Chocolate+Chip+Cookie+Murder

Joanne Fluke grew up in small town Minnesota, where it's a challenge to live more than ten miles from a lake. She holds a degree in psychology and has written over 40 novels. She shares an office over the garage with her husband, their dogs, and a cat named Billie who likes to sleep on top of her computer and provided the inspiration for Hannah Swensen's cat, Moise. PLOT What about the plot? Did it pull you in; or did you feel you had to force yourself to read the book? Did the book end the way you expected? Hannah is tired of her mother trying to run her life. Have you ever felt that way? How did you deal with it? Hannah used to be a ???? Then she started baking and created the Cookie Jar. What do you think you would like to do after high school and college? Is cooking something you like to do? What were the advantages and disadvantages of Hannah’s job? Has anyone ever told you or implied to you that you couldn't do something because you were a girl? Despite being sisters and having the same life experiences, Hannah and Claire have very different personalities. With which one do you identify? Do you know anyone like Mrs. Woodley? How do you deal with that person? While Mrs. Woodley is depicted as the enemy, most other adults in the novel fare much better. Which character do you like the best? Why? Who were your suspects at different points in the story? Have you ever known someone who was murdered? How did you feel? Friendship plays an important role in the story, but Hannah’s friendship with Danielle leads her to find out about the abuse she is receiving from her husband. How would you handle it if someone told you they were being abused? Was Hannah doing the right thing to keep tracking down clues without Bill knowing about it? What could have happened? SETTING What was special about the setting of the book and how did it add to or take away from the story? How does the setting figure into the book? Is the setting a character? Does it come to life? Did you feel you were experiencing the time and place in which the book was set? How would the book have been different if it had taken place in a different time or place? CHARACTERS Hannah Swenson shops the thrift stores, wears a shirt that says "Got Cookies" and feeds her beloved cat Moise from a Garfield bowl! ? cut glass crystal worth $50? Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to their problems? To what extent do they remind you of yourself or someone you know? How do characters change throughout the course of the story? What events trigger such changes? How realistic was the characterization? Would you want to meet any of the characters? Did you like them? Hate them? Did the actions of the characters seem plausible? Why? Why not? If one (or more) of the characters made a choice that had moral implications, would you have made the same decision? Why? Why not? FEELINGS Did certain parts of the book make you uncomfortable? If so, why did you feel that way? Did this lead to a new understanding or awareness of some aspect of your life you might not have thought about before? Did you feel that the book fulfilled your expectations? Were you disappointed? Did the author seem to appear in the book? How? Why? Was the presence of the author disruptive? Or did it seem appropriate/fitting? Did you enjoy the book? Why? Why not?  Would you recommend this book to other readers? To your close friend? How did the book compare to other mysteries? CHARACTERS

Hannah Swensen – clothes from Helping Hands thrift store, not afraid of mice, approaching 30, Chevy Suburban, painted candy-apple red, The Cookie Jar, vanity license plate - COOKIES Moishe – huge orange tomcat, 25 pound, half-blind cat with a torn ear, doesn’t like Hannah’s mother Delores Swensen – Hannah’s mother, loves sweets Norman Mrs. Carrie Rhodes – her mother’s newly widowed neighbor Norman Rhodes – Carrie’s son, balding dentist, 45, Phil Plotnik – Hannah’s next door neighbor, works at DelRay Manufacturing Ron LaSalle – Cozy Cow delivery truck driver, dark wavy hair, well-muscled body, football player, tore ligament in the final game of his high school career, murdered behind The Cookie Jar Michelle – Hannah’s younger sister, Macalester College Herb Beeseman – local law enforcement officer, Marshall Marge Beeseman – Herb’s mother Claire Rodgers – little blue Toyota, owns the dress shop, Beau Monde Fashions, affair with the mayor? Lisa Herman – works at The Cookie Jar – waitress and baker Jack Herman – Lisa’s father – Alzheimer’s Andrea Todd – middle sister, very well dressed, glamourous, not into mothering, agent at Lake Eden Realty, hobby wife and hobby mother, wants Tracey to call her Andrea, not Mommy Bill Todd - Andrea’s husband, Winnetka County deputy sheriff, good father, old Ford backfires, works for Sheriff Grant Tracey Todd – Bill and Andrea’s daughter, 4 Mr. Harris – wanted to buy Peterson farm Judith and Del Woodley – throw a big party, own DelRay Manufacturing Benton Woodley – the Woodley’s son Max Turner – owner of Cozy Cow Dairy, money lender, murdered Betty Jackson – Max Turner’s secretary Mike Kingston – new deputy with Sheriff’s department, six three Sheriff Grant – Winnetka County Sheriff Coach Watson – high school football coach

SETTING – Lake Eden, Minnesota, fall, Winnetka County Peterson farm – for sale Cozy Cow Dairy The Cookie Jar Del Woodley’s house