Hannah Swensen is happy to accompany her mother and her mother’s friend to look at some rental property where they can store their antiques. As the three women check out the space’s features, they make a surprising discovery. A young man is on the floor, near death, and Hannah recognizes him. She had served the homeless man, who was looking for odd jobs to make money, earlier that morning in her shop. They make sure he gets medical attention immediately but when he wakes, he doesn’t remember who he is or why he was in Lake Eden. Hannah had immediately liked the young man and decides to solve the mystery about his identity and help him get his life back.

This book is part of the long-running Hannah Swensen series, but is a flashback to when Hannah’s shop The Cookie Jar had been open for two years. She is already casually dating MIke and Norman, but since both relationships are in the early stages, the book doesn’t have the romance drama of the most recent books in the series. Hannah is a good, sweet person and is sometimes taken advantage of by her overbearing mother, Delores. In later books, Delores mellows some, but she’s still pretty pushy in this story. I like Hannah’s relationship with her sisters and friends, though. I enjoyed the investigation into the man’s past and how Hannah finds and puts together the clues she finds. Everybody pitches in to help “Joe Smith” in this story and it’s great seeing everyone work together. There are a few surprises in what they learn which makes the ending even better.

Most culinary mysteries have recipes, but this series has started to go overboard. There are about twenty-five recipes throughout the book and in addition, much of the book’s narrative is Hannah talking about dishes she’s preparing or recipes she wants to try. As long as you know going into the book that it will be light on mystery, you won’t be disappointed. This book has even less mystery than usual and taking away the food-related portions is really more of a novella in terms of plot. However, it is an entertaining holiday story that fans of the author will enjoy as well as anyone looking for a quick, light read for Christmas.

I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Kensington Books. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

It was nice to return to Lake Eden and visit with Hannah and her family. I liked that this book was set in an earlier time than the current series. This book added some depth to some of the characters that we've grown to love. While reading I was in the Christmas spirit and can't wait to try some of the recipes this Christmas.

This is Number 26 in the Cookie Jar cozy mystery series is set at Christmas. I have seen Joanne Fluke's books in the bookstores and have always been intrigued by them! The covers are always super cute and who doesn't love reads with food involved. They find a man near death in an abandoned storefront two doors down from Hannah's bakery. The John Doe can't recall anything about himself, except for his unusual knowledge of restoring antique furniture. They try to peice together the mystery of what happened to the guy. There is no actual murder in this book but there is still a dedicated hunt for the truth. There are recipes included and it was well written!

If you are looking for a light, basic read that is themed with Christmas and cozy criminal mystery undertones, this is it!

Thank you to Net Galley and Kensington Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

4.5 stars

This is the twenty-sixth book in the Hannah Swensen mystery series by Joanne Fluke.

I am a bit confused by the title of this. There isn’t really a murder here. At best there is an attempted murder. This story is mostly about a homeless man that Hannah helps and then later they find him near death at a rental location for Delores and Carrie’s new antique furniture venture.

I loved how they followed all the clues to try and uncover who this man was and get him back to his family. He had a traumatic brain injury which was causing amnesia so he couldn’t help them with many details of his life. Here and there a nugget or two would come out and give them a bit of clarity.

Near the beginning of the book there are some cute scenes where Hannah flashes back to times when her dad was still alive. That was so sweet and it was very nice to see who her father was and what he was like. I hope Fluke does more of that in the future.

Overall it is a great book. This series never disappoints. Love the cast and the mystery always keeps me engaged. A real winner of a story.

If you like cozy mysteries, definitely check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

So, so good! I read it so quickly bc I couldn’t put it down once I started! I loved going back to the past to hear about their lives when they were younger. The mystery was so great and it ended up with a wonderful ending. I loved this book, and there several recipes that I’m going to have to try! Don't hesitate to buy this book!

A feel good Christmas mystery filled with fabulous cookie and cupcake recipes.

Hannah finds a homeless man behind her cupcake shop near the holidays. She and the town rally to help him back to health. And find the truth about why he has lost his memory....

I do love Joanne Fluke’s cozy mysteries. Since I’ve been on a diet they have been harder for me to read though. Christmas Cupcake Murder is full of great food and great recipes. It is quite a sweet story with a very happy ending. The book does focus around great Christmas recipes and anyone who has a sweet tooth is gonna love this book. All in all, it was a fun read even if it did leave me with hunger pains

I don't know what genre of book this is. Cooking cosy? It doesn't matter, I love it! Cosy mystery is a genre that I really enjoy when I want a more light-hearted mystery, and I also love cooking books. So discovering that there's an entire sub genre that mixes cookery recipes with cosy mystery was a revelation.

Christmas Cupcake Murder is in a long line of books featuring main character Hannah Swenson, but it seems from the blurb that this is set before the main series, which works great for me, because this was the first book I'd read in the series and it all made perfect sense. The mystery is a fairly tame, feel-good tale as Hannah and her friends and family look into the mystery of a homeless man who's suffered a traumatic brain injury. Who is he and what happened to him? Can Hannah figure it out?

Between mystery, there are pages of actual recipes that sound fantastic, and the theme of Christmas baking is intertwined with every chapter. So much fun!

Thank you to NetGalley, Joanne Fluke, Kensington Books for the ARC of Christmas Cupcake Murder. This is my personal review.
Joanne Fluke does it again taking us to Minnesota for another Hannah Swenson adventure.
This was a great story that keeps you guessing until the end. This mystery is about a stranger no one seems to recognize- but Hannah and her family and friends are determined to help him figure out who is and where he came from.
And as always Hannah makes a fabulous array of sweets. And we get to get the recipes. This is a great treat in every Hannah Swenson book by Joanne Fluke.

Wonderful mystery with baking recipes.

Hannah Swenson, the owner of The Cookie Jar, encounters a homeless man. He asks for work. Hannah gives him work.

Meanwhile Hannah’s mother Delores is looking for a storefront to rent because she and her friend Carrie have been collecting antiques over the years.

While looking at a possible rental, they find the same homeless man asleep. They are relieved that he is not dead. The homeless man is taken to the hospital. Doc Knight informs Hannah that John Doe has Traumatic brain injury.

Hannah asks her friend Mike, who is a policeman for help.

The recipes for the mentioned goodies are interwoven throughout the book.

I received a free advanced copy in exchange for a honest review.

I've read all the Hannah Swensen series, from the very first one published in 2000 (this date is super important). The prequel, however, just isn't working for me.

It supposedly takes place before Hannah solves her first murder. That one back in 2000 in Chocolate Cookie Mystery. If my memory serves correctly, Mike has just come to town, Norman is not quite on the Hannah plan, and Doc? He's just the doctor who might be a family friend. He's certainly not Delores' maybe-partner at the time.

By itself? This could be a fun little mystery. Who is the mysterious stranger? Why can't he remember who he is? Will Hannah figure it out? It's on par with most Hannah mysteries, just a fun light read.

But in the context of 25 other Hannah books? It simply does not work. The technology mentioned didn't exist in the time period that would be the prequel to book 1. Prior to book 1 and the technology in 2000 which is pointed out repeatedly in the earlier part of the series, no one had smartphones. No one pulled up the internet to look things up. Etc etc etc.

The relationships between the characters? They are the contemporary relationships in the series (the Hannah-Norman-Mike triangle) or super foreshadowing (Doc & Hannah's mom, wasn't the Lori nickname mentioned somewhere in the middle of the series with Hannah and her sisters being surprised at the familiarity). Even Andrea's nanny is there as Tracy's new nanny, yet she was hired for Bethany. I'm not even sure Tracey was alive in book 1 (it's been years since I read it) but she's definitely in the prequel.

It is a cute story. But it should have been fit in at a better timeline. Age Tracy, add Bethany, and it could have fit in properly before Doc and Delores got together in the timeline. But as the entire series prequel? That's where it lost me. I couldn't get past the fact that the timeline was completely wrong with the rest of the series.

As a longtime reader of this series, I'm always happy when a new installment comes out. The stories are filled with small town community, family, friends and lots and lots of good food. Regardless of what the mystery is, or everyone's drama in that moment, reading them is like coming home for Christmas.

What a sweet kind of story - perfect for the holiday season!! I love Fluke's books and recipes. I never get tired of them!

This episode in the Hannah Swensen cozy series takes us back in time to the early days of the Cookie Jar bakery & coffee shop.

Hannah is drawn to Mike's good looks, and his huge appetite, though his take-charge mannerisms work well as a cop they sometimes make Hannah feel overwhelmed. Norma i's soft spoken, quietly pitching in "without being directed" actions impress Hannah and though she likes him there are no romantic sparks like those she feels with Mike. And so the romantic angle of a 20+ book series begins.

Hannah saves a homeless man and feels responsible to help him recover his memories to get him home to his family. This was a very good plot with lots of cozy twists.

Doc is a family friend who calls Delores "Lori" much to everyone's curiosity.

A new novel that delays the answer to the age old question, "Mike or Norman"?

26 recipes sprinkled throughout the book all cookie and cupcake focused around the Christmas season theme.

An all around enjoyable time spent with Hannah and friends.

This is my first book by this author. I really enjoyed it. Great characters, good story and great recipes. Besides being very busy running her bakery during the Christmas holidays Hannah also has to help out her family with varies tasks. To top it off she and her Mother find an injured homeless man with no memory. She is determined to find out who he is.

This was a fun read. It has a mystery to solve and some wonderful recipes. I really enjoyed this Christmas cozy mystery and look forward to reading more books by this author. Thank you Kensington Books via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book All opinions expressed are my own.

I received a copy of Christmas Cupcake Murder through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Christmas Cupcake Murder is the 26th installment of the Hannah Swensen cozy mystery series. In this Christmas themed mystery, Hannah goes about trying to figure out the identity of a homeless man who turns up at her bakery, The Cookie Jar.

I have read the whole Hannah Swensen series and enjoy the small town life, the fun characters and the recipes that come with each next installation. Christmas Cupcake Murder was no different. This series isn’t about amazing, unpredictable mysteries, but about the setting and characters. This Christmas themed cozy mystery was a good read, with great recipes that made it feel like Christmas. The mystery is almost an after thought and wasn’t the best Hannah Swensen mystery, but by the end I was smiling about the outcome and wanting to try all of the cupcake recipes listed. I enjoyed this installation and look forward to seeing what the residents of Lake Eden get up to in the next mystery.

This is the 26th book in the series. We get to go back to when Hannah started her shop. She befriends a homeless man who is later found unconscious. It is up to the great residents of Lake Eden to help him out.

I loved this story, great book short to. I loved the character's and the the cover and the title. I received this book from netgalley.

I have enjoyed spending time with Hannah Swenson and those around her since Ms. Fluke wrote the first in this series. The Chocolate Chip Murder.  With its bakery setting to make you hungry, and the recurring characters and relationships, it is a good series for lovers of cozy mysteries.


This time, as the title states, the story takes place around Christmas.  Who is the John Doe who cannot remember much but knows a lot about antiques?  Why is he in Hannah's small mid-Western town? 


Along with this mystery, readers will enjoy spending time with Hannah, her sisters and the other folk who live in Lake Eden.  As a bonus, there are lots of recipes included too.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title.  All opinions are my own.