Cream Puff Murder (Hannah Swensen Series #11) by Joanne Fluke

From the Publisher

Winter in Lake Eden, Minnesota, is the perfect time to curl up by a cozy fire with something—and someone—sweet. But while bakery owner Hannah Swensen can provide herself with the confections, cuddling will have to take a back seat to sleuthing when her sometime-squeeze becomes a murder suspect. . .

With the launch party of her mother's novel around the corner, Hannah has a dress to fit into and a date with her sister, Andrea, at Lake Eden's new health club, Heavenly Bodies. Dragging herself out of bed on a frigid Minnesota morning for exercise, of all things, is bad enough. Discovering a dead body floating in the gym's jacuzzi? Okay, that's worse. Nor does it help that there's a plate of The Cookie Jar's very own cream puffs garnishing the murder scene. The fact that they were purchased by none other than Hannah's part-time flame, Detective Mike Kingston, is simply the icing on what's shaping up to be one very messy cake. . .

Mike may be the prime suspect in the murder of man-eating bombshell Ronni Ward, but he's by no means the only one. Ronni, a fitness instructor at both the Sheriff's department and Heavenly Bodies, made a nasty habit of throwing her own heavenly body at every man, eligible or not, who crossed her path. Plenty of Lake Eden's ladies won't miss Ronni, including her ex-fiance's former girlfriend, the angry mother of one of her would-be conquests, and even the mayor's wife. Could any of them have wanted her gone badly enough to make it happen? Mike's recruited Hannah to find out, and, as any suspended, suspected detective would, he's micromanaging her every step of the way. . .

Between trying to narrow the list of Ronni's enemies down to fewer thanhalf the town's female population and resisting the urge to remove Mike from the running by throttling him herself, Hannah has her plate full. Trouble is, when it comes to cookies—and to murder—there's always room for one more. . .

Publishers Weekly

Foodie fans will eat up bestseller Fluke's 11th cozy to feature Hannah Swenson (after 2008's Carrot Cake Murder). While exercising as part of a dieting program at Heavenly Bodies, Swenson, the owner of the Cookie Jar bakery and coffee shop in Lake Eden, Minn., meets Ronni Ward, a bitchy fitness instructor. Ronni has made many enemies, especially among Lake Eden's jealous wives and girlfriends of men way too attracted to the tart. When Hannah finds Ronni lifeless in the spa's Jacuzzi, Hannah's "slay-dar"-her radar for finding murder victims-proves once again on target; Ronni has received a fatal blow to the head. Hannah's heart gets a workout after her sometime boyfriend, Det. Mike Kingston, becomes a suspect. Dieting and digging for clues test Hannah's willpower in Fluke's fluffy mix of sweets and suspense. Recipes range from Mini Cheeseburger Cookies to Minty Melts. (Mar.)

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Kirkus Reviews

A new fitness regimen allows Hannah Swensen (Carrot Cake Murder, 2008, etc.) to exercise her ingenuity along with her abs when she finds a dead body in the local health club's Jacuzzi. Hannah isn't used to having her suitor, Detective Mike Kingston, give her amateur investigations his blessings. But then, she's not used to having to eat skinless chicken breasts night after night instead of feasting on the treats she and Lisa Beeseman serve up daily at The Cookie Jar. So even though her diet and exercise plan-undertaken in a last-ditch attempt to fit into the Regency dress she ordered for her mother's book launch-is a drag, her newfound freedom to probe the death of fitness instructor Ronni Ward is a treat, not in the least because Ronni's demise puts paid to her shameless flirting with every man in sight. Not only Mike, but Hannah's sister Andrea's county-cop husband Bill and Lisa's local-cop husband Herb are barred from the official investigation because they were just too close to the victim. In fact, Norman Rhodes, Hannah's second-string beau, may be the only man in Lake Eden Ronni hadn't tried to bed. His immunity to Ronni's charms, along with his own charming modesty, raises his stock in Hannah's eyes, and before long the two of them are whipping up Bonnie Brownie Cookie Bars in his custom-designed kitchen while watching security tapes to see who might have taken Ronni for her final swim. Despite its caloric restrictions, Fluke's 11th cozy is a tasty treat.

• Interviews & Essays

Interviews & Essays

A Message from the Author

I can't believe it! Can you picture Hannah Swensen sticking to a low-cal diet? Jogging in place to the driving beat of exercise music? Swimming thirty laps in an Olympic-sized pool, and then pedaling furiously on a stationary bike? No way, no how! The slightly-more-than-a-little overweight owner of The Cookie Jar has always insisted that the phrase "exercise routine" is not in her vocabulary. But that's exactly what happens in Cream Puff Murder. The gal who believes that butter is better is enrolled in three exercise classes at Heavenly Bodies, Lake Eden's newest fitness club and spa.

What has happened to change Hannah's outlook so drastically? It could be the dresses Delores ordered for her three daughters. Andrea's and Michelle's fit perfectly, but Hannah's dress is much too tight. Hannah has promised she'll wear the dress to serve refreshments at her mother's book launch party, and there's not enough time to order a larger size. Diet and exercise are Hannah's only options and she joins Andrea at the spa to sweat away those unwanted inches.

Heavenly Bodies lives up to its name when Hannah finds the body of one of the female instructors floating face down in the Jacuzzi. And this time Mike Kingston, head of the Winnetka County Sheriff's detective squad and one of Hannah's boyfriends, doesn't tell Hannah to leave the investigating to him. Mike's a suspect and so are several other members of his squad including Michelle's boyfriend, Lonnie. The lengthy suspect list even includes Andrea's husband, Sheriff Bill Todd!

Solving a murder by committee is impossible, but every one of the suspected, suspended detectives wants to micromanage Hannah's investigation. She's running herself ragged trying to please them all when her other love interest, Norman Rhodes, convinces Hannah to ignore all the well-meaning advice and go with her own instincts.

Despite a heavy influx of orders for special holiday cookies at The Cookie Jar, Hannah's cat, Moishe, who's emptying his new self-feeder at an alarming rate and appears to be eating enough for a dozen felines, and the sudden interest that "the mothers" (Hannah's and Norman's) have taken in a local Karaoke contest, Hannah manages to keep a cool head… until she has a run-in with the killer. Will Hannah manage to escape in time? Or will she become the killer's second victim and the next "Heavenly Body" to be found at the spa?

Of course there are recipes -- over twenty for you to try. They were all taste-tested by my family, friends, and neighbors. The consensus is that Hannah's Very Best Cream Puffs are incredibly yummy, the Brownies Plus are to die for, and you can't have just one Triplet Chiplet Cookie.

I hope you enjoy reading Cream Puff Murder as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm including the recipe for Triplet Chiplet Cookies so you'll have something to munch while you read it. And while you do that, I'll be busy writing Hannah's next adventure, Plum Pudding Murder. Released in October of 2009, it will include recipes for the Swensen family's entire Christmas dinner, one dead elf, and the only Christmas guest who could possibly leave Hannah speechless.

Thanks so much for your wonderful e-mails and snail mails. And always remember to "Eat Dessert First!"

--Jo Fluke

TRIPLET CHIPLET COOKIES
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

2 cups melted butter (4 sticks, one pound)
3 cups white (granulated) sugar
1˝ cups brown sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons baking soda
˝ teaspoon salt
4 beaten eggs (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)
5 cups flour (not sifted -- pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
1 cup white chocolate chips (6-ounce package)
1 cup milk chocolate chips (6-ounce package)
1 cup semi-sweet (the regular kind) chocolate chips (6-ounce package)
2 cups chopped salted cashews

Hannah's 1st Note: If you can't find white chocolate chips, you can substitute butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, or any other chips you like.

Melt the butter by heating it in a microwave-safe bowl on HIGH for 3 minutes, or in a pan on the stove.

Hannah's 2nd Note: This dough gets really stiff -- you might be better off using an electric mixer if you have one.

Mix the white sugar and the brown sugar with the butter. Add the vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.

Feel the bowl. If it's not so hot it'll cook the eggs, add them now and mix well.

Add 2 cups of the flour and stir well. Then add the chips, and the chopped nuts. Mix it thoroughly.

Add the 3 remaining cups of flour and stir them in well.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto greased (or sprayed with Pam or other nonstick cooking spray) cookie sheets, 12 cookies to a standard sized sheet. If the dough is too sticky to handle, chill it for an hour and try again.

Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until nicely browned. (Mine took 11 minutes.)

Let the cookies cool for two minutes and then remove them from the baking sheets. Transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Yield: Approximately 10 to 12 dozen crunchy, nutty, chocolaty cookies that everyone will love.

This recipe can be cut in half, if you wish.