Hanna Swensen was worried about her mother, Delores, who wouldn't
come out of her depressed state. That's when two of Delores' friends
came up with a project that Delores couldn't refuse. To cheer up
another friend, Essie Granger, who was ailing, they would organize a
revival of the town's once grand events: the Christmas Ball with its
Christmas Cake Parade. Since she's moving to the hospital's hospice
ward, they figured Essie would want some mementos from home, and
that's when Hannah found a series of notebooks. It seems Essie had
once written a novel; or is the story real?
CHRISTMAS CAKE MURDER is
sort of a prequel to the Hannah
Swensen Mystery series, as Hanna has just decided that she
wants a career as a baker. Given the timeline of the series, the story
should take place somewhere in the mid-aughts, but apart from a few
mentions of cell phones, it feels more like the 1980s. I honestly wonder
if it could be the first Hannah Swensen book Joanna Fluke had ever
written which, for some reason, is only now being published. CHRISTMAS CAKE MURDER is oddly
quaint, and while on the short side, there is an inordinate amount of
time spent on overly detailed trivialities, while the organization of the
Ball takes place almost entirely outside the narrative. I question the
choice for the reason for Delores' depression: she has been widowed
for three weeks, yet her husband Lars' demise seems almost like a
footnote in their lives, as her daughters Hannah, Michelle, and Andrea
seem unconcerned, and Delores perks up almost instantly upon hearing
about the Ball. While Hannah had a recent unpleasant surprise, she is
ten years or so younger, and I was surprised at her lack of youthful
exuberance and enthusiasm. Michelle, the youngest sister, is her
ebullient self, but hardly felt younger. The overall tone of the book is
somewhat melancholy, rather flat, and there was, to be honest, only
one occurrence that had me laughing, which was entirely atypical of
this series. Oddly enough, it was what starts Hannah's second career
as an amateur sleuth, and it was truly hilarious, but it happens towards
the very end of the book.
The mysterious notebook entries are seamlessly inserted in the story,
and led to a lovely conclusion, in tune with the Christmas spirit. If CHRISTMAS CAKE MURDER looks like
a soufflé that failed to rise, a first for Hannah Swensen, the
scrumptious recipes, especially the one for the Chocolate Hazelnut
Bon-Bons were a big hit with this reader!
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 . . .
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