Look, I'll be honest with you - this book sat in my queue for three months because cozy mysteries aren't exactly my usual patrol route. But my wife Linda kept leaving not-so-subtle hints about wanting to try Joanne Fluke's series, and I figured listening together during our weekend drives to the Hill Country couldn't hurt. Sometimes you take one for the team.
Here's the thing about Cherry Cheesecake Murder: it's the exact opposite of everything I normally listen to. No explosions. No tactical operations. No one's clearing rooms or calling in air support. And you know what? That's kind of the point. I'm more used to the kind of terror you find in It - the Stephen King variety where small towns hide something genuinely dark.
When Hollywood Invades Small-Town Minnesota
The setup is pretty simple - a film crew rolls into Lake Eden to shoot a movie, and our baker protagonist Hannah Swensen gets wrapped up in the chaos. She's dealing with two marriage proposals (yes, two), her cat's potential Hollywood debut, and keeping the crew fed with her baked goods. Then someone ends up dead.
Now, I've got to level with you about the pacing. If you're expecting the body to drop in chapter one, pump the brakes. This book takes its sweet time getting to the actual murder - we're talking page 230 territory according to some readers, and that tracks with my experience. The first half is basically small-town gossip, romantic drama, and recipe descriptions. Lots of recipe descriptions.
For someone like me who's used to thrillers that hit the ground running, this was... an adjustment. But Linda pointed out (correctly) that I was missing the point. These books aren't about the crime. They're about the community, the characters, the comfort of returning to a familiar world where the biggest drama before the murder is which guy Hannah should marry.
Suzanne Toren's Golden Voice
Suzanne Toren narrates this one, and she's got serious credentials - AudioFile named her a 'Golden Voice' back in 2019, which isn't nothing. She clearly knows these characters inside and out. After however many books in this series, she's got Hannah's voice down cold, and the supporting cast each gets their own distinct flavor.
That said - and I'm just being straight with you here - her style runs a bit dramatic for my taste. There's a theatrical quality to her delivery that works great for the quirky townsfolk but occasionally tips into territory that felt like overacting to my ears. Some listeners love it. Some find it grating. I landed somewhere in the middle. Linda thought she was perfect, so make of that what you will.
The production's clean enough. A few reviews mentioned sharp S sounds being distracting, and yeah, I caught that once or twice. Minor stuff, nothing that would make me hit stop.
The Cozy Mystery Equation
Here's what I've figured out about this genre after 10 hours with Hannah Swensen: it's comfort food. Same way some people rewatch the same sitcom every night before bed. Same characters, same small town, same reliable formula. Murder happens, amateur sleuth investigates, recipes get shared, romantic subplot simmers, killer gets caught.
Compared to the thrillers I usually burn through, this felt like switching from black coffee to a vanilla latte. Different purpose entirely. And honestly? There's something to be said for a book that doesn't spike your cortisol levels. I finished this one on a lazy Sunday morning rather than my usual 5 AM runs, and it fit that vibe perfectly.
The love triangle thing got old for me - I'm not exactly the target audience for will-she-won't-she romantic tension. But the mystery itself, once it finally got going, was decent enough. Not going to blow your mind with twists, but satisfying in that cozy mystery way.
Mission Debrief
Worth your time? Depends entirely on what you're after. If you want a book that feels like visiting a friendly small town where everyone knows everyone and the local baker solves crimes between batches of cherry cheesecake - this delivers exactly that. Toren's narration brings warmth to the proceedings even if it occasionally runs hot.
Who should listen: Cozy mystery fans who want recipes with their murders, anyone looking for low-stakes comfort listening, and couples who need something mellow for road trips. Who should skip: If you need things exploding or at least some tactical tension, this isn't your assignment.
But I'm not going to pretend I didn't enjoy parts of it. Sometimes you need to step outside your usual territory. Ranger slept through most of it, which is honestly his highest compliment for anything that doesn't involve gunfire sound effects.
