Welcome to Bar Harbor, Maine, one of New England's most idyllic coastal towns. But as new food writer Hayley Powell is about to find out, the occasional murder can take a bite out of seaside bliss. . .
Single mom Hayley Powell is barely keeping her leaking roof over her head when her boss at the Island Times gives her a new assignment--taking over the paper's food column. Hayley's not sure she has the chops--she's an office manager, not a writer, even if her friends clamor for her mouth-watering potluck dishes. But the extra income is tempting, and Hayley's chatty first column is suddenly on everyone's menu--with one exception.
When rival food writer Karen Appelbaum is found face-down dead in a bowl of Hayley's creamy clam chowder, all signs point to Hayley. To clear her name, she'll have to enlist some help, including her BFFs, a perpetually pregnant lobster woman, and a glamorous real estate agent. As she whips up a list of suspects, Hayley discovers a juicy secret about the victim--and finds herself in a dangerous mix with a cold-blooded killer.
Includes seven delectable recipes from Hayley's kitchen!
"What a delicious debut mystery!" –Laura Levine
"A delicious read that I ate up in one sitting." –Isis Crawford
More Mouth-Watering Praise For Lee Hollis And Hayley Powell!
"Sleuth Hayley Powell slides down as easily as one of her Lemon Drop Martinis (recipe included) and readers will be calling for a second round from author Lee Hollis." --Leslie Meier, author of Chocolate Covered Murder
"Delicious and satisfying. Another course, please." –Carolyn Hart
More Mouth-Watering Praise For Lee Hollis And Hayley Powell!
"Sleuth Hayley Powell slides down as easily as one of her Lemon Drop Martinis (recipe included) and readers will be calling for a second round from author Lee Hollis." --Leslie Meier, author of Chocolate Covered Murder
It's always a disappointment when you have high hopes for a new series and find the first book a let down. When I'm reading a really good book it doesn't feel like I'm reading so much as watching a play unfold in my head. Reading Death of a Kitchen Diva didn't feel like that - I was painfully aware that I was reading dialogue the whole first half of the book and it made the experience feel forced and stilted. The book did improve a great deal a little over half way through and a few of the characters found their groove and started to come alive on the page. Her kids were great fun from the beginning of the book, but her best friends came into their own later in the story.
The plot was well done and if it hadn't been for a scene inserted awkwardly into the story early on, I would never have guessed the murderer.
I really enjoyed Hayley's columns inserted throughout the book - in these, Hayley came into her own in a way the authors didn't quite achieve in the rest of the book, showing a bold, quirky, laugh-at-herself personality. I'll probably read the next one but with a bit of trepidation, and with my fingers crossed that the kinks will be worked out.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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11 March, 2012:
Finished reading
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11 March, 2012:
Reviewed