Death of a Lobster Lover is the ninth book in the "Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery" series featuring food columnist Hayley Powell. I was a bit disappointed in the last book, but I really enjoyed this one. Hayley and her best friends Liddy and Mona are taking a much needed girls weekend in Salem Cove, ME to enjoy the town's Lobster Festival. They are going to stay in Mona's family cottage that she vacationed at for years. I was expecting a humorous read and I was not disappointed. These ladies have been friends for a long time, but I don’t know how Liddy and Mona have not tried to kill each other.

Hoping that the BFF weekend will help Liddy get over her recent breakup with lawyer boyfriend Sonny, things go from bad to worse when they see Mona's run down family cabin. When they arrive at the hotel to get a room, Liddy appears to fall for the smarmy travel reporter Jackson Young. After standing Liddy up for the Lobsterfest, Hayley stumbles upon the dead body of Jackson lying on the beach. The trio soon finds themselves suspects in the man's murder and Hayley is determined to clear their names. Add to all this, Mona runs into her childhood boyfriend and he seems to want to pick up where he left off. And what is with the overzealous Sheriff Daphne Wilkes who seems to have a vendetta against the women, ticketing them for imagined infractions. When the ladies end up behind bars, it is time to call Sonny for help.

An action packed plot makes this installment a quick page turner that's hard to put down. The antics of Hayley and her friends will have you laughing during some parts, and holding my breath, or biting my nails during others. There were scenes that took me by surprise, and more than one mystery to keep me guessing. With the story set in a vacation locale none of the secondary characters readers of the series are familiar with appear. The love lives of her two best friends are the focus in this edition, and a surprising twist at the conclusion will leave you in shock. Once again there are several recipes for cocktails and lobster sprinkled throughout the book. Also some of Hayley's columns are there, which add some of the humor to the books, but do break up the story somewhat. You will either like this or hate it depending on how you feel about that. A must read in this series for cozy mystery lovers.

Libby, Mona and Hayley are off for a weekend in Salmon Cove Maine where Mona's uncle has a cabin but like most things everything is not what it seems. Libby meets a handsome man who agrees to go to a lobster festival with her but when she is stood up the real nightmare begins. When the body of a travel writer winds up dead on the beach and the girls are getting into tons of trouble with the local police, Hayley becomes determined to figure out what happened and why?

This book was full of so much mystery and adventure. We get to see what the girls are like when they are out of their comfort zone and meet the people of Salmon Cove. Salmon Cove was where we learn Mona spent alot of summers visiting and making friends. It's like Bar Harbor in some ways and not in others and it was great to see Hayley get to the bottom of multiple mysteries. Can't wait to see what is next for Hayley!

I was given this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Hayley and her two best friends decide to leave town and have a girls weekend. Of course, thus is a cozy mystery, so anything that could go wrong DOES go wrong. When a mystery presents itself, Hayley inserts herself into the investigation.

I enjoyed this book and will read more in the series. I didn't love the relationships between Hayley and her friends, but I would probably understand them more if I started at the beginning of the series. My least favorite part of the book was the inserts of Hayley's newspaper articles. I found those uninteresting and extraneous. I'll probably just skip over those parts in the future.

Death of a Lobster Lover is the ninth installment in the Hayley Powell Food & Cocktails Mystery series written by a brother and sister team who use the pen name Lee Hollis. Just like the other books in the series, this one is comical, farcical, and fun. The main characters, Hayley, Mona, and Liddy, fit the stereotype of Eastern United States rudeness. While Hayley serves as the unofficial peacemaker, Mona and Liddy are constantly bickering and blaming each other for whatever happens to go wrong. Mona suggests that the girls vacation in a spot where she vacationed as a child, Salmon Cove, and upon arrival, the girls find the accommodation absolutely terrible. However, they try to make the best of a bad situation, and while doing so, Liddy, who is just out of a relationship, meets an attractive, but suspicious stranger. Before the romance can develop, however, he is found murdered on the beach. Of course, the girls stick their noses in the case, and are punished by a local policewoman who wants them to leave the town.

This fun novel is well-written, and the characters are well-developed. For those who have read the previous books in the series, the conflict between the girls will be expected. It’s all in fun, however, and the scenarios make the book interesting as well as suspenseful. The girls get themselves in all kinds of danger, and readers will worry when Liddy disappears. Even though Mona is married, an old boyfriend still lives in Salmon Cove, and is a great help, albeit a bit pushy for Mona to become romantically involved with him.

All told, this amusing cozy is a great book for readers who like fast-moving books that aren’t serious and don’t contain graphic violence, sex, or language. The story is witty, and while the girls’ sleuthing is a bit amateurish (by design) and gets them into plenty of trouble, the story brings out surprises in the end. The bonus in this series is that there are a few recipes; this one has some mouthwatering lobster recipes that actually turn out well and are delicious.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

I love the book, setting and characters. A perfect beach read. The whole series is fun

I love when I come across a book that fits the seasonal theme of when I’m reading it. Such is the case of DEATH OF A LOBSTER LOVER, the ninth book in the Hayley Powell Mystery series by Lee Hollis. Set against the theme of a summer vacation, we find the protagonist, Hayley, heading on summer vacation to Salmon Cove, Maine with her two best friends, Mona and Liddy. The author provides a generous amount of description to help the reader experience this vacation as if you are really there… and had me chuckling from the get-go! First off, Mona and Libby are exact polar opposites, which gives plenty of opportunities for some very humorous situations. Especially when the three women pull up in front of Mona’s family cabin for their stay… no spoilers, but I think my mouth was left hanging open!

It doesn’t take long for Libby to be smitten by a man, but then things take a turn for the worse when he’s found murdered on the beach during the lobster festival. The strength of their friendship is shown as they put their differences aside and work together to clear Libby’s name. Most cozies have murders that take place in a town where everyone knows everyone else. With this murder happening in a vacation setting among strangers, Hayley has to work harder to find suspects and dig below the surface to discover their secrets. The author provides enough clues with a few twists and turns to keep the reader turning pages. I found that there was never a dull moment in the book and enjoyed the constant action and humorous dialog. While I’m embarrassed to say that this is the first book I’ve read in this series (trust me, I’ll be trying to catch up and my only excuse is too many books, not enough time!) it was easily read as a standalone. I enjoyed reading Hayley’s food and cocktails column that she writes for the Bar Harbor newspaper. Not only does she share wonderful recipes via her column, she doles out bits and pieces of her childhood and backstory in a creative way.

Now a book with lobster lover in the title is bound to have lobster recipes… and Lee Hollis does not disappoint! So many delicious dishes are provided and I wanted to try them all! So far I've tried the recipe for Luscious Lobster Mac & Cheese... oh my, it truly is luscious!

Okay, this one kept me up until three in the morning. Every time I thought I got hold of the story, it zigged off in another direction. And all those zigs weren't there just to keep the plot unpredictable. They made perfect sense and kept the story moving. Definitely one for the library. It would also make a good Christmas present.

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

Lee Hollis' Death of a Lobster Lover is part of the Hayley Powell Mystery series. Hayley heads off with her best friends, Liddy and Mona, on a girls' weekend getaway. They find themselves harassed by the local sheriff and in the middle of a murder mystery when Liddy's love interested is found strangled. I have read previous books in this series although I do not think it is necessary. I enjoyed the mystery with the twists and turns. I almost quit reading the book at the very beginning due to Hayley's friends. In the previous books I read, they were barely mentioned. This time they were front and center and seemed to be the two most annoying people on the planet. Liddy is obsessed with her material possessions, and Mona is easily the rudest person ever. Fortunately Hayley is a wonderful character so I stuck with the book until the end. As long as Liddy and Mona have bit parts, I will continue to read the series. This book is just not one of my favorites.

Death of a lobster is the ninth book in the Hayley Powell mystery series. Each book is a delight and I loved this next in series. I highly recommend the entire series however this book can be read as a stand alone.
In this next in series Hayley and friends are off to a girls weekend for fun and sun, at a cabin in Maine, They have many humorous occurrences and meet interesting characters throughout the weekend. Unfortunately Haley and one of her friends find a dead body on the beach of someone they know., Haley is a seasoned sleuth and decides to investigate. Its very exciting as Haley unearths many clues to the dead mans past and finds out he was not who he said he was.
This is another wonderful mystery from this very talented writing team. This is the perfect blend of suspense, humor and a winning sleuth. I enjoy all of this series for the wonderful writing, the humor, the beautiful locations and a fun sleuth ! A 5 star winning mystery for the next in series. ,
Thank you for the ARC which did not influence my review.

I have to start by saying I absolutely loved this book, i even got my mum to read it and she also loved it. The storyline had me gripped from the first page and continued through the whole of the book. It was a fast paced cozy murder mystery style with plenty of twists to keep you hooked and guessing. I couldn't even guess the outcome until right at the end, it was that well written. I love discovering a new author and I will definitely be reading more from this author. A brilliant read!!

This is such a fun book, a summer must read. I have to say my favorite in the series so far. I was treated to a great mystery that was woven so wonderfully with so much humor and BFF drama. I loved the residence of Salmon Cove and how Hayley, Liddy, and Mona found old and new friends. The setting makes me want to visit the east coast. This book was so enjoyable I didn't want it to end. I recommend this to mystery lovers and anyone who just want a great book to read.

Entertaining and clever cozy mystery. Not sure whether I have read any of the previous ones in this series or not. I will be looking for them. At first I was annoyed by the interruptions in the story with a tale and recipes, but then I came to enjoy them.

Hayley is off on a girls weekend to Salmon Cove, Maine with best friends Liddy and Mona but it doesn't turn out to be the relaxing weekend they all hoped. Mona's family cabin turns out to be in less than pleasing condition and there are no rooms available anywhere else in town. After Liddy meets a man and Mona runs into an old friend they decided to stay. While attending the Lobster Bake Hayley trips over a body and the girls weekend turns into one filled with murder and mystery. The dead man is none other than Jackson Young, the reporter that Liddy met and the reason she wanted to stay. When the police tell them they can't leave town Hayley is ready to investigate and figure out who killed Jackson and why so they will be able to leave. When Jackson turns out not to be who he said he was and Liddy disappears Hayley must dig deeper to unearth clues. Who was Jackson Young really? Will she find Liddy in time? Jump right into this exciting mystery and see if you can figure out whodunit! I enjoy the relationship that the friends have, at times they feel more like sisters than just friends. I liked how Lee took the story to a different location, it gives a freshness to the series and it's a fun way to change things up. I would definitely recommend this series and look forward to what is to come next for these characters.

This is the first book that I've read in this series and I think it may also be the last. I picked it up in my quest for new cozy crime series, but I hated, nay detested, the main characters and wished them harm for much of the book. The mystery was fine, but I just couldn't get on board with the protagonists. Hey ho. You win some, you lose some.

This is a good example of a cozy with recipes - Hayley is an enormously likable and intrepid amateur detective who is trying to clear her friend(s) from possible murder charges. What makes it a bit different is that the local sheriff is a woman and one of the suspects (Liddy) is not likable. The mystery is just twisty enough and there's a surprise ending (no spoilers!). I liked the recipes (while it's good for the lobstermen, unfortunately, lobster prices are up this summer so....) Small town Maine is always a good setting; Hollis makes effective use of it here. Breezy writing made this one a winner. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

Hayley and friends are back again. I love to read about her adventures and always get thirsty and hungry as she gives great recipes! Great summer read

Synopsis:

Food and cocktails columnist Hayley Powell is off on a girls' getaway with her two best friends. But soon they'll have to get away from a killer...

The quaint fishing village of Salmon Cove, Maine, seems like the ideal location for a girls' weekend with Hayley's gal pals, Liddy and Mona. Liddy's on the rebound from a breakup, but when she meets a handsome tourist, it looks like a little romance might liven things up.

Unfortunately, Liddy's new sweetheart is found dead on the beach the next morning at the town's Lobster Bake, next to an overturned cooking pot. The liberated lobsters may be scrambling back to the sea, but Hayley's not about to let a murderer escape so easily. To crack the case, she'll need to blow the lid off some serious undercover activity--or risk becoming ensnared in a killer's trap...

Includes seven delectable recipes from Hayley's kitchen!

Praise for Death of a Bacon Heiress

"[A] fun mystery that will have readers enraptured." --Kings River Life magazine (Goodreads)



Review:

The characters are well rounded and well developed. Haley, Liddy and Mona are best friends from way back. They have always had each other’s back, they know each other’s secrets and they are not afraid to call each other out if the need arises. The characters are quirky, eccentric and laugh out loud funny. Sometimes I was surprised that they are even friends because of how much they bickerer. Haley is the peacemaker, Mona is the eater and the instigator and Liddy is just a rather unpleasant woman. After a while, I got tired of her being so selfish and self centered.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The authors are very talented in their descriptive writing and during much of the book, I felt like I was right there, watching all of the action taking place. I really enjoyed the blog posts that were included at the end of some of the chapters. It is a good way to get to learn more about Haley, in a fun way.

The mystery is carried on well throughout the book. There were enough suspects to consider and clues to sift through that it was almost impossible to figure out the culprit. And that is a good thing.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy. This is a great series, and although I missed Haley’s family, I still liked the book.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review this book

I'm still in shock at that ending. As the mystery unfolds, it really is one shock after another. My only complaint is that you really need some tissues handy for the final column. The recipes sound delicious, and I'm working on figuring out if I can turn those cocktails into mocktails.