I have been reading Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swenson series for many years, and they are always delightful reads. The 27th book in the series, Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder is no different.

In this book, Lake Eden, Minnesota’s womanizing mayor, Richard Bascomb is murdered. Andrea Todd, Hannah Swenson’s younger sister, discovers the mayor’s body a few hours after getting into a big fight with him. Of course, Andrea becomes a suspect, and Hannah works on solving the murder to clear her sister’s name.

While this book has a lot in common with the other 26 in the series, I appreciate the ways in which Fluke made this book feel different. In many of the other books in the series, the murder victim isn’t necessarily someone who the reader knows a lot about, but Mayor Bascomb certainly is a well established character in the series. This made me more invested in learning what happened to him.

I also loved the focus on Andrea in this book. In many other books in the series, Hannah’s other sister takes a more prominent role than Andrea. As the second of three daughters myself, I have always felt most connected to Andrea of all of the Swenson sisters. In the previous books in the series, there is emphasis placed on how Andrea can’t bake, but she tries very hard to learn from Hannah in this book, which was lovely to see.

Throughout the series, Norman Rhodes, Lake Eden’s dentist, has served as a love interest. It is clear how much he loves and cares for Hannah, but this becomes even more clear in this installment. He opens his home to Hannah when she is scared to return to her own after finding her husband murdered there. Their relationship is so sweet, and I have always rooted for them.

Hannah and the other Lake Edenites are always fun to read about, and I’m always game to read about what shenanigans they get into next.

This book was a simple, easy read. Starting on the first page, its like visiting old friends. A nicely written mystery, every piece falling where it needs too.

I found this to be on ok read. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't amazing, either. It was pretty much in the middle. For me, this book seemed to struggle with something a lot of cozy mystery series do- after numerous books the focus becomes more on the characters with the mystery becoming a secondary character. I felt this book focused the majority of it's time with Hannah and the other characters. It started off with a bang, but cooled quickly.

A little heads up: if you aren't keeping up with the series, you may find questions with no answers. For example, in the book prior to this one, something happens involving Hannah's husband and her home. You're told she finds his murdered body, but that's all. You don't know what happened or why. You have no clue why her sister is now living there. There is no revisiting it for the reader. I've only read the first 3 books in the series, so I wasn't sure if I could just pick up at the current book and be filled in about recent events, but I wasn't. That's not a deal breaker for me, but it's something I think you should know. Some series don't have to be read in order, but I don't think this is one of them.

There were several things that I had a hard time with. One, the character names were constantly repeated within conversations. To the point that the conversations didn't seem realistic to me. Secondly, the inner dialogue in Hannah's head got pretty distracting and annoying quickly. Once or twice, is no big deal, but when they're happening often, it tends to take away from the story. Thirdly, I just felt the mystery investigation part was almost non existent. There was very little tracking down suspects and weeding out the possibilities. In fact, people stated several times that there were so many people who had a motive for killing the mayor, but only a few were mentioned. The only real investigating happened toward the end and it led to the killer. I guess I was expecting more of the process to be there.

Overall, the 27th Hannah Swensen series installment was ok. I was hoping for more and was disappointed not to see more of the investigation unfold, but I did have a good time catching up with the characters. Andrea is still one of my favorites. Despite the issues I had, I liked the book. I plan on reading more of the series in the future, so I'll have to start catching up.

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke finds Hannah and the gang in the middle of solving another murder. Mayor Bascomb is found murdered and Hannah's sister Andrea worries she will be a suspect. Earlier in the day, she and the mayor had a disagreement that ended with a slap from Andrea. To make matters worse, she is the one who finds his body that evening. Luckily for Andrea, Mayor Bascomb's wife is on her side and does not believe she was the murderer, pointing out her husband has left behind a trail of scorned lovers who could be at fault.

Hannah is still living with Norman, as Moishe continues to be unnerved by the condo. Many meals and pots of coffee are consumed while investigating the murder, with many decadent Easter themed desserts sampled. Mike brings his appetite, as always while Norman remains Hannah's ever helpful partner in investigation.

I enjoyed this book but wish there were more character development. While Andrea is trying to become more competent in the kitchen, the other characters remain the same. Mike still eats everything in sight, Norman remains an ever present side kick who anticipates Hannah's every need. Mother wants chocolate. I look forward to Hannah being able to move past Ross and his betrayal and murder. However, I truly love Lake Eden and the characters and look forward to their next adventure and look forward to trying the Deli Brunch Bake and Eastyer Bunny's Favorite Pie Squares recipe.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for allowing me to read an ARC.

I also enjoy visiting with Hannah and friends in Lake Eden Minnesota. I have never read one of these books while on a diet so I never realized just how much time is spent talking about food!! I feel it could be cut back some. The mysteries are always fun and are a challenge to guess who the culprit is.

I’ve read every Hannah Swensen book, in spite of the fact that they’ve had their ups and downs. This was definitely a down, to the point that it might be my last one. The characters haven’t grown, the dialogue is continually stilted and unrealistic, and there’s so much filler (both with recipes and in the story itself) that I skim-read several sections. And this new thing with Hannah’s constant internal arguing with both sides of her mind? It’s just so distracting.

I want to still love these. I really do. The last couple books had been a bit more enjoyable again and i was hoping that would continue. I’d love to see a nice ending with some good character revelations, an ending to the relationship question, etc. Let’s let Hannah and her crew live happily ever after.

A warm fuzzy mystery, I need some fancy cheesecake when reading this book. Can’t wait for the next book.

Having watched and loved all the Hallmark Murder She Baked films I was excited to read the latest book in the series that inspired them. I was a little confused that Hannah wasn’t with Mike, so can only assume that the films were adaptations of much earlier books in the series. It was disappointing because I always struggled with Norman as a believable love interest for Hannah. The recipes are a great addition, although quite a few ingredients are not available here in the UK, which is a shame. I enjoyed the story but did find the writing style quite formal. I would like to read more from this author, so will try the first book in this series next.

I’ve seen all of the Murder She Baked movies on Hallmark, which are the film adaptations of this book series, and I absolutely love them. So, I was so excited to finally get a chance to read one of the books. I’m so sad there’s only a handful of movies, but I’m glad there’s a stack of books to read through! I thoroughly enjoyed this one and can’t wait to read more! And I loved the recipes throughout the book - some of them looked so good!

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder is the twenty-seventh installment in the Hannah Swensen Mystery series set in Lake Eden and featuring Cookie Jar owner, Hannah Swensen. This time Hannah's sister Andrea has a beef with Mayor Bascomb over the way he's been treating her husband, Bill. A verbal argument ends with Andrea slapping the Mayor and him toppling over backward in his chair. Feeling guilty Andrea later returns to the Mayor's office with one of Hannah's cheesecakes as a peace offering and finds the Mayor dead. Of course, she now becomes the prime suspect and Hannah and company are faced with the challenge of clearing her name.

Sadly this series is turning into a complete train wreck that you can't help stopping to gawk at. I've read every book in the series and each time think to myself, "wow, these books can't get any worse so I'm finished with the series" but of course, a new one comes out and I have to pick it up and regret having done so almost immediately.

There were just so many things wrong with this addition to the series I'm not sure where to start. As usual the majority of the book was recipes with the author's "helpful hints" so the actual story maybe makes up 1/4 of the book. I would almost be willing to bet that at least once a page someone is either making coffee or drinking coffee - I can't imagine how the characters aren't constantly in the bathroom or bouncing off the walls. To make matters even worse, Hannah has now developed an inner monologue between her good angel and bad angel and we have to be subjected to their constant bickering. Oh and did I mention my biggest pet peeve? Why is it that every single character has to constantly call the person they are talking to by their formal name? If Hannah and Norm are the only two in the room, I can't understand why they both have to start or end every sentence with each other's names - I'm pretty sure they both know who they are talking to and readers are certainly capable of following the simple dialogue.

Well, will this finally be it for me?

I received an advanced copy of Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

Mayor Bascomb, a relentless bully has been found murdered. With a cast of characters who could have killed him, including Hannahs sister, Hannah must work quickly to discover the real killer and clear her sisters name.

This is the first Hanna Swensen Mystery I have read, and I would read more. It does work as a stand alone and however I would have had a better understanding of the character arcs if I had read the earlier books.

I lobe this series and this installment hits all the usual hallmarks of a great Hannah Swenson book: lots of baking, dinner parties, Moishe antics and a mystery. Hannah is living with Norman throughout this book, which gives me hope for their future. I do wish the author will show some forward progression in Hannah’s love life but I still enjoyed the ride and look forward to more in this series!

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder (Hannah Swenson, Book 27) by Joanne Fluke
Publisher: Kensington Books
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Release Date: February 23, 2021

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder is the 27th book in the Hannah Swenson series by Joanne Fluke. If you haven't read the previous books, this one works really well as a standalone book (then you should go back and read the previous books because they are so good!)!

I love this series more with every book I read! This one is so good! The mystery was incredible and had you guessing until the very end! I really loved how this one turner out!

I love the characters in this book. I love the small town feel to the story. I love the author's writing style and the pace of her writing. The recipes at the end of each chapter add a special touch. They really bring you into the story and they sound so incredible!

This was such a great book, I could not put it down! I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves cozy mysteries!

I'm so grateful to Joanne Fluke, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

"Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder" by Joanne Fluke
Release Date: 2.23.2021

What number is this in the Hannah Swensen series? Can you believe it's the 27th installment! It's Springtime in Lake Eden, MN, but Hannah's busy with Easter orders and preparing a meal for a dinner party at her mother's place.

But, she receives a call from Andrea, her sister...the Mayor, Richard Bascomb, has been murdered. If that wasn't bad enough news, Andrea is the prime suspect!

Hannah must return to sleuthing to clear her sister's name..

I love Hannah. She is smart, independent, and runs her own business. I feel like I could be friends with her. There were enough twist and turns to make me guess whodunit. It felt familiar, a light, quick read. This installment was probably not my favorite though.

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This was a quick entertaining read. You can read this as a stand-alone mystery. However, I believe the characters can be better understood if you read some of the earlier books first. The mystery is enjoyable with plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing whodunit. I liked this book and the series, however, Hannah’s needs to change negativity and doubts and become the confident person she was pre-Ross.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way have I been influenced by anyone.

Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in this book without putting on the coffee pot and having a fresh cup of coffee. It became predictable, redundant and boring. The dialog was simple, trite and unoriginal. The same applies to the recipes - they all default back to the days of using Cream of something soup as a base for everything.

There is a murder without much mystery, a relationship without much romance, a business without any interesting interaction and a novice detective running around as if she is a cross between Nancy Drew and Columbo. A total miss for me. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Not the typical cozy mystery that I expected. This book was a quick read but not necessarily a page turner. There seems to be an emphasis on the inner workings of the protagonist as she works to solve the mystery that is central to the plot of the story. The books also contains several recipes which I thought was a fun addition. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is my second Hannah Swenson book, my first being, well, the first one. To be honest, I did not enjoy the first one--I found Hannah extremely unlikable and the politically incorrect statements of 20 years ago didn't sit well with me. However, I know people LOVE this series, and many fellow cozy mystery fans assured me it got better. Spoiler alert: it did not.

This book was decidedly more politically correct for 2021, but it was otherwise exactly the same as the first book. Hannah is still brash and people still magically tell her what she needs to hear to solve the crime. There's just something that doesn't sit right with me about the writing style--mostly the dialogue. It's very stilted, almost as if all the characters are in their 80s, instead of their true ages. Everyone speaks in perfect full sentences and it just doesn't feel REAL.

I do enjoy the structure of the mysteries in these books. Both this one and the first are structured the same, so I assume that's how they all are. Where Hannah very methodically eliminates suspect after suspect until we're left with the one who must have done it. This doesn't make for much excitement, but I like that I can follow along and use the clues provided to predict who the killer will be. This isn't a mystery where they keep the reader in the dark, and I like that!

Ultimately, I already own three or four other books in this serious, so I'll probably read them, but I don't think I'll buy any more. The writing style is just not for me, and Hannah isn't likable enough to make up for it. There's enough books (and cozy mysteries) out there that I have plenty else to purchase!

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars - 5/10

Another great Hannah Swenson mystery. The recipes in this one made me super hungry. Triple chocolate cheesecake? Sign me up!

Hannah Swensen overhears her sister Andrea having a shouting match with Mayor Boscomb, and the next day Andrea finds him dead in his office. Filled with delicious recipes as always, the newest installment in Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen mysteries doesn't disappoint!