Death of a Bacon Heiress (Hayley Powell Mystery)

Death of a Bacon Heiress by Lee Hollis is the seventh book in the Hayley Powell Mystery series. I have not read any of the previous books but I was still able to follow the story and enjoy the book. It took me a couple of chapters to get into the story, but once I did, it was a quick read.

Hayley works at the local newspaper as the office manager and writes a food/drink column on Mount Desert Island. She is invited to appear on a talk show in New York to showcase one of her bacon recipes that the host of the show was familiar with. While on the show, Hayley meets Olivia Redmond, heiress to Redmond Meats, the largest meat supplier in the country. The Redmond family summered on the island for years, so Hayley was familiar with Olivia. When they arrived on the island, Haley accompanies Olivia and her husband Nacho to dinner. They leave the restaurant in a huff after Olivia is disappointed with her meal. The next day, Olivia asks Hayley if she will write a blog twice a week for the Redmond Meats website. Hayley jumps at the opportunity. Meanwhile a fellow reporter that works with Hayley is investigating the disappearance of Dr. Alvin Foley, another island resident.

When Hayley stops by Olivia’s house a couple of days later, she finds Olivia dead in her yard with Olivia’s pot-bellied pig, Pork Chop nearby. The suspect list is long and includes The Chat hostess and best friend, Rhonda Franklin, Olivia's estranged son, Red, her philandering husband, Nacho or her employee who feels he should be running the company. Olivia begins an investigation with the help of her brother-in-law, the local sheriff.

In the meantime, Hayley has to provide a home for Pork Chop, as Red wants nothing to do with him, and Hayley’s other animals are not happy. She is also dealing with her boyfriend, Dr. Aaron Palmer the local vet. Aaron has been distant lately and is not returning Haley’s phone calls. When she stops by to see him he is too busy to talk. Hayley is worried that he wants to end their relationship while her best friend Liddy is sure he is getting ready to propose.

I love the diverse characters in this story. Hayley's brother is the local bar owner and is gay, married to the local sheriff. Liddy is divorced and dating a lawyer 15 years her junior. Mona is a married mother of half a dozen kids with a lazy husband. She also supplies most of the island with seafood from her business. She "dates" Rhonda who is a lesbian, but has not intention of leaving her husband, it is just nice to hear nice things for a change. They all play very well off of each other and I enjoyed the interactions.

I did figure out who the murderer was before the end of the story, but that was okay. It was still a fun read that held my interest. I will definitely read the next one in this series and may go back and read them all. I recommend this book to cozy mystery readers, especially those that love getting the recipes that are mentioned in the books, there are some great ones at the end of each chapter. The publisher generously provided me a copy of this book through Netgalley.

This is a fun series!
Especially when you know the characters....

Love this series ! Love the dog, cat, and pig !

Luv me some bacon

as with the othrs in the series, good read

I LOVE this book series! I've read all the ones that have been released and am waiting for the next one, which I've pre-ordered.

I won this book from the author for a fair and honest review! I really enjoyed this book! With murder,mystery, great recipes, and a pig named Pork Chop you just can't go wrong! When Hayley is invited to cook on a popular show she is floored by the invitation! When the producer tells her one of her favorite actresses requested her she is even more thrilled! She and her friends are whisked off to the show in first class style with all expenses paid! While she is there she meets Olivia Redmond the famous Bacon Heiress! When she gets back home Olivia offers her a job that she can't refuse! Life is going good but soon everything comes crashing down! Olivia is murdered and Hayley's new job might go with her. She really liked Olivia and immediately starts to dig into her murder! She must act fast because her life is starting to unravel! Her relationship with her boyfriend is on the rocks and Hayley has agreed to take in Olivia' s pig Pork Chop! If she doesn't find out who murdered Olivia quick she and her family might be the next victims! I highly recommend this book and I can't wait to read the next book in this series!

love all her books. Read them all. Great writer

Love all her books.

I have read all the books in this series and have enjoyed all of them.
They are humorous, fun and wacky. I like the banter between Hayley
and her office crew in the books, I actually laugh out loud. I also really
liked the very ending of this book, it was unexpected and funny. Now I
can't wait until the next one comes out to see what develops between
two of the characters, it should be funny for sure.