by Joanne Fluke
Part of Hannah Swensen, book 5
First published 2005
Hannah Swensen empties trash behind the high school after her weekly cooking class and discovers Sheriff Grant's body in the dumpster. Fudge frosting from her cupcake still stains his shirt. The sheriff had been fighting a bitter election battle against Hannah's brother-in-law Bill, who now stands as the prime suspect. Hannah refuses to believe Bill committed murder. She knows plenty of people wanted Grant dead, especially the deputies whose cases he stole for political glory during election years. Hannah starts digging into the sheriff's enemies while serving customers at The Cookie Jar, her bakery in Lake Eden, Minnesota. Her sister Andrea, heavily pregnant and awkwardly perched on bakery stools, watches the investigation unfold. Hannah uncovers secrets and betrayals that fuel the local gossip mill. The deeper she probes, the more dangerous her situation becomes. Someone wants to silence her permanently before she exposes the real killer.
Genres: mystery, crime, cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth
Vibes: cozy, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, family-drama
Setting: Lake Eden, Minnesota
Period: Contemporary
313 pages · Paperback · Kensington Pub Corp