Book Review: Cream Puff Murder

I don't enjoy writing negative reviews. Here, I feel it is my fault, because I knew my patience with this series was waning, yet I bargained on another installment (Book 11 in the series) because it promised a clean read. So, for the positives: Cream Puff Murder was, as expected, a clean read; the book delivered many tasty recipes (I won't try any since I'm on a ketogenic diet); the plot progression allowed for step-by-step elimination of suspects; and the writing was consistent enough to keep the reader engaged.

Here is the Hannah Swensen formula in a nutshell: condescending small town baker steps in to solve a murder mystery while whipping up a dozen new recipes at her cookie shop. Police save her at the last moment despite a killer determined to eliminate her.

The love triangle, that once kept me reading, strangulated in this episode. Mike has proven to be so far from a likely candidate I'm surprised Hannah is even still considering his proposal. Why doesn't she simply marry mild-mannered, dependable Norman and end the tired plot device?

I can only recommend this series to women who are seeking interesting new recipes to bake (for the masses, as none of the recipes make less than four dozen), who hail from Minnesota, who relish simple cozy mysteries, and who desire extraneous tidbits of information alongside detective activity. As for me, I think I'm done. I'm sure there are women out there who enjoy this cozy mystery series (or else how would the author have published two dozen books), but I will seek extensively to find some other clean fare for my treadmill sessions.