Joanne Fluke: Hannah Swensen Mysteries in Order, Books and Biography

Since her first cookie mystery came out in 2000, Joanne Fluke says she has baked more than 500,000 chocolate chip cookies for her fans. Hannah Swensen would approve. She runs The Cookie Jar, a bakery and coffee shop in the small town of Lake Eden, Minnesota, and her cases come with recipes. Below are all 29 novels in order, the story of book 30, the author’s life before Hannah, and our reviews.

Who Is Joanne Fluke? The Author Behind the Hannah Swensen Mystery Series

She was born Joanne Gibson around 1943, the daughter of Cliff and Esther Gibson. Like Hannah, she grew up in a small town in rural Minnesota: Swanville, in Morrison County. She finished Swanville High School in 1960 and studied at St. Cloud State. In 1973 she took a degree in psychology at California State University, San Bernardino.

She taught grade school in Minnesota and Michigan. Her own list of jobs is long. It includes psychologist, musician, private detective’s assistant, short-order cook, caterer and party planner, and production assistant on a TV quiz show. She married the television writer Ruel E. Fischmann, and the two worked as a screenwriting team. Today she lives in Southern California with her husband, their children, dogs and a tabby cat.

Baking runs in the family. Her grandmother, a German immigrant, learned from a pastry chef in Duluth, and her mother baked every day. Some of Hannah’s recipes are family favourites. The series itself began with a request from her Kensington editor, John Scognamiglio, who wanted a cozy series. She had been trying to sell a cookbook, so she asked to make her heroine a baker and add the recipes.

The idea worked. Cherry Cheesecake Murder became her first New York Times bestseller in 2006, and the series had sold more than four million copies by 2016. Her publisher calls her the “Queen of the Culinary Mystery“. She is also part of our Cozy Mystery Census.

Hannah Swensen Mysteries in Order: All 29 Cozy Mysteries

Read the books in order if you can. The love triangle between Hannah, the detective Mike Kingston and the dentist Norman Rhodes starts in the first book and moves on from there. Kensington publishes the series, first in hardcover.

Books 1–10

1. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (2000)
2. Strawberry Shortcake Murder (2001)
3. Blueberry Muffin Murder (2002)
4. Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (2003)
5. Fudge Cupcake Murder (2004)
6. Sugar Cookie Murder (2004)
7. Peach Cobbler Murder (2005)
8. Cherry Cheesecake Murder (2006)
9. Key Lime Pie Murder (2007)
10. Carrot Cake Murder (2008)

Books 11–20

11. Cream Puff Murder (2009)
12. Plum Pudding Murder (2009)
13. Apple Turnover Murder (2010)
14. Devil’s Food Cake Murder (2011)
15. Cinnamon Roll Murder (2012)
16. Red Velvet Cupcake Murder (2013)
17. Blackberry Pie Murder (2014)
18. Double Fudge Brownie Murder (2015)
19. Wedding Cake Murder (2016)
20. Christmas Caramel Murder (2016)

Books 21–29

21. Banana Cream Pie Murder (2017)
22. Raspberry Danish Murder (2018)
23. Christmas Cake Murder (2018)
24. Chocolate Cream Pie Murder (2019)
25. Coconut Layer Cake Murder (2020)
26. Christmas Cupcake Murder (2020)
27. Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder (2021)
28. Caramel Pecan Roll Murder (2022)
29. Pink Lemonade Cake Murder (2023)

For the characters, the town and a fuller reading guide, see our series page.

Novellas and Christmas Books: Christmas Cake Murder, Christmas Cupcake Murder and Gingerbread Cookie Murder

Two novellas sit outside the numbering. Candy Cane Murder came out in October 2007, between books 9 and 10. Gingerbread Cookie Murder followed in October 2010, between books 13 and 14.

Three numbered novels are full-length Christmas mysteries: books 20, 23 and 26. Christmas Dessert Murder (2021) puts the first two in one volume. Her Lake Eden Cookbook (2013) adds a short story to the recipes.

What Is the First Hannah Swensen Mystery? Start With Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

The first book is Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, published by Kensington in hardcover in April 2000. It sets up the bakery, the town and both Mike and Norman, so it is the natural place to start. A 25th anniversary edition with a bonus short story and extra recipes appeared in 2025. Our review of book 1 tells you what to expect.

Joanne Fluke’s Latest Book: Pink Lemonade Cake Murder

Her newest novel is Pink Lemonade Cake Murder, the 29th book in the series. Kensington published it in hardcover and ebook on 25 July 2023, and the paperback followed on 25 June 2024.

Everything new since then has been a reissue. In 2026 Kensington is bringing out older books in trade paperback. Banana Cream Pie Murder came in January, Raspberry Danish Murder in April and the novella Candy Cane Murder on 27 October. Book 24 is announced for December.

Will There Be New Hannah Swensen Mysteries? What Happened to Pumpkin Chiffon Pie Murder

No new Hannah novel has been announced. The 30th book, Pumpkin Chiffon Pie Murder, was announced for 2025 but pulled from the schedule. As of November 2026 it has no release date. Her website lists it as “TBD”, and one library catalogue says its publication has been “postponed indefinitely”. Neither the publisher nor the author has given a public reason.

Who Does Hannah End Up Marrying?

Spoiler warning: this section reveals what happens in books 19 to 24.

She marries neither Mike nor Norman. In Wedding Cake Murder (2016) Hannah marries Ross Barton, an old friend from college. Ross disappears in books 21 and 22. In book 24 it turns out he was already married, so the wedding was a sham. By book 29 Hannah is still not married to Mike or Norman. With book 30 on hold, the books leave the question open.

Other Joanne Fluke Books: Thrillers, Teen Horror and Pen Names

Hannah came late in her career. By her own count she wrote twelve thrillers and six young adult suspense novels before the first cookie case. There were also romances, humour, historical novels and family sagas. She once said the thrillers gave her nightmares.

Besides Hannah, her only series is the Jo Gibson teen thrillers, once sold as the Jo Gibson Collection. The Kathryn Kirkwood romances have no series name.

Her first novel was The Stepchild (Dell, 1980). Other suspense titles under her own name include The Other Child (1983), Winter Chill (1984), Cold Judgment (1985), Dead Giveaway (1990) and Deadly Memories (1995). Several came back into print between 2013 and 2015.

• As Jo Gibson: teen horror novels such as The Dead Girl (1993), The Crush (1994), Slay Bells (1994) and My Bloody Valentine (1995). In 2014 they came back in three volumes: Obsessed, Twisted and Afraid.
• As Kathryn Kirkwood: Regency romances, among them A Match for Melissa, A Season for Samantha and A Valentine for Vanessa.
• Other names: reference books also list Gina Jackson, Chris Hunter, John Fischer and R. J. Fischer.

Counting it all up: 29 Hannah novels, a dozen thrillers and books for teens and romance readers under several pen names. That makes more than 50 novels in all, 41 of them under her own name.

On Screen: The Hallmark Movies Based on Her Books

Hallmark has made 14 TV films based on her books and characters so far. The first five carry the Murder, She Baked title (2015–2017), and the nine newer ones (2021–2026) use the series name. Alison Sweeney plays Hannah and is also an executive producer. Several films follow a novel, for example Reality Bites, which is based on Blueberry Muffin Murder; others are original stories. They air on Hallmark Mystery and stream on Hallmark+. The full film list is on our series page.

We have reviewed the first four books. The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder review covers the case that starts it all. The Strawberry Shortcake Murder review looks at book 2. In the Blueberry Muffin Murder review, a TV cooking star named Connie Mac is murdered. The Lemon Meringue Pie Murder review is our take on book 4.

Frequently Asked Questions About Joanne Fluke

How many books has Joanne Fluke written?

More than 50 novels. Under her own name there are 41: the 29 Hannah Swensen mysteries and 12 suspense novels. Hannah‘s series accounts for 29 of them, and the rest are thrillers, teen horror and romances, several under pen names.

Is Joanne Fluke her real name?

No. She was born Joanne Gibson, and her married name is Joanne Fischmann. Fluke is the name she writes under.

Is Lake Eden a real town?

No, Lake Eden, Minnesota, is fictional. The author grew up in Swanville, a small town in the same state.

Are there recipes in the books?

Yes. Recipes were part of the plan from the start, and some of them are Fluke family favourites. Her website keeps a recipe list, and there is a cookbook of her own (2013) as well.

Which authors are similar to Joanne Fluke?

For another bakery sleuth, try Jenn McKinlay’s Cupcake Bakery Mysteries. For coffee instead of cookies, read Cleo Coyle’s Coffeehouse Mysteries. The Domestic Diva books by Krista Davis end with recipes, too.