Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (2023)

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Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery is the long-awaited seventh movie in the Murder, She Baked/Hannah Swensen series. The last one we got from this series premiered two years ago. This latest one is VERY loosely based on the book, A Carrot Cake Murder, by Joanne Fluke, which is the tenth book in the series. I know, it's complicated.

For those of you who are not familiar with this series, let me give you some background. The Hannah Swensen book series started in 2000 and is still ongoing today, with the 29th mystery set to be published this summer. I have only read through book 17 so far, but I fully intend on reading the entire series.

In 2015, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries began making movies that are loosely based on the book series. The series was originally called Murder, She Baked. In 2021, with the sixth movie, Sweet Revenge, it was rebranded as A Hannah Swensen Mystery. So, Carrot Cake Murder is the second movie in the Hannah Swensen Mystery series, but the seventh movie overall, and it is loosely based on the tenth book.

Whew! Get some water, take some deep breaths, and reread that paragraph if you need to. I'll wait.

Okay, let's move on. The earlier movies followed the plots of the books more closely, but not completely, than they do now. Carrot Cake Murder is the biggest departure from the book so far. The mystery is completely different and there are some differences with the main characters and their relationships. This can be good or bad. If you like to be surprised, you won't have to worry about having read the book and knowing how the movie will play out. On the other hand, if you are hoping for a plot similar to the book, you might be disappointed.

The movie revolves around the discovery of a decades old skeleton found in a building that has been undergoing renovations. Our amateur sleuth, Hannah Swensen (Alison Sweeny) is compelled to investigate and find some answers.

While I questioned Hannah's motivation to solve this crime, I thought it was a solid mystery. There were red herrings to cause misdirection, as well as several viable suspects. In the end, the whodunnit surprised me. In fact, I had completely ruled out the culprit as a suspect. 

I was happy to see that Norman (Gabriel Hogan) played a greater role in this movie than in the previous ones. We learn more about his background and there's an engaging subplot involving someone from his past. I was also thrilled to see that Moishe, Hannah's cat, played a greater role in Carrot Cake Murder. We get to see some of his antics, which was fun to watch and true to his character in the book series. 

Much to my delight, Cameron Mathison returned as Detective Mike Kingston. While I am Team Norman through and through, I was happy to see Mathison return. Hannah and Mike have some fun scenes in this movie, including one where they are baking together. If he's not careful, Cameron Mathison will convert me to Team Mike. 

Carrot Cake Murder felt a little more like the original Murder, She Baked movies than Sweet Revenge did. It felt like it had a slightly lighter vibe, which I enjoyed. One of my favorite scenes was in a restaurant when the Swensen women were sharing a meal together. Barbara Niven returned as Delores, Hannah's fun-loving mother, and Tess Atkins returned as Michelle, Hannah's younger sister. While I miss Andrea and her husband, I really liked Michelle in this movie. The family dynamics with Hannah, Delores, and Michelle were fun to watch. It was also nice to meet Lonnie, Michelle's love interest in the books.

Despite all that I loved about this movie, it wasn't perfect. One of the major flaws is that the timeline of events does not add up. I watched it a second time to see if I missed anything, but it just confirmed that it doesn't work. There's also a conflict that I felt was unjustified. I find that this happens a lot in Hallmark movies, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. This was a pretty drastic one, though.

Other than these imperfections and a few other minor ones, including inconsistent lighting in at least one scene, I really enjoyed this movie. It makes me so happy to know we are definitely getting another movie in this series later this year. I stayed up past my bedtime to watch Carrot Cake Murder, which tells you how much I was looking forward to it. I haven't done that with any other Hallmark premiere. Since I caught on to the series months after the six one premiered, this was the first time I got to enjoy it on the same day many others did. And I will very likely stay up to watch the next one, too.

If you have enjoyed the previous six movies, I recommend watching Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery. As you watch it, try not to compare it to the book series. Both the books and the movies can be enjoyed as separate forms of entertainment.