Joanne Fluke's books are pure fun. They are clean, interesting, and, of course, delicious! I picked up this one because I happened to be reading a review of one of the later books in the Hannah Swenson series and I noticed that she was MARRIED, but not to Norman or Mike, both of whom have been pursuing her since very early in the series, so I had to find out how this new relationship developed.
As this story begins, Hannah is preparing to travel to Las Vegas to celebrate the surprise elopement of her mother, Delores, and her fiance, Doc Knight. Hannah is also dealing with her imminent trial for vehicular manslaughter and the terror of possibility ending up in prison for what she knows was an accident, pure and simple. On arrival in Las Vegas the Swensons discover that Doc's mysterious best man is Ross Barton, a friend and old flame of Hannah's. When she discovers that Ross is interviewing for a job in their hometown of Lake Eden, MN, Hannah is hopeful that her life might be taking an exciting new turn, aside from possible imprisonment.
When Hannah and her lawyer arrive at court for jury selection they are summoned to see the judge, who, of course, is murdered in his chambers and discovered by Hannah! At least he had arranged to dismiss the charges against her before he was knocked off!
I read some of the reviews of this novel on Amazon and was a bit surprised by some of the critical comments. Of course, 69% of readers gave it 4 or 5 stars, a rating with which I agree, but there were some pretty nasty (but vague) comments on the one-star reviews. Fluke's readers love her characters and their personalities. They also love the fact that her mysteries are cozy and comfortable (plus the recipes are great!). They are not looking for the world's next Agatha Christie or Robert B. Parker. They want home and family and the smell of cookies baking, and that's what Fluke offers, along with intriguing mysteries. I enjoyed this one thoroughly!
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