Luanne Hanks

## Relations

**Daughter**: Suzie

**Mother**: Marjorie Hanks**Father**: Ned Hanks - *deceased*

## Books

*first introduced* Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

**Luanne Hanks** is a character in the Chocolate Chip Cookie Murderand mentioned throughout the Hannah Swensen Mystery series.

## Biography

She is a single young mother of Suzie (sometimes referred to as Susie) Hanks. Deceased Jamie Grant is the unknown father of Suzie, son of Lake Eden's Sheriff Grant and his wife Nettie Grant. Ned Hanks is Luanne's dad and has recently passed away. While a working mom, she starts her cosmetic business, Pretty Girl Cosmetics, at home to help pay bills. She is related to Marjorie Hanks.

### Personality

Luanne is a mature young woman who, while aware that she might have done something most would regret- she handled it with a calm head and managed to use her knowledge to help make ends up. She is very friendly and knows a fair amount about makeup, but at times can be a little meek or shy, and she does not like it when people try to show her charity.

She also shows a perceptive side, and was able to to deduce that Hannah wanted something from her when they met up, as well as remember how people like their coffee at work; which has paid off in her favor.

Though there were rumors, no one really knew who had fathered Luanne’s baby. Anyone who’d had gall to ask Luanne directly had received a perfectly polite, “I’d rather not say.”

### Early Years

Luanne attended school with Michelle, Hannah's youngest sister. She met [[Jamie Grant] at the Sheriff's station while she was helping her mother clean the station. Jamie was home from college for a few weeks and they spent part of every day together. When she became pregnant, she dropped out of school, but during this time she worked hard to earn the equivalency test for a diploma.

She works at the Café in town owned by Rose and Hal, and during the rest of the time she sold *Pretty Girl Cosmetics*. While she always tries to go for a sale, she also makes sure to be honest and see to it that her customers are happy.

## Relationships

### Jamie Grant

The summer Luanne was sixteen, she was helping her mother clean the Sheriff's offices and met Jamie when he was home from college. They spent two weeks together before he went back. After Jamie returned to school, Luanne discovered that she was pregnant and decided to keep the baby.

She wrote to Jamie but he died in a car crash before receiving her letter. The letter was sent on to his parents home with all of his belongings.

### Sheriff Grant

Their relationship was difficult, the Sheriff considered Luanne trash and threatened her if she told anyone that Jamie was the babies father. He told Luanne that the baby's father probably could be anyone.

He threatened her again, just before he died, when Nettie wanted to offer the other side of their duplex to Luanne and Suzie, even though Luanne was not going to accept the offer, the Sheriff wouldn't let her speak, just yelled at her until she left him.

### Nettie Grant

Nettie wanted to have a relationship with Luanne and Suzie but the Sheriff wouldn't allow it. But she did buy Suzie Christmas presents.

## Chronology

### Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

After Rhonda Scharf theorizes the lipstick Hannah and Bill was searching for came from the *Pretty Girl Cosmetics* Luanne carries, Hannah went off to pay her a visit. To avoid spilling details, Hannah claims she came for a specific shade of lipstick she saw before and was hoping Luanne could help. Luanne agreed and after finishing dinner, she brought her to her makeup stash in her home.

In this time, Hannah is well aware of how little Luanne has for Suzie, and she offered to give her the items Andrea has kept in their garage that Tracey outgrew or no longer played with. At first Luanne refused - until Hannah pointed out it would probably go to the trash dump in town otherwise. Luanne agreed to haul out the items and sort them for her, but Hannah made her agree to keep anything she could use.

As Hannah revealed the color she was looking for, she quickly explains that her mother used to wear it and Hannah wanted to surprise her when they met up on Tuesday. Luanne buys this excuse and reveals the color to be named *Pink Passion.* She admits it isn't a color she likes, but she does have it on stock for a single indivisual and goes on to reveal it comes from the theatrical line, which Danielle orders from exclusively, claiming it comes in handy for her skin problems.

Before Hannah takes off, she agreed to let Luanne give her a makeover for being so helpful to her and made sure to pick up a tube of lipstick.

### Blueberry Muffin Murder

In *Blueberry Muffin Murder* Delores Swensen has Luanne help out with makeup for the tourists that are having "period" portraits taken at the Ezekiel Jordan House that she set up for the Lake Eden Winter Carnival. Luanne was a big help to Delores and Carrie Rhodes so when the two older women decided to partner in an Antique business, Granny's Attic, they hired Luanne as their assistant. Luanne was able to leave the café job.

### Fudge Cupcake Murder

Hannah met up with Luanne to figure out why Nettie Grant had purchased something for her daughter. She went on to reveal to Hannah that it was because she is Suzie's grandmother, with her deceased son being the father. However, the reason she was unable to tell anyone was because Sheriff Grant threatened to fire her mother and went on to insult her.

Luanne was fearful that she is a suspect in the death of Sheriff Grant, bringing up that he gave her a hard time at the school when she showed up to attend Hannah's baking class. He confronted her about Nettie offering to let her move into the other half of the duplex, which he was very angry about, even though she refused. He then insulted Suzie and Luanne, causing her to take shelter in her car and cry until she calmed down enough to leave.

### Sugar Cookie Murder

Luanne tells Hannah that her mother, herself and Suzie were moving into the other half of Nettie's duplex so that Suzie can get to know her grandmother. She also mentions that since she will be in town, she can work longer hours at Granny's Attic, which should please Delores and Carrie.

## Trivia

* Hannah is said to admire Luanne for her ability to deal with changes in life as easily as she does.
* For unknown reasons, she is intimidated by Bill.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Fluke, Joanne. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen series Book 1) (p. 60). Kensington Books. Kindle Edition.