Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke (ARC)

Apple Turnover Murder (Hannah Swensen Mysteries) by Joanne Fluke

It's early summer in Lake Ede, MN and The Cookie Jar is bustling with orders for wedding showers, graduation parties, and family gatherings. Hannah's just wondering how they can get it all done when Mrs. Bascomb comes in to order twelve-hundred cookies for the opening luncheon at the 3-day charity event she's holding on the campus of Jordan High. The theme of the event is "Turn Over a New Leaf" the mayor's wife explains. She wants people to give twice as much as they did last year. Lisa loves the theme -- why don't they make turnovers to sell at the event? "Turnover" a New Leaf... get it? Mrs. Bascomb thinks that's a marvelous idea. Hannah thinks they're overworked as it is, but she guesses they can manage if Lisa has a good turnover recipe. Lisa doesn't, but her mother-in-law Marge makes the best apple turnovers in the world, and they set up an apple turnover assembly line after work in The Cookie Jar kitchen. Now every hour in Hannah's day is filled. Thank goodness there hasn't been a murder to investigate for a while!

Hannah vows not to take on any extra work, but she simply can't refuse when Herb asks her to be his magician's assistant at the charity event talent show. At least she had the foresight to give that hideous purple dress she wore last time she assisted him to some Jordan High students for a clothing drive. Now she'll never have to wear it again... she thinks.

The Amazing Herb and his red-haired assistant stop the show -- literally. Right after their act Hannah finds the MC of the show, Bradford Ramsey, dead with one of her apple turnovers in his hand.

Everything is happening at once for Hannah. There's Norman, who's not being forthcoming about his 3-day trip to Minneapolis. There's Mike, who's beating himself up over something. There's Delores, who's not a bit lonely now that Carrie and Earl are away on their honeymoon because all the single men in town are squiring her around, There's Andrea, who's afraid that Bill will take a job in Florida and they'll have to move. And there's Moishe who's decided that he wants to learn how to bake.

There's one other concern for Hannah, perhaps the most important one. She must solve thus murder case before the authorities start asking probing questions. No way she wants her former relationship, and her sister Michelle's not-so-former relationship, with the poetry professor to become the newest topic on the Lake Eden Gossip Hotline!


Release date: February 23, 2010

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