Death of a Chocoholic

Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery #4

by Lee Hollis

Food and cocktails columnist Hayley Powell is not looking for love this Valentine's Day. Of course she also isn't planning on looking for a murderer. . .

Fed up with dating after a disastrous setup, the only thing Hayley wants to snuggle up to is a box of made-to-order chocolates from plus-sized, plus-mouthed chocolatier Bessie Winthrop. But when Bessie is found dead in her kitchen, only Hayley suspects that Bessie's "heart attack" might actually be a candy-coated murder.

Turns out Bessie had more enemies than a boxful of chocolates, each one a suspicious flavor. It's sticky business juggling a job, two teenagers and finding a killer, but it's better than letting a killer find Hayley first. . .

Includes seven delectable recipes from Hayley's kitchen!

Praise for Death of a Country Fried Redneck

"Snappy pace, fun characters, and a clever plot. A tasty entrée for the culinary cozy crowd." --Library Journal

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary

346 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

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

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death of a Chocoholic is the 4th book in the Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mysteries written by Lee Hollis. I began reading this series because it is set in Bar Harbor, Maine, an area I'd love to live in one day. In this installment, Hayley's writing two columns for the paper while a colleague is on vacation, and the new one just happens to be the crime beat. After a string of burglaries plagues the town, and Hayley witness four different people berate a local woman named Bessie, she steps in to help. Unfortunately, all the rumors are true... Bessie is a hoarder living with a dozen cats, and her desire to build a chocolate shop is immense but built on a flawed plan. Too bad every time Hayley gets stuck tasting a new sample, she finds cat hair in it. What a turnoff! But Hayley has a good heart, and when Bessie acts odd on a phone call and goes silent during the conversation, Hayley checks it out. Add another dead body to her resume, and this time, no one believes it was foul play. Simply a heart attack. Hayley keeps investigating until she discovers the truth. Enjoyed this one, but there were a few scenes with the chocolatier and the cats; why would Hayley not say something about the cat hair in the food, i.e. "Hey Bess, if you want to be successful, this might stop you from succeeding. Can you try to do something different?" Otherwise, it flowed nicely and had a bunch of possible suspects. The culprit kinda came out of nowhere, and I think it was a bit cobbled together... that said, sometimes the plots need to be as eccentric as their characters, so it worked for me.

[Elle G. Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Death of a Chocoholic is book 4 in the Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery series! I recommend reading these books in order as there is growth in the characters’ lives as the series progresses.

If you’re a fan of cozy mystery series, then this one is a MUST read. It’s so funny (I love Hayley and her friends), has delicious recipes (this book focuses on a lot of chocolate), and a murder mystery that will leave you stumped. With so many suspects its hard to figure out who the real killer is! This one also has some Valentine’s themes in it so I felt like it was the perfect time to read. However, it’s not solely focused on Valentine’s Day so you can read it any time of year. I definitely recommend it (and the whole series) though!

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death of a Chocoholic by Lee Hollis is book 4 in the Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery series. Hayley befriends Bessie Winthrop, who is trying to start a business selling chocolates. When Bessie dies suddenly while on the phone to Hayley, Hayley suspects murder, especially when she finds a message from Bessie in a chocolate claiming that some-one was trying to kill her. A fun book, although I wish that Hayley would not be so quick to agree to things she does not want to do. Blueberry the cat is just evil. I love Hayley's column and the recipes sound delicious.

[Kammie]

I can't wait to get this book! If a fellow chocoholic wrote it, it has to be great. After the holidays I am going to settle down to read the day away.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/4 stars
I've read a few novellas and one full-length novel in this series before reading this one. I like the main character of Hayley and the food blog with recipes that are included in the book. Hayley and her frirends can come across somewhat shallow at times, but I really appreciated the compassion Hayley showed for the woman who becomes the victim and was looking for a friend. The humor in the book is broad and sometimes fun and silly, but other times a little cringeworthy. However, overall, it's an entertaining book with an interesting mystery. Fans of the series will enjoy this installment.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable! Death of a Chocoholic by Lee Hollis is the first book in the Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails cozy mystery series that I've read (although I did read the anthology Eggnog Murder) and I really liked it! Funny and cozy with food, drinks and mystery blended well, it kept me guessing until the very end as to the identity of the murderer. Well written and a pleasure! A+

[Ann Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ordinarily I like Ms Hollis's books but someone forgot to proof read this one. I am disappointed by this book.
Lazy discrepancies are a pet peeve of mine. Like Bessie's car is broken (chapter 5) with no money to fix but she is driving it in chapter 9. In Chapter 7 Hayley is dropping 7 yr old son off at the Middle School? Hayley dropped Bessie's camera chapter 14, when surprised by Police chief Sergio but was able to make copies of pictures from a camera she did not have, chapter 25? Discrepancy of dates on wills? Where was Bessie getting her money to live on, she had no job apparently? Bessie's house was in foreclosure, she had 19 cats to feed, (costs me $100 a month to feed 5), meanwhile she has many unpaid bills, and is blackmailing the Bank President or trying to etc, but she was able to pay premiums on a life insurance policy, I don't think so.

[❂ Murder by Death · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just couldn't finish it - I had to stop at page 197. Really disappointed the series didn't improve for me.

Full review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/800622...

[LizzyAnne Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and left me guessing til the very end!

[Lisa Ks Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always look forward to my next visit to Bar Harbor and a chance to catch up with Hayley and friends. This trip was one of my favorites by far. From the moment I first saw the cover of DEATH OF A CHOCOHOLIC I knew this was going to be a book to remember. And it was.

Lee Hollis never fails in getting me to laugh out loud over the situations Hayley finds herself in. During the first pages of this story I laughed so loud I honestly startled myself! And I challenge anyone to not laugh at a scene that has Mona in it!

Now, before I have you thinking this is a comedy, let me assure you there is a brilliant mystery to solve. While I thought I had figured it out, I found I was way wrong. I never guessed the “who” in the “done it” until I was right where the author wanted me to be. Brava/Bravo Lee Hollis.

And as always, there are great food and cocktail recipes to enjoy. I suggest having some fun with the book and trying out some of the recipes and enjoy them with the story.

We also get a sneak peek at book #5 in the series, DEATH OF A CHRISTMAS CATERER.

If you haven’t read the Hayley Powell series, please do something awesome for yourself and start reading them ASAP! If you have read the rest of series, you will not be disappointed in the latest installment.

[Elizabeth Schaefer · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot was ok and it was a quick read, but it was really sexist and fat phobic, the main character was pretty horrible to everyone and I don’t think it she was supposed to be an antihero. It was the relentless fat shaming of the chocoholic and describing every single woman as terrible and crazy while the men were portrayed in a sympathetic light even while doing awful things that made this book impossible to read even while grading on the curve of a fun mystery because tbh it wasn’t very much fun

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm liking this series about a newspaper food critic who lives in Bar Harbor. She's always trying to solve murders. Her friends are interesting and her kids are teenagers. Can't wait for the next one, a Christmas one.

[Barbara ★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read in this series and I found it enjoyable though honestly I found the main character to be rather irritating at times. It seemed unrealistic that Hayley invaded people's homes/offices and got caught snooping but nothing came of it. I would read others in the series.

[Jessica Robbins · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Mr Francy Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

PROBABLY MY LEAST FAVE SO FAR.

PREMISE: In this one Hayley befrieds a woman named Bessie who is an outcast in their area. Bessie has a love of making chocolate and wants to start her own company, even going as far to name some after Hayley. But when Bessie ends up dead and everyone becomes so willing to throw it off as death by 'natural causes', Hayley decides to jump in and determine if it was actually Murder.

THOUGHTS: Over-all this book was ok however I had a huge gripe with it. Bessie is plus-sized and has some cats. Her home is made out to be a horder-house also. Because of this any opportunity Lee Hollis had to make fun of or judge Bessie they did and this really annoyed me. Worst of all they did it through Hayley in the beggining which seemed so out of character for her.
On the plus side I CALLED THE KILLER!!! For only the second time ever in my cozy reading life I actually called the murderer!!! Yay!!!
Book was ok. An average read.

3 Stars.
xoxo.

[Bobbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good cozy mystery in this book and still enjoying the characters. As for the recipes scattered throughout the book- not quite as many in this one. My daughter told me to skip ahead in the audiobook to try and go past them. I’ve tried, and twice it took me back to the beginning of the book! So I’m just listening to them. I’ve gotten used to it. LOL. Not going to ‘complain’ any more. 😉😉

[Mojjo627 Mojjo627 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking for a fun Valentine’s read when this was recommended. I haven’t read any others in the series but I am sure to now. Loved the characters and their interactions. Great mystery that kept me on my toes. Can’t wait to dig into more of them.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

that ending!!

I love this one!!! That ending is just bam!!! Now I have to read the next one! I began to read this series because I was looking for a new cozy mystery and this series just took the cake!! I really enjoyed this one!!! Can’t want to get ahold of the next one!!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fast read. Once again I enjoyed sleuthing with Hayley, she doesn’t give up even when no one thinks it’s murder. The story was good and kept me guessing. I also enjoy the characters in this series. Recipes are included throughout the book with an index of them at the end.

[Rhea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great, super well paced and the mystery had a slow start but love how it was wrapped up. The characters in this were fun too, this was SO much better than the previous book!!

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another hilarious adventure with Hayley Powell and her friends in Bar Harbor. While the cat's away, well Hayley will nab a killer meaning that while Bruce Linney was on vacation, she took over his police column per Sal's orders. Hayley had befriended a local chocolate maker who was a hoarder and had a really messy home with too many cats living there. No one else liked her, but Hayley had a soft spot for her, and when she died suddenly, Hayley couldn't help thinking it wasn't actually of natural causes. As usual during her investigation, Hayley got more than a couple of people mad at her.

There were plenty of people who had it in for Bessie, so it was easy to imagine that any one of them could have killed her, but the way that she was killed took only one person with special knowledge. I had guessed the person just as a random guess, but the twist came toward the end and made it even better. There was an exciting showdown and satisfying conclusion to the story. One little thing was left up in the air at the very end, but I have all the books, so I'll be reading it soon.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the first book in this series that I have read. I'm not really sure I like Hayley. Breaking into people's homes? Snooping through a potential love-interests office? I like a cosy mystery with a Jessica Fletcher type character as well as the next person but this seemed over the top. The Police Chief (and Hayley's brothers boyfriend) doesn't seem to do anything at all to investigate the murder. Infact, the Police play a very minor role through the whole book. Several other characters are just nasty people (we've got affairs, black mail, murderous cats and even bad chocolates) that frankly I just can't care enough about to continue reading the series. I did finish the book. The murderer was kind of a surprise so that was good even though I had already guessed some of the story there.

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book from the Goodreads.com website.
This book is fun and quirky with likable characters. It definitely kept me guessing up to the end. On a side note, I have a friend with a 'cat hair' issue, so I am rather accustomed to the problem. Bessie's 'cat hair' chocolates reminded me of the problems this friend has with cat hairs turning up in all places, including the kitchen.
Also, since this book does deal with a chocoholic and recipes are included, this may not be the best book to read if you are prone to chocolate cravings yourself or want to start a diet!
I definitely look forward to reading more novels by Lee Hollis.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

So many bad behaviors and no consequences. Haley is a doormat; she can't/won't stand up for herself. Yet, she is supposed to be a strong, independent woman. No common sense. This is the 4th in the series and I like her less and less with every book. Too many inconsistencies. Printing pictures after dropping the camera. Bessie is doing all kinds of costly things after saying she doesn't have the money to fix her car, which she drives later. Haley not considering that the huge, hulking, gigantic intruder might be Wolf. Sigh. I really want to like this series but I just can't. The storyline is good. Too many eye rolling moments for me. I'm done.

[Sharper1 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sweet Jesus, this one was NOT my style. I love a good cozy mystery (a la Laura Childs, etc), but this was extremely formulaic. Too many characters introduced in a short period of time. Jerky sentences that were either missing punctuation or coherent thought. I couldn't decide. If I were the author, I'd fire my editor immediately. Seriously bad. After Chapter 3 I was ready to choke somebody if I heard "but that was a whole other story" again. I stopped at Chapter 4.

[L.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

There aren't many series that I can read the books one right after the other and they keep my interest. This series is similar in a lot of ways to the Lucy Stone series but has a lot more action and humor. Plus, Hayley's children are decent human beings and she doesn't have an abusive husband.

[Shauna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy the Hailey's adventure very much. She reminds me of J.B. Fletcher in a way. She kinda gets of others' nerves, but she always gets result. This book was not different. Good read.

[Ranie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most hilarious suspense book I ever read...everyone is a suspect.... Characters are realistic and have lots of depth of each of them!!!!

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun cozy mystery just in time for Valentines Day.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hayley Powell unexpectedly befriends Bessie Winthrop, a woman who is rough around the edges and rubs people the wrong way. Bessie was dead-set on becoming a world-renowned chocolatier and was contacting anyone who could help her start her business. When Bessie suddenly passes away, everyone thinks it was a heart attack. Hayley isn't so sure and has to investigate on her own.

The one aspect I really liked about this book in comparison to all of the others is that no one wants Hayley to pursue the case. And not because there are people who are worried that their dirty secrets may come out. It's because no one genuinely believes a murder happened. Bessie was plus-sized and has a slew of health issues so everyone assumed her death was due to natural causes. With the coroner denying an autopsy, the police don't have a reason to think it's a homicide, and everyone thinks Hayley is just being nosy and attention-seeking because she happened to solve murder cases previously. I liked that the townsfolk were doubting Hayley's intentions. It made it so satisfying when it was revealed that there was foul play, especially when it was revealed so late in the story.

There was one joke that I actually thought was pretty funny. Liddy provides way too much detail about her relationship with her boyfriend Sonny, but it did provide this line: "I picked him up at the produce section of the Shop 'n Save the next day. He was squeezing melons. I was buying bananas. It was all the imagery we needed to see before introducing ourselves and making a date for that night" (Chapter 17). It got a good chuckle out of me.

I didn't know where else to mention this, but I'm so grateful Bruce was absent from this book because he went on vacation. He made one gross, sexist comment at the start and then reappeared at the end when everything was resolved. If only the other books left him out too. Oh well.

I read the columns Hayley writes, skipping the recipes, and usually don't have much of an opinion on them. This time, I did really like the last column featured. Hayley reluctantly befriended Bessie because she saw how lonely Bessie was and how everyone automatically dismissed her. Although people had a reason to dislike Bessie, Hayley wanted to provide her with some sort of support. And it was touching that Hayley looked into this woman's death when no one else cared. When she wanted to posthumously prove Bessie's talent as a chocolatier, Hayley used Bessie's chocolate recipe in a contest and won, giving Bessie all of the credit. Lee Hollis makes many attempts to make Hayley Powell seem like a nice person throughout the series, but I think this is the best example of Hayley's kindness because it didn't seemed force or over-the-top.

Speaking of over-the-top, I have to discuss the weaker points of this book. Everyone was so dramatic. To Liddy's weird over-sharing of her sexual exploits, to the way a man named Cory was ready to throw his life away to be with Hayley (despite not talking to her since high school), to Cory's wife shooting at Cory and Hayley because she thought they were having an affair, to Bessie's niece acting so openly gleeful that her aunt was dead because she was inheriting money, to Bessie herself who was so oddly aggressive that I wondered how she hasn't been arrested, to Marla the vet's secretary who was insanely jealous of Hayley, and more examples I'm forgetting. I'm not expecting these characters to act good and rational or that would make for a boring story. However, I do expect these characters to act like they've been on planet Earth for more than a day. The multiple one-dimensional characters were just distracting and ultimately detracted from my enjoyment of the book.

So what happened? Marla the secretary at the vet clinic was Bessie's secret daughter. Marla came to Bar Harbor with the intention of gaining money to move to Hollywood and jump-start her acting and singing career. Bessie felt guilty for putting Marla up for adoption so she changed her will so Marla would become her beneficiary. Marla didn't want to wait that long so she secretly switched Bessie's blood-thinner medication with a blood coagulant. Hayley figures this out when she goes to the pharmacy and sees that Marla is the only local who recently purchased medication that could be used as a blood coagulant. She goes to discuss this with Marla's boss, Aaron Palmer, when Marla attacks Hayley and tries to inject her with an euthanasia. Aaron is able to intercede the attack. Weirdly enough, I did know the identity of the murderer. Not because I put the clues together or used deductive reasoning. It's because I've read all of the books out of order and this is the last book (so far) that I had to read in this series. I know from later books that this character doesn't make an appearance again since Hayley starts dating Aaron and the later books feature different employees. So I knew Marla was the killer . This didn't ruin my reading experience at all.