Death Of A Wicked Witch
Bar Harbor, Maine, is quieter in the off-season, but the population has just increased a bit with the arrival of Ted and Trudy Lancaster. Ted’s taking over for a retiring minister, and Trudy runs a food truck called Wicked ’Wiches. When she stops in at the Island Times office to place an ad, Hayley happily devours the sample sub that Trudy offers, and the two become fast friends.
When Trudy tragically dies in her truck while catering a Halloween party, suspicion falls on a cranky, competitive caterer who’d made veiled threats to Trudy. But the case becomes more complicated when Hayley’s husband admits he’d seen someone dressed as a witch hurrying away from the food truck, which is not very helpful when countless women at the party wore the same costume. Now Hayley finds herself sandwiched between witches and witnesses as she considers a smorgasbord of suspects. If she finds the killer, she’ll be a local hero.
Series: A Hayley Powell Food & Cocktails Mystery – Book #13
Author: Lee Hollis
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Culinary
Publisher: Kensington Books
Page Count: 304
Rating: 
Lee Hollis has created another hit with the 13th book (lucky 13!) in the “A Hayley Powell Food & Cocktails” series, Death Of A Wicked Witch. This book will keep readers on the edge of their seats and will give them a few laughs and tons of smiles.
Hayley is almost too used to murder, but when a seemingly nice happy woman is killed during a Halloween party while creating gastric delights in her food truck, it hits home. She had just met Trudy but immediately liked her and felt they were going to be great friends. And it wasn’t just the sub sandwiches Trudy made that had Hayley enamored. Trudy was a great new character; it’s too bad she was also the victim. Many of the regular characters are present but not as much as usual, but those that are involved add to the overall enjoyment of the book.
The killer is not easily picked out, and the motive appears to be somewhat convoluted, but it isn’t actually. There are enough suspects to keep you guessing and lots of fun to keep you smiling. There are plenty of red herrings and twists and turns to keep readers reading and turning the page. The unveiling is action-packed. The recipes will have you craving food and cocktails. The short inside looks into Hayley’s world are lovely and make the book all come together. Death Of A Wicked Witch has readers craving fall, Halloween, and all things cool and beautiful. Readers will be thrilled with the ending and look forward to the next installment.
Other fall-themed cozies readers will enjoy are Leslie Meier’s Halloween-themed series “A Lucy Stone Mystery” or G.A. McKevett’s emotion-driven “A Granny Reid Mystery.”
About the Author:
Lee Hollis is the pen name for a brother and sister writing team. Rick Copp is a veteran film and television writer/producer and also the author of two other mystery novel series. He lives in Palm Springs, California. Holly Simason is an award-winning food and cocktails columnist for the Mount Desert Islander newspaper in Bar Harbor, Maine, where she resides.
Contact Lee and Holly – hsimason@ec.rr.com
Find Lee and Holly on Social Media
Contact The Cozy Review
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