Novella Review: Death by Yule Log by Lee Hollis (Hayley Powell #10.5)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong mystery and fun characters

Cons: None for me

The Bottom Line:

Visiting boyfriend

Finds himself involved in death

Fun holiday tale

New Boyfriend and a Christmas Murder

I haven’t yet made time to read any of Lee Hollis’s books, but I have enjoyed the stories in the Christmas novella collections that Kensington has put out.  That’s why I originally read Death by Yule Log, which I enjoyed.

This Christmas, Hayley Powell's daughter is coming up to Maine for Christmas and she's bringing her new boyfriend.  Hayley does her best to greet Connor with an open mind, but something about him just rubs Hayley the wrong way.  However, when a young man is found murdered after getting into a fight with Connor, it begins to look like Connor is the prime suspect.  Hayley may not like him, but she doesn't want to see Connor accused of a crime he didn't commit.  Can she figure out what is going on?

This story made me want to pick up the full length novels, not that I have yet.  While I obviously didn't understand all the character history, I certainly got enough to fully enjoy what was happening here.  The mystery was strong and kept me engaged until the end.

As a bonus, there’s a recipe for Yule Log cake among other recipes spread throughout.

This is a novella, about 100 pages long.  That makes it a quick read.  It was originally part of the Yule Log Murder anthology, so if you have that one, there’s no reason to pick this ebook up.

But if you’ve missed it, and you are looking for a fun holiday mystery, check out Death by Yule Log.  This is especially true if you are a fan of the series.