Death of an Ice Cream Scooper
Food and cocktails columnist Hayley Powell doesn’t know what to believe when Lydia Partridge, the put-together owner of gourmet Bar Harbor Ice Cream, suddenly reveals fears that her husband may be having an affair. There’s no other way to explain why Jamie, a respected professor, was spotted in a remote part of town with a much younger woman. But instead of learning the truth about the secret meeting, Lydia opens her freezer truck to find another surprise, the dead body of a summer employee.
The shock continues as photographic evidence proves Jamie spent time off campus with the victim, one of his students. Now, Lydia desperately needs Hayley to discover if Jamie is a cheater or, worse, a ruthless killer. With her complicated family issues to address, can Hayley make sense of a popular college girl’s love life and out the true culprit before the case, or another person, goes cold?
The Details
Series: Hayley Powell Mystery – Book #15
Author: Lee Hollis
Genre/Category: Cozy – Amateur Sleuth/Culinary
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
ISBN: 1496736494
Page Count: 320
Rating: 
The Review
Death of an Ice Cream Scooper, a tragic occurrence if ever there was one! Who would want to kill someone who provides them with cold ambrosia? Of course, that is the question, isn’t it? Someone wanted this ice cream scooper dead. It’s up to Hayley to find out who and why and put the culprit on ice. The newest book in the “Hayley Powell Mystery” series sees Hayley sorting suspects instead of recipes while mixing cocktails, takes second place to a murder investigation that leads her down the path of extramarital affairs, business rivalries, and college life drama.
A young college student working for a popular ice cream shop is found murdered inside the shop’s delivery truck freezer. However, once Hayley starts looking into who the girl may have upset, she finds that there is more to the story than anyone knew. Add in that the girl works for Lydia, who believes her husband is having an affair with a young woman, and Hayley’s employees may know more than they are admitting to, and you have a mystery shrouded in intrigue and suspense. Chasing red herrings from start to finish, finding motives and evidence, and tracking down a killer will keep Hayley and readers busy.
I enjoyed following the clues. It took me a bit to figure out who the killer was, and I didn’t do it at the beginning of the book. The motive could have been stronger, but it works. The characters are, as always, one of the best parts of this series, and you can’t beat the location. I love ice cream, even if I can’t eat it very often, so the premise was interesting. With the horrible heat, we are having this summer, reading this story gave me a sensation of feeling cooler. I did not think that the affair aspect played very well, at least not in the beginning, but once all the tie-ins were exposed, I realized how important it was for Hayley to find out the truth.
Readers will enjoy Death of an Ice Cream Scooper. It isn’t so hard to figure out that it will leave you frustrated, nor is it repetitious. The ice cream shop, the affair, the college students, and the murder all have a part to play. I didn’t feel that this story was as strong as it could have been or compared to others in the series, but it was still enjoyable, and I am happy to recommend it along with all of the books in this series.
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 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.
Other series and books by these authors readers may enjoy include Murder at the PTA from the “A Maya and Sandra Mystery” series or the “A Hayley Powell Food & Cocktails Mystery” series, Death Of A Wicked Witch.
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