Gingerbread Cookie Murder

By Joanne Fluke, Leslie Meier and Laura Levine

In this merry collection of holiday mysteries, murder is making its own special delivery . . .
 
“GINGERBREAD COOKIE MURDER” by JOANNE FLUKE
When Hannah Swensen finds her neighbor Ernie Kusak with his head bashed in and sprawled on the floor of his condo next to an upended box of Hannah’s Gingerbread Cookies, she discovers a flurry of murder suspects that’s as long as her holiday shopping list.
 
“THE DANGERS OF GINGERBREAD COOKIES” by LAURA LEVINE
Jaine Austen has been enlisted to help with her parents’ retirement community’s play The Gingerbread Cookie That Saved Christmas. Playboy Dr. Preston McCay is playing the role of the gingerbread cookie when he “accidentally” falls to his death during the final act. Now Jaine must figure out if one of the doctor’s jealous lovers was capable of murder.
 
“GINGERBREAD COOKIES AND GUNSHOTS” by LESLIE MEIER
When Lucy Stone discovers the body of Rick Juergens, whose five-year-old son Nemo disappeared, she senses foul play. Crumbs from a gingerbread cookie Lucy gave to Nemo are found in the back seat of Rick’s car. With the hours quickly ticking till Christmas, Lucy races against the clock to find a killer before he strikes again.
 
Includes Over 10 Luscious Holiday Recipes!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Sep 27, 2011
• ISBN: 9780758274090

Joanne Fluke

JOANNE FLUKE is the New York Times bestselling author of the Hannah Swensen mysteries, which include Chocolate Cream Pie Murder, Raspberry Danish Murder, Cinnamon Roll Murder, and the book that started it all, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder. That first installment in the series premiered as Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel. Like Hannah Swensen, Joanne Fluke was born and raised in a small town in rural Minnesota, but now lives in Southern California. Please visit her online at www.JoanneFluke.com.

Reviews for Gingerbread Cookie Murder

[jguidry-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a collection of three holiday themed cozy mysteries from different authors. One author I had read and enjoyed previously and two new authors. Each mystery revolved around a gingerbread cookie theme and were the usual cozy reads that I enjoyed very much. The best story in the lot, IMO, was The Dangers of Gingerbread Cookies" by Laura Levine. I had not read any books in the Jaine Austen series before but definitely will find others. The story was hilarious because of Jaine's parents. Her family dynamic was similar to my own and the antics of her parents reminded me of the antics of my own parents. I really enjoyed reading all three stories, but that one bumped my rating up to four stars."

[lhaines56 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Reread this so I am counting it again.

[magnolia2_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I originally checked this book out believing it was another in J. Fluke's series. This book, however, is a compliation of 3 author's works revolving around both gingerbread and Christmas. This is a good light read for the holidays.

[cbl_tn · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When Hannah Swensen finds her neighbor dead in his condo, she has a perfect excuse for snooping into the police investigation. Mike, her sometimes beau as well as a police officer, asks her to prepare snacks for the crime scene investigators. She goes all out and fixes an entire meal, figuring she can eavesdrop while they eat. All of the evidence is circumstantial, and when the police believe they have enough to make an arrest, Hannah is convinced they've got the wrong person. With the help of her other boyfriend, Norman, will Hannah be able to find the true murderer?In another novella, part-time journalist Lucy Stone is upset when a cute 4-year-old boy is kidnapped right before Christmas. She has a soft spot for little Nemo. When she finds little Nemo's father's body in his car, with evidence that Nemo had been with him, she becomes very alarmed. Is Nemo still alive, and if he is, can she find him before Christmas?The Hannah Swensen mystery isn't bad if you ignore the fact that Hannah and her sister tamper with police evidence, as is their habit. It's a wonder that Mike and Hannah's brother-in-law, Bill, still have jobs with the police department. They'd be in a heap of trouble in real life. The Lucy Stone mystery wasn't as well plotted as others I've read in this series. However, I really like Lucy and her family and I like to check in on them occasionally. I'm quite upset with her son, Toby, and his in-laws. What kind of son plans to take his parents' only grandchild on a Christmas cruise for the first Christmas he's old enough to appreciate? The families live close enough that, if the in-laws had stayed home, they could have all seen little Patrick on Christmas day. And to wait until just days before Christmas to tell your mother you won't be home? Well, that's just thoughtless.I decided not to read the third novella in this collection. I haven't cared for the other Jaine Austen mysteries I've read. Why make myself read something I probably won't enjoy? Usually I'd feel compelled to read it anyway. This time I was able to talk myself out of it.

[monarchval · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The first story, "Gingerbread Cookie Story" by Joanne Fluke, was quite good as was the third story, "Gingerbread Cookies and Gunshots," by Leslie Meier. The second story, "The Dangers of Gingerbread Cookies", by Laura Levine, was skipped through.

[michigantrumpet_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Christmas present (apropopos of the Gingerbread man theme.) Generally light-hearted and quick reads. Liked the inclusion of some recipes -- although most people will likely have their own favorites already in hand. As discussed by earlier reviews, the last story of the three is darker in tone than the other two. Also disliked that ending as being too deus ex machina for my tastes.

[cyderry · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book is the combination of 3 short stories starring familiar characters. Each has gingerbread men central to the tale. Joanne Fluke's story is about the murder of one of her neighbors, Laura Levine's account tells of her character visiting her parents in a Florida retirement community and coming across a murder, and Leslie Meier's narrative of a kidnapped child. The first two were amusing - the last a bit too dark for the group.

[master275 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Being a big fan of Joanne Fluke, I -as always - enjoyed her short story. Since this book was a compilation of three short stories, I was introduced for the first time to Laura Levine and Leslie Meier. I really enjoyed the light hearted humor of the Laura Levine story, finding her Jaine character spending the holidays with her parents in a retirement community and of course, solving a murder, a very enjoyable and comical read. However, I was very disappointed at the Leslie Meier story and found the kidnapping of a small child much too dark and gloomy for this light-hearted Christmas mystery set. Regardless of what was in my opinion a bad ending to the book, I have walked away a fan of Laura Levine and will be looking into more of her books in this new year!!

[keng_38 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I am a huge fan of Laura Levine and her Jaine Austin character - this short story kept the humor found in her full length stories. I have read only a few of the Joanne Fluke stores but I found that this did not hinder enjoying this short story - a previous background of her character was not necessary. I enjoyed Hannah and intend to catch up on the series.I have never read a Leslie Meier book before so I think that may be why is was my least favorite of the collection. I found the character rather poorly developed and think maybe it relyed on you having a history with the characters. The "mystery" ended abruptly and left several loose ends in my opinion.

[aztwinmom · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this latest of the Hannah Swenson mysteries. The book was actually three stories by three authors, each a fun holiday mystery.

[bailey9189 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this book as an Early Reviewers giveaway. I was excited to receive it as I already am a fan of Joanne Fluke and Leslie Meier. I was pleased with each of the stories. I enjoyed the recipes in the Joanne Fluke story. I had never read Laura Levine before but really enjoyed the characters in her story and plan to read some of her books now. The Leslie Meier one was okay- I don't think it was as well developed and it seemed to wind up pretty quickly, leaving some loose threads. Overall though, I was very happy with this book and read it in two weeks, which is very good me these days.

[mandolin_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book and sped quickly through all three novellas. The Joanne Fluke tale was a good blend of mystery and humor, and included several recipes that I plan on trying. The Laura Levine tale was immensely funny and the author made very good use of the limited amount of space allotted in which to create multiple suspects and a solid plot. I was disappointed in Leslie Meier's contribution, however. A Lucy Stone fan, I felt this story was a too dark for what seemed to be a more light-hearted read, and used too many heavily religious overtones. Five stars for Fluke and Levine; two and a half for Meier.

[sable677 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Gingerbread Cookie Murder proved to be a fun, holiday read that I really enjoyed. I have to admit that before I read this book I was only familiar with Fluke's Hannah Swensen series so the other two series were new to me. Fluke delivered another great mystery full of the humor, mystery, hint of romance, and mentions of some tasteful treats. I really enjoyed "Gingerbread Cookie Murder" finding it another delightful addition to the series. "The Dangers of Gingerbread Cookies" was a fun and great introduction to Levine's Jaine Austen series. Levine does a great job at combining humor, mystery, and family fun when Jaine visits her parents for Christmas and stumbles across a murder. I definitely plan on checking out more books in this series because I can't wait to read more Jaine adventures. "Gingerbread Cookies and Gunshots" also proved to be a great read and introduction to the Lucy Stone series. Meier really captures the reader's heart as Lucy investigates the disappearance of a child right before Christmas. Full of many twists and turns, this story proves to be a great read with a holiday miracle of its own. Overall this anthology proved to be a great holiday read that I would most definitely recommend.

[jonesli · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a fun holiday collection of three stories featuring gingerbread cookies. written by Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, and Leslie Meier. I am familiar with Ms. Fluke's books,but I had never read anything by Laura Levine and Leslie Meier before. After reading this book, I have decided to read both of these authors.The first story in this collection by Joanne Fluke finds Hannah's neighbor Ernie with his head bashed in and her gingerbread cookies on the floor of his condo.The second story is by Laura Levine whose character Jaine Austen, is visiting her parents retirement community in Florida, which I found absolutly hilarious at times.The last story by Leslie Meier finds Lucy Stone helping in the search for a missing five year old named Nemo. One of the clues to Nemo's disappearance is a trail of gingerbread cookie crumbs.Overall, I found this collection to be a nice, quick paced read. In each case the "whodunit" is almost obvious, but that is not the point here. The point is to enjoy the season and try some of the yummy recipes!

[delphimo_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is an extremely short murder mystery with many of the pages dedicated to recipes. Fluke does a wonderful job with the recipes; each recipe has specific instructions and many hints. The murder centered on a winning lottery ticket and the rightful owner of that ticket. Hannah, the owner of a cookie shop, loves to solve murder investigations. Hannah juggles dating between a policeman and a dentist, and both men aid in Hannah's jaunts. The series by Isis Crawford contains better characters and plot, but Fluke's recipes are more down-to-earth. Fluke constantly reminds the readers of the absolute cold of Minnesota, whereas Crawford presents the different seasons of New York. Crawford presents a better story.

[eawsmom · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this book through the Early Reviewers program. I am not fond of novellas so would not have purchased this on my own.Three women authors, three women sleuths, three novellas dealing with Christmas-time murders and gingerbread cookies. I found Joanne Fluke's offering to be the strongest, perhaps because I like her novels. I also enjoy Leslie Meier's work, and thought hers was acceptable given the constraints of the format. Laura Levine's was so-so; the attempts at humor became tedious after a while, as did the frantic leaps from suspect to suspect. As always, I am tempted to try several of Joanne Fluke's recipes, and I especially appreciate her matter-of-fact approach to baking. Not for her the requirement to use specific, top-of-the-line expensive cocoa or other baking ingredients! Her recipes are meant for the ordinary person who enjoys baking but doesn't want to spend a fortune on ingredients or hours on preparation. If you are looking for a light, fast read with happy endings all around, this book is perfect. If you are looking for something heavy, dramatic, or eerily suspenseful, this is not the book for you!

[booboobad · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cute collection of stories. They fit the individual author's styles and also fit well as a collection. I also love the recipes that are included.

[libri_amor · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Three Christmas Novellas with the usual predictable 'happy' endings. A staged kidnapping ends with the 'black ops' troops of the child's grandfather delivering the 'good' guys safely home for Christmas; the 'grandcat' stealing the show of a weak plot; and the usual juggling of the boyfriends - the dentist vs the police detective in aid of turning down the deadly loud, laser lit Christmas music show. All in All a good light read for the holidays . Due to the space limitations of a novella, the characters aren't well developed and require some previous knowledge of the earlier plot twists; the final outcome thus are a little contrived in order to finish with in the space allocations.

[wearylibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Three of my favorite female mystery writers have joined together with stories of gingerbread and murder-a delicious combination. These stories make a delicious holiday treat-with recipes included. Light reading and no gore makes this a perfect holiday read.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Once again Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, and Leslie Meier have teamed up to deliver a collection of Christmas-themed novellas. The tie that binds these stories together is gingerbread men. Joanne Fluke's offering entitled Gingerbread Cookie Murder features Hannah's involvement in trying to get her neighbor to turn down his Christmas music so that the neighbors can have a little rest. When the music continues after his promise to turn it down after the kids arrived home, Hannah realizes she's going to have to pay him a visit . . . and we all know what she would find. This is not Fluke's best effort. I'd probably rate it about a 3. Laura Levine's installment is entitled The Dangers of Gingerbread Cookies. Jaine visits her parents at their retirement community in Florida. A doctor portraying a gingerbread man falls to his death in the community theater play. There are plenty of suspects here. Levine writes with a lot of wit and humor, but I think my favorite part of the book had little to do with the plot. Laura's mother's pampering of the "grandcat" and the way the cat acted in return reminded me of my own late mother and my cat. Another 3 star effort. Leslie Meier's Gingerbread Cookies and Gunshots is the story of Lucy Stone's efforts to make sure a young child who was kidnapped is returned home by Christmas. This story is a winner and is worth the price of the book. I also loved the author's references to the volunteer spirit of Christmas and the reminders of the true reason we celebrate Christmas. I would give this story about 4.25 stars. I did notice one or two typos that were not caught before publication. Hopefully these will be corrected in future printings. I received this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program with the expectation that a review would be written.

[annertan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was still in love with Hannah at this point. Being trapped in a snow storm and trying to find a murder is not an original plot.

[highflyer_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I bought this book for two reasons: One is part of the $1 deal on my kindle and two I was looking for something fun to read for Christmas. I'm glad I got this.This really is a cute, light, christmassy read for the holidays. I was able to read it in one day and I had fun doing it. This book is a collection of three novella's all dealing with Christmas mysteries.The first novella deals with an annoying neighbor that winds up dead. Our lead character is accused of the murder at first but upon digging deeper, she realizes that the murderer is someone close to her!The second deals with a woman visiting her parents in Florida for Christmas. A wealthy doctor in the retirement community ends up dead during a community play which leads everyone to question which lady could be responsible. The dead doctor played a lot of them so it could have been anyone except the most obvious.And the third deals with the kidnapping of a young child from what the town considers to be questionable parents. Local reporter Lucy Stone feels for the boy and even the family until something about the entire situation doesn't make sense. What turns out to be a tragedy turns into a miracle.This is a collection of cute stories that while dealing with murder and crimes have a nice flair for the holidays. They remind us of the bad things about the seasons and yet, the good things too. If you need something fast to read, but fun for the holidays, this is it!