Red Velvet Cupcake Murder

“If your reading habits alternate between curling up with a good mystery or with a good cookbook, you ought to know about Joanne Fluke.”—Charlotte Observer This summer has been warmer than usual in Lake Eden, Minnesota, and Hannah Swensen is trying to beat the heat both in and out of her bakery kitchen. But she’s about to find out the hard way that nothing cools off a hot day like a cold-blooded murder. At the grand opening of a local hotel, a police department employee nearly dies falling from a penthouse—and then another woman, with whom Hannah has a less-than-friendly relationship, winds up dead. Hannah is the prime suspect—and to clear her own name, she’s got to find out who iced the victim… Features cookie and dessert recipes from The Cookie Jar, including Red Velvet Surprise Cupcakes and Chocolate Covered Peanut Cookies! “Culinary cozies don't get any tastier than this winning series.”—Library Journal “Loaded with mouthwatering recipes and clever plotting, the latest Hannah Swensen mystery delights.”—RT Book Reviews

From the New York Times bestselling author... It may be summertime, but sales at Fairy Tale Cupcakes are below zero--and owners Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura are willing to try anything to heat things up. So when local legend Slim Hazard offers them the chance to sell cupcakes at the annual Juniper Pass rodeo, they're determined to rope in a pretty payday! But not everyone at the Juniper Pass is as sweet for Fairy Tale Cupcakes as Slim--including star bull-rider Ty Stokes. Mel and Angie try to steer clear of the cowboy's short fuse, but when his dead body is found face down in the hay, it's a whole different rodeo. With a vengeful murderer on the loose, the ladies are quickly realizing that while they came to save their business, they may have to save themselves--and that's no bull. INCLUDES SCRUMPTIOUS RECIPES

Summertime has finally arrived in Lake Eden, Minnesota, and Hannah Swensen, owner of The Cookie Jar bakery, is looking forward to warm, lazy days, eating ice cream, and sharing picnics with friends. But when a family reunion takes a deadly turn, it’s up to Hannah to find a killer . . . Hannah Swensen has a lot on her plate, baking up a storm for The Cookie Jar. But she’ll always make time for her business partner, Lisa, who’s preparing for a big family reunion. Everyone is delighted when Lisa’s long-lost uncle makes a surprise appearance. No one has heard from Gus in twenty-five years. Uncle Gus is immediately the hit of the reunion. He’s almost as popular as Hannah’s scrumptious carrot cake. But the next morning, as the whole family gathers for the group photo, one person is missing. Hannah offers to track down Uncle Gus, but her search leads to a shocking find. Over by the bar at the pavilion, she spots two slices of her infamous carrot cake, frosting-side down on the floor—and Gus’s corpse with an ice pick jutting out of his chest! A little snooping reveals that not everyone was celebrating Gus’s return. And when Hannah unearths secrets from Gus’s past, she discovers many more people with an axe to grind. Now Hannah’s got to sift through a long list of suspects to find a killer—even if it could mean a recipe for her own demise . . . Features Over a Dozen Cookie and Dessert Recipes from The Cookie Jar!

It's been a sleepy summer for the folks of Lake Eden, Minnesota. In fact, it's been a whole four months since anyone in the Swensen family has come across a dead body—a detail that just made the front page of the local paper. And that means Hannah Swensen can finally focus on her bakery. . .or can she? Life is never really quiet for Hannah. After all, her mother's wedding is a little over a month away and guess who Delores put in charge of the planning? Yet just when Hannah believes her biggest challenge will be whether to use buttercream or fondant for the wedding cake, she accidentally hits a stranger with her cookie truck while driving down a winding country road in a raging thunderstorm. Hannah is wracked with guilt, and things get even worse when she's arrested. . .for murder! But an autopsy soon reveals the mystery man, his shirt covered in stains from blackberry pie, would have died even if Hannah hadn't hit him. Now, to clear her name, Hannah will have to follow a trail of pie crumbs to track down the identity of the deceased, find a baker who knows more about murder than how to roll out a perfect pie crust—and get herself to the church on time. . . Indulge In Joanne Fluke's Criminally Delicious Hannah Swensen Mysteries! Red Velvet Cupcake Murder "Culinary Cozies Don't Get Any Tastier Than This Winning series." —Library Journal "Loaded with mouthwatering recipes and clever plotting, the latest Hannah Swensen mystery delights." —RT Book Reviews "If your reading habits alternate between curling up with a good mystery or with a good cookbook, you ought to know about Joanne Fluke." —The Charlotte Observer Cinnamon Roll Murder "Fans of this wildly popular series will not be disappointed. Fluke has kept this series strong for a long time, and there is still plenty to enjoy for foodie crime fans." —Booklist Devil's Food Cake Murder "Fabulous." —Publishers Weekly Apple Turnover Murder "The ever popular Fluke writes engaging cozies with one part great characters, one part gentle story, and three parts the best recipes in the genre." —Library Journal Cream Puff Murder "Entertaining and sprinkled with tempting recipes. It's a sweet treat of a novel." —The Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)

When one of her famous Red Velvet cupcakes is thought to have caused the death of her rival--a scandalous Lake Eden legend who was trying to steal her boyfriend--Hannah Swensen becomes the unlikely suspect in a murder investigation and must whip up the real killer before someone else gets iced.

New York Times Bestseller: A baker in small-town Minnesota finds the heat is on after a musician is murdered… When bakery owner Hannah Swensen hears that the Cinnamon Roll Six jazz band will be playing at Lake Eden, Minnesota’s Weekend Jazz Festival, she's more than happy to bake up a generous supply of their namesake confections to welcome them to town. Before the festival even begins, tragedy strikes when the tour bus overturns. Among those injured is Buddy Neiman, the band’s beloved keyboard player. His injuries appear minor, until his condition suddenly takes a turn for the worse—as in dead. Hannah’s no doctor, but she suspects that the surgical scissors someone plunged into Buddy’s chest may have something to do with it. Fortunately, she’s on the case, because she knows from experience that nothing’s sweeter than bringing a killer to justice… Features cookie and dessert recipes from The Cookie Jar, including Peaches and Cream Cookies and Chocolate Caramel Bars! “Joanne Fluke is the doyenne of deadly desserts with her deliciously popular Hannah Swensen series.”—Publishers Weekly “Fans of this wildly popular series will not be disappointed. Fluke has kept this series strong for a long time, and there is still plenty to enjoy for foodie crime fans.”—Booklist

Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura are finally living out their dream as the proud owners of the Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery. But their first big client is a nightmare. She's a bridezilla who wants 500 custom cupcakes for her wedding. When Mel stumbles upon the bride-to-be dead-by-cupcake, she becomes the prime suspect. To save themselves and their business, the ladies need to find the real murderer, before the cupcake killer ices someone else.

A collection of recipes and reminiscences from the New York Times-bestselling mystery series: “Simply superb.”—Publishers Weekly Includes all-new recipes! It’s a picture postcard December in Minnesota, and Main Street is brimming with festive holiday decorations. Best of all, it's time for the annual Holiday Cookie Exchange at the Community Center—catered by none other than Hannah Swensen’s bakery-café, The Cookie Jar! Gathered together for the delicious event, the Swensen clan and their friends share their favorite juicy tales of Lake Eden—and their favorite scrumptious cookie and luncheon recipes, including: Candy Cane Cookies Heavenly Eggnog Cookies Little Snowballs Merry Berry Cookies Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies Regency Ginger Snaps Norwegian Pizza Razzle Dazzle Champagne Cocktails …plus all the recipes from Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder to Carrot Cake Murder. Now you can bring the irresistible flavors of The Cookie Jar into your very own kitchen! “Newcomers and longtime fans of Fluke will find plenty to enjoy in this latest dispatch from Lake Eden. The characters are incredibly lovable and the community quickly welcomes readers into a world of friends, fun, and—of course—food.”—Publishers Weekly