Murder on the Menu or ‘Till Death Do you Part
Author: Joanne Fluke
After 21 books and many will-she-won’t she moments, Hannah is finally ready to make her decision, chose one forever partner, and tie the knot. But, you really didn’t think that it was going to be all wedding cake and glitz, now did you? Hannah’s already stressed about her upcoming ceremony and is relieved that her sisters and mother are leading the efforts. When she gets invited to participate in a national televised cooking challenge (taking place right before her wedding) the stakes are upped and typical to Hannah’s no-nonsense hatred of frills and tomfoolery, she’s more interested in winning the dessert bake off-challenge and bringing business to our beloved homicidal hotbed – Lake Eden, Minnesota (aka murder capital of the world) than in her own wedding.
When the first challenge takes place in the Big Apple and Hannah dishes out some just desserts, it becomes evident that our red-headed sleuth is heading to fame and, if not fortune, some culinary accolades. Winning the first challenge means that the rest of the competition will be filmed in her hometown and the foresight of her sisters and mother tailors the theme of Hannah’s competition entries. Building off wedding themes and Hannah’s soon to be honeymoon, audiences go crazy for the hometown, homespun beauty of a small time baker with a handsome fiancé and the all American you-can-do it dream. Ross, of course, is on the KCOW team and zips in and out throughout the competition for some brief appearances and you-go-girl accolades.
Half way through the contest, Hannah’s presented some delectable desserts and has even curried the favor of the most difficult judge (thanks to some insider information). Imagine the horror then when the innocent Michelle walks into the Lake Eden Inn’s freezer to find the deceased judge, his fist clutched around a slice of Hannah’s multi-colored wedding cake. Looks like murder is on the menu.
After slogging through 21 books in the Hannah Swenson Series, it has become more than evident that the glory days are receding and the books waning from cozy sleuthing to trite silliness and fluffy text. I’ve complained often enough about the dictionary-like dialogue (thanks for letting me know that Guatemala is the largest exporter of Cardamom Hannah – and giving me a whole side lecture on it), the excessive unreality (even by cozy standards), and the goofy sexless love triangle. Why do I still stay? Because I wanted to know who Hannah finally chose out of the entire Mike/Norman debate (as a side note, I was rooting for Norman all the way.) Also, there is still something compelling about the series despite its overarching absurdity. Maybe I’m just a sucker for coffee and cookies sprinkled in with a little light-hearted murder (huh, is there such a thing?). The books are also easy to read and quick, so it’s not like the few hours it takes to read one is much of a sacrifice to satisfy my curiosity (and be able to say that I have caught them all . . . uh, I mean read them all.)
I was adamantly expecting (aka hoping) that something would go wrong and Hannah would not marry Ross. After all my complaining that she needs to make a decision – I found her decision completely left-field and downright lazy. Ross comes in from nowhere and allegedly sweeps Hannah off her feet, yet there is no chemistry and little interaction between the couple. There is an extended scene where Hannah, coffee and endorphin laced chocolate in hand, describes how Mike’s and Norman’s knocks are different and showcase aspects of their personalities. Yet, immediately afterwards, she does not recognize Ross’s knock. Other than her descriptions of weak knees and being starry eyed, there seems to be no love here or even familiarity. Do they even know each other? This, in my opinion, is the real mystery of the book.
Mike and Norman, loyal dummies until the bitter end, meanwhile support Hannah, take care of Moishe, and even end up rescuing Hannah from a killer. Ready to jump in and become the groom at a moment’s notice, both exes are also close friends with Ross, leaving cozy readers, who have a penchant and a desire to suspend belief, howling in rage. We cannot accept this, even in the realm of fiction. Just, no.
Oh – and did I forget about the killer? That’s ok, because Fluke seems to as well. The murder itself doesn’t occur until over halfway through the novel and it’s more of an afterthought. The investigation is unusually sloppy and the author doesn’t even give us the pretext of effort. A few halfhearted chats are smashed in-between baking and carefully measured dosages of obvious culinary background research for the novel. Thanks to all this, little to no investigation occurs. This is ok, because potential suspects are willing to come to Hannah in droves with drippy confessions of the whereabouts on the night in question. Conveniently, none of them question why the town baker needs to know all these details. But, whatevs.
Finally, despite her own foreknowledge and the fact that she is essentially surrounded by easy weapons and waits for the killer a good half an hour, Hannah confronts the neredowell unarmed, without telling anyone where she is or what she intends to do. Needless to say, everything goes south pretty rapidly and Hannah is forced to use luck and ingenuity to attempt an escape. The worst thing – she just might miss her own wedding. Fortunately, her devoted ex and bestie is a cop . . . so, bet you can’t see what will end up happening.
Two stars – and those only given for what the series once was and what, oddly, it continues to mean to me thanks to the memories of reading it with my mother. Despite being in preparation for my own wedding (April y’all!), this lackluster offering didn’t capture the nuptial bliss of love and preparation or the cozy tinge of family and friends. Another disappointment.
– Frances Carden
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