Two Christmas Murders in One Volume
A few years back, we were treated to stand alone Christmas novellas in the Hannah Swensen series. Now, two of those are collected in Christmas Dessert Murder.
Up first, we get Christmas Caramel Murder. Trouble is brewing for Lisa, Hannah’s partner at The Cookie Jar. Her husband, Herb, is working late every night, and his new assistant is Phyllis, his high school girlfriend. Then Phyllis is cast as Mrs. Claus opposite Herb in the community play. Naturally, when Phyllis shows up murdered, Lisa and Herb are both suspects, and Hannah must work hard to clear their names.
Since this is a novella and includes a dozen recipes, some characters are reduced to cameos or even just mentions. The story touches all the usual bases, but it is fun and works its way to a logical climax. A few scenes take their cue from A Christmas Carol, and being a fan of that classic story, I enjoyed them although they are certainly different for this series. Most interesting to me, this was a flashback, ignoring the events of the last couple of books, and a major character from those books only appears in the wrap around prologue and epilogue.
Next comes Christmas Cake Murder, which is a prequel to the series. This story is set at the first Christmas after Hannah's father has died. Hannah has dropped out of her graduate program and is home trying to help her mother, Delores, deal with life after her loss, and Hannah is beginning to worry about her mother. Fortunately, Grandma Knudson and Annie come up with the perfect project to get Delores's mind off her loss. It seems Essie, a beloved member of the community, has fallen and broken her hip. In an effort to cheer her up, Delores is asked to organize a Christmas ball, with Hannah recruited to bake the cakes for the events. While all this is going on, Hannah begins to share her dreams of opening her own cookie and coffee shop. And a novel that Essie was working on captivates Hannah, Delores, Michelle, and Lisa.
You'll note my teaser doesn't mention the mystery. That's because it isn't until late in the story that it comes into clear focus, although enough bread crumbs have been laid out earlier that we do get a satisfying wrap up. Meanwhile, we get lots of planning for the ball and Hannah getting the things that will become staples of her life as we know it from the rest of the series. It's fun for series fans, although even then I thought the book could have been shorter. Those new to the series definitely shouldn't jump in here since it is so atypical. Although one thing that is typical is all the recipes.
Naturally, if you’ve bought or read these books separately, there’s no need to pick up this volume. However, if you skipped over those novellas earlier and are a fan of the series, you’ll be happy to pick them up with Christmas Dessert Murder.
Check out the rest of the Hannah Swensen Mysteries.
I think I need to set a goal to finally catch up on this series next year. :)
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