Wedding Cake Murder

Wedding Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke is the nineteenth book in the Hannah Swensen Mystery series. Hannah Swensen is getting married (but not to Mike or Norman much to my dismay)! Hannah is marrying Ross Barton, an independent producer for KCOW Television (they dated in college). Hannah wants a small wedding because of Mike and Norman (does not want to upset them or throw it in their face). However, it comes to Hannah's attention that this would not be a wise move (she is being manipulated). So Delores (her mother) and Michelle (her sister) get to plan a big wedding. While they work on the wedding, Hannah is preparing for the Dessert Chef Competition. The competition starts in New York and the winner of the first round gets the hometown advantage (the contest will move to the winner's hometown). When Hannah wins, everybody heads for Eden Lake, Minnesota. Things are going well until the head judge, Chef Alain Duquesne ends up dead. Hannah sets out to solve the murder, win the competition, and find a wedding dress before her big day! Will Hannah be able to solve the crime (probably better than finding a wedding dress she will like)? Fans of the Hannah Swensen series, you will want to read Wedding Cake Murder. It is a simple book (easy to read though) and the mystery is a piece of cake (pun intended). However, Hannah is finally getting married (just not to Norman or Mike). If you have not read any of the previous books in the series, you do not want to start with Wedding Cake Murder (you will be lost). I give Wedding Cake Murder 3 out of 5 stars. There were too many recipes in this book (yes, there is such a thing). There are twenty-two recipes which takes up a third of the novel. Wedding Cake Murder was not of the same caliber as the earlier books in the series. I think it is time for the Hannah Swensen Mystery series to retire (just being honest).

I received a complimentary copy of Wedding Cake Murder from NetGalley (and Kensington Books) in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel.