With Mike not in town because his mentor took him on a much-needed vacation since he was heading toward burnout, the investigation of the murder of a baseball player was left to Bill, Lonnie and Rick. Hannah and Norman added the usual consulting help. Amid lots of recipes and lots of food and fellowship being enjoyed, the case was solved with a pretty exciting showdown that’d give Norman something to talk about for a long time.

There’s definitely a cliffhanger, and that’s probably what it’d take for me to return and read the next book. This series is just not like it used to be to the point of not even sounding like the original author. The characters and situations are there, but it feels like it’s deteriorating or something. There’s so much repetition, more than usual, but the good part is there’s still tons of yummy-sounding summer food and drink recipes.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

I’m not sure what to say about Pink Lemonade Cake Murder. I have followed the entire series. I have gotten a bit fed up with the triangle between Hannah, Norman and Mike. Since Ross died several books ago, Hannah is different. I’m not sure it’s a good different.
This book spends a lot of time on food - its preparation, eating it, talking about it and recipes. Don’t get me wrong a lot of the recipes sound interesting. However, the food portion overwhelmed the mystery.
At the end of the last book Mike tells Hannah he is done with being a detective. All Mike’s friends stage an intervention in this book and they force Mike out of the investigation into a washed up Major League Baseball players death.
Then there is a crazy and unwelcome ending to this book. I’m not sure where this series is headed but it feels like a last ditch effort to give it new life.
What is with the peephole in the door at the bakery? It’s the focus of way more attention than it deserves in the book.
Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington for the review copy of the book.

Typical Hannah book. Someone gets murdered - Hannah and her "posse" bumble through an "investigation" and fall right into solving the murder.

I for one love Hannah and these books. If you want something more edgy or realistic - you won't be happy. If you are looking for something light, happy (maybe a little sappy) that always ends well and doesn't leave you with nightmares - these are your books!

Cant wait for the next one!

I really hate this to leave this review as i am a long time fan of The Hannah Swenson series . The series have gotten repetitive and stale .. I am beginning to wonder if Ms . Fluke is just rushing to put out more books without caring about the character anymore. I really hope she can turn it around . I think this may be the last Hannah novel for me .

I just reviewed Pink Lemonade Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke. #PinkLemonadeCakeMurder #NetGalley

I said I was done with this series two books ago but it came up on NetGalley so I decided to try for it. I got about five chapters in before I gave up. The writing is simplistic and amateurish. It’s as if it’s written for second graders. All five of those chapters are a repeated list of people they should invite to help Mike see the error of his ways but not once do they explain who Stella is. And if it’s just like the others then the recipes are so long and repeated step-by-step in the book and then take up another five pages at the end of the chapter. It’s all filler and nowhere near resembling a good mystery. I give up on this series. If the author and the editor aren’t going to bother, why should I?

Pink Lemonade Cake Murder is a cozy mystery by Joanne Fluke.. It is a good story that ends in a cliff hangger. I recommend this book.

Another installment in the long running Hannah Swensen series. This is one of the first cozy mystery series that I ever read which is why I keep reading it. It was fun and entertaining, but nothing ground breaking.

Hannah Swensen mysteries are very much comfort rates. They always have sparkling banter and family shenanigans, as well as so many delicious cookies. Once again, Hannah has caught herself up in a mystery and murder but this time her mother Dolores is one of the suspects. As usual, the solving of the mystery is fun, and Hannah and all of her family and friends are involved throughout the book. This time we also are looking at why Mike might want to leave the police department, as well as some cookie jar surprises. All in all it’s a satisfying mystery.

Man, have I been reading these for a long time. They're getting worse. Repetitive text (how many times can you use the word 'quickly'? Don't ask the author, she's still trying for the record), misogynistic tones, characters that don't feel like the same people from 20 books ago and yet they're still in the same situations. Seriously though, the weirdness around teen girls wearing revealing clothing and the rage around that by their fathers/the town was gross. One's dad said her reputation was spiraling down in the town and called her a floozy, and both he and her boyfriend expected her to beg forgiveness from them? For being a teen girl? Gross. I think I'm done with this series.

A somewhat satisfying visit to our favorite baker and her ability to put herself right in front of a murder and murderer! Seeing how the whole gang, minus Mike, are involved in the investigation, it make me wonder WHY Mike is having a mid-life crisis! An interesting aside as to why Mike's NOT there woven through the story, although it seems like he is deliberately being pushed away...WHY??

Lots of redundancies about door knocks at the rear door of The Cookie Jar, looking through the peep hole, and things that just kept being repeated. Doing impromptu suspect interviews over cookies, muffins, and coffee at The Cookie Jar? In what universe does this take place? Law enforcement not only condoning but actively involved in these wacky interviews...just not a great look for the PD.

The ending seems to begin the premise of the next book! Very nice segue to the new story, or, knowing that this book was cobbled together, perhaps a way to have fans come back to see what happened!
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Another addition to the Hannah Swenson franchise and it was OK, but just OK. I hope the next book will be more Joanne Fluke's signature style rather than just words filling a page.

Thanks to Kensington Books and Net Galley for an ARC. The review is my own.

A retired obnoxious baseball player has ticked off everyone in town; but who enough to kill him? With Mike on a burn out vacation Hannah and Norman help the police find the culprit. Especially as Hannah's mother is a prime suspect!

Frustrated with himself following the previous case, Mike has decided to retire from the police force. The town is anxious to have him stay. I mean, for a small town, they certainly need all the detective experience they can get with all these murders! After a friend and mentor steals Mike away for a vacation, of course a murder takes place. While Mikes paces to get back to help solve the case, the townsfolk help the remaining police work the case (of course!). We all know in real life this wouldn't happen, but in Lake Eden it always happens! There were a lot of funny moments throughout the story but I was a bit uncomfortable with how old fashioned some of the views were in the book. A family was incredibly worried about how their daughter had shamed the family. This felt very archaic, even for the caricature of a midwest small town. As with the series, there is a lot of repetition and the writing is somewhat simplistic. This makes for both a quick and easy read as well as a book you can read in small stolen moments without losing the storyline.

There may be spoilers below. The recipes here were appalling, and most of them didn’t even tie in with what was being made in the books. I may make a few just to see what is what.

The murder victim here is a disgraced ball player that no one cares about. Not exactly linked to the town. The whole book reads like an excuse to talk baseball. There were a lot of spelling and grammatical errors throughout. Hopefully those are fixed prior to publication.

Here we go:

1. Right from the start we have Hannah asking Bill for Mike’s private personnel file. Lake Eden could really use a good lawyer.

2. Next up Hannah asks Bill if he thinks Mike is independently wealthy. Wouldn’t she know this? If Mike was wealthy surely he wouldn’t be stealing food from everyone in town.

3. In this same conversation Hannah tells Bill “one more thing Bill” more than once. That’s a lot of things Hannah.

4. Is Hannah on drugs? Now she’s asking Bill to confirm that Mike is a good cop. Does she suspect our Mike of being a shady crooked cop? So rude Hannah.

5. Grandma Knudsen discusses Hannah’s potential sex life if she married both Mike and Norman. Don’t worry it’s only six days a week for sex because even the good lord rested on the seventh. No sex on sundays!

6. Poor Norman is still living in the guest room in his own dang house.

7. Andrea at first mentions her pb and mint jelly sandwiches and then declares she no longer makes them. Hannah is not nice enough to tell her sister she’s making a poop flavored sandwich. What kind of person decides mint jelly is good on a sandwich? Andrea. I’m shocked Florence stocks mint jelly.

8. Hannah sends Andrea to the store to get bratwurst, and ingredients for a disgusting sounding stew. She instructs Andrea to buy everything pre cut or prepared including precut onions and carrots. How lazy are you Hannah? Ps this soup also includes like 30 cans of Campbell condensed soups

9. Andrea is learning cake decorating, Florence suggests practicing with instant mashed potatoes. Hannah is concerned Andrea wants to ice cookies or a cake with mashed potatoes.

10. Hannah explains to Normal Norman how she can’t go back to the condo yet because Ross (the man she thought was her husband) was killed in the living room. Im pretty sure Normal knows this. He was there for the investigation!

11. Mike is excited to get cable television out at a cabin. Don’t get too excited Mike. It turns out the cable guy is coming out to the lake to hook up cable to get…one channel. KCOW so they can watch the local school baseball team. In what world does cable include one channel and who is still getting cable hooked up these days

12. Speaking of baseball this book had way too much baseball filler we didn’t need to know about local players. No one cares about No-No, which is why he’s dead

13. Hannah complains she’s lucky to go to baseball games because she taunts the umpires. Despite not knowing anything about baseball really.

14. Mike gets a new name! Detective Mike the Bee Whisperer. Now that’s a show I would watch.

15. Someone asks what is the state perfume of Minnesota. Do states have perfumes? Well Normal Normans guess is “le parfum de green bean casserole” which sounds like a perfect signature scent for Hannah.

16. We have to keep hearing over and over how the dead guy once embarrassed poor Delorimother at the Winnetka county fair. I as apparently one of the worst moments of her life. Not losing her husband or other family members, not seeing murdered people, not knowing her daughter is murder obsessed. Guys the worst moment of Delorimother’s life was being dunked in a dunk tank over and over and ruining her dress. The dress must have been special because even the boutique owner remembers it. I bet she remembers all 5 things she sells per year.

17. All these poor girls who are vying for Summer Solstice Queen have old people names like Dorothy, Donna, Susan. Poor girls. Only a few of them have modern names. Everyone in Lake Eden is in a time warp.

18. Hannah is very concerned to know whether or not the cabin cable got hooked up in time for Mike to see the murder body on tv, so concerned that she forces Andrea to call and check for her. Hannah learn to do something for yourself please

19. Hannah whisks Delorimother away from a murder scene hiding her so no one sees that Delorimother should be the prime suspect, more on that later

20. Delorimother drinks domestic champagne! After Doc prescribed wine Hannah buys champagne.

21. Delorimother is disappointed to not be considered the prime suspect and badgers Bill until he agrees to make her the prime suspect. I bet she feels left out.

22. Bill questions why Hannah went under the bleachers and Hannah snaps at him “I thought I just told Lonnie didn’t I?” Damn Bill pay attention son.

23. Delorimother knows how to check for a pulse! When asked how she knows how to check for a pulse she says she say her husband, Doc, do it once but oh she also saw her daughter a non medical professional who can’t even bake do it once so it must be the medically correct thing to do.

24. Hannah bakes a lot more gross stuff like cookies made from kool-aid

25. Hannah orders a pink lemonade after questioning the ingredients, is told it’s made with grenadine and then Rose admits she used strawberry kool aid. So which one is it rose?

26. Andrea explains these blue cheese disgusting sounding meatloaf cupcake things to Hannah in a prior chapter, then Rose offers Hannah the same thing and Hannah asks again “how do you make them Rose?” So the reader is treated again to a gross description of these treats including parsley trees.

27. Hannah tried to recruit Hank who works at the liquor store to be a detective because he can make people talk. Hank says he’s a bartender but last we heard he runs the liquor store. Maybe he has a secret speakeasy. Or does he still work with Rose? Who knows.

28. Someone calls the dead man “that fool baseball player who hung around Lake Eden a while back and dunked Delorimother at the fair” that’s quite a nickname

29. Normal invites Hannah for a film in the house in which she’s living with him and explains that *gasp* the film is a romance but is also…a comedy. Maybe Normal it’s what we people call a rom-com

30. Hannah has a vendetta against geese and can’t wait to eat one. Normal agrees to also eat goose in solidarity. Just marry the guy.

31. Hannah’s goose vendetta stems from being chased and bitten as a child, and having fallen over in her pink dress which got ruined. I could swear early in the series we are treated to Hannah lamenting that she could never and can never wear pink due to her coloring. But I’m too lazy to research.

32. Hannah recalls being taken into a family members house the back way into something her dad called “the mud room” how exotic.

33. Dick the bartender at the in comes back to the bar with drinks for Normal and Hannah that are described as “thick, dark brown, and creamy” watch out for poop.

34. Normal and Hannah are asked to sit in on every police interview because Bill, Lonnie and Rick have no idea how to do their job and Mike is out of commission banished at the lake. They even say they are not used to doing these interviews themselves and will likely miss something. Damn guys. Watch an episode of law and order.

35. Lonnie completely forgets about the rival of the dead man who is shooting daggers at the baseball banquet. The one he spent like 40 pages talking to Hannah about. Lonnie should go see Doc I suspect early dementia.

36. One of the recipes calls for the reader to add “2 large eggs (just zoop them up with a fork)” what’s a zooper fork? Does Florence sell these down at the Red Owl?

37. Our first interviewee questions why Hannah is there and why he’s being interviewed in a dang cookie shop instead of the police station. Instead of the sheriff answering Hannah let’s him know that “we’re not really that far along in the process yet” the girl is on fire

38. This man tells us how his granddaughters reputation was spiraling down because she dared wear a skimpy outfit. These girls are later mentioned as hussies. Shaming these poor girls for wearing skirts and crop tops

39. This interview suspect was amazing with Hannah and declares to her “there’s your alibi Hannah I believe we are through here, good day to you!” Hoo boy

40. Hannah didn’t like that and calls the poor grandpa a pompous windbag

41. Hannah has to cook dinner for Delorimother’s dinner party and asks Lisa to check if a cookie store has instant rice. Why would they? But no worries as Lisa reports they have 4 boxes of Uncle Bens minute rice. Still…why? Rice whippersnappers? Has Andrea been stocking the pantry?

42. Delorimother and Doc both keep insisting both cats have never caught a ladybug. This is repeated like 80 times in the book. I have three cats, they love to kill any bug.

43. Normal brings a whole damn cooler of supplies to make cocktails at the dinner party and is questioned as to why he brought domestic champagne. Yeah normal you are a dentist splash out for some fancy bubbles

44. Hannah muses that Normal is a bit like cracker jacks. “A little nutty, more than a little corny, but very comforting to have around” I don’t feel comforted by cracked jacks. And normal probs wouldn’t like being referred to as a stick caramel treat being a dentist and all.

45. At one point Lonnie exclaims what may be my favorite line in the whole book “Yikes! That must have put the cat among the pigeons!” What does it mean? Who knows.

46. Hannah offers to tell a young woman that wisdom comes with age and we all make mistakes when we are young. Hannah you are no longer young and all you make are mistakes.

47. Normal visits the bakery owned by his true love Hannah that lives at his house and greets her with a hug. No wonder you aren’t winning the race normal.

48. Mike tells Hannah that in case she doesn’t know there’s been a murder in his little town. Hannah is shocked.

49. Normal and Hannah have a full on conversation only with their eyeballs. How amazing is that?

50. Dick the bartender strides right up to a suspect and straight up asks if they came to town to hit No-No. Dick has a set of balls on him

51. Hannah is alarmed by this and tells Dick that the word of the day is DISCREET and scolds him about confronting murder suspects. Which she does in every single book.

52. Normal gets some bad news at the end of the book, another cliffhanger! However will this play out.

Pink Lemonade Cake Murder is the twenty-ninth book in the Hannah Swensen series.The Hannah Swensen series is one of the first cozy mystery series I started following regularly, so I have fond memories of these books. I love the small town setting and Hannah's bakery. Hannah is observant and makes a good amateur sleuth. I really like when she teams up with Norman to question people who may have information about the case. In this book, the victim is an arrogant man who has made several enemies, so there are plenty of suspects.

On the downside, the quality of the books hasn't been as good as it used to be with repetitious and stilted dialogue. The recipes are a cute addition to the books, but have been starting to take over the story. (There were 28 in this one!) So far, Hannah still hasn't chosen between her two suitors, Detective Mike Kingston and dentist Norman Rhodes, but I'm forever hopeful she will. The case wraps up nicely as well as the subplot of Mike feeling burned out in his job. There is a surprising and kind of strangely communicated cliffhanger at the end of the story that I assume is setting up the next book.

Overall, this is a quick, cozy read that has some fun moments. I like the plot and the investigation better in this one than some of the recent books, but don't care for the stilted dialogue, never-ending triangle, and book ending on a cliffhanger. If you're new to the series, I would recommend starting with the earliest books in the series.

I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley and Kensington Book, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

What happened? I've read so many of these novels but this one, this one might be the last. Hannah's mom Delores didn't kill No-No the baseball player, she only found his body. As with all classic cozies, there's a vast number of people who didn't like the disgraced player and Hannah must figure out who did it. And the police are going to listen to her. This needed editing. Lots of editing, I wanted more from the Hannah-Norman relationship, less repetition, and a bit of the cleverness that used to characterize Fluke's work. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Said to say but this was a miss for me in a beloved series.

Heavy sigh. I've read all of the books in this series and I've kept coming back because the town and characters feel comfortable to me... but I'm not sure I'm going to continue at this point. The last several books in the series have gone way beyond "light" reads into the territory of ridiculous. The writing is trite and stilted, the characters have regressed and act like they can't do anything on their own, and there is very little story around the recipes. I really wish they would have continued to be as interesting and comforting as the initial couple dozen books in the series, but I think the author, or whomever is currently writing them, has run their course. Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the advance digital copy!

Pink Lemonade Cake Murder
Joanne Fluke
July 25, 2023

Hannah Swenson leads us on another chase to solve a murder in Joanne Fluke’s latest adventure. Detective Mike has decided he should resign from the department. He’s becoming burned out on the job. Although he has never taken a vacation, he feels that he is relied on to handle all the important crimes. Hannah takes charge and finds his old police trainer, Stella to arrange for him to go fishing and stay at her folk’s cabin. Things were working well until in the midst of the Summer Solstice celebrations one of the guests lost his life. Mike of course hears of the homicide and insists on returning to take charge. The department asks Hannah to keep him settled at the cabin in order to solve the case themselves.
Pink Lemonade Cake Murder will be published by Kensington Publishing Corporation on July 25, 2023. I appreciate their allowing me to read and review Joanne Fluke's current novel. It follows the pattern of most of her Hannah Swenson series. It is delightful and comical. Of course it includes the recipes that the baker features in the Cookie Jar and those she prepares for her friends and family. It’s a fun read for a hot day. Do enjoy!

Picking up where the previous book left off, which was a little confusing at first, Hannah is quickly drawn into another murder mystery. In addition, Mike has stated he is ready to quit the force, so the Lake Eden crew goes into high gear to keep him on the job and part of their community.

The writing didn’t flow as well as other books in the series, as it was choppy and often repetitive. The mystery was decent, yet a number of characters were quite extreme in terms of their attitudes regarding how a young woman may dress or behave. These attitudes were so dated and unreasonable, it made the murder almost unbelievable. The other aspect that didn’t flow was the way the police department staff turned to Hannah for so much help in solving the crime. Without Mike on the job, they acted like they knew nothing.

Pink Lemonade is filled with lemonade recipes, which is a fun twist. It also ends with a significant cliffhanger, unrelated to the mystery, so there is at least one more installment in the series.

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley and have written an objective review.

Joanne Fluke once again delivers another delightfully fun Hannah Swensen mystery with “Pink Lemonade Cake Murder.”

Lake Eden is preparing for its Summer Solstice Celebration with lots of yummy recipes and fun activities — including a baseball tournament featuring local celebrity and ex-big league baseball player Bernie “No-No” Fulton.

But when No-No ends up dead — with several people angry enough with him to want him dead, including Hannah’s own mother Delores — Hannah knows she must jump in to help the police solve this murder.

With the usual help of her good friend Norman and her sister Andrea, Hannah works to put the pieces together of which suspect truly did the dastardly deed.

As usual Fluke creates a fun whodunnit with truly delightful characters and great twists, including a shocking cliffhanger ending. Even though it is a murder mystery, “Pink Lemonade Cake Murder” is also filled with feel-good moments that leave a smile on the reader’s face.

Fans of cozy mysteries and authors like Kylie Logan and JoAnna Carl will love this story, which is due out July 25.

Five stars out of five.

Kensington Cozies provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

This was an excellent book that is a great addition to the series. I love the cliff hanger at the end, and I can’t wait for the next book to come out.