Death of an Italian Chef: A Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery, Book 14

I have read other books by this brother/sister author, so I was expecting a good cozy, winter's read. I was so disappointed, and at chapter 18 skipped to the end. The killer was no surprise. Brother Randy was so immature & childlikee that i could not see how he could run a bar. There is being a bit silly, and there is going overboard until it is gross. I hope this wasn't done because they thought this is how a gay man acts; and why would a man in Sergio's position want to marry someone this embarrassing. Worst of all, Hayley went along with it and pandered to him. Randy's sickness would not be the reason for this. Then, Chef Romeo was more of a cartoon of an Italian chef then a real person. There was an underlying note of him being a really nice guy, but his bombastic talk overwhelmed this. The next big thing that bothered me the most is the way Bagley and Randy went on because their husbands went away for awhile; one for business and the other to visit family. I did think that 3 months was a bit long for Sergio to visit a healthy family, and be away from his job. I thought of all the military that were gone as long as a year, and it was often a woman with children. Of course you miss your mate and don't like coming home to an empty house, but in their positions there is so much they can do, rather then whine. I did not plan on going on this long, but am saddened by the way the authors wasted their talent on the poor way these characters were presented; but there is even more I could have written!

This is an excellent series and each one does not disappoint! Haley consistently finds herself in the middle of something. She's a little down since Bruce is gone to NY for a trial so Haley has some alone time. Not for long , Randy is sick, a new restaurant owner pleads for her help then gets murdered. Not to mention she does have a job! Lots of craziness, humor and good food just make this so much fun.

I don't know what it is but the more you read from your favorite authors the less interesting the book becomes. This to me so boring and I just stopped reading. It lacked the mystery and suspense from former books. Disappointed Sergio was not in the book this time. He usually brings a lot of enjoyment to the story. Just so disappointed

I hope this series doesn't end soon. Love Hayley and the gang. The murder of the chef was interesting and the motive hidden. I suspected the killer but the why was a surprise, as well as the twist at the end. Hayley is changing up her life and it should be a fun ride for all. Great story!

I love this series for more than one reason. There is always a murder to figure out and lots of yummy recipes to try but this time changes are coming to town as well. I can't wait for the next book in the series to see how the changes pan out!