How To Watch The Hannah Swensen Mysteries Movies In Order

A pinch of mystery, a dash of love, and a whole bunch of mouth-watering baked goods. Put all these ingredients together and you get the "Hannah Swensen Mystery" series that has been serving cozy mysteries to Hallmark viewers since 2015. Yes, Hallmark is known for its popular holiday flicks, but the brand is also a big player in the cozy mystery space. People are now searching for ways to stream "Garage Sale Mysteries," while others really wish that the "Mystery 101" cliffhanger would be resolved. As fans work to crack the case on that last one, Hallmark will continue whipping up more Hannah Swensen mysteries based on the popular book series by Joanne Fluke. The movies follow Hannah (Alison Sweeney) as she solves murders in her small town while keeping her business, The Cookie Jar Bakery, in running order.

Each movie picks a different book as its inspiration, but the films don't follow the chronological order of the novels. Instead, the movies create their own linear timeline with Fluke's characters, focusing on the mysteries that help Hannah grow while also defining significant moments that push Hannah's romances forward. Yes, there was a break in the film series, with Hannah solving just one mystery in 2017 before returning to the kitchen in 2021. The time lapse plus the out-of-order book inspiration may have some confused as to how to watch the films in order. It's a mystery that can easily be solved: It's as simple as searching for the dates that they were released. To save you some time, here's the correct order.

Released in May 2015, "Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery" is based on Joanne Fluke's first "Hannah Swensen Mystery" novel, "Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder." It introduces Hannah as the owner of a beloved bakery in a quiet town. She is always there to serve a sweet treat with a refreshing drink. While she's busy serving up her signature snacks, chaos erupts behind the store, ending with Hannah finding her longtime friend Ron LaSalle (Jason Cermak) dead — just seconds after making a delivery to her kitchen.

Hannah quickly realizes that it's going to be up to her to solve the mystery of Ron's murder. She starts to follow any clue she can, but the arrival of swoon-worthy detective Mike Kingston (Cameron Mathison) may stop her in her tracks. The newcomer is not too fond of her meddling, asking that she leave things up to the professionals. Hannah doesn't take no for an answer, leading her to find clues and a little bit of danger. Despite his initial frustration, Mike seems to grow fonder of Hannah each time she meddles. This sets the tone for their relationship and ultimately a budding romance.

Everyone knows that Hallmark is the place to be for feel-good Christmas movies, releasing several titles each year. That's why it's not surprising that "Murder, She Baked: A Plum Pudding Mystery," the second mystery for Hannah Swensen, is a festive affair. Released in November 2015, this film is based on "Plum Pudding Murder," the 12th book in the series. While spreading holiday cheer, Hannah must solve the murder of Larry (Kirby Morrow), who was shot dead in his office. As the town comes to terms with Larry's loss, Hannah soon learns that not everything was holly jolly in the life of the owner of the local Christmas tree farm. His fiancée and ex-wife are now front and center as potential suspects.

Hannah's frustration ramps up as she tries to find a solid lead in the case while also facing her own romantic conundrum right before Christmas. The mission to solve Larry's murder brings her closer to Mike, who is still annoyed with her meddling ways. However, that annoyance is turning into endearment. Hannah's mother Delores (Barbara Niven) sees the signs and tries to send her daughter in a different direction by promoting the kind-heartedness and good looks of dentist Norman Rhodes (Gabriel Hogan). Both men find themselves vying for her attention, and it's up to Hannah to decide who offers the best relationship recipe.

Competition proves to be deadly in "Murder, She Baked: A Peach Cobbler Mystery," the third Hannah Swensen film, which was released in January 2016. The film is based on "Peach Cobbler Murder," the seventh book in the "Hannah Swensen Mystery" series. The movie begins with Hannah having a lousy Valentine's season. She is losing business and losing confidence in her relationship with Mike as Magnolia Blossom Bakery begins to take over the town. The owner of the new bakery is none other than Melanie Quinn (Michelle Harrison), a college friend of Mike and his late wife Lydia.

Given Mike's attention to Melanie and her confession of having had a crush on him years ago, Hannah is left to wonder whether Mike is actually interested in her. This as Norman continues to frequently pop up in her life, growing their friendship. Despite starting on rocky ground, Hannah and Melanie begin to become friends, which is why Hannah takes it upon herself to inspect Melanie's bakery when she notices that all of the lights are on after she's closed for the day. To her shock and horror, she finds Melanie's body in the kitchen, becoming the prime suspect in her murder. It's now up to Hannah to prove that she is innocent, and the peach cobbler that she was helping Melanie with could clear her name.

"Finally a mystery that doesn't involve a dead body," says Hannah when she is presented with a fudge cupcake recipe that contains a top secret ingredient that she is trying to identify. However, her break from solving murders in June 2016's "Murder, She Baked, A Deadly Recipe" comes to an abrupt stop when Sheriff Grant (Ty Olsson) is found dead amid his bid for re-election. Based on the fifth book, "Fudge Cupcake Murder," this movie finds Hannah's brother-in-law Bill Todd (Toby Levins) sitting in the suspect chair due to his sudden appearance at the crime scene and the fact that he was vying for Sheriff Grant's seat in the upcoming election.

Mike places Bill on suspension as he takes a deep dive into a case that puts him in an awkward position given his feelings for Hannah. As Mike heads up the investigation, Hannah promises her sister Andrea (Lisa Durupt) that she will do everything she can to clear Bill's name. She quickly eyes Paige Miller (Hannah Pederson), who despises her husband's boss, but a visit with Sheriff Grant's wife Nettie (Venus Terzo) reveals marriage issues. The plot thickens when Hannah finds an intruder in her home, which has Mike responding with feelings of protection as he tries to uphold the integrity of the investigation.

Sabotage is on the menu as Hannah Swensen judges a bake-off in "Murder, She Baked: Just Desserts." This was Hannah's last case before a four-year hiatus. Released in March 2017, the movie is based on the second book, "Strawberry Shortcake Murder." Hannah is hoping that the televised competition she is judging will showcase the skills of talented local bakers, and she is asking plenty of people to help, including a high school basketball coach who is only judging the bake-off out of obligation. While Coach Bishop (Kurt Evans) is smiling on camera, Hannah soon realizes that there is drama happening behind the scenes when she catches Bishop arguing with his wife. Moments later, Norman finds the coach dead, and Mike is wondering if Josh (Matt Visser), one of the basketball players, is the murderer.

As Hannah tries to be a friend to Norman during this tough time, she is also trying to figure out if there is a future with Mike. He tries to show her his intentions by offering to fix her stairs and taking her out to dinner, but she is not totally convinced that it's the right time. There is a lot of will-they-won't-they in this installment, and, while the end is satisfying, it leaves fans wanting more servings as Mike shares his true feelings for Hannah.

Hallmark's upbeat DIY detective returned for her next mystery in August 2021, and a lot had changed since 2017. Based on the eleventh book, "Cream Puff Murder," "Sweet Revenge: A Hannah Swensen Mystery" finds Hannah and Mike engaged as they solve a murder at a gym. The film starts with Hannah saying, "Hello stranger," as Mike walks into The Cookie Jar Bakery. In the world of the films, it's a reference to Mike's long hours at the police station, but it could also be interpreted as a nice way of acknowledging the fact that fans had not seen these characters in four years.

While Mike and Hannah are thinking about wedded bliss, Hannah's spin instructor Ronni Ward (Kat Ruston) is found dead in the gym's pool. As Mike works to find out who killed Ronni, he has another mystery on his hands: what Hannah wants for their wedding. When he spots wedding magazines that Delores gave to Hannah, he thinks that she wants a big wedding and does everything he can to make that possible. It's a move that makes Hannah confused. This amid Mike's own confusion when he notices that she's not wearing her engagement ring. Nevertheless, they continue to find ways to make each other happy as Hannah conducts her own investigation into Ronni's murder, even creating a cupcake raffle that could help her figure out who bought cookies from The Cookie Jar Bakery for Ronni shortly before she was found dead.

Norman finds love in "Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery," which was released in May 2023. Based on the 10th book, which shares the same name, this movie begins with the introduction of Norman's love interest Diana Graves (Julia Benson), who is in the midst of a battle over an old building that is being renovated. Following a surprise party for Norman's mother, he and Hannah find the body of a robbery suspect inside that building. This leads law enforcement to dive back into a case from 1995.

Mike takes Hannah to the scene so she can help him search for clues, and it's a move that has her digging deeper into the world of sleuthing. Alison Sweeney told TV Insider, "In some ways, she has more information than she ever has before because it is a cold case and so she does have access to some information in the same way that podcasters get closed cases. There is information [available] for the public, so she has a little more actual stuff from the case file than perhaps she has in the past."

She soon realizes that the present can help solve the past, and that leads her to discover that those who knew the suspect still live in town. Meanwhile, Mike and Hannah are still engaged, and Hannah seems to still be getting used to this new chapter while finding out that Mike is keeping a secret. She realizes that they may have to make a move that doesn't take them one step closer to the altar.

Hannah and Mike's relationship is on pause at the beginning of "A Zest for Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery." Released in October 2023, this movie is based on the fourth book, "Lemon Meringue Pie Murder." Ever since the first mystery, Hannah's mother Delores has been appalled by her sleuthing, concerned over the danger and dead bodies. Each movie usually showcases her scolding Hannah, hoping that she will take up a different hobby. This time, Delores finds herself in the middle of the mystery when she finds the body of Rhonda Scharf (Kendra Anderson) as she is touring a house with Hannah and her sister Michelle (Tess Atkins).

The investigation leads Mike closer to Hannah amid the pause in their relationship, but Delores believes that she should be taking the lead on this case. She finds herself sinking into research and doing everything she can to find Rhonda's killer, even making a suspect list. Meanwhile, Hannah is using photos that Michelle took to search for clues as she tries to avoid spending too much time with Mike. However, the investigation causes them to work side by side, helping them mend what was broken. It's the silver lining in another tragic murder case involving everyone's favorite baker-sleuth.

Professor Hannah Swensen is cooking up a storm at the local college in "One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery," which was released in April 2024. The movie (based on the thirteenth book in the series, which is titled "Apple Turnover Murder") begins with Hannah teaching the next generation of bakers how to create their own masterpieces. It's a fun class until a mysterious explosion occurs and fellow professor Bradford Ramsey (Oliver Rice) dies shortly after. As for Hannah and Mike, they're taking another break because he has decided to move to Quantico to join the FBI (Cameron Matheson's absence came a few months after Deadline reported that he had inked a deal to make content for Hallmark's competitor Great American Media, so, while it was a blow for fans of his character, it wasn't particularly shocking).

As Norman tries to spend more time with Hannah, she comes across a new love interest in the form of Chad (Victor Webster), a no-nonsense county prosecutor who is determined to help Hannah get to the bottom of her latest mystery. In a statement shared by TV Line, Alison Sweeney revealed that she was excited by the cast change. "I've always loved working with Victor — from our years in daytime to our work together on 'The Wedding Veil,'" she said. "When writing the script and developing this movie, I knew he'd be a great addition to the Hannah Swensen family and am thrilled that he said yes."

Chad is getting used to having Hannah around his crime scenes in "A Sprinkle of Deceit: A Hannah Swensen Mystery." This tenth film in the series was released in October 2024 and is based on the book 25, titled "Coconut Layer Cake Murder." Hannah has been asked to cater a high school reunion, but this happy occasion turns deadly when one of the attendees is killed. Michelle's boyfriend Lonny (Daylin Willis) is a prime suspect, meaning that Hannah wants to get close to the investigation in order to clear his name. It's all happening as a movie is filming in town, and the director is enamored by Delores, who literally runs toward the spotlight. However, she maintains her private eye career and helps Hannah and Chad with the investigation.

Chad is not too sure about Hannah joining him on another case, but the sheriff insists that it's a smart move due to her keen sleuthing skills. It's a decision that brings them closer, but as Alison Sweeney told Cinemablend, fans will have to wait a while to see their romance fully blossom. "I wanted the audience to fall in love with — I know they already love Victor — but fall in love with the character, Chad, and see where Chad and Hannah [go]. I didn't want to rush into anything," she explained when asked about the budding romance between her character and Chad. "They still have different agendas. They still have different goals. They need to [solve] the case, and so they're still at odds a bit." Sweeney knows how much Hallmark movies mean to the network's dedicated fan base, so it helps that Victor Webster is part of the Hallmark family, having appeared in the likes of "Love Blossoms," "Summer Villa," and "A Harvest Wedding."

Have you ever wondered why most Hallmark movies are filmed in Canada? It actually makes a lot of sense. Find out the reason right here.