Caramel Pecan Roll Murder (Hannah Swensen, #29), by Joanne Fluke

Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series was one of those that helped me fall in love with the cozy mystery genre. It was like old home week as I dived into this one, which, oddly enough, was both good and bad. I have little tolerance for extended love triangles and this one with Hannah, Norman, and Mike had long since run through my patience. Even now, with Mike perhaps coming across to any new readers as simply a good friend rather than a former love interest, the relationship still continues on an uneasy ground. Hannah seems to be staying with Norman, who deserves an award for devotion in the face of indecision and continued disappointment. He has moved out of his master suite into a guest room to give Hannah space after the violent death of her husband at their condo. Hannah seems unable to move on and it has left them all in a bit of a limbo. That was the downside of the book for me. Everyone was comfortable and familiar with each others likes and foibles, however, which made it like slipping back into comfy slippers and a robe.

On the plus side, too, and why this book got a four rating from me, is not just the eventual mystery solving but the family interrelationships. It's fun to see how wonderfully well the sisters have each other's backs and work together. Norman and the other slot of friends fit comfortably into this niche, too, and it's obvious that people both like and to an extent depend on Hannah. Having missed several of the latest in the series, it was neat to see how well the sisters just naturally eased into helping with the investigation, too, not to mention the baking. If you enjoy recipes with your mysteries, you'll love this book as there are many, all sounding particularly yummy.

The mystery itself seems to be the typical Hanna Swensen mystery, albeit in a new location. If I knew Hannah knew how to drive a boat, for instance, I'd forgotten, so that activity and its role in the mystery was fun to see. I have to admit, I had no clue who the guilty party was until they revealed themself and I'm not so sure Hannah hadn't been on the wrong track, too. As is typical of cozy mystery heroines, they do seem to stumble into danger alone frequently but, hey, never fear, her sisters and detective Mike, who may or may not be still of romantic interest to Hannah, had her back. Mike also had some unexpected news as the book drew to a close. What was it? Not telling. Heck, I'm not sure what it means. Like me, you'll have to read the next in the series to find out.  

Thank you #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks for allowing me to revisit Hannah's world and catch up with her friends and family.