Double fudge brownie murder

Set in the idyllic little town of Lake Eden, Minn., this 18th entry in Fluke's popular series begins with its cookie-maven heroine, Hannah Swensen, about to go on trial for her involvement in a fatal auto accident. If that's not disturbing enough (even for the self-possessed Hannah), she discovers the judge murdered in his chambers. But the mystery element quickly gives way to Hannah's more personal adventure-she's falling in love with Ross, a former college classmate who may be moving back to town. Along with a soupçon of suspense and a large helping of amour, Fluke manages to stir in a fair amount of cookie chat with matching recipes. The latter, which has aided the series' popularity, doesn't work so well in audio format. The recipes also interrupt the generally entertaining plot (previous audio versions of this series wisely saved the recitation of recipes for after the story's conclusion), which Toren narrates in splendid fashion. She also does a noteworthy job of giving voice to the novel's charming red-haired Hannah; her engaging, multigenerational family; friends old and new; and assorted unpleasant antagonists. A Kensington hardcover. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

A trip to Las Vegas brings an unexpected twist to Hannah Swensen's love life.Doc Knight has had it with wedding arrangements. So he whisks his fiancee, Delores Swensen, and her adult daughters Michelle, Andrea and Hannah (Blackberry Pie Murder, 2013, etc.) off to Las Vegas for a surprise ceremony in the Little Chapel of the Orchids. The biggest surprise, though, is his choice of best man: filmmaker Ross Barton, an old college crush of Hannah's. This time, Ross more than reciprocates Hannah's interest, and she returns home resolved to dump both of her boyfriends while waiting to see if Ross can land a job at Lake Eden's KCOW Television. But old habits die hard, and pretty soon, she's making Lick Your Chops Pork for dentist Norman Rhodes and detective Mike Kingston while her cat, Moishe, chases Norman's cat, Cuddles, around the dining room table. Even worse, Hannah's attraction for corpses is as strong as ever, and pretty soon, she stumbles across the body of Judge Colfax, who's been stabbed in his chambers while preparing to hear a vehicular homicide case against her. Naturally, Hannah's a suspect, and even more naturally, she's determined to solve the case herself. But the biggest mystery that faces Hannah is what to do about Norman and Mike when Ross gets to town. Hannah's love life has gotten so complicated that the mystery seems a mere afterthought. Twenty-eight recipes provide further competition. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.