Hannah Swensen Books in Order: Complete Series & Movies

If you’re looking for the Hannah Swensen books in order, I’d start with publication order. Joanne Fluke’s cozy mystery series follows Hannah Swensen, the owner of The Cookie Jar bakery in Lake Eden, Minnesota, where murder keeps showing up right alongside the dessert recipes.

The tricky part isn’t the main series. It’s all the extras. There are short holiday mysteries, anthology appearances, a cookbook companion, omnibus editions, and a long-running Hallmark movie series. If you’d like a complete look at Fluke’s full bibliography, including her standalones, pen names, and non-Hannah books, check out my Joanne Fluke Books in Order guide.

Jump to:

Hannah Swensen Books in Publication Order
Hannah Swensen Chronological Order
Hannah Swensen Short Stories and Anthologies
Hannah Swensen Cookbook and Companion Book
Hannah Swensen Omnibus Editions
Hannah Swensen Hallmark Movies

Hannah Swensen Books in Publication Order

Publication order is the way I’d read the Hannah Swensen books for the first time. Each mystery has its own case, but Hannah’s relationships, Lake Eden’s regular cast, and the bigger character moments all build as the series goes.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (2000)
Strawberry Shortcake Murder (2001)
Blueberry Muffin Murder (2002)
Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (2003)
Fudge Cupcake Murder (2004)
Sugar Cookie Murder (2004)
Peach Cobbler Murder (2005)
Cherry Cheesecake Murder (2006)
Key Lime Pie Murder (2007)
Carrot Cake Murder (2008)
Cream Puff Murder (2009)
Plum Pudding Murder (2009)
Apple Turnover Murder (2010)
Devil’s Food Cake Murder (2011)
Cinnamon Roll Murder (2012)
Red Velvet Cupcake Murder (2013)
Blackberry Pie Murder (2014)
Double Fudge Brownie Murder (2015)
Wedding Cake Murder (2016)
Christmas Caramel Murder (2016)
Banana Cream Pie Murder (2017)
Raspberry Danish Murder (2018)
Christmas Cake Murder (2018)
Chocolate Cream Pie Murder (2019)
Coconut Layer Cake Murder (2020)
Christmas Cupcake Murder (2020)
Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder (2021)
Caramel Pecan Roll Murder (2022)
Pink Lemonade Cake Murder (2023)

What About Pumpkin Chiffon Pie Murder?

You may see Pumpkin Chiffon Pie Murder mentioned on some Hannah Swensen lists, and this one has been a headache to track. It has popped up in book-tracking places, and fans have gone back and forth over whether it was canceled or just delayed. As far as I can tell, there is no known publication date right now.

Because of that, I’m leaving it out of the main Hannah Swensen reading order for now. If it gets a real publication date, it should go after Pink Lemonade Cake Murder.

Hannah Swensen Chronological Order

Chronological order is almost the same as publication order. The big difference is Christmas Cake Murder, which takes place before Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder and shows Hannah before The Cookie Jar is fully established.

I still wouldn’t start there unless you’re rereading the series. The prequel works better once you already know Hannah, her family, and Lake Eden. For a first read, publication order is the better choice.

Hannah Swensen Short Stories and Anthologies

These are the extra Hannah Swensen holiday stories and anthology appearances. I’d read them when you want more Lake Eden, but I wouldn’t treat them like required main-series books.

Candy Cane Murder (2007) (Short Story/Anthology)
Gingerbread Cookie Murder (2010) (Short Story/Anthology)
Christmas Sweets (2019) (Anthology)

Hannah Swensen Cookbook and Companion Book

Joanne Fluke’s Lake Eden Cookbook is exactly what it sounds like: a recipe-focused companion for Hannah Swensen fans. It’s not a regular mystery novel, but it still belongs here because recipes are such a big part of the series, and the cookbook includes extra Hannah material alongside the food.

Joanne Fluke’s Lake Eden Cookbook (2011) (Cookbook/Companion Book)

Hannah Swensen Omnibus Editions

Think of omnibus editions as bundled holiday books, not separate new mysteries. They can be handy if you want multiple stories in one volume, but I wouldn’t count them as extra stops in the main reading order.

Christmas Dessert Murder (2021) (Omnibus Edition)

Hannah Swensen Hallmark Movies

The Hannah Swensen books also became a Hallmark mystery movie series starring Alison Sweeney as Hannah. The first run used the Murder, She Baked title, and later movies continued under the Hannah Swensen Mystery name.

The movies are connected to the books, but they don’t follow them in a strict book-by-book way. Some early movies pull from specific novels. Others tell new screen mysteries using familiar Lake Eden characters.

Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery (2015)
Murder, She Baked: A Plum Pudding Mystery (2015)
Murder, She Baked: A Peach Cobbler Mystery (2016)
Murder, She Baked: A Deadly Recipe (2016)
Murder, She Baked: Just Desserts (2017)
Sweet Revenge: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (2021)
Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (2023)
A Zest for Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (2023)
One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (2024)
A Sprinkle of Deceit: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (2024)
Reality Bites: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (2025)
Pie to Die For: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (2025)
Sugar & Vice: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (2026)
Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (2026)

The first three movies are fairly easy to match to Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, Plum Pudding Murder, and Peach Cobbler Murder. A Deadly Recipe pulls from Fudge Cupcake Murder, and Just Desserts pulls from Strawberry Shortcake Murder. After that, I’d treat the movies as their own version of Hannah’s world rather than a replacement for the books.

The cast changes over time too. Cameron Mathison plays Mike Kingston in the earlier movies, while Victor Webster later joins as Chad Norton. So if you’re coming from Hallmark first, expect the books and movies to feel connected, but not identical.

Looking for similar books in order?

If you want more mystery authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Mystery Books in Order index.