Christmas Cupcake Murder (Hannah Swensen Mystery) By Joanne Fluke Review

I received a digital advanced reader’s copy of Coconut Layer Cake Murder from NetGalley.

Christmas Cupcake Murder is the 26th book in the Hannah Swensen Mysteries by Joanne Fluke. This offering goes back in time before Delores opened her antique shop, it is the first Hannah Swensen mystery that I could not put down in ages.

I do not understand why this titled the Christmas Cupcake Murder because this time no one dies. Instead, Hannah is helping a man who has memory loss find his true identity. Having no murder victim was a pleasant change. It was nice to see Hannah’s friends and family come together to help Joe Smith, who did not want to be a John Doe. I enjoyed this book very much.

I reviewed Coconut Layer Cake back in February, and I struggled with finishing the book. Minus Ross or anything that happened since Hannah married him, Christmas Cupcake Murder was much more enjoyable. Many long time readers felt fed up with the longstanding love triangle between Mike and Norman. Then Fluke added Ross into the mix, removed him and brought him back. When Fluke tried to fix the issue, she made some bad choices that made it harder for me to read the series. There is none of that in Christmas Cupcake Murder.

In this flashback we see Hannah, Mike, and Norman before the love triangle. I think Christmas Cupcake Murder not only reaffirms that Norman is the best suitor for Hannah, but that Fluke can drop the love triangle for a few books and that all three can work together. Without the strange three way dates.

Another issue that made reading these books hard on me was Delores makes comments about Hannah’s weight. I cannot recall Delores making any rude remarks to Hannah at all. Christmas Cupcake Murder is a pure mystery with a few subplots and some filler. I felt some scenes lasted longer than needed once or twice, but this did not detract from the book.

As usual, Hannah’s recipes take up at least a quarter of the book. Christmas Cupcake Murder is a lighthearted, quick read. I rated it four stars on Goodreads and I hope that Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder will be just as enjoyable. I wish it were coming out sooner and recommend Christmas Cupcake Murder!