The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke was one of the first modern crime novels I have read and certainly the first comic one, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I liked what I have found, and will definitely read more by Joanne Fluke.
Hannah Swensen owns a cookie shop, inventively called 'The Cookie Jar' in a small town called Lake Eden. When popular resident Ron LaSalle is found, with a shot wound in his chest and crumbs of Hannah's cookies strewn around him (this happens to me all the time), she turns sleuth and tries to track down the killer with the help of a policeman called Bill Todd, who just happens to be married to her sister. I understand her motives though - people eating your cookies just before croaking can't be all that good for business. Following leads from clues and suspects leads to cosmetics, loan sharks and dentistry (I knew my dentist was up to something), finally Hannah discovers who the real killer is - though it takes her a long time to figure it out.
The story is fun to read, and the characters are vibrant and well fleshed out.
The book is very good, although some (picky) people might tilt their heads slightly
at some of what they see as unlikely plot points (as my friend did). Although
in reality, most sane readers would just want to be entertained while solving
the mystery. Finally, there are some recipes in this book which look quite interesting,
but the measurements are all in American values where are you supposed to
get a stick of butter from, anyway? If I find out, I might try a bit of baking
. But before that, I'll read some more comic crime novels (they're usually
less messy). -------
Miranda White
Other books in the series are Strawberry Shortcake Murder, The Blueberry
Muffin Murder and Lemon Meringue Pie Murder.