I have been one of Hannah's biggest fans since the beginning of this series , loving both the characters, the story lines and especially the recipes, so I was anxiously awaiting this new installment since the cliff hanger ending of the last book involving Hannah's possible pregnancy, And I felt a great deal of relief that it was stress not pregnancy and that she and her mother enjoyed a trip to LA for vacation and visiting with her old friend Lynn. but the story really begins with a phone call to Hannah from her sister Michelle telling her that Lonnie, Michelle's boyfriend as well as a police detective, is the prime suspect in the murder of one of his high school classmates. Hannah, Michelle, and the rest of her gang get together to clear Lonnie and find out what really happened. I loved how they all came together for Lonnie and the friendship of this group of long time friends. And I love the recipes - especially the chocolate cake in a mug. Can't wait for the next installment!

Coconut Later Cake Murder is the 25th book in the Hannah Swensen cozy mystery series by Joanne Fluke. I've read all the books in order, and when the latest showed up at both my library (I got my lending request in the day it was made available) and on NetGalley, I had to grab a copy. While the series is much lighter and getting a little too formulaic, I adore the characters. It always feels like 'going home' when I spend an hour or two with Hannah and the Lake Eden residents. And when I say an hour or two, I mean it... as the books are generally on the shorter side and are at least 1/3 recipes, so it's a fast read.

In this caper, Hannah is recovering from the death of her marriage... death because she was tricked into it by a former friend, and things went awry quite quickly. At the end of the last book was a shocker, but this time, things are back to normal. Unfortunately, while Hannah's on a vacation to somehow get away from all the stress, her sister Michelle calls her back home to solve a murder. Michelle's boyfriend, Lonnie, is the main suspect. We know he couldn't have done it. Yet... we never met these new characters in the mystery before. What's going on?

The books follow the same pattern as previous ones, which can be fun. A third is recipes, a third is general town news about our fave characters, and a third is the mystery. Most of these characters (the victim and the other suspects) were new or not big in the series, so it wasn't as immersive as I would've liked. Instead, I enjoyed all Hannah's time with Mike, Norman, Michelle, Andrea, Dolores, and the supporting characters. I liked Lynn, who's been in the books before. She was front and center this time, which made for a good segue in the Los Angeles trip.

So... fans of the series will get what they normally get in these books. But... the one difference I saw was the hint that Hannah might be ready to choose between Mike and Norman. They both had equal time with her, yet in the last few pages, something seemed different in how she thought about one of them. Maybe I'm reading into it, because that's the direction I want her to go in... see for yourself! Thanks for another fun book.

Hannah Swenson is back, this time looking forward to a break from a frigid Minnesota winter as she travels to California to help a friend on a film set. But her vacation is short lived when her sister’s boyfriend, detective Lonnie Murphy becomes the number one suspect in a murder back in Minnesota. Quicker than you can say cinnamon roll, Hannah is on her way home to help prove Lonnie’s innocence. The case is murky because Lonnie has no memory of what happened after he helped a very drunk woman home. He only remembers waking up on her couch the next day, then finding her dead in her bed. With sevreal of Lonnie’s friends and allies at the police department taken off the case, Hannah has got her work cut out for her