I was disappointed that the murder did not occur until page 100. The first 100 pages were about Hannah and her sister Andrea making and decorating cakes and cookies. It was mouthwatering to read about baking with pink lemonade, especially since there were recipes at the end of each chapter. Because I concentrated on studying thise recipes, the flow of the mystery was slow. I was also disappointed that each of the recipes used cake mixes. In all of the other books of the series the author had recipes made from scratch. However, I am aware that there are other bakers who prefer to use cake mixes.

Regarding the resolution of the mystery, there wasn't much plot action. Hannah’s aha moments in solving the crime always happened while she was drinking coffee. The reveal of the whodunnit was a surprise but the whydunnit was odd, i.e., girls riding on top of a car. In fact, I wasn't sure if this was really the reason for the murder and had to go back to the beginning and reread a few chapters. ( )

recipes in the book are fun and easy.
I just thought it need more action.
It was also redundant At times. ( )

The Summer Solstice Celebration has come to Lake Eden and surprise, surprise, so has another murder. But this time Hannah's mother, Delores, is a prime suspect.

As usual the goodies described took center stage being that the mystery was very light. ( )

This was a super quick listen!! I thought this book was fun and i will still read this series but i think some of the way this story was told is just weaker, i liked all the side characters and plots but this series is fine but the ending was a suprise!! ( )

This was a super quick listen!! I thought this book was fun and i will still read this series but i think some of the way this story was told is just weaker, i liked all the side characters and plots but this series is fine but the ending was a suprise!! ( )

"The Tri-County Summer Solstice Celebration has come to town, and even among local artisans, athletes, and marching bands, Hannah attracts fans of her own while serving lip-smacking pink lemonade desserts. But the mood sours when a body turns up, leading revelers to wonder if the festivities mark both the longest day of the year and the deadliest. A retired professional MLB player has met a terrifying end and, considering the rumors swirling about his past, the list of suspects could fill a small stadium. Among them could soon be Delores, Hannah s mother, who publicly held a grunge against the victim after he infamously dunked her in the tank at a previous county fair. Now, with her mother's innocence on the line, a life-changing announcement at The Cookie Jar, and a plethora of desserts to bake, Hannah can't afford to strike out as she begins a dangerous investigation into the ruthless killer who's truly in a league of their own"-- ( )

Pink Lemonade Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke takes us bake to Lake Eden, Minnesota. I have read this series from the beginning which is why I read each new installment (I keep hoping the books will return to how they were in the beginning). The series has changed since Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder. The last several books do not feel like they are being written by the same person who authored the earlier books in the series. I found the story to be easy to read. I like the characters (Hannah, Norman, Mike, Lisa, Doc, Delores, Andrea, etc.) and the setting. However, there is too much repetition. The ingredients for a stew Hannah was making must have been repeated a minimum of four times. I can tell the author researched several types of sausages from her descriptions. The names of the characters along with recipe names are repeated often. It feels like the writer is padding the story to make it longer. Some of the dialogue is clunky. More time is devoted to baking and eating than to the mystery. Every person who comes to the back door of The Cookie Jar gets to come inside and sample Hannah’s latest creation (which we get told about each time a new person enters the kitchen). I know it is a culinary mystery, but the culinary part does not need to supersede the mystery portion. Mike is away on a forced vacation (some tough love) since he is feeling burnout (is anyone buying this). The mystery was simple. Hannah does some investigating (she asks questions). Hannah’s mother is a prime suspect but not really. Of course, Delores wants to be the prime suspect and begs the police to put her in this position (I think the author has decided to try her hand at fantasy fiction). It was odd that Bill would take direction from Hannah. Her insights are welcomed (did Hannah put some magic mushrooms in her cookies). There is the expected reveal. I am curious as to why Hannah is still living with Norman. I understand why she does not want to return to her condo (who could blame her or Moishe). I do not understand why Hannah does not sell her condo. I could see Hannah living in a cute house (with a picked fence) or in an apartment over The Cookie Shop (short commute). Character development is not happening. The book had an odd ending. Several issues were left up in the air. Pink Lemonade Cake Murder is the twenty-ninth A Hannah Swensen Mystery. I do not suggest that new readers start with this book. This is a book for those who have been reading the series since the beginning (those die-hard fans). It is a shame that the writing has gone downhill. It is time for Hannah to decide between Mike and Norman (and we all know that Norman is not the right choice—he is nice, but boring). Pink Lemonade Cake Murder is a cookie centric cozy with a battered baseball player, feline ladybug stalkers, scrumptious cake, a curious cat carrier, a town intervention, and a disconcerting call. ( )

insipid and idiotic dialog, Lame plot ( )

I gave this book three stars, more for the series as a whole than for this particular book. The last couple of books haven’t been as good as previous ones. With this one, I wasn’t sure if I was reading a mystery that had recipes, or a recipes book that included a snippet of a mystery! I fear it was the latter. Either a ghost writer is penning theses last stories, or Joanne Fluke is just dashing off anything that has a bit of a plot and a lot of long recipes. Anyway, our favorite characters still make an appearance in this one. Delores, Hannah’s mother, is a person of interest in a murder. The deceased did have other enemies, but, unfortunately, Delores made a public announcement that she is going to get even for what he did to her. Of course, she is innocent, and eventually, Hannah will figure out what happened. Honestly, after wading through all the recipes for beverages, alcoholic and non-alcohol, and other recipes, I was hard pressed to keep track of the details of the mystery plot! I can only hope that the next book, which should explain the cliff-hanger that this installment closed on, will be back to Fluke’s normal standard of writing. ( )

Pink Lemonade Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Have been waiting a long time to read this one.
Mike is getting ready to retire and others in town fear he will leave the area so Hannah and her friends along with Stella throw a party for him and then Stella takes him for a vacation to the lake, first time he's ever had one. Hannah and Norman bring them pots of food.
The gang keep Mike out of the murder that occurs telling him they got it handled.
Love how the whole crew is in on his vacation, keeping him in town and we find out other secrets along the way.
Hannah and Norman are helping with the investigation by questioning others and what they might've overheard or seen.
Could be any number of people... love how they determine who's the killer. Hannah drops clues as she talks to Stella and that's a good thing.
Love haring of the summer solstice sale that every shop in town is having, the baseball facts and rules and snack bar at the games.
Catching up with all the residents and their specialists is so fun, nobody is left out, cats and ladybugs, so cool!
Can't wait for more. Will be trying a few new recipes to me...
I received this review book from The Kensington via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
#PinkLemonadeCakeMurder #NetGalley ( )

This newest book in Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swensen series kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next! It is also full of mouth-watering recipes for those who love sweets.

There is a long list of suspects when a former baseball player is found dead at the Tri-County Summer Solstice Celebration. One of them is none other than Hannah’s mother, Delores, who has publicly declared her distaste for the victim. Hannah must jump into the investigation to help clear her mother’s name! With the help of friends and Lake Eden’s police, names are slowly cleared from the list of possible killers. Long time readers of this series will already know the primary characters who appear in her other books. However, new readers should not have any difficulty in learning who they are and how they relate to each other. Of
course, there are also new people we meet along the way and the author easily helps us get to know them.

As a reader who loves cats, I always smile whenever Hannah’s and Norman’s cats are part of the story. What fun it was to imagine them chasing ladybugs in her mom’s garden.

Picking up this book was like returning home….I love seeing this small town pull together to solve the latest mystery.

I received an advance copy of Pink Lemonade Cake Murder from Kensington Publishing Corp. as a prize in a book giveaway. No promise was requested or made to review and I am voluntarily providing my opinion. ( )