Product Description

Hannah Swensen thought she'd finally discovered the recipe for a perfect life. But her sometime beau Norman Rhodes tosses a surprise ingredient into the, mix when he phones to tell her he's just bought a house from local drugstore clerk Rhonda Scharf-which he plans to tear down in order to build the dream home he and Hannah designed. It seems the plan has been cooking for quite some time, and Hannah is shocked-especially since her ring finger is still very much bare. The good news is that the soon-to-be-torn-down house is full of antiques- and Norman has given Hannah and her mother first dibs. They uncover some. gorgeous old furniture, a patchwork quilt...and Rhonda Scharf's dead body. A little more sleuthing turns up the half-eaten remains of a very special dinner for two-and one of The Cookie Jar's famous lemon meringue pies. Now it's up to Hannah to turn up the heat-and get busy tracking down the clues. Starting in her very own kitchen.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #462736 in Books
• Published on: 2004-02-01
• Released on: 2004-02-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

From Publishers Weekly
A lemon meringue pie, two pieces cut and only one eaten (an important clue or an insult to her cooking?), an empty bottle of wine and only one of two take-out dinners consumed-these bits of evidence set Hannah Swenson, amateur sleuth and owner of the Cookie Jar Bakery in Lake Eden, Minn., on the trail of a murderer in Fluke's fourth fun, frothy cozy (after 2002's Blueberry Muffin Murder). Who could have killed voluptuous Rhonda Scharf, whose half-buried body Hannah's interfering mother discovers in the basement of an old house one of Hannah's swains has just purchased? The investigation proceeds unhurriedly, with plenty of time for cookies, coffee and small-town gossip. Enticing recipes for cookies and other treats, presented with helpful procedural hints, are an extra bonus.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Lemon Meringue Pie Murder
Hannah Swensen, the red-haired, cookie-baking owner of the successful bakery The Cookie Jar in small town Lake Eden, Minnesota, returns once again as the amateur sleuth to solve another vicious murder mystery in the wonderful fourth installment of Joanne Fluke's great cozy culinary murder mystery series.

It the end of June in the quaint little town of Lake Eden, Minnesota, and the Fourth of July nears ever closer at a quick pace, and everyone in the town is fully prepared to paint all of Lake Eden red, white, and blue. Now that the extremely frigid snows and bitingly cold winds have left Lake Eden for the summer, back are the ever-pesky mosquitoes and intensely hot sun beating down. But the Fourth of July means something else---Hannah's youngest sister, Michelle, is returning to Lake Eden from Macalester College for the Fourth of July!

But not all the new surprises are over yet for Hannah. Norman Rhodes, the town dentist and one of Hannah's sometimes-boyfriends, eagerly tells Hannah of his big plan. He and Hannah designed a dream house for a contest, and won, winning money which they split 50/50. But Norman has real plans for a dream house. Norman has made an agreement with Rhonda Scharf, the flirtatious, fifty-year-old clerk lady at the Lake Eden Drugstore. Norman is tearing down Rhonda's grandmother's run-down home to build Hannah's real dream house.

What does Norman building Hannah's dream house mean for her? Hannah wonders. But she puts her thoughts on hold about her boyfriend soon one day when Rhonda allows Norman to search the basement for any antiques he'd like, ones that Rhonda no longer wants. Norman brings Hannah's mother, Delores, along, for he suspects she would love more free antiques for Granny's Attic, the successful antique store she and Norman's mother, Carrie, run, just across the street from The Cookie Jar. Hannah decides to tag along with Norman and Delores on their antique expedition.

At the old house, the threesome discover some gorgeous furniture, antique china dishes, a patchwork quilt, a rocking chair... and in the basement, as Delores goes down to the explore the place, she finds Rhonda Scharf's dead body, stabbed in the heart with a knife. And right on the table in the kitchen of the place are unopened boxes of Chinese take-out, some wine, and one of Hannah's delicious Lemon Meringue Pies from Friday---Pie Day at The Cookie Jar.

At first, Hannah doesn't even need coaxing from her other sometimes-boyfriend, Detective Mike Kingston, not to investigate on her own. Later, Norman rushes over to Hannah, pleading that she investigates Rhonda's murder because he has a vested interest: If the basement of the house stays a crime scene for much longer, Norman will have to postpone the construction until next spring, and he cannot wait that long. So thus, Hannah decides to investigate once again.

The Fourth of July festivities---such as the annual picnics, parade, and fireworks---and the arrival/introduction of the extremely likable new character, Michelle Swensen, Hannah's lovable cat, Moishe, and much, much more make this a wonderful and engaging cozy mystery by the very skilled author, Joanne Fluke.

Highly recommended!

A GOOD READ!
I love this series - while I will admit it is not the most intellectual - it's like chips - you know they aren't great for you but you can't eat just one. The plot could have been developped better and yes sometimes the protagonist can be obnoxious - commenting on people's grammar - but overall a good read!

Started with this one bite and I am hooked
I did not read the first books but jumped in with this title. It was a very fun read. I enjoy all the characters and the way the plot develops I am looking forward to reading the previos ones and all the new ones. Well worth the time.