An intriguing addition to a delightful series. Feuding families. Many light touches and references take the bite out of crime. Murder mystery for sure, but cozy and surprising. A quick and entertaining read. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

There’s never, ever a dull moment in a Hayley Powell mystery! Mona, my fave of Hayley’s two besties, got a great spotlight in this installment since her ongoing feud with a rival seafood business was ramped up when her son and the rival’s daughter decided to pull a Romeo and Juliet (the good parts, not their death). But the rival himself was killed and secrets were eventually revealed as Hayley sleuthed this one out. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much at Mona’s antics as in this book! She was absolutely in rare form and being the Mama Bear she’s always been, that made it even funnier. We finally found out how many kids her brood ended up with too! Oh and I was happy to see a few new Sergio-isms as well! Gotta love that guy!

I was sure of who I’d picked for killer but boy was I wrong! The showdown/reveal was a really good one and Mona got in one last good scene for the book too. As I always love in a book about food, this one ended in food, family and fellowship with a barbecue at Mona’s house. A good solution was given to the side story that’d been going on.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

Death of a Clam Digger by Lee Hollis is another in her Hayley Powell series and a really good one at that. It is kind of the sizzling down of a Hatfield and McCoys’ feud with the moving force being love. One criticism I had was that it was difficult to tell the ages of people in the story. The timelines didn’t seem to match up. That being said, it was a terrific series with Hayley as the sleuth in the death of the patriarch of one of the families, not hers. Now, the rumor was that he was going to die within the next couple of months anyway, but that could not be confirmed. There also seemed to be a problem with the will. So, was the motive money as it is so often? Good characters in a decent mystery.

Hayley is sensible and intelligent, a good combination for a well-written character. Of course, there was the distraction of Bruce’s ex-girlfriend coming to town. Well, as it turned out, she was more than a girlfriend. He had lived with her for years. Reassuring Hayley took some time, as one might expect. Then there were the visits to her brother, Randy’s bar, Drinks Like a Fish. What a great name! He stayed open even later that Hayley’s restaurant did, so it was a convenient place to catch up on the gossip. The setting is great: Bar Harbor Maine, the perfect place for a murder. Of course, the requisite pet was a part of the story: Leroy, the dog. All together, a terrific book. I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Death of a Clam Digger by Kensington, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Kensington #LeeHollis #DeathOfAClamDigger

Death of a Clam Digger is book #4 in the Hayley Powell Mystery series by Lee Hollis.

Hayley’s best friend Mona’s family had a long standing feud with the Leighton family. They were business rivals as well as personal rivals. Then someone turns up dead.

I enjoy catching up with Haley and friends. This was a wild one with the feud. I’m not used to Hayley losing her temper. This had humor, romance and murder. The mystery kept me guessing. There are recipes included. I recommend this book and series.

Thank you to the author, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Haley and Mona are BFFs from childhood, still living in the small community of Bar Harbor, Maine. They also grew up with Vera, who is always in competition with everyone. As adults, Vera and Mona are competing seafood businesses. They take competition to another level, like the Hatfields and McCoys.
The story mainly revolves around Haley solving a murder, but there are so, so many unnecessary (IMO) side stories.
For me, the most annoying were the little stories from Haley's past that were linked to a couple of recipes each. I much prefer to read a whole book and then enjoy the recipes at the end.
I read the whole book and it wasn't awful, but I was glad when I finished it. I feel bad saying that because Haley and her friends were very likeable. There was just too much extra stuff thrown in

Lee Hollis is always a winner. She gives just enough recipes to not overrun the book, she has entertaining characters and unusual plots, the occasional secret romance twist, what's not to like?

I love This series. The characters are fun and likable. I liked how in this one we get to see more of Mona’s family. And all the clam talk made me hungry for clam chowder.

As always, another great addition to the series. Fast paced mystery with lots of characters and red herrings, plus great recipes. This series just gets better and better.

Hayley has her hands full with her restaurant and her husband's ex-girlfriend in town. Now she has to keep her friend Mona calm and away from business rival Lonnie and his daughters. When Lonnie is found dead, Mona and her family lead the suspect list. Aside from the fact that I could never handle Mona as a friend, I like this book. The mystery had enough twists and turns to throw me a bit at the end. It is a very enjoyable cozy mystery!

Mona's son is engaged to Lonnie's daughter - setting up a Romeo and Juliet sort of situation because these two families have been bitter rivals for years. And then Lonnie's found dead! Hayley swings into action to make sure that Mona or anyone in her family isn't charged because they know Lonnie had made a lot of enemies. It's classic cozy territory with good female friends and, this time out, a deeper look at Mona. I haven't read but a few in this long running series but that wasn't a problem_ it's fine as a sorta (or a real) standalone. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

This is such a fun series! I love catching up with Hayley, Mona, and Liddy each time a new book comes out. The mystery was well written and the pacing kept me reading well into the night. Although I had figured out who the killer was early on, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the mystery. There’s just enough humor to balance out the murder investigation. Looking forward to the next.

I love Lee Hollis' Hayley Powell mysteries and have read them all, some more than once. This one was good but was a little disappointing on the whodunit. No spoilers but I was bummed.

Hayley's BFF Mona has had a long-standing rivalry with the other Bar Harbor seafood business for decades. When one of her kids is found to be engaged to the enemy's daughter, fights ensue. When the unlikeable patriarch of the rival dies under mysterious circumstances, Mona's son is fingered as a suspect. Hayley goes to work to keep the wrong person out of jail. Or was it even actually murder?

I felt most of the new characters introduced were not likeable and therefore giant throwaways. It cost my investment in the story and one star for the book. I hope they get back on track with the next in the series.

This is book 16 in the series and it is as fresh as can be. The humor and characters are strong in this one.

I really enjoyed getting to know Mona's family, especially her three sons who are very much like their mother for the most part.

The main story involves two competing seafood companies, one of which is Mona's. The rivalry is strong as is the dislike and even hatred of each other. This plays out throughout the story and gives us lots of insight into the families.

There is a death but is it murder? We're not quite sure until the end because Haley has to dig around. I can say it all resolves out and we learn all.

A side story throughout is if Bruce will remain faithful to Haley. Youi have to read to find out.

The humor is great and mostly in Haley's thoughts and observations in some serious moments. I had to laugh out loud and one when everyone was in danger.

Fans will enjoy and people new to the series although I suggest the read some previous books when they have a chance.

I have LOVED this series for years and was so happy to see this new title. I loved catching up with all the characters. I am still sad how the friendship and dynamics between the three main women have changed as the series has gone on, but overall this book was very enjoyable. It was fun to see more of Mona's kids now that they are grown up. I can't wait for the next one!

“Death of a Clam Digger ” by Lee Hollis the 16th instalment in the Haley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery series which releases on July 25, 2023. I love this series, the stories always catch my attention and pull me in right away. This instalment was no different I read over a few hours.

I found the mystery was well written and paced with lots of twists and turns. It kept me guessing to the end. I can’t wait till the next instalment comes out and finding out. I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Kensington Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hayley is back and trying to keep Mona and her kids from a major feud with the other local seafood company in town. I loved this story, filled with Mona's family angst. These characters are so well written they feel like old family friends. I found the resolution of the story sad, but also felt like it was real for the characters to have actually done this. Love the recipes and stories interspersed from Hayley's newspaper column. Overall a good read!

Death of a Clam Digger by Lee Hollis is the sixteenth book in Hayley Powell Food and Coctails Mystery series.

I have been a fan of this series for quite some time and I always immensely enjoy every book.

In this installment some of the main protagonists are Mona's sons. It was very entertaining to find out more about one of the reccuring characters that we had a pleasure of reading about for so long.
There were some funny scenes and some tense ones.
As always one of my favorite parts of each book are Hayley's stories about her two best friends which are so delightful and oftern hilariously funny.
Mystery was well presented and satisfactorily wrapped up, readers could try their luck in solving the mystery together with the sleuth.
Highly entertaining cozy mystery from a beloved author.

A local businessman is found dead but was it an accident or murder? While the investigation into the incident is inconclusive, there is still the matter of a random class ring found near the body.

A lot of surprises and an interesting dynamic between the main characters made this a fun and enjoyable read. I would like to thank Kensington and NetGalley for providing an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

This is the first Hayley Powell book I’ve read and I wish I had read them all. I will be going back to correct that mistake. In Bar Harbor, a quintessential coastal Maine town, Hayley and her friend Mona find themselves pulled into the murder of Mona’s biggest business rival while taking a walk on the clam flats. Hayley, between running her new restaurant, her weekly column for the Island Times, and worrying about her husband’s former girlfriend finds herself investigating this death. Or was it murder?
Living in Maine and having visited Bar Harbor many times this book is wonderful!! The writing team of Lee Hollis have done a great job of bringing the town and characters to life through friendships, family dynamics and rivalries. I would recommend this title to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries.
I was given an arc of this title by NetGalley and the publisher for a honest and fair review.

Can’t get enough Hayley Powell and friends! Hayley and bestie Mona find Mona’s chief competitor dead and try to find the murderer…but wind up looking hard at Mona’s family. I enjoyed getting know Mona’s kids as adults, meeting more Bar Harbor residents and catching up with a few like Nurse Tilley and Officer Donnie. My only complaint was not getting updates on Hayley’s kids. Can’t wait for the next book!