Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen Mystery 1), by Joanne Fluke

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Happy International Cat Day! Fiona and Bell send their hugs and purrs to cats around the world.

The book I am reflecting on today isn't about cats, but it does feature a cat who lives with the main character and amateur sleuth, Hannah Swensen. I reflected on the movie Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery last week. Now let's take a look at the book it is based on.

This is the first ever cozy mystery I read and it is the one that sparked my interest not only in cozies, but also reading in general (although my strong preference is cozies). I really enjoyed it when I read it last year, so I was very excited when I found out the cozy mysteries book club I participate in chose this one for August. Since I already read the book, I decided to listen to the audiobook this time around. It was the first cozy audiobook I listened to, so there are lots of firsts with this one! Funny enough, I finished listening to the audiobook on National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. I couldn't have planned it that way if I tried.

Hannah Swensen owns a bakery called The Cookie Jar. She is happily single and she lives with her feline companion, Moishe. When Hannah discovers the dead body of the well-loved delivery man, surrounded by her chocolate chip crunchies, she sets out to get to the bottom of this heinous crime.

While I thought Hannah's motivation for wanting to solve this crime was a bit bizarre, this is a great cozy mystery. There is lots of talk about yummy treats that Hannah bakes, complete with recipes scattered throughout the book for readers to try. I have not tried to make any of them because I never buy sugar and I don't feel like I'd be doing the recipes justice by trying to recreate them in a different way. I always use maple syrup instead of sugar and I'm not even sure how to modify these recipes so that they taste good and keep the intended texture. However, if anyone is willing to bake Hannah's treats for me, I will not refuse a taste of them.

Along with the baked treats and Hannah's cat, the human characters in this book also contribute to the cozy aspect. Although Hannah is often annoyed by her mother, I get the sense that she really cares about her. I like the family bond Hannah, Delores (her mother), and Andrea (Hannah's sister) share. There is also a sense of community in the small fictional town of Lake Eden, Minnesota. Hannah gets along great with her assistant, Lisa, and they have regular customers who frequent the bakery. 

Most importantly, the mystery in this book is strong. There are countless suspects with possible motives, red herrings, and legitimate clues. The murder happens very early in the book, so most of the story is spent on solving the mystery. There are also engaging subplots that I was interested in as much as the mystery. The subplots are seamlessly woven into the story, so they are not really unwanted distractions.

While I prefer to read books, I did enjoy listening to the audiobook. I couldn't remember the details of the story nor who the culprit was until close to the end, so it was no less enjoyable than reading the book last year. Some of the voices raised an eyebrow, but most were good. I especially loved the voice of the character who ended up being the culprit. I couldn't help smiling when I heard that character's voice, even before they were revealed as the person who committed the crime.

If you enjoy cozy mysteries, I highly recommend Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder. Since it is number 1 in the long-running and still ongoing series, there is nothing that needs to be read before it. It remains one of my favorites out of all the cozies I've read over the past year. It is clean and fun, making it a true cozy mystery.