Death of a Kitchen Diva

Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery #1

by Lee Hollis

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

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Romance, Audiobook, Ebooks

327 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 2012

About the author

Lee Hollis is the pen name for Rick Copp and his sister Holly Simason.

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several years ago, I fell in love with Bar Harbor, Maine, even tried to move to the state but couldn't align my remote work options... instead, I live vicariously through books. First up was a Barbara Ross series, and when she wrote a novella with two other authors whose books were set in Maine, I decided to give them a chance. This week, I finished a different series, which I decided was permission to begin a new series, thus my reading Death of a Kitchen Diva, the debut Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery book. What a great find! I really enjoyed this one's characters and the author's approach to included recipes. Hayley wants a raise but the boss has no money, so when a columnist retires, he gives the food column to Hayley. She's a fantastic home cook, and he believes she can do something great for the local paper. Except... her first column is just a conversational piece that's fluff. He assumes she'll flop, yet residents love it. Well... one doesn't, the rival food critic at another paper. That woman ends up dead, and Hayley is the prime suspect. Oops! She bargained for way more than she expected this time. Even her kids wonder whether their mom is guilty. Excellent first in-series, and I will definitely read the whole series, probably this year so by 2023, I'm caught up for the newest book, maybe even start some of her other series too.

[Book Concierge · Rating 1 out of 5]

ZERO stars

This cozy mystery is the first in the Hayley Powell Food & Cocktails Mystery series. Hayley is a single mother of two teenagers in Bar Harbor, Maine. She works at the Island Times newspaper as the office manager, but when the much-loved food columnist finally retires, Hayley steps in to that role. Unfortunately, she immediately runs afoul of the rival newspaper’s kitchen diva, and everyone in town is soon aware of the bad blood between Hayley and Karen Appelbaum. So when Karen is found poisoned, suspicion is immediately focused on Hayley.

Okay, there’s a decent idea for a cozy here. But the execution (and I use that word purposely) is terrible. The characters are cardboard cutouts, the plot (thin as it is) is completely ridiculous, and the dialogue is tortured. None of the characters – victim, suspects, Hayley, her friends, her brother, the police chief, her fellow reporters, etc – has an ounce of sense. They are simply too stupid to live. The author pads the book with nonsense – colorful descriptions of the dog, or the librarian, or the hunky groundskeeper – that does little or nothing to advance the plot or explain the characters’ motivations.

I kept reading only because fulfilled several challenges. At least it was a fast read.

[Melodie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some not bad sounding recipes, but other than that pretty ho-hum. Didn't care for the writing style at all.

[Elle G. Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Release Date: March 1, 2012
Actual Rating: 5 stars

Cozy Mystery | Culinary | Humor

OMG I absolutely LOVED this book! I read it in one sitting while lounging in my pool and couldn’t get enough of it. It’s charming, hilarious, and has a wonderful mystery that keeps you guessing until the bitter end! I actually loved it so much that I went ahead and ordered the next 4 books in the series because I know it’s going to be a top favorite of mine. That my friends, is a winner! I usually wait to read a few books before purchasing the authors backlist, but I can’t stop, and I need these books! I think this makes it pretty clear that I highly recommend this one.

I don’t need to rehash the entire plot in my review because if you’re a cozy mystery reader like me you know how these types of stories go. However, what makes this one stand apart from many of the other cozies I’ve read is the characters. Hayley is a single mom who works as a columnist at a local paper who writes recipes for the readers. She’s new to the job and makes a rival out of someone else who does it for another paper (who also happens to be the victim of the crime) but takes the heat in stride. She’s funny, sassy, and smart! Her two goofball friends also make this story glow and I laughed at their antics the whole way through. The possibility of a romance starts to bloom in this series starter, and I look forward to watching Hayley grow and find love (hopefully). I’m so excited to see what she gets up to next!

If you’re a cozy mystery lover (especially if you love culinary cozies with delicious recipes included) then this series is a must have for you! I can’t recommend it enough. It belongs on the list of my top favorite cozy series which include the following:

1. The Hannah Swensen Mystery series: find it here
2. The Scrumble River Mystery series: find it here
3. The Lucy Stone Mystery series: find it here

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading one of the latest books in this series and falling in love with it, I decided that I just had to return to beginning where it all began. DEATH OF A KITCHEN DIVA is the first book in the Hayley Powell Food and Cocktail Mystery series. This series is unique because it employs a few different techniques. For example, a lot of Cozy Mysteries have recipes included inside but in this series, the recipes act as part of the story. Hayley is a Food and Cocktail columnist and in this book we discover how that all came to be. As she writes personal articles about herself and her life, you definitely learn more about her. I used to wonder about this technique because sometimes I do feel like it can disrupt the flow of the mystery, especially when things start to get intense. However, now I have really come to appreciate it.

In this way we are really able to connect with Hayley’s character and get inside of her head. So actually, her recipes become that much more personal, as if it’s a friend who is giving you a homemade family recipe.

One other thing I really enjoyed about this book is the humor. I read a lot of books and sometimes the author tries really hard to create that upbeat atmosphere. A lot of the time it can be forced, but Hollis does a really good job of finding that balance. Not only are the jokes actually hilarious, but they aren’t so abundant that they detract from the mystery. I’ve really fallen in love with this series and I’m looking forward to reading more from Lee Hollis.

[Anastasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Death of a Kitchen Diva by Lee Hollis is the first book in the Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery series. Hayley takes over writing the Bar Harbor Island Times food column and becomes an instant hit. When rival food writer Karen Appelbaum is found murdered after a public altercation with Hayley, Hayley is accused of the crime and sets off to clear her name. I enjoyed this book very much. I liked the quirky characters, and there were plenty of fun and crazy moments. My main complaint is starting the book with Hayleys arrest before we know anything that has happened. I feel it would have been better if the story was kept in sequence rather than going backwards. The 'if only she had known' comments were also a bit repetitive. I loved Hayley's food column and recipes. A typical cozy mystery with humour and plenty of silly moments.

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adding some thoughts to this older review now:
I enjoyed this book just as much the second time around, because (big surprise) I didn't remember whodunit! I fell for most of the red herrings, then finally put things together around the time that Hayley was doing the same. I loved Mona's part in the showdown and could picture this happening on TV. I wanted to give this a reread, because I had been planning to read the next book, which I'm actually going to do next.

Original review from 2017:
Could barely put it down

This was a really awesome series start and I definitely look forward to continuing this series. Hayley's two friends Mona and Liddy cracked me up and so did her kids. I loved her love of NCIS and especially its handsome star, totally agree with that! I enjoyed the story itself very much and never guessed the perp until it was revealed.

[Mr Francy Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I AM 100% CONVINCED THAT THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN FOR ME!!!!

I came into reading this book, having forgotten that I'd actually set up a buddy Read for it. Not only had I forgotten about the body read, but The audio book of this Book has been saved to my Scribd account for over a year.
From the moment I began this book, all I could think was “Why did it take so long for me to finally start reading it?” This book contained everything I could ever possibly want anymore from a cosy mystery series!!!
We follow our protagonist, whose name is Haley Powell We follow our protagonist, whose name is Haley Powell who writes a cooking column. Haley has a rival who writes a cooking column for the only other newspaper in the town. The two have been rivals for a little while, but one day the rival reaches out to her and asks if they can mend their bridges. Haley agrees and goes over to her place, but when she gets there, it's to find out That the rival has been murdered. Haley becomes the number one suspect an has to solve the crime to take herself off the suspect list.
This book was every single thing that I want to cosy to be.
Hayley Powell as a protagonist was fantastic. Her friends were so much fun, the mystery was incredibly intriguing and the cosy side was awesome too. Following Haley working at her newspaper and writing the articles, as well as getting her recipes, an recipe, tidbits everything about this book just screamed the book for me.
And want to know something even better? I recently found out that there are 15 books in this series. Woo Hoo!
An overwhelming five stars from me.
5 Stars!
xoxo.

[Bree Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a tricky one that has me in the middle of the road. I actually liked the way the story was told which I think perturbed some readers. The story had so much potential to be great’ish but the moments of Wrong in this book were WRONGs that sucked me out of the story. So while it was a good time, very quick listen it wasn’t a perfect read. I feel like the author picked and chose what she wanted to be woke about..like her choice to oversplain about the character’s brother being gay.literally SO MUCH page time about the history in Maine and laws passed that show it’s accepted and even more when we she decides to unload the backstory about his partner Sergio who speaks Portuguese. All I need to know is they are partners. The oversplaining felt really weird to me. Like..okay lady I get it, you’re “cool” with gay people. By doing the most though..I’m starting to look at you sideways.
But it’s like you’re woke about that but then use Sergio’s language difference as the butt of jokes trying to disguise it by comparing him to Ricky Ricardo..WHAT!? But then also a character shares that for the next costume party she’ll be dressing up as SCARLET O’HARA. I get it. Gone With the Wind is the favorite read of so many, even some of my closest friends BUT as I paid more attention to how references were used and in the context..it just kind of made me cringe.

[Linda Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course I like it - my ice cream shop serves as a setting for one of the scenes!

[Debra B · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars

[T K Nelson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Made it to chapter seven. Maybe that's not long enough to get a feel for where the book was going but so many things about the characters were off-putting. I believe the dialog was supposed to be snappy and humorous but it was mostly insulting and/or immature.

I've had this book on my to-be-read shelf since it first came out. Twelve years of taking up space is long enough. After multiple times starting it, this time I surrender and in the recycle bag it goes.

[Camille · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick synopsis: Hayley, divorced single mother of two, works at a local newspaper writing a food column when she is wrongly accused of murdering her competitor, a food column writer at the other newspaper in town. With the help of her friends and family, she goes on a mission to discover the identity of the real killer to clear her name.

My review: This book was a silly, quick read. I'm a fan of the cozy mystery genre, but this one was a little bit lackluster. It did, however, have all the major components that one looks for in a cozy: middle aged heroine with a pet, a murder that the police seem either inept or uninterested in solving, a love interest who is mysterious and handsome and completely enamored with the heroine, and lots of recipes throughout.

I found that many of the characters actions were unbelievable, especially the main character Hailey. Some of the things she did seemed out of character and completely "over the top". Also, the book often veered off track into back-stories and side-notes in a way that took you out of the moment, and weren't necessary to the plot. The recipes were fun to read, and there are quite a few of them for those who love to have recipes with their cozies, but the "food columns" that went with the recipes seemed rather unprofessional for a newspaper, they felt more like blog entries rather than something you'd see in a real newspaper.

Overall I wouldn't recommend this book, except to avid cozy readers. Especially if you enjoy a side of guffaw and a few eye-rolls with your cozy. :)

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I Liked: The pacing was really good, which is a major point for me. The writing was good, but there was a lot of errors. Not enough to hinder the reading, but they were noticeable. I loved the mystery, and I didn't even figure out the 'Whodunit' until Haley did. Major props for that because I was so surprised!

What I Didn't Like: Mainly I had issues with the characters. I just couldn't connect with them. They were a bit petty and childish. Personally, most of the drama felt like something you'd witness in the hallways of public high schools… I also didn't like the "articles" Hayley wrote. Though the recipes were okay.

Overall Impression: Once I let go and just read the book, it was moderately enjoyable. It was recommended to me by my mother based on it being funny (which I did not think it was), so I felt obligated to read it all. But it came very close several times to being a DNF, the pacing saved it in the long run though.

Even though it was somewhat enjoyable, it doesn't warrant a re-read, and I doubt I'll read the other installments in the series. I would recommend it to fans of cozies that like cooking though. There were a couple recipes in there that I plan to try!

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really 4.5 stars, but I rounded up.

When I sat down and started reading this I never expected it to be as good as it was. This book was engrossing, engaging, and simply fun!

Hayley was wonderful; she was extremely realistic. She really didn't pay too much attention to her children, which I thought was strange, but she was running off her feet during the book, so it was easily overlooked. The rest of the characters were also well written and I really want to know more about Lex and Bruce.

The setting was wonderful; I seriously think that Maine is the most used setting for cozies. The mystery was very good. Unfortunately, however, I guessed the culprit about ten pages before the reveal.

One word to describe this book would be wonderful. I had so many laugh-out-loud moments and I absolutely couldn't put it down. A definite beach read. Highly recommend!

[CheyAnn Robin ·ᴥ· · Rating 3 out of 5]

How is anyone supposed to take this book seriously??🤣 It's so unhinged. it's like the authors tried throwing in as many typical cozy mystery tropes into one book.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cozy mystery was such a fun surprise! Set in charming Bar Harbor, Maine, it follows Hayley Powell, a single mom of two teenagers, who goes from office manager to food columnist for her local paper. I adored the writing style and dialogue; it’s fast paced, witty, and full of humor that perfectly fit my taste. Hayley’s voice made me giggle more than once, and her recipes sprinkled throughout were such a cute and yummy touch.

Her friendship dynamic with Mona and Liddy adds even more personality and warmth, giving the story that small town coziness I love in a mystery. Her relationship with her brother, Randy was also entertaining and fun. Death of a Kitchen Diva is clever, sassy, and full of heart—an absolute delight for anyone who loves humor with their whodunit.

[Jasi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characters are fantastic and had me giggling within the first few chapters. I even figured out whodunit, I mean it was towards the end right before the reveal, but I guessed it correctly! 😆

I definitely look forward to continuing this series!

[Ronna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Small town newspaper office manager, Hayley Powell, finds a little extra income by taking over her newspaper's food recipe column. She's in competition with the town's larger newspaper's foodie columnist. When they both come out with the same recipe for clam chowder tongues wag. Worse still, when Hayley goes to confront her competitor, she finds her dead on the floor with her spilled chowder. Being the main murder suspect sends Hayley on a dangerous path to prove her innocence.

This start to a new cozy series has potential, but needs to improve to win me over. Hayley's parenting skills have a lot to be desired. Though my biggest issue was that the murderer really wasn't discussed enough in the book to give the reader a chance to discover who they were. The recipe columns were perhaps the best part of the book. Will give the next in the series a try before deciding to continue with this series or not.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I randomly picked this up one day at Target. It looked light and fluffy. It was. The "heroine" is one of those annoying females seen so often in cozy mysteries that bumbles her way into dangerous situations without a moment's thought to her safety or anyone else's. She annoyed the hell outta me. She was, at best, a neglectful mother. At one point, her daughter actually argues that it's actually good that they're having pizza for dinner again because if her mom cooked for them every night then she'd be a statistic in the childhood obesity epidemic. The mom agreed. Um, huh?

Still, overall, it wasn't a bad one. The Who in Whodunit wasn't apparent from the beginning, though mostly because the information came in drips and drabs, so you wouldn't be able to see it. I doubt I'd read any more unless I stumble across them at the used book store or something, but it wasn't bad.

[Berit☀️✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very enjoyable cozy mystery series, with some fantastic characters. I read books 6 in the series, for some reason, and then decided to start at the beginning. It was fun to get a little more of Haley's backstory, as well as the backstory to her friends and family. The Mistry it was pretty typical of a cozy Mistry, but I still didn't know who the guilty party was. It is always funny with this type of book, they usually take place in a small town, a small town with a lot of murder! I will definitely be reading more in the series, and they all have food on the cover! ;-)

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

The mystery was done fairly well, though such a short rivalry seems like a silly thing to get so out of hand, but I wasn’t a big fan of the writing style or characters. The “articles” Hayley wrote could barely pass as blog posts and the recipes were uninspired. The fat jokes and sexism were a bit much and none of the characters were very believable.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun start to the series!

I enjoyed this first entry in the series. Hayley is like able and I enjoyed her columns throughout the book. The supporting characters were fun and the mystery kept me guessing. #readforkimberly

[Heidi McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, cozy mystery! Quick read! I'll read more by her.

[Under the Covers Book Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading one of the latest books in this series and falling in love with it, I decided that I just had to return to beginning where it all began. DEATH OF A KITCHEN DIVA is the first book in the Hayley Powell Food and Cocktail Mystery series. This series is unique because it employs a few different techniques. For example, a lot of Cozy Mysteries have recipes included inside but in this series, the recipes act as part of the story. Hayley is a Food and Cocktail columnist and in this book we discover how that all came to be. As she writes personal articles about herself and her life, you definitely learn more about her. I used to wonder about this technique because sometimes I do feel like it can disrupt the flow of the mystery, especially when things start to get intense. However, now I have really come to appreciate it.

In this way we are really able to connect with Hayley’s character and get inside of her head. So actually, her recipes become that much more personal, as if it’s a friend who is giving you a homemade family recipe.

One other thing I really enjoyed about this book is the humor. I read a lot of books and sometimes the author tries really hard to create that upbeat atmosphere. A lot of the time it can be forced, but Hollis does a really good job of finding that balance. Not only are the jokes actually hilarious, but they aren’t so abundant that they detract from the mystery. I’ve really fallen in love with this series and I’m looking forward to reading more from Lee Hollis.

*Reviewed by Annie❤ ♡ Don't want to miss any of our posts? Subscribe to our blog by email! ♡ ❤

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hayley Powell is the office manager at the Island Times and when the paper’s food columnist decides to retire Hayley is given a new assignment as the new food writer. Being a single mom of two teenagers turning down an extra fifty or so a week isn’t going to happen. Hayley isn’t a writer, so she goes at it her own way! The day’s events and what her doggie, Leroy is up to make her column. It is met with much success.
We meet Hayley’s two best friends and her brother who happens to own the local bar. The relationship of these characters is odd. I never felt warmth or cared for them. They are petty and written to extremes.
When rival food writer Karen suddenly turns nasty and starts framing Hayley for little things it is no wonder she is the number one suspect in Karen’s eventual murder.
There are a few situations in this book that were just so unbelievable and badly meshed. They characters were also slightly unbelievable. I really wouldn’t recommend this one to my friends.
There is enough humor and pace to keep it entertaining so I gave it 3.5 instead of 3 stars. It isn’t a bad story, just not a great one.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mystery plot was very, very good. As the plot unfolded, many different characters looked like they could have been the murderer. However, the main character, Hayley Powell, was ditzy, yet still likable. She had two best friends, Liddy Crawford and Mona Barnes. Liddy was also ditzy. Mona was much better! She was the responsible one with five young children, a disabled husband and a family business to run because she was the breadwinner in her family. Before reading this book, I was already somewhat familiar with the characters because I had read two novellas in the Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery series: Death by Yule Log and Death of a Halloween Party Monster. Reading those two novellas made me interested in finding out just where it all began for Hayley Powell. While it's not my favorite cozy mystery series, I have become somewhat fond of the characters and expect to read more of Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mysteries.

[Heidi Prockish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! So good! I can't believe I didn't know about this series before now.

[Jessica Robbins · Rating 4 out of 5]

For complete review check out my blog at https://booksaplentybookreviews.blogs...

[Martha Leblanc · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one has it all. !!!!!!!

Throughly enjoyed this delightfully funny , suspense filled book. Can't wait for the next one. Really relatable single Mom with the angst of teenagers.