Banana Cream Pie Murder バナナクリーム・パイが覚えていた by Joanne Fluke

" 豪華な新婚旅行中に母親のドロレスが殺人事件の第一発見者になるところから物語は始まります。ハンナは、新婚旅行から帰ったらロスと二人で過ごすどころか、家族総出で2人のアパートに押しかけ、結婚祝いのプレゼントをお披露目&みんなでディナー＆ミシェルがお泊まりすることに。いくらなんでも酷いだろう。と思うけど、ハンナはどこかほっとしてます。まあ、いつものように犯人はこの人だな。と途中で分かりますが、ロスの不可解な行動やテニスシューズの件、あと末妹のミシェルの舞台公演はどうなるのか？など次回持ち越しの謎がたくさんあります。このシリーズ、最近おもしろくなかったし、わたしの好きなノーマンを選ばなかったハンナにがっかりしてましたが、今回は面白いです。次回が楽しみだし、もしかしたらブラックベリーパイのときの犯人はロス？なんて勘ぐってます。しかし、あんな目に遭わされてるのに、ノーマンもマイクもいいヤツなんですよね....." " Banana Cream Pie Murder (A Hannah Swensen Mystery), book 21 in the series has 432 pages. The author Joanne Fluke has written, at the time of this review, more than 40 books with most of them being the “A Hannah Swensen Mystery” series. Delores Swensen, author of Regency books and mother of Hannah Swensen has just found the body of her friend Tori Bascomb, the Mayor’s sister. Hannah and her husband have been on a cruise for their honeymoon. Hannah gets a message from her sister, Michelle. The message tells her about Tori’s murder and that Delores wants her to come home right away. Delores thinks that Tori knew her killer because a couple of plates and Hannah’s Banana Cream Pie was on the coffee table. Also, after returning home, Hannah doesn’t know where Ross is....."

은퇴한 여배우의 죽음으로 시작해서 여주인공 남편의 갑작스러운 증발(?)로 이 작품은 끝난다. 시리즈가 거듭될수록 작가의 글솜씨가 늘어나는 것이 확실하다. 계속 다음 작품을 읽게 만드는 이야기 전개는 매력적이다. 시리즈 초반에는 작품의 순서와 상관없이 읽어도 이해하는데 큰 문제가 없었지만 시리즈가 진행되면서 작품의 순서가 중요해지는 것 같다. retired actress, penthouse, gun, accounting, scream, theater, acting lessons, black shoes, funds, honeymoon, disappear, sick, scum, pie eating  contest, witness, award, embezzle 등이 작품을 이해하는 중요한 단어들이다. 전작보다 더 쉬운 문장구조와 표현들로 쓰인 작품이다.