Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781496718884 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Kensington |
| Publication date: | 02/26/2019 |
| Series: | Hannah Swensen Series , #24 |
| Sold by: | Penguin Random House Publisher Services |
| Format: | NOOK Book |
| Pages: | 304 |
| Sales rank: | 1,206 |
| File size: | 1 MB |
About the Author
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Chocolate Cream Pie Murder (Signed B&N Exclusive Book) (Hannah Swensen Series #24)
3.3 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
51 reviews.
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Half of the book consisted of recipes and another quarter consisted of descriptions of preparing the dishes. That left the final quarter of the book for the actual plot. Very predictable with a cliffhanger that you could see coming very early in the story.
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Too little time spent on story and too much on recipes/ directions. Don’t get me wrong I like the recipes but want the story. Also, too much non important stuff 4 pages on hat name for example. I want more story.
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Looking+forward+to+trying+some+of+the+recipes%2C+but+too+much+time+spent+on+recipe+steps+and+tastings+than+on+the+actual+storyline.++As+for+the+cliffhanger....it+was+rather+obvious+before+book+even+started.++Not+one+of+her+better+books+%0Aoutside+of+the+potential+recipes+to+try.++Hope+things+improve+for+next+in+series.
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poorly+done+and+very+boring.+i+want+my+money+back.+wasted+time+waiting+for+a+story+to+unfold.+trying+to+give+this+a+chance.+just+an+excuse+for+a+book.+cool+whip%3F+who+even+thinks+that+is+a+recipe%3F
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not+my+favorite.+recipes+were+great+.+please+go+back+to+recipes+within+a+decent+storyline+.+Was+uncomfortable+reading.%0A
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Too much discussion of cookies, eating of cookies and recipes than normal. After reading the last sentence, hoped to see the next book announced. Well continue to head Hannah and learn where her life goes from that cliff hanger possibility.
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too+many+recipes+and+taste+testing.++disappointed+because+I+love+the+series.
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I don’t like having the recipes after every chapter. It disrupts the flow of the book. Too many recipes & a lot of taste testings.
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The story was not as intriguing as some of the other Hannah Swensen novels I have read. There were at least 2 times where the story lost me and where characters seemed to lose their path in this story.
Otherwise, I enjoyed reading this book as I enjoy reading the recipes, the familiar characters, the intrigue and thrill of the murder and the Investigation which always put Hannah in the thick of danger and one or both of Hannah’s ex-boyfriends come to her rescue (just in the nic-of-time).
I can’t wait to read the next book in this series to find out if Hannah is pregnant with Ross’ child, what murder she gets herself involved in, and what else happens in Lake Eden that ensues the next Hannah Swensen adventures.
P.S. Does her friend Lynn have anything to do with Ross’ murder or does Lynn know where the storage box is that belongs to the key Mike and Hannah found, what is in that box which is worth killing over? Questions, Questions....??
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I really enjoy Hannah ‘s stories, but I’m beginning to think that there’s too many recipes. I didn’t actually count the pages used to share the recipes, but I wonder if the % of recipe pages is equal to the actual story pages. Please, more mystery, less baking.
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Many thanks to NetGalley, Joanna Fluke, and Kensington Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advance copy.
I am not sure what happened with this book. I have read many others in this series and have had various degrees of enjoyment. I know what to expect so I am not comparing this to some highbrow literature and expecting the get the same experience. Sometimes you just want what you want and the ease of reading, the expectation of how it is going to go, the familiarity of the characters are all I wanted when I opened up this book. And I knew I would get at least a chocolate cream pie recipe out it!
But this stunk! I really didn’t enjoy it at all. I’m so sorry to say this but it was a big disappointment. It opens up with Hannah having to apologize to her community announcing that her marriage was over. Not just over but Norman, the man she married had fooled her and was already married to someone else, nullifying her marriage. Eventually Norman gets murdered and it has to be solved. But this book went nowhere. There really wasn’t a story. Halfway through there wasn’t even a murder to solve. It was mostly Hannah with her neighbours making recipes. It was beyond fluff. Everyone was sickly sweet to each other. How can everyone be in such a good mood and so nice to each other all of the time. They were constantly coming up with new recipes. It sort of went like Oh there’s pineapple and mint and Brussel sprouts in your fridge so I’m going to make a new kind of muffin for the store to sell and aren’t they so delicious! Everyone gets to “test” out the new creation and it is always amazing. Also these people would be 300 pounds if they ate the way they did in this book. They are always drinking coffee and eating plates full of cookies, muffins and cakes. They hardly eat a real meal with vegetables! It was so out of the realm of believable and the characters so cardboard I couldn’t stand it! As I said, I understand the premise of these books but somehow this time, it just didn’t work for me.
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worst+book+of+series.+too+many+recipes+and+no+substance.+all+the+characters+talked+about++was+this+recipe+or+that%2C+always+delicious+results.+never+a+failure.+never+resolved+key+question+as+to+why+money+was+needed%2C+nor+why+Hannah+had+to+get+it.+poor+plot+structure.++%0A%0Afigured+out+guilty+party+almost+immediately+and+last+issue+from+first+fainting
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too+many+recipes+not+enough+mystery.++Ross+killed+3%2F4+into+book.++earlier+books++Hannah+quizzed+people.
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Let me say first I love Joanne Fluke and her Cookie Jar mysteries. BUT the last two books have been disappointing. I don’t like that each one ended on a cliffhanger. And there seems to be more recipes and discussions about eating than the actual story. Hannah is moving on after her “marriage “ to Ross. But then she gets some devastating news and life takes another turn. The story in itself is really good and interesting. But I have my doubts that Joanne Fluke really wrote this. The dialogue is stilted, the characters don’t have the likability as in past books and the story just isn’t fleshed out. Just when the story gets good a new chapter starts or someone mentions food and down the rabbit hole we go. Sorry but not my favorite story.
I voluntarily received a copy of this book from Netgalley.
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This was the worst read...predictable right away....and way too many recipes. It was just a filler book to move the story along....but I think maybe I am done with Hannah....and her next "challenge"....and whether to marry Norman or Mike....yes...we are back to the same old plot line.
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I+love+well+written+mysteries+and+I+love+good+cookbooks.++Combining+these+was+questionable+and+inserting+recipes+between+chapters+is+annoying.+Which+I+could+have+skipped+through+except+the+writing+was+very+bland+and+the+characters+uninteresting++from+the+very+beginning+.+I+quit+reading+after+3+or+4+chapters.+I%27ve+never+read+anything+by+this+author+and+won%27t++attempt+to+again.
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Valentine’s Day is coming, and The Cookie Jar is getting ready to cater various Valentine’s Parties with new treats. Hannah Swensen is throwing herself into this baking in order to not think about the news she’s gotten that Ross was already married, so their wedding was all a lie. She has told the town of Lake Eden in an effort to curb gossip, and all of her friends are with her. Which is why Ross sneaks back into town in the early hours of the morning demanding something from Hannah – something she might not be able to give him. What will happen if she can’t?
As a longtime fan of the series, I’ve been expecting this book for several books now. The murder itself takes place late in the book and is wrapped up quickly. There were some other plot elements I was enjoying, so I wasn’t bored, however, I wish things hadn’t been left dangling quite so much until the next book in the series. We get plenty of talk about food as always, with twenty-eight new recipes by my count. It is always nice to catch up with these characters, at least for this fan of the series. If you have been a fan, you’ll want the next chapter in Hannah’s saga, but if you are new, don’t jump in here.
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Chocolate Cream Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke is a book intended to tie up loose ends, which is does...mostly. We open with Hannah preparing to make an announcement in front of the entire congregation-in her view the easiest way to reach the most people, that her husband has left her to return to his wife; that she was, in fact, not married; and that if they wanted their wedding gifts back, please let her know. Everyone is extremely sympathetic and Hannah pulls up her big girl panties and begins to move on (with the help of her friends and family, of course!) Then she hears from him. The world starts to spin.
This is not the best of the series, by a long shot. It is repetitive, often on the same page; sometimes in the same paragraph. Hannah is an endearing character, as are Mike and Norman, Michelle and Andrea (who hardly appears in this book), Lonnie, Carrie, Mom and Doc Knight, but none of them are at their best here. If this were the first of the series for a reader, it is not clear whether they would bother to go back and read the rest. The solution was never truly explained and the loose ends were not tied up. It was a disappointment. I recommend this to a read of the Fluke series but only because you can't just stop.
I received a free ARC of Chocolate Cream Pie Murder in exchange for a fair and honest review. #netgalley #chocolatecreampiemurder
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Chocolate Cream Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke is a book intended to tie up loose ends, which is does...mostly. We open with Hannah preparing to make an announcement in front of the entire congregation-in her view the easiest way to reach the most people, that her husband has left her to return to his wife; that she was, in fact, not married; and that if they wanted their wedding gifts back, please let her know. Everyone is extremely sympathetic and Hannah pulls up her big girl panties and begins to move on (with the help of her friends and family, of course!) Then she hears from him. The world starts to spin.
This is not the best of the series, by a long shot. It is repetitive, often on the same page; sometimes in the same paragraph. Hannah is an endearing character, as are Mike and Norman, Michelle and Andrea (who hardly appears in this book), Lonnie, Carrie, Mom and Doc Knight, but none of them are at their best here. If this were the first of the series for a reader, it is not clear whether they would bother to go back and read the rest. The solution was never truly explained and the loose ends were not tied up. It was a disappointment. I recommend this to a read of the Fluke series but only because you can't just stop.
I received a free ARC of Chocolate Cream Pie Murder in exchange for a fair and honest review. #netgalley #chocolatecreampiemurder
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this+was+a+good+book%2Cbut+too+many+pages+of+recipes.
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Very little of this book is about the mystery. Compared to previous books in this series, where a few recipes added to the enjoyment of the book, this one seems to use the recipes to stretch out the length, and make up for the lack of a well developed plot. Much of the story is dedicated to discussing the food. In the past books there was a discussion of the cookies and new recipes, but it was brief and added to the background of the story.
I have long been a fan of this series. I love the characters. I enjoyed the style of the early books. The mysteries were well developed. Unfortunately, the quality of the last six or so books has been on a downward spiral. This book is so poorly written that I do no want to continue reading this series. Unless there is a significant improvement, I will not purchase the next one.
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Wow, this book is amazing! After the last one, all of us fans had so many questions, and this book answered them all! And like any good series mystery, created more to keep us waiting for the next book in the series. But to keep us occupied until then, lots of yummy recipes to try! This book kept me entertained, concerned, hopeful, and guessing whodunit until the end. Anxiously awaiting the next one, excuse me while I go bake some cookies while I wait!
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I have been anxiously waiting for Chocolate Cream Pie Murder because I wanted answers about Ross. I never understood why the author took the series in this direction (probably so she would not have to pick between Mike or Norman). Chocolate Cream Pie Murder reminded me of cool whip—light and fluffy. There is mystery and intrigue mixed with baking, eating, drinking coffee, time with Moishe and Cuddles, friendship, family, and chatting. I wanted fewer recipes and more substance. At the end of the book, I was still left many unanswered questions about Ross. I will admit, though, that Chocolate Cream Pie Murder was an improvement over the previous books in the series where Hannah veered off course courtesy of the persuasive Ross. I found the story easy to read with the author’s conversational writing style and engaging characters. Lake Eden has friendly residents and charming shops. Chocolate Cream Pie Murder can easily be finished in a couple of hours. I do not recommend reading Chocolate Cream Pie Murder on its own. You do not have to read all the books in the series, but it helps to have read the last four or five (the Ross saga). The mystery is extremely simple. It was obvious who would be killed and who did the killing plus what a key clue would be to solving the mystery. The murder does not occur until very late in the book. The dialogue, unfortunately, continues to be stilted. Joanne Fluke leaves us with a surprise ending and we will have to wait until the next A Hannah Swensen Mystery for answers (once again). I am giving Chocolate Cream Pie Murder 3 out of 5 stars.
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Hannah Swensen is trying to put her life back on track and dealing with the pain of everything Ross did to her. She comes clean to the town she loves and they all support her and vow to put Ross in his place if her ever comes back to town. Ross is in some sort of trouble and he tries to get Hannah to help him by giving him money her left behind. For reasons beyond Hannah's control she can't get the money as quickly as Ross wants it and he threatens her more than once. The police and Hannah's family and friends take the threats seriously and Hannah is left to follow clues while having protection with her at all times.
I've been reading this series for a long time and the twists of the last few books has breathed new life into this long running series. We still get to visit the Cookie Jar and all of the fun characters in Lake Eden while adding something new and unexpected to each new book. I really enjoyed the fast pace and urgency I felt throughout this book, it made it hard to put down.
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How many books in this series am I going to read hoping they return to the interesting plots and non-stilted dialogue of the first few? It appears at least one more called the Chocolate Cream Pie Murder.
Hannah is once again being harassed by the annoying Ross. Usually I would describe the murder that Hannah must solve around now. However, this time it occurs so late in the book that it would be a major spoiler.
Without a murder, nothing much happens in the first 2/3 of the book. There is a chapter on the weather, cats chasing each other, and of course cooking dinner. There are more recipes here than usual too—and not just desserts.
I found the Chocolate Cream Pie Murder to be pedestrian and worse, boring, compared to other books in the series. I can’t recommend it except to hardcore fans, which is a shame. 2 stars.
Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
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