Hannah Swensen's big day is in three weeks: Lake Eden's
favourite baker is finally getting married. She is also
going to New York City to compete in the Food Channel's
Dessert Chef Contest, where Hannah will be the only home
baker amongst trained celebrity chefs. Hannah is not
usually prone to nervousness, however an unexpected event
has her scrambling for a bit, and nobody has died. Yet.
Not all contestants play fair, and the head judge, Alain
Duquesne, is known to be very difficult and also has a
reputation as a womanizer. It's not surprising that he
should be the one to turn up dead, and of course Hannah
must poke her nose into the investigation.
Although it was a bit of a surprise in the previous book
to see Hannah choose Ross over Mike and Norman, it was
nice to finally see Hannah really preparing for her
wedding. I also loved that both her sisters, Andrea and
Michelle, are even more present than in previous books;
they're both very likable characters and their banter
sounds totally realistic. Of course, anyone who knows a
cat will guffaw at Moishe's antics, and at one point
Hannah's cat literally had me laughing out loud. The
celebrity chef competition was a delightful touch,
although I thought the desserts were a tad pedestrian for
such a prestigious event, there was a lot of yumminess
involved, not to forget the recipes at the end of most
chapters. I also expected a bit more bickering and
backstabbing from the competing candidates.
I enjoy this series because it feels familiar, and while
there are murders involved, it's never grisly. WEDDING
CAKE MURDER, as every book in this series, definitely
belongs to the cozy mystery genre, but Ms. Fluke had me
shivering when the unavoidable dead body turns up; the
scene is not gory, but the setup for the discovery of the
victim was expertly described, and I felt as unsettled as
the character who stumbled upon the victim. The plot
twists were not exactly those I had anticipated, but now
I can't help but wonder what Joanne Fluke has in store
for the future; a bun in the oven for Hannah, maybe?
WEDDING CAKE MURDER is another fine instalment in this
fun series.
Everyone in Lake Eden, Minnesota, may have had their
doubts, but at long last, Hannah Swensen is getting married!
Hannah is thrilled to be marrying Ross Barton,
her college crush. And her excitement only grows when she
learns he’ll be able to join her on her trip to New York
City for the Food Channel’s dessert chef contest. They get
a taste of the Big Apple before Hannah wins the Hometown
Challenge and the producers bring all the contestants to
Lake Eden to tape the remainder of the show. It’s
nerve-wracking enough being judged by Alain Duquesne, a
celebrity chef with a nasty reputation. But it’s even more
chilling to find him stabbed to death in the Lake Eden Inn’s
walk-in cooler—before he’s even had a chance to taste
Hannah’s Butterscotch Sugar Cookies! Now Hannah has not
only lost her advantage, she’ll have to solve a mystery
with more layers than a five-tiered wedding cake…
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