A Cozy Cow Dairy truck sits in the alley behind The Cookie Jar. Inside is Ron LaSalle, the town’s beloved delivery man, shot dead, with Hannah’s famous Chocolate Chip Crunchies scattered around him. This is the opening of the first Hannah Swensen mystery, which Kensington published in April 2000. Twenty-five years and 29 novels later, it is still where the series starts.
What Is Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder About?
Hannah runs a popular bakery in Lake Eden, a small town in Minnesota. When Ron is found murdered behind her bakery, her brother-in-law Bill Todd, a county deputy sheriff, gets the case. Hannah decides to help him. She knows everyone, and everyone talks to the woman who brings the cookies.
Soon the owner of the dairy, Max Turner, goes missing, too. The list of people with a motive to kill Ron grows longer than anyone expected, with secrets that run from blackmail to extortion. Meanwhile she has to dodge her mother’s attempts to marry her off, which may be the harder problem.
Hannah, Moishe and the Two Men in Her Life
Hannah is red-haired, independent and quick with a dry remark. At home she has Moishe, a large orange-and-white former stray with one torn ear. At work she has Lisa Herman, her young assistant at the shop.
Her sister Andrea sells real estate and is married to Bill. Their mother, Delores, is a widow with one mission: a husband for Hannah. That mission brings in the local dentist, Norman Rhodes, the son of her friend Carrie. Then a new detective arrives in town, Mike Kingston. Both men ask Hannah out in this book, and the triangle that follows runs through most of the series.
Our Review: Cookies, Gossip and a Gentle Mystery
This is a delicious mystery in the literal sense. The delectable cookie recipes are printed inside the story, not at the back. You read about Hannah baking, and a page later you can bake the same thing. The star is the Chocolate Chip Crunch Cookies recipe, made with crushed corn flakes. Regency Ginger Crisps and Lovely Lemon Bar Cookies are in here too.
The puzzle is fair and has more suspects than you expect. Publishers Weekly called it cleverly plotted and praised both the characters and the recipes. Kirkus liked Hannah but found the easygoing style slowed down by chatter. We agree with both. Some chapters spend a long time on small-town conversation. A few attitudes also feel like the year 2000, and some readers today point that out.
Still, as a first book it does its job. You finish it knowing the town, the family and the two men, and you want to see what happens next.
Themes: Family Pressure, Small-Town Life and Cookies
Under the jokes, the book is about an independent woman who has built her own business and does not want her life planned for her. Family is the second theme: a sister who helps and a mother who pushes. The third is the small town itself, where gossip solves crimes as often as it causes trouble. Fluke has said she writes about a kinder, gentler world, where everything turns out all right in the end.
Hannah Swensen Books in Order
Can you read them out of order? Yes, each murder is solved inside its own book. But the family story and the romance move on from book to book, so publication order is best. We have also reviewed Strawberry Shortcake Murder (book 2), Blueberry Muffin Murder (book 3) and Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (book 4).
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (2000)
- Strawberry Shortcake Murder (2001)
- Blueberry Muffin Murder (2002)
- Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (2003)
- Fudge Cupcake Murder (2004)
- Sugar Cookie Murder (2004)
- Peach Cobbler Murder (2005)
- Cherry Cheesecake Murder (2006)
- Key Lime Pie Murder (2007)
- Carrot Cake Murder (2008)
- Cream Puff Murder (2009)
- Plum Pudding Murder (2009)
- Apple Turnover Murder (2010)
- Devil’s Food Cake Murder (2011)
- Cinnamon Roll Murder (2012)
- Red Velvet Cupcake Murder (2013)
- Blackberry Pie Murder (2014)
- Double Fudge Brownie Murder (2015)
- Wedding Cake Murder (2016)
- Christmas Caramel Murder (2016)
- Banana Cream Pie Murder (2017)
- Raspberry Danish Murder (2018)
- Christmas Cake Murder (2018)
- Chocolate Cream Pie Murder (2019)
- Coconut Layer Cake Murder (2020)
- Christmas Cupcake Murder (2020)
- Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder (2021)
- Caramel Pecan Roll Murder (2022)
- Pink Lemonade Cake Murder (2023)
There are also holiday novellas, such as Candy Cane Murder (2007) and Gingerbread Cookie Murder (2010). In 2025 Kensington brought out a Deluxe Collector’s Edition of the very first book, with a bonus short story and extra recipes.
Will There Be a New Hannah Swensen Mystery in 2026?
Not as a book, as far as anyone knows. Book 30, Pumpkin Chiffon Pie Murder, was announced for 2025 and then pulled from the schedule. As of September 2026 it has no release date, and no other new novel is announced. The newest book is still Pink Lemonade Cake Murder (July 2023).
On television the story goes on. Hallmark has made 14 films so far. The first was Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery (2015), with Alison Sweeney as Hannah. Two new ones came out in 2026: Sugar & Vice in March and Best Served Cold in May.
What Happened to Hannah Swensen’s Husband Ross? (Spoilers)
Skip this section if you have not reached book 19. Ross Barton, an old college friend, first appears in Cherry Cheesecake Murder (book 8). Hannah marries him in Wedding Cake Murder (book 19). A few weeks later he vanishes, and in Raspberry Danish Murder (book 22) she learns that he was already married. The marriage was never legal. Ross returns in Chocolate Cream Pie Murder (book 24), and he does not survive that book.
Who Is Joanne Fluke?
Fluke grew up in Swanville, a small town in rural Minnesota. Her writing career began long before Hannah. From 1980 she wrote thrillers under her own name, and teen horror and romance under pen names. She lives in Southern California.
The series began with her editor at Kensington, John Scognamiglio, who asked her for a cozy mystery series. She had been trying to sell a cookbook of cookie bar recipes. So she asked for a baker heroine and put her own recipes in the books.
Mysteries Like Hannah Swensen
If you want more cozies with a cook at the center, start with these:
- Diane Mott Davidson’s Goldy Schulz series, which begins with Catering to Nobody.
- Jenn McKinlay’s Cupcake Bakery Mysteries, with cupcakes and a group of friends.
- M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin series, from The Quiche of Death.
- Vivien Chien’s Noodle Shop Mysteries, from Death by Dumpling.
Our culinary cozy mysteries page has more food mysteries.
Quick Facts
| Author | Joanne Fluke |
|---|---|
| Series | Hannah Swensen Mysteries, book 1 of 29 |
| First published | April 2000, Kensington |
| Setting | Lake Eden, Minnesota |
| Sleuth | Hannah, owner of The Cookie Jar |
| Animals | Moishe, Hannah’s cat |
| Recipes | Yes, inside the story |
| Film | Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery (2015) |
| Next book | Strawberry Shortcake Murder |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the first book in the series?
Yes. It introduces Hannah, her family, Mike and Norman, and the town.
How many books are in the series?
Twenty-nine novels, plus holiday novellas. Book 30 was announced and then postponed.
Is the book different from the TV movie?
In details, yes. Alison Sweeney is not a redhead, for one. Fluke has said readers worried at first, then liked the film.