Book Review: Death of a Tom Turkey (Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery, #18) by Lee Hollis

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Death of a Tom Turkey (Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery, #18)  by Lee Hollis  opens with Tom Farley and his neighbors in a snit because he's the last holdout to sell his house to a property developer who wants to build a resort. When Tom is shot at a pre-Thanksgiving community gathering and hospitalized, Hayley Powell puts her amateur sleuthing skills to good use. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishers for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of this cozy mystery. I received a copy of this book for free in exchange of my honest opinion and review of the story. I loved the fact that this latest installment of the Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery  series had a theme around the Thanksgiving holiday and included live turkeys in the plot. It was good to visit some familiar characters. Since this is the eighteenth installment in the series, Lee Hollis didn't go into much detail of the background of those reoccurring characters; however, she...
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Book Review: Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow

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Book Club Book Review of Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow
Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow was published on April 5, 2022 by The Dial Press and is the debut novel of the author. As the story unfolds, we learn the narrative of a Southern, Black family told from three different generations and how the legacy is finally changed with the most recent generation.

This book was selected as the monthly read for one of the book clubs I belong to. I typically read books in the genres of horror, thriller, suspense, and mystery, so Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow isn't likely a book I would have chosen to read on my own. However, I am so glad that it was selected because it was an interesting read, and I couldn't wait to see how the story of the North women progressed.

Although this is a work of fiction, it felt like it was real life as it touched on very palpable subjects like racism, domestic violence, rape, gangs, life and death, and many more topics that plagues society today. There were times that my heart ached and hurt for the characters and other situations that gave me hope that the characters would have happy times. 

Although Memphis is extremely well written and engaging, there were times I had trouble keeping up with the characters because the story was told from several different perspectives. It also went back and forth between time periods which contributed to the occasional mix up. With that being said, that's my only complaint.

Such a beautiful, poignant story, I wholeheartedly recommend Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow and give it four out of five stars. I look forward to reading more novels from this author.
 


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