Cream Puff Murder (A Hannah Swensen Mystery)

Most reviewers seem to be tired of the Norman-Mike-Hannah love triangle, but some seem to regard Norman as a knight in shining armor and Mike as a roue and cad. Not true! Norman seems to be a doormat more than a member of King Arthur's court. He should face reality; Hannah has refused to marry him, so he needs to get on with his life and date someone else. And Hannah seems to want it both ways--she refuses to pick either guy, but then gets upset when Mike goes out with another woman. Why call him a womanizer? She's the one who dumped him!

I agree with other posters who have rated this series with a one star. I am baffled that the editor and publisher stand behind these works. In this book, there are several inconsistencies. One example is when Hannah's mother calls Hannah on her land line, but Hannah lies and says she's on her cell and the sound of her frying dinner in the background is really static. Hannah's mother just accepts this explanation. What editor would let this slide? I can only fathom that writer and editor are of equal mind in their aim to write for the lazy, low-level reader who wouldn't be insulted by this inconsistency.

Another inconsistency is Hannah's relationship with Mike. Mike asked her to marry him, Hannah turned him down, but throughout this book, Hannah keeps criticizing Mike for not complementing her enough, not making enough physical advances, and sums up her life as "poor as me, alone again every evening." Yet she is choosing this path! The women are all shallow, concerned about weight gain, yet eat cookies and coffee all hours of the day and NIGHT! Literally, Hannah brews coffee at midnight for Mike! The story and writing are just plain weird and often insulting.
Not sure why an editor and publisher would want to have their reputation tied up with this series. In a nutshell, even if you want an easy, cozy read, these stories are just infuriating with regard to characters.

I really wanted to like this series but I just couldn't. Hannah is so annoying but yet everybody thinks she's the only one who can solve a mystery in Lake Eden. Apparently the police in Lake Eden aren't up to solving crimes without her help. She's a little Miss Know it all who needs to get a life. I'm not sure why she has two men after her but she needs to pick one and be done with it. The early books were better.

Is she trying to compete with Davidson?? If she is, then quit already! Davidson's books I can barely read, but her plots are so much better. This book Cream Puff was too wordy, too cuddly and there was no mystery. Bleh!

Posted about Cream Puff Murder. I generally like the series, even if it is somewhat simplistic and juvenile. It is light reading and I like seeing what new trouble Hannah gets into. However, I was shocked that, after she boasted in Peach Cobbler Murder that she only used the best ingredients in her cookies, she actually took an order from a customer, for which she not only charged their new, higher price, but also double because it was short notice and then she went to the store and bought several packages of cheap, ready made cookies, which she then put together with frosting and some colored coconut flakes to make them look like mini cheesburgers, instead of taking a few minutes to churn out a couple of batches of vanilla and chocolate cookies herself. I know I would be really ticked off if I was the mom that paid for this from the bakery only to find out they used store bought cookies. Another thing I didn't like was that she used canned pie filling for her cream puffs instead of making some fillings herself. Even though they weren't made for sale, I felt it was wrong and like the mini cheesburgers it grated on me the wrong way.
Also, Hannah seems to be stuck in a rut. She needs therapy. She seems to be consistently attracted to the wrong kind of guy. It makes you wonder what kind of dad her father really was. The men she is attracted to are bounders and cheaters and she never learns. If her dad was a good man, you would think she would marry Norman, who obviously cares for her a lot, but she is attracted to Mike, who consistently lies to her and cheats on her with other women. Wait and see, she will marry a bounder.

I decided to re-read the books before reading Wedding Cake Murder to refresh my memory of how Hannah ended up with Ross. Hannah is becoming less likeable as the series has progressed to where I am now. She's a know-it-all, self-centered snob. I've never cared for the Delores character. Hannah bemoans that she inherited her father's looks, but she also inherited a lot of her mother's personality. I understand that reality needs to be suspended when reading fiction, but the fact that Hannah always has a personal reason to "investigate" and is the only one smart enough to figure out whodunit is tiresome. I will go ahead and finish read through Wedding Cake Murder because I've already bought it, but it's quite likely that it will be the last one I read in the series.

As for other reviewers' comments, I agree that Ms. Fluke needs to realize it's 2016 and update her writing accordingly. The Hannah/Mike/Norman triangle is ridiculous. If I never have to read about "Swedish plasma," that Hannah says a word she would never say in front of her nieces, or that Delores uses Regency terms, I will be happy.

And I still can't believe that she "made" cheeseburger cookies and sold them! Really?!

This book is most definitely not quality literary fiction. Heck, it's not even all that great for a fluff mystery novel. What IS great about this book, however, is the inclusion of yummy recipes following many chapters. Our book club picked this book and ended up with some of the best treats we could have hoped for! I can't say I'd ever read any of this series again, but as a cookbook, it's a winner!

I enjoyed reading the first 4 books so I ordered the rest of the series (I am missing one because I’m waiting for it to come out in paperback)The type of book you can put them down for 15 minutes or 2 days, pick it back up and never miss a beat. Fun, lighthearted and bonus recipes in each book.

This is my third time reading Cream Puff Murder, but my first review for it. First of all, I do really like Joanne Fluke's books and as much as I end up disappointed about one thing or another, I can't help but want to live in Lake Eden and eat Hannah's cookies. That said, I will be honest with my review.
Hannah is trying to figure who killed Ronnie Ward after she is found floating in the hot tub at the health club. Unfortunately for Hannah, half the police force is forbidden to investigate the case because of their "involvement" with Ronnie in one way of another. Mike Kingston, Bill, and Lonni (Michelle's boyfriend) are included in that bunch.
So, Hannah is left to investigate the case on her own, but Mike decides to give her "permission" to investigate with his instructions...off the record of course.
Mike first lies to Hannah about having been involved with the town slut who insulted women during an exercise class, and then when he finds out Hannah had stayed the night at Norman's (in his guest bedroom of course) he admits to a sexual relationship. Then he says that because Hannah stayed the night at Norman's they are "EVEN". Okay, first off all Hannah and Mike have been having a hugging and kissing fling for what 3-4 years now...and that is the farthest it has ever gone. So Hannah stays at Norman's house and he assumes she slept with him? That doesn't make any sense. He hasn't gotten any action out of the woman, ever, so he has to know Hannah isn't like that. It's almost like he's glad she did that, so he can feel okay about himself. That is what Fluke is wanting us to believe, he believes. But, I still don't buy into the fact that after four years of dating the Iron Maiden on and off, he'd believe she did anything with Norman.
The other issue I have is the unrealistic dieting and exercise regime Hannah has going on. She has 2 weeks to lose 20 pounds to fit into a dress that is way too tight. NOBODY looses 20 pounds in 2 weeks and swims in a dress that wouldn't zip. RIDICULOUS! Had she needed to lose 5 pounds to get the dress to be less tight around the waist, I would believe it.
And "Mother" is the most annoying person in Lake Eden. She acts like an idiot and I don't find her funny nor cute. She also talks like a 90 year old grandma. Over pronounces and over explains everything. She is selfish and just plain stupid.
One thing that even bothered me about Hannah's personality is her way of trying to extract information about Mike's relationship with Ronnie Ward out of Norman.
"You two are still in....competition over me...right? If you tell me, I'll think less of him and more of you?" Something like that. He knows, she knows, we all know, that Hannah's feelings for Norman are based on Mike's willingness to give her attention. Hannah only seems to take Norman's kindness into consideration when Mike has pissed her off by showing her for the millionth time that he doesn't give a crap about her and he's sleeping around with other women. Which he is totally entitled to do because he and Hannah are not in any type of relationship except a kiss and hug here and there. True he has shown Hannah he's got a roving eye and he's a jerk, and I personally don't know why he finds her appealing in the least based on the women he has dated (looks). I do believe Hannah would jump to marry Mike if he proved himself faithful. Norman is just there to make her feel special when she's feeling down.
Anyways, the plot isn't too weak. I don't usually guess the killer, though I don't try to hard. I don't see a lot effort on her part for solving the case. it seems like a lot of the clues come to her at the very end.
Anyways, it's not a bad read i just wish some of the characters would go away or get a personality make-over.
Oh and the dreaded triangle is still there. Unrealistic, but Fluke just thinks she's keeping us on our toes.

Ms. Fluke is really good with her characters and dialog, and she keeps them consistent. Obviously by now, she seems to think that keeping the suspense going with the two suitors will keep people coming back. I read one reviewer who was so annoyed with it as to email the author about it. She reported that it seemed Ms. Fluke was going to keep that going. Oh well. The difference between the two men has now definitely become black and white. With that, it depicts Hannah as very unstable in clinging to her independence beyond endurance for her companions, including readers. But, for me, the series is too interesting in the general round to quit it over that. I'll continue to read it for the interchange and action among this very interesting and endearing family as long as it goes. As for the mystery element, apparently that genre draws more readers than a simple cozy storyline. The mystery is always weaker in cozies. But, in my view, this series could easily stand alone for pure interest in its characters and their shared experiences, just in their daily lives. Ms. Fluke is very skillful in conveying a variety of human interest and interactions.