REVIEW: Raspberry Danish Murder

Raspberry Danish Murder
Author: Joanne Fluke

Hannah Swensen is still reeling from the disappearance of her new husband, Ross Barton. He disappeared without a trace, leaving no explanation. When Ross' former assistant at KCOW-TV, P.K. Alesworth, is killed after eating poisoned candy that was left on Ross' desk, Lake Eden police start to investigate to find out if Ross might have been the intended victim, Hannah and her crew, of course, decide to also investigate. Turns out, there are a lot of discrepancies in the things Ross told Hannah about his past and his family. She is unsure if Ross is in danger and fled to avoid others getting hurt, or if he's just an outright cad. Was Ross involved in something dangerous? Or did the murderer intend to kill P.K.?

Well, first off, I am going to say that I enjoyed this book. Raspberry Danish Murder is the 22nd book in the Hannah Swensen series. I've read them all. And I love the characters! I've even baked many of the recipes from the books. :) When I got my review copy, I started reading immediately....and didn't stop until I finished the book.  I waited an entire year to find out what the heck happened to Ross so I devoured this book in one sitting. But, I do have to be honest and say that the feel is still a bit off. The last three books in this series seem to be different. The personality and behavior of some main characters are changed.  The writing style and dialogue seem to be amateurish at times. The writing is just not up to Joanne Fluke quality.  The books just seem.....different. That's the best word I can come up with. Not bad.....different. My best guess is that the new books might be written by a ghost writer. I can't be sure.....but it's just the feeling that I get. This newest book was tweaking my inner editor. There is some poorly written dialogue, overuse of characters' names and cookie names, too much repetition and over-explanation.  For example, several times characters discovered new evidence in the case and went to share that evidence with other characters, repeating the entire story about finding said evidence all over again. Or repeating character names within dialogue when it's obvious which character they are addressing. It doesn't seem like natural conversation. Nobody repeats a friend's name over and over again during a casual discussion. That's just poorly written dialogue. Now....did that damage my enjoyment of the story? No, not really. I feel the book could use another edit and some tweaking before publication....but.....it's Lake Eden, Hannah, and all the characters I love from this series I've been enjoying since the first book came out in 2001......I can overlook some issues.

The mystery mixes the search for information about Ross and the investigation into the murder of P.K. so there is always something going on. There is also a lot of baking and cookie munching, as usual. The crime wrap-up and the ending are a bit abrupt, but the ending does answer a lot of questions. Not all of them, but several important ones. I will be eagerly awaiting the next book!

Is this book the best in the Hannah Swensen series? No. Is it still an enjoyable read? Definitely!  I love this series. I read every book, and I watch the Hallmark movies, despite the fact they don't follow the books. And, I will continue to read this series until it reaches the final book.

There are lots of yummy recipes included between chapters in this book, as usual. I definitely feel a danish baking session coming on soon! :) Mmmmm....raspberry danish!! But not all of the recipes are for desserts. There is also pizza dip, asparagus rolls and other non-sweets. :) nom nom!

At the very end of the book, there is an exceprt from Winter Chill, a thriller also written by Joanne Fluke. She has written several suspense/thriller novels. Maybe I can read those novels to tide me over until the next Hannah book comes out!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**