by Joanne Fluke
Part of Hannah Swensen, book 8
First published 2007
Hannah Swensen watches her quiet Minnesota town transform into a bustling movie set as Hollywood takes over Main Street for a week of filming. Her bakery, The Cookie Jar, becomes the unofficial catering hub for cast and crew, keeping Hannah busy whipping up treats including demanding director Dean Lawrence's beloved cherry cheesecake. The excitement gives everyone something new to focus on, temporarily pushing Hannah's complicated love life into the background after receiving two marriage proposals. Even her cat gets a chance at fame. But the glamorous atmosphere shatters when Dean demonstrates a suicide scene using what should have been a prop gun. The weapon proves fatally real, leaving the director dead and production in chaos. As filming resumes around the tragedy, Hannah begins piecing together evidence and motives. She knows someone among the cast and crew committed murder, and she hopes they made enough mistakes to expose themselves. Hannah prepares to confront the killer, determined to give this deadly drama the kind of unexpected conclusion that only her small town can deliver.
Genres: romance, mystery, contemporary, cozy-mystery
Vibes: cozy, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, small-town
Setting: Minnesota
Period: Contemporary
384 pages · ebook · Kensington