One of my favorite murder mystery authors is Joanne Fluke, author of the Hannah Swensen Mysteries. Her novels are low in gore, as far as murder mysteries go. There usually is a single murder, and the main character, Hannah Swensen, is always the one trying to solve the mysteries, even if she’s being discouraged by the police.
The books do connect to each other. Although they aren’t impossible to follow when reading them out of order, I advise that you start from the beginning. The books aren’t simply murder mysteries; they involve a lot of character plots and flaws that keep it interesting without more violence or thrills. There are currently 10 novels in the Hannah Swensen Mysteries series:
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder
- Strawberry Shortcake Murder
- Blueberry Muffin Murder
- Lemon Meringue Pie Murder
- Fudge Cupcake Murder
- Sugar Cookie Murder
- Peach Cobbler Murder
- Cherry Cheesecake Murder
- Key Lime Pie Murder
- Carrot Cake Murder
The first of these was published in 2000, and as you can infer, Fluke has been quite busy since then. These books have become easy, obvious birthday or Christmas gifts between my sister and me. I have found all of them charming and comical, yet suspenseful.
One unique factor of Fluke’s books is that they actually include recipes. Hannah owns a shop called The Cookie Jar, and when she’s not solving a mystery she’s baking some sort of treat. Any time she describes one of her mouth-watering delights, a recipe is included. I have tried a handful of the recipes, and I have found all of them to be absolutely delicious. I give two thumbs up to Joanne Fluke, the Hannah Swensen Mysteries, and all of the great recipes found within the novels.
