Death of a Coupon Clipper

Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery #3

by Lee Hollis

In between hunting for bargains, she’s hunting for a killer . . . “This funny and quick-paced series keeps getting better.” —RT Book Reviews   Hayley Powell, food and cocktails columnist for Bar Harbor’s Island Times, is . . . well, kind of broke. So when she’s selected for that extreme coupon-clipping reality game show coming to town, she’s thrilled—especially when her competition is nasty nurse Candace Culpepper. But when Haley stumbles across a face-down-in-the-snow Candace—scissors gleaming between her shoulders—she knows the next thing she’ll be selected for will probably be a police line-up.   Meanwhile, though Hayley’s BFF Mona was only joking about “taking Candace out,” Bruce Linney, the Island Times crime reporter, definitely isn’t laughing. And what about the smarmy, cold-hearted host of the show, Drew Nickerson, who may have been having a steamy affair with the intentionally iced nurse? Hayley needs to cut to the chase and find the killer. Everything may hinge on a stray coupon, but Hayley better keep her eyes on the real grand staying out of permanent cold storage!  Includes seven delectable recipes from Hayley’s kitchen!  Praise for Death of a Kitchen Diva   “Delicious and satisfying. Another course, please.” —Carolyn Hart   “Readers will be calling for a second round from author Lee Hollis.” —Leslie Meier, New York Times–bestselling author of Chocolate Covered Murder

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Audiobook, Murder Mystery, Adult

416 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

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

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lee Hollis has created a warm and inviting series with the Hayley Powell Food and Cocktail Mysteries. Having just finished the third in the collection, Death of a Coupon Clipper, I'm finding myself eager to push forward and read the next twelve so that I'm ready for the 2023 release. In this installment, Hayley wants to win the final spot as a contestant on a game show coming to her Maine hometown. But an evil-minded coupon clipper, Candace, has other plans, until she finds herself stabbed to death. Hayley's bestie, Mona, looks guilty of the crime, and the game show host is a philandering jerk. Could he have been involved? Or maybe Candace's ne'er-do-well sister. Someone's angry around town, and Hayley plans to solve the crime before she's caught in the killer's path. Luckily, she survives and is able to find the money she needs to repair her car, garage, and furnace. Good times, enjoyed this one, and on my way to the next. Easy reads, and you finish feeling a nice sense of comfort.

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death of a Coupon Clipper by Lee Hollis is the 3rd book in the Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery series. The extreme coupon-clipping reality game show comes to Bar Harbor and Hayley is chosen as one of the contestants. When her rival Candace Culpeppar is found stabbed to death with a pair of scissors, she finds herself investigating another murder. A fun and enjoyable mystery and a quick and easy read. Hayley's food snd cocktail columns are always entertaining and the recipes sound delicious.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A big snowstorm means a lot of trouble for Hayley Powell. Not only does she have a lot on her plate workwise, but she encounters quite a few financial setbacks that she didn’t anticipate and that really hinders her actions. She asks for the help of her mother, but even she isn’t able to get Hayley out of her financial trouble. So in an effort to save herself, Hayley enters a competition for coupon clipping. Hopefully her money saving techniques will help her win. However, when her competition is found dead in the snow, winning the competition isn’t her only problem now.

This book starts off a little slow but not in the boring way. It’s because the authors need to take their time to showcase Hayley’s problems enough that you can feel her desperation. What I like about this series is the fact that it doesn’t shy away from single mother problems like a lot of other stories do. It’s a tough job and Hayley definitely tries her best, so I did feel a lot of sympathy for her. She’s definitely a character that you want to cheer for, so I think this is a great book to read if you find yourself in a similar situation. It shows that you’re not alone.

Another thing that I enjoy about this series is the creative ways that each murder happens in the books. As I mentioned before, Hayley’s competition, Candace, is found lying face down in the snow with a pair of scissors in her back. Again, these authors take their time to come up with interesting ways that incorporates the theme of the story nicely. Although this is only the third book in the series, I’ve already read a lot of the others and I feel like they consistently come up with unique ideas.

Since this book is set during a snowstorm, I do think it’s a great read for the upcoming colder months. Also, although this series is all about food, this one is different because it doesn’t feature a specific type per se. Again, it’s something refreshingly different and I found it very interesting to read. You guys definitely need to read if you haven’t already. Hayley Powell is always a favorite of mine.

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be my favorite Hayley Powell so far. It's definitely been the funniest one I've read. I found myself laughing out loud a lot more than usual. Poor old Hayley couldn't cut a break in this book. It was February, snowing and her kids were with their dad. All that unfun stuff and her luck went from bad to worse in just a few days' time from a collapsed garage and dead furnace to finding her competitor on the extreme couponing show dead in the woman's driveway. Hayley always makes the best of a situation, and it was just one hilarious scene after the other.

There was an interesting side mystery involving the wealthy Hollingsworth family where Hayley's current guy friend Lex works. I never saw the killer coming at all, total surprise! Officer Donnie may not be realistic or a good stand-in for Chief Sergio but the scenes with him were almost Barney Fife-like and so funny. But when it came down to the wire, Donnie ended up knowing what to do. The scene with him hauling Mona to the station and what happened after that almost had me in tears laughing! I have a lot to catch up on yet, so I hope to move on to the next book soon!

[Rhea · Rating 2 out of 5]

definitely still going to be continuing this series, but I was disappointed by this installment. It just felt way too long and unedited, convoluted, the mystery was kinda random, and way too many bad things happened to Hayley which I just didn't enjoy. I also didn't enjoy that her kids and her brother in law were both missing in this book. I also reallyyyy don't like the love interest lol but we'll see how that goes. I totally loved the first one and enjoyed the second, and noticed the future books are a bit shorter, so hopefully I like those better!

tw: animal abuse

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's winter. Hayley's kids are with their father for a visit. Hayley has a bit of bad luck when her garage roof collapses on her car from the heavy snow and her furnace dies. Oops, she forgot to send her insurance payment in.
She enters a coupon clipping game show to win the money to fix her problems. Her rival is murdered, so she needs to find the murderer.

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

A big snowstorm means a lot of trouble for Hayley Powell. Not only does she have a lot on her plate workwise, but she encounters quite a few financial setbacks that she didn’t anticipate and that really hinders her actions. She asks for the help of her mother, but even she isn’t able to get Hayley out of her financial trouble. So in an effort to save herself, Hayley enters a competition for coupon clipping. Hopefully her money saving techniques will help her win. However, when her competition is found dead in the snow, winning the competition isn’t her only problem now.

This book starts off a little slow but not in the boring way. It’s because the authors need to take their time to showcase Hayley’s problems enough that you can feel her desperation. What I like about this series is the fact that it doesn’t shy away from single mother problems like a lot of other stories do. It’s a tough job and Hayley definitely tries her best, so I did feel a lot of sympathy for her. She’s definitely a character that you want to cheer for, so I think this is a great book to read if you find yourself in a similar situation. It shows that you’re not alone.

Another thing that I enjoy about this series is the creative ways that each murder happens in the books. As I mentioned before, Hayley’s competition, Candace, is found lying face down in the snow with a pair of scissors in her back. Again, these authors take their time to come up with interesting ways that incorporates the theme of the story nicely. Although this is only the third book in the series, I’ve already read a lot of the others and I feel like they consistently come up with unique ideas.

Since this book is set during a snowstorm, I do think it’s a great read for the upcoming colder months. Also, although this series is all about food, this one is different because it doesn’t feature a specific type per se. Again, it’s something refreshingly different and I found it very interesting to read. You guys definitely need to read if you haven’t already. Hayley Powell is always a favorite of mine.

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

[JoAnne McMaster (Any Good Book) · Rating 1 out of 5]

PLEASE NOTE: This review contains hidden spoilers - a lot of them.

Hayley Powell writes a food and drink column for a local newspaper in Bar Harbor, Maine. It's winter, and her two children are visiting their father in Iowa for winter break. When she returns home from work one day, her garage roof collapses, crushing her car, and she also discovers that she has no heat due to her furnace breaking.

Up in arms over what to do, she packs up her dog Leroy and goes to stay with her brother Randy, who owns a bar. Randy's significant other, police chief Sergio, is visiting his family in South America, so he has plenty of room. But finding out she can't get a loan from him - cash poor - she turns to her mother, who also says no.

Just when she thinks there's no where else to go, she discovers that an extreme coupon show is coming to town and she sends them her sob story, hoping she'll be chosen - which will solve her money problems (for now, anyway). But then she discovers that the other person who might be chosen is Candace Culpepper, an old schoolmate who's as nasty as they come, and doesn't like Hayley.

She also finds out that her boyfriend Lex is having problems: his employer Edgar Hollingsworth has slipped into a coma, and no one knows if he'll survive. It doesn't help that Edgar's son Clark has returned and is barking orders like his father has already died, and everyone dislikes him.

Also, an elderly friend, Mrs. Tubbs, who is also neighbor to Candace has an accident and winds up in the hospital. She agrees to help her out, even caring for the woman's cat. But even finding out she's going to be on the show isn't going to help when she goes to Mrs. Tubbs' home and sees something in the snow - that something being the body of Candace. After her friend Mona was heard in Randy's bar making a remark about killing the woman, she's the main suspect.

With Sergio gone, Officer Donnie has taken over, and he has no idea what he's doing. He's basically standing still while Hayley runs the investigation (somewhat) and she needs to find a killer before Mona is convicted of the crime. Let the games begin...

This is the third book in the series, and by far the worst. Most people read to get away from daily problems, not have them follow you into a book. In the first few pages, Hayley's garage collapses and crushes her car; her furnace breaks; and she's forgotten to mail her car insurance so her policy was cancelled. The only saving grace is her kids are with their father for winter break so aren't around to suffer. So what does she do? She goes out drinking, because alcohol solves all problems, as everyone knows, right?

But let's not stop there: it seems her brother - who owns a bar and is living with the police chief, is also broke. I guess he gives a lot of free drinks, because most bars (nice ones, anyway) make money. Otherwise, why own it? It's a lot of work to not make a decent living. His partner Sergio must also make a piddling sum if he had to clean out their bank account to go on vacation - which brings up the question as to why did he go if it meant cleaning out the account? Priorities, people.

Bar Harbor must be the worst-paying city in America since no one seems to have any money. Honestly, I'm really tired of reading about Hayley struggling to make a living. She has 'victim' written all over her and is probably the most depressing protagonist I've ever read about. I guess I shouldn't wonder why I feel depressed after reading one of these books, but just be grateful I don't know her in real life. Why doesn't she send her resume to better-paying newspapers? Surely she'd be willing to move for tons more money? You can make a life anywhere if the pay is right.

Unfortunately, I also had a hard time believing Blueberry's behavior. He's a house cat, not a dog. They don't just attack people randomly and pee outside a litter box unless they feel threatened, are scared or have health problems. Did Mrs. Tubbs mistreat this cat so much that he reacted this way? Even Jackson Galaxy (look it up) would have a hard time believing this. House cats are not feral, and they don't act feral, but this cat acted like the bowels of Hell was after it. Why? There was no indication he should have acted this way and I don't buy the behavior. I've had cats my entire life and never had one act like this - not even feral cats I've fostered and adopted. This cat must have been beaten regularly by its owner - yet later in the book it calmly gets into Mrs. Tubbs's lap. Really? It hates every human but her? Not likely. The author must be an ailurophobe. Cats are just as loving as dogs, and don't attack for no reason. This part of the book bothered me the most.

Then there's the situation of Donnie: How did he get to be a police officer? Why would anyone hire someone this stupid? What cop would pick up a bagged murder weapon and take it out for personal use? (Perhaps he'll be the murder victim in the next book since he's Too Stupid To Live). Not to mention (but I will) that the time of death could have been two hours earlier if Candace was arguing with her sister at 8:30. MEs don't get that kind of thing wrong.

Then there's Lex, who is an ass. Who comes over to your house late at night, drunk, and tries to break your door down, and then you still want to date him? Doesn't Hayley realize he could act like this around her kids? But I guess to someone who drinks as much as she does, that this is an everyday occurrence. I also imagine everyone in the Hollingsworth household was brand new, because NONE of them had ever seen the real adult Clark, even though he was Edgar's SON! How much sense does that make? Was there no one who had worked there over ten years who would have seen him? Heard his voice? Yet Hayley was the only person who became suspicious (aside from the dead woman). Most people keep their employees forever - except this guy, apparently.

Sadly, the only thing these people remember to do is get drunk. I guess living in Maine in the winter, to quote a famous film line, "A man's got to do something to keep warm." There's drinking and then there's drinking. These people are drinking. A lot.

[Mr Francy Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE SERIES THAT JUST KEEPS ON GIVING AND GETTING! GIVING ME - SO MUCH FUN AND ENJOYMENT! GETTING FROM ME - 5 STARS EACH AND EVERY TIME!

LOVE COZY MYSTERIES THAT ARE MORE ON THE "COZY SIDE" THAN THE "MYSTERY SIDE"? JUST WANT SOMETHING "FUN" TO READ? THIS IS 100% THE SERIES FOR YOU!!!!!

PREMISE: In this one Hayley Powell is down on her luck! Her furance has conked out, her garage ceiling is caving in and her car is now no-longer road worthy. Where will she find the money to pay for all these expenses? Then one night while at the hospital cafeteria (to be a shoulder to lean on for her boyfriend) she over-hears a former classmate, Candace, talking to a fellow nurse about an upcoming coupon clipping competition to be filmed in their town! Hayley signs up and upon finiding out only 2 people can qualify for the show, quickly learns that Candace will be the other contestant. The following morning however, Candace is found dead! Who killed her? And more importantly why?????

THOUGHTS: As ALWAYS with the series I enjoyed this book IMMENSELY! I think I've discovered that it's because of just HOW cozy this book is as to the reason why. I love Hayley as a sleuth, but love her more as an every-day person. Her brother I love also (and really appreciate that it's just normalised and accepted that he is gay - mad props Lee Hollis). Another fantastic read - and better news - there are currentl 18 books in this series and this was only book 3!

A FULLY DESERVERED OVERWHELING...

5 STARS!
xoxo.

[Berit☀️✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun cozy mystery series....

I don't believe I've ever read a book before with a coupon clipping game show in it.... I have watched some of those shows before, and it is quite amazing how much people can get for so little, however what do they do with all the stuff? Onto the book, not my favorite in the series I've read so far, but still a fun read, I do enjoy these characters... I think what might have been missing was Hayley's kids, they were visiting their dad and her brother Randy's boyfriend was away in Brazil, why were they not in this book? All the other characters were around up to their usual shenanigans, and there was some quite amusing moments with an oversize cat named Blueberry.... The mystery was good, and I definitely did not see the end coming.... I will definitely be reading more books in the series, but I'm hoping that all the characters will be around next time....

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved it!

I have a weak spot for cozy mysteries and this series has joined the I love this series list! It’s fun! It has laugh out loud mysterious fun! I love that in these books there are usually two different mysteries going on and I love Hayley! I love her humor I love how she always gets to the bottom of everything! If you love cozy mysteries then this should be on your list! Love it plus it also has recipes!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lot of fun. I enjoyed going back to the coupon craze time. Poor Hayley had some bad luck in this one. I like the characters and it was fun visiting with them. The mystery was good and I was definitely surprised at the end.

[Heidi Prockish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am loving this series!! The best part about trying a new series so late in the game is that I get to read the next one right away.

[Amanda ☆ Nana's Books ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coupons, game show, & murder!!! This is one of my favorite cozy mystery series.

[Nancy Narma · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You Can’t Judge a Coupon by its Clipper”

Happily, we rejoin Hayley Powell, the Food and Cocktail Columnist for the Bar Harbor Island Times Newspaper. Poor Hayley is financially strapped big time. Her furnace decides to give its last gasp in the middle of blizzard-like storms and below zero temps, making her ask her Brother, Randy for lodging for not only herself, but beloved Shih-Tzu, Leroy too! Then, the weight of piling snow causes the garage roof to collapse on her car, crushing it so Hayley has to hoof it to work and beyond. And this is just one day’s misfortunes! What’s a woman to do? She’s not going to plead for financial assistance from her “on again, off-again boyfriend” Lex Bansfield—and, she’s not asking her two BFFs, “Mother of Many” Mona and “Luxury-Minded” Liddy for a loan! So-o-o, being the resourceful, penny-pinching, coupon-clipping single Mother she is, when it is announced that the popular Reality Game Show, “Wild and Crazy Couponing” is coming to Bar Harbor to film an episode, Hayley jumps at the chance to be a contestant. The $10,000.00 prize money would be the answer to her problems. She’s excited until she learns who she’s going up against—cold-hearted and nasty Candace Culpepper!! Hayley is apprehensive, knowing Candace doesn’t like her and not knowing what the conniving, unscrupulous nurse may have up her sleeve. Complications arise when a body is found in the snow, and bumbling Police Officer Donnie takes an idle comment spoken in jest for gospel. Fingers are pointed and Hayley quickly gets her sleuthing cap on once again. You’ll feel Hayley’s soft-heartedness and chuckle over the trials and piddle-ations with “Blueberry”. The Author has generously included several economical dish recipes and well as directions for Hayley’s Cocktail concoctions. I’ve enjoyed the other two Hayley Powell Mysteries (“Death of a Kitchen Diva” and “Death of a Country-Fried Redneck”, and this one was no exception. All you cozy-lovers, make room on your bookshelf for this fast and easy reader. I can’t wait to see what adventures Hayley gets involved in next—as a matter of fact, the Author has also included a “Snippet” of “Death of a Chocoholic” for us to savor in the interim. Nancy Narma

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

I have a few friends here on GR who read the first book in this series and didn't like it but I found enough to like that I bought and read the second one - which I thought was quite good.

This one was NOT. I really did not enjoy this book at all. It took me forever to finish this one because I just didn't want to.

When I pick up a cozy, it's for entertainment, for escape. Something nice and light, maybe a bit of humour - nothing too 'real'. So when this book started with Hayley being beset by financial disasters, being so broke she has to beg her mom for money, her mom telling her 'no'; well, we're not off to a good light-hearted start are we? I realise the author is trying to set up the whole coupon-clipping-gameshow scenario, but she went about it in the most depressing, downtrodden way possible. Total turn off for me.

In addition to this, Lex, the love interest the author has been championing throughout the series, decides to go on a couple of benders through out the book and Hayley acts like this drunken, aggressive behaviour is a non-event. It's never discussed or even acknowledged - not even when he beats down her brother's door at night, falls down, and passes out on the floor. Really? I'm supposed to find this endearing????

I will give credit to the author for an excellently crafted plot - I did not see the villain of this story at all until the end. Also, the columns throughout the book are cute and entertaining, as well as a clever way to incorporate the recipes and cocktails into the story.

I'll consider the fourth one when it comes out - but this one is a definite black mark on the series so far.

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

While the first in this series was my favorite, I enjoyed all three of these books and look forward to the fourth in the series, Death of a Chocoholic, due to be released January of 2014.

Author Lee Hollis (Mr. Copp & Ms. Simason), has created a delightful protagonist in Hayley Powell. Her exploits in these three tales had me laughing out loud more times then I can count. Hayley is a very real, less than perfect woman, making her way in life raising her two children and working her job at the newspaper. I liked the situations she finds herself in. Hayley is helped through her adventures by her best friends Mona, an always pregnat lobster boat captain and Liddy, a high class real estate agent. Throw into the mix her brother Brain owner of the local bar, his partner Sergio the chief of police, Hayley's children, her dog Leroy (named for her NCIS TV crush Mark Harmon) Sal the editor of The Island Times and Bruce the smarmy crime reporter at the paper---you have a very well rounded cast of characters. Add to that, Bar Harbor, Maine as the beautiful setting and you have winning combinations.

With fast paced plots, interesting twists and solid story lines, this series is destined to be a favorite among readers.

Recipes lovers, you won't be disappointed. Every book features Hayley's column Island Food & Spirits, which includes seven recipes from Hayley's kitchen along with cocktails to enjoy while preparing your meal! 

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third in a series of solid, enjoyable reads; Death of a Coupon Clipper combined a game show with small town life and a murder to create a wonderful cozy mystery.

Hayley is hilarious. Absolutely, positively hilarious. She doesn't care what others think of her and is brutally honest most of the time. It's a combination that I love! Mona, Liddy, and the rest of the characters are also joys to read about. However, then there's Lex. I really don't like Lex and I really hope that we see a whole lot less of him in future books. He's obnoxious and annoying in my opinion.

The mystery was surprising, however it seemed weak. The killer's motive was so crazily petty I couldn't believe it. However, the process leading up to the reveal was wonderful; not too much brazen sleuthing, but enough that it made it a quick read even though the book was over 400 pages long.

Overall a solid book that I flew through and enjoyed.. Recommend and I will certainly be reading the next one!

[Melissa Howard · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Hayley Powell series always finds someone to shit on mercilessly. Cartoonishly miserable. Not a fan of the rampant sexual assault and harassment. Bruce is an infuriating character and adds nothing to the story, and neither does the lecherous host. Once I found out that this series was co-written by a man, it made sense why the author had included so much of it in the book. Besides the gross sexual overtones, no one physically grabs someone else's tongue. Also, could you not physically pull your head away when someone is forcibly kissing you? And dear god, we don't need another misogynistic "Shallow Bitch" character. It's not funny, compelling, or cute; and it's WAY overused. Also, not a fan of the Demon Cat trope.

[Sheryl Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this through good reads first reads and it was by far my favorite. I loved Hayley and her friends. They were loveable and laughable at times and I couldn't help but fall in love with them.

The premise of them book is that Hayley falls into misfortune and has many upcoming unexpected expenses that she can't afford. So she decides to go on a couponing game show. But right before the show airs her opponent is murdered. Hayley takes it upon herself to solve the murder putting herself in harms way as she does it.

This book was great and a premise I hadn't ever seen before. Grabbed my attention from the first page. Loved it!

[Elaine Shipley-pope · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book off of a First Reads Giveaway and I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed it. It was a nice, easy murder mystery with a few tasty sounding recipes thrown in. Actually I'm excited to try a few of the recipes that the main character, Hayley, writes for her newspaper column. The mystery itself was very misleading and I had no idea who the actual killer turned out to be. I was shocked. Usually I am able to pin who it was but this book got me not once but twice! I highly recommend it.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

What fun! Like a lot of us, Hayley has too much on her plate and drops the ball on a few (important) things. The chance to win $10000 in a shopping competition comes at an opportune time. I enjoyed reading the book and trying to figure out who the bad guy was. A good story and very enjoyable read.

I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway.

[Geri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really enjoyed this book. It was not at all what I was expecting! This is a perfect book for the beach or when you just need some relaxing time. The added bonus of the recipes is a terrific idea and I cannot wait until I try them all! Already recommended this at work to my co-workers.

[Donna Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice light read. It took me a while to figure out whodunnit, so that makes me happy.

[J Godwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more of these I read, the more I seem to enjoy them. Perhaps the author is adding more interest or humor or...perhaps I just want to move to Bar Harbor and be besties with Hayley Powell.

[Jessica Robbins · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Sarah Dorchak · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this one went a little longer than needed but still enjoyed it!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's the dead of winter and Hayley Powell has run into some bad luck. The roof of her garage has caved in, which has totaled her car, and her furnace is broken so now she has to stay with her brother Randy. In order to get the money she needs for all of the repairs, she joins a coupon clipping reality show with a large cash prize. However, before the show starts, her competitor Candace Culpepper is murdered.

I put off reading this book because the reviews stated it was too weird and over-the-top in comparison to the first two books in the series. After reading it, yes, I totally agree that it's over-the-top to the point of being ludicrous, but it wasn't as poorly written or nonsensical as the second book (Death of a Country Fried Chicken). I am biased though because I gave that book 1-star. This book had more redeeming qualities.

Lee Hollis did a good job of making you empathize with Hayley due to her string of financial bad luck as a single mother. You understand why she would do something as random as applying for a reality show for some quick cash. I'm glad Hayley wasn't a murder suspect and how everyone thought it was Mona instead, who was the runner-up if any of the contestants couldn't film the show for whatever reason. I liked the mystery surrounding Candace's death , although I thought it was weird that she was secretly taping her one-night stands and nothing was ever done about this, and how there was this co-existing mystery surrounding millionaire, Edgar Hollingsworth, that may or may not have related to the murder case.

The answer to this mystery was pretty entertaining. Clark Hollingsworth is the last living relative of Edgar, who has come to Bar Harbor to see that he inherits all of Edgar's money. However, the man is an imposter and only pretending to be Clark and intends to murder Edgar for his money. Hayley manages to stop him, but he's confused when she accuses him of murdering Candace.

Turns out, Candace ruffled a lot of feathers in Bar Harbor and has a lot of enemies. The person who ended up killing her was her elderly neighbour, Mrs. Tubbs, who was tired of Candace stealing her coupons and denying it. Mrs. Tubbs had enough one day and stabbed Candace with some scissors. Distraught with what she's done, she drove off in her car, but got into an accident due to the icy conditions. The murderer's motivation was a little weak, but the surprise of the murderer's identity was good enough for me that it compensated for the flimsy motive. Considering all of the other people Candace wronged, I was not suspecting that particular character.

And I enjoyed the idea of this reality show taking place, but I wished we actually got to see it in action. Besides some run-ins with the sex pest of a host, we don't see Hayley making an audition tape since she filled out an application online instead, there wasn't a test-run on camera, no advertisements recorded, nothing. When the show is featured, it's the penultimate chapter and it felt so anti-climatic. Other areas that I thought needed work was Officer Donnie, the stand-in for the Chief of Police who was on vacation. Officer Donnie's dumbness has been played for laughs during the entire series, but he seemed too dumb to live in this book to the point where it wasn't funny anymore. Same with Hayley's questionable relationship with Sabrina Maryweather, who pretends she didn't bully Hayley as kids. Sabrina had the most awkward scene ranting about her deadbeat husband constantly soliciting her for sex and how awful her life was, and I just wondered what was the point of this other than to make things awkward for the sake of being awkward? It just really sucked me out of the story.

Random things I had to mention. The male love interests are so useless. Lex and Hayley have been dating for a year and a half and won't define the relationship. That is crazy to me. When they broke up in the end, I wasn't surprised, considering he's been her love interest for all three books and he's nothing but a glorified background character. Lee Hollis kept shoving Lex in the back because there was nothing interesting to do with him so it's obvious his relationship with Hayley isn't going to progress. And I still hate Bruce , which is so annoying because I know from later books that he and Hayley are endgame . In chapter 13, Bruce is writing about Candace's murder for the paper and he asks Hayley if Mona goes by her husband's surname or if she's a "feminazi" for going by her own surname. Bruce is one of those men that benefit by doing the bare minimum, in which he doesn't do any cooking or cleaning and watches Hayley do it all despite him having time and energy while she's insanely busy, because he's not abusive or neglectful. Hate him. Can Hayley, Liddy, or Mona just end up with one male love interest that's normal and not temporary????

Also, this book is not over 400 pages over e-book or paperback. I don't know where Goodreads is getting those numbers from. Not a complaint about the book, but something I thought needed to be said.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second or maybe the third book on the list of books Mom and I are reading in preparation for our trip this fall. The idea is to read books where the setting is a town that is one of our stops. The hope is to learn a bit about the town before we go as it will add more meaning when we are actually there.

When reading fiction, you never know how many references there will be and this one had few. Discussing this book over lunch yesterday, my Mom commented that the most she learned was right on page one:

"The picturesque little hamlet of Bar Harbor, Maine, certainly wasn’t hell. In fact, to all the hikers and mountain bikers and cruise ship passengers and lobster lovers and vacationing families from all over the world who flocked to Mount Desert Island for the breathtaking scenery of Acadia National Park, it was a nature lover’s paradise. "

There were a few references to different streets & nearby areas that I looked up on Google Maps. A street that was referenced indeed looked to be residential. However, the stores, bed and breakfast and restaurant/bars appeared to be all made up except for one, Jack Russell’s, a steak house just outside of town.. Many may know this but this is near where Martha Stewart owns a summer home so I looked up where that is, too.

Now for the book. It is a super quick read. Even though it is 400+ pages, it was easy to read 100 pages per night in less than an hour. Mom found parts of it a bit unrealistic and contrived. True enough that some of the things that happened were a bit outrageous, but when you let go of that and just read it for fun, it was funny in several parts. Take this section where she is calling her mother of the year mother:

“Oh, hello, Hayley. You can’t trust caller ID. The government has a lot of tricks up its sleeve. They can tamper with anything. In fact, this may not even be you. I’m sure with all the techno gizmos they’ve got, they can play with voice patterns and re-create the exact sound of your voice.” “Mom, I���m calling for a loan.” “Well, you’ve convinced me. It really is you.”


and as I close this review, I will leave you with another paragraph I highlighted. And perhaps you had to be there to find this funny...but I did!

“Do you remember what happened?” “I don’t remember much. I went to practice on my organ at home for Sunday’s service, but I forgot my music sheets at the church. I decided to drive back over there and pick them up, and the rest is a blur. I’m so confused. Do you think I have early onset of Alzheimer’s?” Early onset? The woman was eighty-five! Hayley shook her head. “You’re as sharp as ever, Mrs. Tubbs. Trust me.” “I do remember the roads being just so dang slippery, and I thought I might have to pull over. But then the next thing I knew, I was being loaded into the back of an ambulance by that sweet paramedic, Jay Higgins. He’s so big and strong and quite the looker. If I was ten years younger . . .” Ten years younger? Jay was thirty-seven.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up

I read and enjoyed the first two books of this series a couple of years ago, but yet again, for some reason, didn’t continue beyond that point. I’m starting to figure out that many of these books were only available in mass market paperbacks until the audio versions became available relatively recently, and with my vision issues, those paperbacks are a real challenge for me, so it was easy to skip past these series and more on to something else. It’s not like I don’t have other books to read :)

I like Hayley and her friends, and I like that her kids are older than the usual children found in so many cozies, but there were several things that bothered me in this book. If she’s as cash-strapped as the book makes her appear, why doesn’t she find a better-paying job? Or a second job to supplement her income? And why does she spend so much on alcohol and organic foods? Even ten years ago when the book was published, I’m sure she would have needed far more than $10,000 to repair her roof, replace a furnace AND replace her car, so that didn’t ring true either.

The biggest head-scratcher, though, was the whole “coupon queen” thing. Even ten years ago, the extreme coupon craze seemed to have fizzled out. I know there are still people who clip and use coupons religiously, but getting $300 worth of groceries for under $15 doesn’t seem to happen anymore.

The murder victim in this book was well-liked by some of the town’s residents, but most seemed to have a reason to want her dead, so there were quite a few suspects on my mental list. I kept waffling about a couple of them, trying to figure out who was the most likely villain, so I was surprised to learn that the killer wasn’t on my list at all. The motive seemed silly to me, but it fit the character.

I can’t wait to read the next book in the series to learn how chocolate figures into Hayley’s next adventure :)