Blackbery Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen Mystery 17), by Joanne Fluke

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I read Blackberry Pie Murder (Hannah Swensen Mystery 17), by Joanne Fluke, last year for the first time, but I have not reviewed it until now. So that I could refresh my memory, I listened to the audiobook this week. Since I knew the basic gist of it, I doubled the speed. Yeah, I won't be doing that too often. Lol. But in this case, it worked fine.

The 17th installment in this still ongoing series takes place in the summer, I think. There's talk about going to school in it, but I guess that is possible in the summer. Every other indication is that it is set in the summer, which is why I waited until now to review it.  I'm such a stickler for seasonal reading, most of the time anyway.

In the midst of planning a family wedding, thinking that's her biggest challenge in life at the moment, Hannah accidentally hits a pedestrian while driving in stormy weather conditions. Hannah is arrested for murder, but did she really kill the pedestrian or was he already dead? Evidence shows that the mystery man was already deceased by the time Hannah hit him, so she sets out to clear her name.

This is probably my least favorite installment in the series so far. If you're there for the coziness and food talk, there is certainly no shortage of that. A lot of time is spent with Hannah preparing mouth-watering food for her friends and family, which I admit, I thoroughly enjoyed. This also means, though, that this installment is loaded with recipes, which I always skip. I like when the characters discuss food in the context of the story, but the recipes just aren't for me.  

Unfortunately, the mystery is weak and not addressed much. I also found the ending to be unsatisfying. I appreciate a good cliffhanger and I don't even mind the love triangle, but I also want a satisfying conclusion. If the mystery were better, I most likely would have given it four stars. There's just too much coziness and not enough mystery for this puzzle-loving reader.

If you're invested in the series because you enjoy spending time with the characters like I do, then you'll want to read Blackberry Pie Murder. This series is so near and dear to my heart, so I will definitely continue reading it for as long as it is being written.