Mike Kingston

* Biography
* Novels Chronology
* Movies Chronology

## Books

1st appearance Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

Senior Chief Detective **Mike Kingston** is one of Hannah's boyfriends.

## Biography

Mike is a senior Detective with the Winnetka County Sheriff’s Office. He relocated from Minneapolis as he wanted a change after the death of his wife and unborn child. His wife, a nurse, was caught in the crossfire between to rival gangs, about two years before the start of the series. The entire Minneapolis police force was involved in hunting down her killer, they caught him, but one of the arresting officers made a mistake and judge throw out his case due to a technicality. Mike and his partner, eventually arrested him for another murder and was very careful to ensure everything was done correctly, this has resulted in Mike being very strict with following procedures. He decided he needed a change from Minneapolis and his life there, so applied for the Detective position for Winnetka County and was hired as the Senior Chief Detective.
He lives at The Oaks apartment complex and has a perpetually empty stomach.

### Personality

Mike is a friendly guy, although he can be a bit gruff, especially when he is working, and is a strictly by-the-book guy. He always has to tell Hannah not to get involved in his cases, and once he realizes she's not going to listen, he warns her to be careful. He cares very much for Hannah, but does have a bit of a wandering eye when it comes to women. He's dated several other women while he was dating Hannah (incidentally, several of them have ended up as murder victims!)

## Relationships

**Wife of Mike Kingston** -her name is undisclosed throughout the Hannah Swensen cozy mystery series by Joanne Fluke.

Hannah Swensen- main character as an amateur sleuth and helps solves murders with (sometimes with but mostly without) Mike. She owns The Cookie Jar bakery that unsurprisingly brought her baking talents to more than life itself in the little Minnesota town.

Shawna Lee Quinn - it's not clear if they were actually involved, but she had a thing for Mike.

Vanessa Quinn - It is unclear if they have anything going beyond the wake for Shawna Lee Quinn

Ronni Ward - In Carrot Cake Murder Ronni has moved back to Lake Eden and is once again working for the Sheriff's department as a fitness instructor. She has moved into an apartment next to Mike. Hannah sees them out having pizza. When Hannah asks Mike back to her condo to watch a movie, he tells her that he has to pick up Ronni at the Mall because she is having problems with car.

Dr. Beverly Thorndike

Missy - a waitress at the Corner Tavern

## References

Fluke, Joanne. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen series Book 1) (p. 254). Kensington Books. Kindle Edition.

## Books

All Complete Series

Senior Chief Detective **Mike Kingston** is one of Hannah's boyfriends.

## Chronology by Novel

### Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

Mike arrives at Lake Eden as Bll’s senior partner. Bill invites him to his house for a pizza party that includes both Hannah and Delores.

### Strawberry Shortcake Murder

Mike escorts Hannah her to the Hartland Flour Dessert Bake-Off party at the Lake Eden Inn.
When Boyd is murdered, Mike and Bill zero in on  Danielle so Hannah decides to investigate to make sure the real culprit is caught.
Mike and Bill arrive in time to take him in to custody for the murder of Lucy Richards and Boyd Watson, after Hannah has recorded a full confession from him.

### Blueberry Muffin Murder

Mike and Hannah continue to occasionally date and Andrea and Bill continue to throw them together. When a visiting Celebrity cooking show hostess is found dead in Hannah’s pantry at The Cookie Jar, Mike shuts Hannah out of her kitchen and closes down her business until they catch the killer. He also tells Hannah that she is to stay out of his investigation, but Hannah has other ideas, coupled with her business being closed and Andrea’s old school friend being “a person of interest”, Hannah digs into what happened to Connie Mac.
She eventually discovers that it was Connie Mac’s insistence that there be only one Kitchen store in the Tri-County Mall and they could choose between their existing store or her new boutique. The mall dissolved Greg’s contract with them and leased the same space to Connie Mac. When Greg confronts Hannah at the “Connie Mac Kitchen Boutique” and tries to silence her, Andrea calls the Sheriff’s office and Mike and Bill arrive in time to rescue Hannah.
Despite both of them dating Hannah, Mike and Norman start to become friends.

### Lemon Meringue Pie Murder

When Mike learns that Norman is building a large new house by the lake, he is worried that Norman had asked Hannah to marry him and that she had accepted. Hannah clear up his misconception and Mike tells her that she has to tell him right away if Norman proposes.

Delores finds the body of Rhonda Scharf in the basement of the house Norman just bought from Rhonda. Mike makes Hannah promise to stay out of the investigation. Hannah actually has no interest in investigating, but Delores insists that if Hannah wont investigate she will.
The Sheriff and his deputies have a pool going on how soon Hannah will change her mind about investigating, Mike won it.

### Fudge Cupcake Murder

After Sheriff Grant is killed, Mike becomes the acting Sheriff until the elections. He invites one of the secretaries, Shawna Lee Quinn, from his old offices in Minneapolis to Lake Eden. When Barbara Donnelly, the Sheriff’s secretary, takes a leave of absence, Shawna Lee becomes Mike’s temporary secretary. Shawna Lee took an apartment in Mike’s complex and is always asking him for help and he seems more then willing to help her. This situation begins to put a strain on his relationship with Hannah.
Mike and Bill arrive at the Salvage Yard for routine questioning, just in time to save Hannah from the car crusher and to arrest Ted

### Sugar Cookie Murder

Mike arrives late to the community holiday buffet after taking Shawna Lee Quinn to the airport, but just in time for Hannah to tell him about the dead body she found in the snow. Wile the entire community is snowed in at the buffet dinner, Mike and Hannah try to keep the murder under wraps and to find the killer. Mike makes it perfectly clear that he doesn’t want Hannah’s help and gets very short with her whenever she tries to give him new information.

### Peach Cobbler Murder

Shawna Lee Quinn is murdered after she opens the Magnolia Blossom Bakery and Mike considers Hannah as the prime suspect. Hannah must investigate to clear her name. Mike seems to be helping Shawna Lee’s sister and business partner a little too often for Hannah.
After Hannah gives Mike all of the information on who shot Shawna Lee and the mistaken identification, Mike puts a surveillance on Vanessa. When Vanessa attempts to flee, he and the deputies arrest her.
At the end of the book, when the story skips ahead to after the Elections and the celebration, Mike admits to Hannah that he was ready for marriage again and proposes. Before Hannah answers Mike, Norman has Mike paged and while he is gone proposes to Hannah, too. She tells them both that she has to think about it.

### Cherry Cheesecake Murder

All of Lake Eden is after Hannah to make up her mind as it is causing both Norman and Mike a lot of anxiety. After six phone calls from various people, including Bill, the new Sheriff, and the Mayor, Hannah is steaming. Hannah discovers that both Norman and Mike are at Hal & Rose's Cafe downing cups of coffee, she storms in and discovers that Hal is running a betting pool on which one she will choose. She tells both of them “No” and that when she is ready to get married she will do the asking. They both ask her if she will still go out with them and she tells them yes.
Then a movie company comes to Lake Eden and Mike discovers that the producer-writer, Ross Barton is an old college chum of Hannah’s. When Ross starts taking Hannah out on dates and spending time with her, they both attempt to ensure that she isn’t alone with him.

### Key Lime Pie Murder

Mike investigates the burglary of the Rodeo’s office at the Tri-County Fair while Hannah’s an official judge of the Baked Goods.
When Norman’s photograph of Hannah wins first place, Mike buys it for the price the judges set so he wouldn’t lose out in the silent auction.
When Hannah’s fellow judge, Willa Sunquist is murder Mike leads the investigation into her death and uncovers some of her secrets.

When Hannah is pursued by the killer she calls Norman from her new cell phone and he calls Mike to tell him that Hannah is in trouble. Mike races to the rescue, but Hannah throws her new cell phone at the culprit and hits in the head, giving Mike the help he needed.

### Carrot Cake Murder

When Hannah once again finds a murder victim, Mike seems to have finally accepted that she is going to investigate so he suggests that they share information. Only Mike isn't sharing everything he knows with Hannah and Hannah is bothered by it. When Hannah also sees Mike and Ronni Ward having pizza together she is upset.

When Hannah and Michelle race off to save Patsy's life, Andrea and Marge calls the Sheriff's office and Mike arrives at the lake in time to capture Mac and save Hannah.

At the end of the book Mike turns down Hannah's invitation to watch movies at her condo, because he has to pick up Ronni at the Mall.

### Cream Puff Murder

Mike is removed from investigating Ronni’s murder because he was involved with her and didn’t have an alibi. He goes to Rhondes to pass on a message to Hannah that he also promised not to talk to her. But besides giving Norman messages for her, he calls her in the middle of the night and expects her to jump and tell him everything she finds out as well as follow his instructions on how to investigate the murder.

When Mike thinks that Hannah slept with Norman he finally admits to her that he was sleeping with Ronni, but that it didn’t mean anything, it is just what adults do, in his words.

When he was finally cleared and allowed back in the investigation, he dismissed Hannah and told her to go back to baking.
In the end he was there to rescue Hannah, “’’I’ve been such a louse,” he said, placing her on a gurney. “I am such a louse. But I love you, Hannah. I love you more than anyone else in the world’’.”

At Delores’ book launch party, he is sure that she had based the Hero of her story on him, Hannah just responded with “Amazing”!

### Plum Pudding Murder

Mike has seen Carrie Rhodes shopping at the mall several times and he thinks she is acting a bit guilty. He thinks she is shop lifting and confines in Hannah. Hannah is convinced that isn't the problem but she isn't sure what Carrie is up too.

At the end, Mike has to shoot Kimberly Whiting to prevent her from killing Hannah.

### Apple Turnover Murder

When Bradford Ramsey is murdered, Hannah tells him everything about her past with Bradford and that she had threatened to kill him just moments before he was murdered.

### Blackberry Pie Murder

When Mike is ordered by Sheriff Todd to arrest Hannah he refuses and is suspended without pay. He helps Hannah investigate Keith Branson and arranges a contact for her with the Minneapolis police.

### Banana Cream Pie Murder

When Delores calls and tells Mike that she heard loud noises coming from Victoria Bascomb's condo but there is no answer to her knocking, he tells Delores to wait for him and Lonnie, but she doesn't wait.

### Chocolate Cream Pie Murder

Discovers Ross Barton murdered at Hannah's condo and tries to keep her out, but she pushes past him.
When Hannah stumbles on to the murderer, she texts Mike and he rushes to save her in the nick of time.

### Coconut Layer Cake Murder

Mike's partner, Lonnie Murphy is the prime suspect in the murder of Darcy Hicks.

### Caramel Pecan Roll Murder

Mike asks for Hannah's help because he just doesn't care about investigating the murder of Sonny Bowman. Once again he saves Hannah from being killed at the water lily garden at Eden Lake.

He confines in Hannah that he is planning on resigning from the Sheriff's department

## References

1. ↑ Fluke, Joanne. Cream Puff Murder (Hannah Swensen series Book 11) (p. 301). Kensington Books. Kindle Edition.

## Murder, She Baked

Is a series of movies created by Hallmark