Double Fudge Brownie Murder

By: Joanne Fluke

Narrated by: Suzanne Toren

Life in Lake Eden, Minnesota, is usually pleasantly uneventful. Lately, though, it seems everyone has more than their fair share of drama to manage. With so much on her plate, Hannah Swensen can barely find the time to think about her bakery - let alone the town's most recent murder... Hannah is nervous about the upcoming trial for her involvement in a tragic accident. She's eager to clear her name once and for all, but her troubles only double when she finds the judge bludgeoned to death with his own gavel. Now Hannah is the number-one suspect.

As she sets out in search of the culprit, she discovers that the judge made more than a few enemies during his career. With time running out, Hannah will have to whip up her most clever recipe yet to find a killer more elusive than the perfect brownie....

©2015 H.L. Swensen, Inc. (P)2015 Recorded Books

Hannah is a mess

SPOILER ALERT! Hannah is a mess. I understand this has been a long time dream for readers to see Hannah finally settle down but, I never saw this coming. This love triangle is warped. How does the new character (well partially new) suddenly arrive as a serious love interest? It seemed pretty obvious that Norman would be the one she eventually end up with. However, Ross seems to steal the scene. Hannah gives her heart and soul to her old college friend quite quickly. She has been so cautious in the past. It seems quite out of character and convenient for the writer. Then suddenly, Hannah is unsure again?! What a conundrum.

On another note in regards to the mystery, how could Anna be the prime suspect of the murder case? Being bludgeoned to death by a gavel would surely leave blood splatters all over the killer's clothing. Since Hannah was present in finding the body and her attorney met her soon after the crime scene was discovered, wouldn't it be common sense for the witnesses to notice this? Hannah is intelligent, why didn't she think of it? Another convenience. The murder mystery was interesting but not plausible with Hannah as a prime suspect.

I feel that Hannah's cat, Moisha, is a distraction to the story and unnecessary. Adding a mystery to her cat's peculiar ways has no relevance to the plot. It would be impressive to connect it somehow. Other than that, omit it.

However, my disgruntled review does not change my love for the Hannah Swenson series. I will continue reading on in hopes for improvement.

Good clean fun

I just love these books. They are light and fun. I love following the lives of the people of Lake Eden. I'm not afraid of what my kids will hear, so I can listen anytime. The narrator has really brought these books to life for me.

An old decision comes back to haunt him

Any additional comments?

Hannah actually gets engaged! No spoilers on the groom, here.
It's a somewhat standard Hannah Swensen mystery, although the culprit is not introduced in the normal way. That was a little disappointing, because it was not in keeping with their traditional format of long knowledge, but as usual, the story was engaging. For the most part, it was the standard lollipop.

Don't ruin a good thing!

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Horrible voices. She makes the females sound like imbeciles!

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Double Fudge Brownie Murder?

Any with Ross

Any additional comments?

Ross is condescending and trite. If he continues, the series will be over for me.

Good recipes. Meh story.

Would you try another book from Joanne Fluke and/or Suzanne Toren?

I have been reading this series since the beginning.

Did Suzanne Toren do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

She does, but sometimes her voice is very sweet and off-putting.

Could you see Double Fudge Brownie Murder being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Yes, but add some bad language or something. The characters are so sanitized sometimes it is off-putting.

Any additional comments?

My criticism of the series is that Hannah is supposed to be in her 30's but the way she behaves about technology (especially cell phones) is just so unbelievable. You'd think she was 80 years old. Same with her relationships with men. It just seemed to jump out in this book even more and I found it very annoying.

I have listened to a couple of these.

I still like the concept, but this one was OK ... not fabulous. The narrator is good. Never cared for Moisha, but since a cat walked into my life, I understand what it means to have one that thinks it owns you. ;-)

audio cookbook with a little story thrown in

love all the characters but still too many recipes. I'll keep listening to see what happens next

Coookies spoil the mystery

This would have been a short mystery story without all the recipes interrupting the story. Recipes could have been referenced for those interested. Story line was just so so. Narration was okay.

Always entertaining!

New and unexpected changes for Hannah's life!
Be sure to listen all the way to the end!

The answer to Hanna’s long love opportunities

Typical Hanna Swenson story line. Very entertaining and believable. Worth your time to listen to it.