Coconut Layer Cake Murder (A Hannah Swensen Mystery Book 25)

Coconut Layer Cake Murder is book number 25 in Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series. Detective Lonnie Murphy spends a night out with high school friends that ends in disaster when one of them winds up dead, and Lonnie is the main suspect. Due to a conflict of interest, Chief Detective Mike Kingston can't investigate so it's up to Hannah (and her friends and family) to clear Lonnie's name.For those of you who are longtime Hannah Swensen readers - I have to admit that I, personally, hated the Ross storyline. It didn't feel true to the spirit of this series. I strongly felt that some of the last few books in the series have been a spectacular disappointment.That said, this feels much more like the Hannah Swensen we fell in love with. All the major characters are back and playing rolls in helping Hannah solve a murder. Of course, the characters cook and eat a lot. (Seriously, how much coffee can a person drink?!?)I'm hoping that Fluke can successfully move the series forward without another crazy storyline that just doesn't make sense. I have stuck with Hannah for a long time, and I'm glad to feel like my old friend is finally back.

I LOVE this series and was sooo looking forward to receiving this latest book. I can’t express how disappointed I was. Unlike her other books in this series there was no excitement, no mystery, nothing on which to grab and enjoy. Like one other reviewer said, Norman is demeaned by the relationship with Hannah, and it’s enough at this point. The mystery was couched in mundane daily activities and there was no purpose for Lynn returning. I can’t believe it took Joanne longer than one week to write. Is she bored with the characters? It sure seemed that way. Joanne we love Hannah and the series! Please please spend some time on the next book and make it as exciting as all the previous!

I love the concept but the writing just isn’t improving. The way it is written seems like it is authored by a 5th grader. I counted the name Hannah over 15 times in one page....it is so distracting. The last book it was the word dear that threw me over the edge. The characters seem a bit dated and hokey. Who really talks that way as an adult? I have read all 25 and I think I am finished with this series. I really want to love it...

If you have read them all, you already know. I just continue to read because I have invested the time.

this is the 25th book and have read them all. Always enjoyed the series, but wasa little bored with the last couple books. Not enough about the murder and waytoo much about the food! All they talk about is food, food, food!! It waspretty ridiculous. sure that I'm not the only one that feels this way. After all this issuppose to be a mystery, not a cookbook.

I always enjoy reading these mysteries, although the way Hannah takes advantage of Norman is egregious and demeaning to him as a professional. The majority of the book is taken up not with plot points or areas of intrigue, but rather by recipes and their construction. I think that’s why it was so easy to determine the identity of the “killer” before it’s reveal. All of this could be forgiven, because I like the series, if it weren’t for the final chapter, which teases at a decision (finally!). I won’t give it away, for those who haven’t read it yet. I’ll just say, the is the reason for my low rating.

Joanne Fluke has written another good mystery to solve and I think it is much better than the last book she wrote. Story involved all my favorite characters and adds new ones to Lake Eden. I only wish she would marry Norman and have a little girl to love.

Thank goodness I borrowed this and didn’t buy it. If you don’t have the opportunity to borrow it, just read an old one from earlier in the series because they’re exactly the same.I’m utterly SICK of the whole love triangle - it’s ridiculous, boring, and completely demeaning. Quite frankly, Hannah’s indecision has become, after TWENTY FIVE BOOKS, vicious. Hannah needs to torturing Norman and making him look like a lapdog, and finally stop mooning around after Mike like a lovesick 13 year old. It undermines the whole portrayal of her as a smart independent woman, and instead makes her a manipulative, indecisive bitch.The rest of the characters are predictable caricatures, showing no character development of the sort you might expect from a 25 book series - which is quite an impressive feat.I no longer have any interest in the world of Lake Eden, this series has become the cozy-mystery equivalent of Groundhog Day.

I imagine the author believes you have read all her previous books. We are never told who people are, are they family? friends? Constant references to some events that must have happened in a previous book, not even a hint as to what that might have been. I bought this as it was described as a cosy mystery, there was no mystery, the author wants to write a cookbook. Obviously thought she would sell more as a novel. While asking the suspect what happens she stops him telling her in order to give him some cake! Thankfully the book is a very quick read, especially if you skip the recipes. If they are as bad as the plot I wouldn't try them. Thankfully this rubbish only cost 99p if it had been more I would have asked for my money back.

Every regular reader of the Hannah Swenson books will know their faults; too many lengthy 'recipes', most of them involving odd combinations of canned and packaged goods complete with unnecessary instructions on how, for example, to beat an egg (with a fork, since you ask) ; and weak plots with obvious solutions. BUT we don't read them for the plots or the cooking hints but to spend a relaxing hour or two with good people in an appealing town, and the good news for fans is that Jo is back on form AND there's just a hint of romance in the air:))

I loved this book, it’s a return to the style of the earlier books. It had a strong and believable story, and with the introduction of a new character hopefully the love triangle will be sorted out. The first in the series was published in 2000 so it does need resolving now.

This book was absolutely brilliant I thoroughly recommend it.

This one was really not good. The mystery part combined with the investigation part construed only about 1/3 of the book. If you take out all the baking, eating, talking about eating, and the recipes this was just a short story with a whole lot of filler. I think there were only 3 short chapters devoted solely to the investigation without any eating, cooking or recipes. 3 out of, I don't know, maybe 35.The only thing saving this from a 1 star review, was Hannah and Norman spending more time together.