Hayley Powell is at a book signing for a famous cookbook author that she loves, Penelope Janice, who also has a summer home nearby. When Penelope unexpectedly asks Hayley to substitute as a guest cook at a Fourth of July gathering at her home, Hayley's stunned. It seems someone backed out at the last minute, and Penelope follows Hayley's food column in the newspaper. The catch is she's expected to stay the entire weekend since Penelope is filming the entire thing for a TV special. Of course, Hayley agrees.

But the first night there, dinner isn't a pleasant affair. Penelope is arguing with her husband Conrad, and then Hayley gets a bout of food poisoning, and needs to find a bathroom. When exiting to go back to her room, she overhears two people have a conversation about murdering someone, and she thinks Conrad and Penelope's secretary Lena are the two people talking. So early the next morning she calls her brother-in-law Sergio, who's chief of police, to ask his advice. He arrives to question Penelope, but she blows it off and Conrad, of course, tells Hayley she was having hallucinations. But then Conrad is found dead at the bottom of a cliff, and Hayley wonders if it was truly an accident. Especially when she has an 'accident' of her own that she knows was on purpose. Still, she has no proof. So with the help of her co-worker Bruce Linney, Hayley sets out to find out who wants someone dead...and if she can keep that person alive before she's the next victim...

After a slow start to the series where all I saw was Hayley and her friends doing nothing but getting drunk, this series has improved to the point where I'm actually enjoying reading it, and I'm glad I stuck with it. We don't see a lot of her cronies Liddy and Mona, but then the story is written in such a way that there wouldn't have been much point to them being around, anyway. However, in this one, Bruce makes quite an appearance that is very telling as to where the story line is heading, and it might actually become interesting along the way. We also have the reappearance of one of Hayley's ex-boyfriends added into the plot.

The death occurs early on, and Hayley knows that someone in the household had to be the killer, but she can't imagine it being Penelope, even if it's become apparent that Penelope's marriage was on the rocks. However, with the woman insisting no one would kill him, Hayley's on her own. Then there's an attack on Hayley's life, and she knows she's on the right track. She also discovers that her idol has cracks in her veneer and may not be the person she's thought and admired for years.

When there's another attack on someone else, Hayley's determined to figure things out, even if it puts her in the sights of a killer. By the end of the book, more than one surprise comes forth, and everything comes together nicely, giving us an ending that makes us want to read the next in the series. Recommended. ( )

Having read several Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mysteries, I have to say I was looking forward to the latest addition to the series. Hayley is invited to participate in a Fourth of July cook-off at the summer home of Penelope Janice, cookbook author and television personality. Hayley is excited and looks forward to a great time filled with wonderful food and chefs that she has only seen on television. During her stay at the mansion she overhears conversations involving murder, gets food poisoning, meets an old boyfriend, evacuates the mansion due to a fire and puts herself in danger, all while investigating the death of Penelope's husband. Was he murdered? Did Penelope do it?

This was a fun whodunit that had me looking at more than one suspect. At one point I was even thinking that her assistant was her secret daughter. The characters were not very likeable, but that did not stop me from wanting to find out who was the culprit and would there be another murder? I was disappointed that Liddy and Mona, Hayley's BFFs, were not in this book until the very end and really just a short appearance not as characters integral to the story. The humor that I have grown to enjoy was lacking in this book. Sergio, with his funny misuses of English words, was the comic relief in this story. The mystery was well plotted and had quite a few twists, but I did figure some of it out about 2/3 of the way through. The ending however, was a bit of a surprise. I am looking forward to the next book, hoping that the humor brought by Mona and Liddy returns. Those who enjoy cozy mysteries will also enjoy this book. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley. ( )

I received and ARC of this book from Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for my honest review.

Hayley Powell is a food columnist for The Island Times in Bar Harbor, Maine. While at a book signing by Penelope Janice, one of the top stars for the Flavor Network for her latest cookbooks. Penelope asks Hayley to participate in a celebrity potluck contest as a last minute fill in for a no show guest at her estate over the Fourth of July weekend to be filmed for her cooking show. Hayley gets food poisoning from some bad mussels the first night, then she overhears a man, who she believes to be Penelope's husband Conrad, and a woman plotting a murder of who she thinks is Penelope. When Hayley tells Penelope what she'd overheard, Penelope doesn't believe her. Things get even more complicated when Conrad is found dead at the bottom of a cliff after a night of heavy drinking. Hayley now has to find out if Conrad's death was an accident as everyone believes it to be, or if it was murder like Hayley suspects. Hayley call Bruce, the crime reporter for the paper after an attempt is made on her life, the two team up to work on figuring out the mystery.

With a house full of suspects it's hard to narrow down who killed Conrad until the surprising reveal. We don't have the usual characters in this book as Hayley's children have both left home and her two best friends only make the briefest of appearances so we are introduced to some new colorful characters. It was nice to see Hayley's and Bruce's relationship take a turn towards them being a couple after being coworkers and friends since book 1. The author does a nice job of drawing you into the story with her characters, well plotted mystery, and her well paced story line. ( )

I received and ARC of this book from Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for my honest review.

Hayley Powell is a food columnist for The Island Times in Bar Harbor, Maine. While at a book signing by Penelope Janice, one of the top stars for the Flavor Network for her latest cookbooks. Penelope asks Hayley to participate in a celebrity potluck contest as a last minute fill in for a no show guest at her estate over the Fourth of July weekend to be filmed for her cooking show. Hayley gets food poisoning from some bad mussels the first night, then she overhears a man, who she believes to be Penelope's husband Conrad, and a woman plotting a murder of who she thinks is Penelope. When Hayley tells Penelope what she'd overheard, Penelope doesn't believe her. Things get even more complicated when Conrad is found dead at the bottom of a cliff after a night of heavy drinking. Hayley now has to find out if Conrad's death was an accident as everyone believes it to be, or if it was murder like Hayley suspects. Hayley call Bruce, the crime reporter for the paper after an attempt is made on her life, the two team up to work on figuring out the mystery.

With a house full of suspects it's hard to narrow down who killed Conrad until the surprising reveal. We don't have the usual characters in this book as Hayley's children have both left home and her two best friends only make the briefest of appearances so we are introduced to some new colorful characters. It was nice to see Hayley's and Bruce's relationship take a turn towards them being a couple after being coworkers and friends since book 1. The author does a nice job of drawing you into the story with her characters, well plotted mystery, and her well paced story line. ( )

Death of a Cookbook Author by Lee Hollis is the tenth book in A Hayley Powell Food & Cocktails Mystery series (that’s a mouthful). Hayley Powell is shocked when Penelope Janice, cookbook author and television personality, is a fan of her column. Penelope invites Hayley to participate in her Third Annual Fourth of July Celebrity Potluck Celebration at her estate in Seal Harbor, Maine. The competition along with the other festivities for the weekend will be filmed for Penelope’s show. Hayley is thrilled to be invited and hopes that her cooking will measure up. The first night they have steamed mussels for dinner which Hayley devours. She soon regrets her over indulgence when she wakes up with food poisoning in the middle of the night and is unable to find a bathroom. She overhears two people plotting a murder, but Penelope just laughs off Hayley’s concerns. The following day Hayley is awakened to screams. Conrad Janice has been found at the bottom of the cliff. The victim had been extremely drunk the night before and Chief of Police Sergio Alvares rules it an accident. Hayley believes foul play is involved, but she will need to find hard evidence to prove it. Penelope is not about to let the death of her husband stop the weekend, so the festivities proceed (gives Hayley time to snoop). Hayley is unprepared for an unexpected dip into the ocean, a boyfriend for the weekend, or a second body. It is going to be a wild Fourth of July weekend in Death of a Cookbook Author.

Death of a Cookbook Author is nicely written and has a steady pace. While this is the tenth installment in the series, it can be read alone. The necessary background details are provided for new readers. I thought the mystery was well-crafted and clever (I never thought to use an automated cat feeder in that way). There are several suspects and good misdirection. I have to admit that I enjoyed the dig at a certain politician who loves Twitter. All the loose ends are wrapped up at the end of the book. There are some great laugh out loud moments and Hayley’s columns were entertaining. It will be interesting to see how Hayley’s new romance progresses in future books. I did not think Hayley would ever admit her feeling for this man. I would like to see Hayley mature in future books as she does not always act her age (she comes across as immature at times). There are recipes included in the book. Death of a Cookbook Author is my favorite book so far in this series. ( )