
“Series fans will enjoy learning how the Cookie Jar bakery came to be.”
—Publishers Weekly

  • Published: 24 September 2019
  • ISBN: 9781617732348
  • Imprint: Kensington
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $21.99

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Praise for Christmas Cake Murder

Praise for Christmas Cake Murder
"Series fans will enjoy learning how the Cookie Jar bakery came to be." -- Publishers Weekly

"Longtime series fans will enjoy this glimpse into the past of their favorite characters and get a few new insights into established bonds." -- Library Journal

"Fans of the series will appreciate the delicious-sounding recipes, the holiday frame, the familiar characters, and the backstory about how Hannah started her bakery, the Cookie Jar." -- Booklist

"Fluke fans win a trifecta of treats." -- Kirkus

"This bonne bouche of a novel is almost lighter than air, and goes down as easily as one of the cookies Hannah is constantly baking...a lovely, frothy treat, a perfect no-hassle Christmas read." --Mystery Scene Magazine

"Get in the holiday spirit with the help of Joanne Fluke's new Hannah Swensen Mystery, complete with festive recipes." -- Bustle

"A heartwarming chapter from Hannah's past that not only features a clever puzzle of a mystery but also fills in a lot of the history behind Hannah's return to Lake Eden and her establishment of The Cookie Jar." -- Criminal Element

"Christmas Cake Murder is, at its heart, a story within a story, and both tales engage you and carry you along as the stories unfold. For those who are already Hannah fans, it's nice to go back in time and understand the beginnings of The Cookie Jar, seeing it with fresh eyes and a new appreciation for Hannah and her family." -- Food Channel Online

"The perfect heart-warming novel for the holiday season, one that is light on danger but full of emotional moments for those dealing with loss through the support of love and friendship." -- Kings River Life Magazine

"A lighthearted look at an aging crime writer and Fluke's decidedly handy baker heroine, Hannah Swensen. Added bonus--the book comes with recipes for those who aren't already deep in their cake bowls baking for Christmas." -- The Bourne Enterprise (Falmouth, MA)