“Devil’s Food Cake Murder”  

       By Joanne Fluke

A Hannah Swensen Mystery With Recipes!!

 

2011 Book Review #120

Book List Review

When Matthew Walters returns to Lake Eden, Minnesota, to fill in for the Reverend Bob Knudson, who will soon be leaving on his honeymoon, Grandma Knudson suspects that Walters is not the same person who summered with her as a teen while his parents were doing missionary work.

She asks Hannah Swensen, owner of the Cookie Jar bakery, to verify Walters' identity. Hannah determines Walters is who he says he is, but shortly thereafter, he's murdered and another Matthew Walters shows up in town!  Hannah and her family, along with her dentist boyfriend, Norman, work to solve the crime.  But Hannah's life is further complicated by Norman's former fiancee relocating to Lake Eden to join his dental practice.

Series readers will enjoy plot twists, the small-town winter setting, and the bakery backdrop, but the main pleasure here remains the opportunity to get reacquainted with Hannah, her family, and the other Lake Eden residents.

Fans will be eagerly awaiting the next installment, thanks especially to a bombshell Norman drops at the end of the story. As always, delicious, easy-to-follow recipes are sprinkled throughout the text.

My Thoughts:  I like the plot and the characters but, the recipes make me hungry!