Book Review: Wedding Cake Murder

Author: Joanne Fluke

Publication Date: February 23, 2016

Publisher: Kensington

Series: Hannah Swensen #19

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…

At that moment she knew that she’d go anywhere with him, even into a dangerous situation, as long as he never left her side.

“I love you, too,” Hannah said, and she was smiling as her kitchen timer began to ring and she hurried to take the first two pans of Butterscotch Sugar Cookies out of the oven.

Life was good in Lake Eden, Minnesota…if you didn’t count the latest murder.

There were times when I thought it would never happen, but here we are, preparing for Hannah’s wedding. However, we know from the start that we won’t get this off without a murder to solve. The death in this book is a famous one this time; a celebrity chef to be exact. Hannah has her plate full in this installment because on top of solving a mystery, she has to finish planning her own wedding and hope that it goes off without a hitch. Joanne Fluke gives readers an easy read as always and her descriptive writing will have your mouth watering with the first cookie recipe she writes. You will find yourself asking from the start, will Hannah’s wedding actually take place or will another murder get in the way of her well laid plans?

I have read a few reviews that complained about the excessive use of dialogue, but this is one of the things that I love most about these books. The dialogue is witty and perfect in tight situations. I often find myself skipping over text and shooting straight for dialogue in some books, but that is just not necessary with this series. The action is never-ending and the dialogue is perfectly crafted. The return of so many lovable characters is another reason that this series will forever be one of my favorites. This series has been going on for quite some time now, but honestly I am not ready for it to end even though I know some readers feel that enough is enough. Hannah Swenson has more mysteries to solve!

***A free copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at Kensington in exchange for my honest review***