Book Review: The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss

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The Escape Game  by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss  opens on the set of a reality television show called "The Escape Room" where one of the season four contestants, Alicia Angelos, is found in a coffin on set ... dead. Fast forward to season five where Sierra Angelos, the murder victim's younger sister and suspected killer, has been brought back to the show and paired up with Beck, Adi, and Carter. Sierra wants to find justice for her sister, but when Sierra and her teammates start uncovering clues about the true killer, they must figure out how to survive the game. A huge thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for approving my request and providing me with a digital copy of The Escape Game  for free in exchange for my honest review. I was immediately drawn to the title and cover of the young adult novel. Throw in the plot being about an escape room, and I was completely sold on the story before even reading it. The story is told from the perspective of fou...
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Book Review: Death of a Tom Turkey (Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery, #18) by Lee Hollis

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NetGalley ARC Book Review: Death of a Tom Turkey (Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery, #18) by Lee Hollis
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 did provide some cursory details for those who may not have read any of the previous installments in the series. With that being said, there were more details given about new characters featured in Death of a Tom Turkey. There were lots of red herrings and motives of who would've wanted to harm Tom, but I couldn't figure out who the culprit, or culprits, were.

As much as I enjoy this particular cozy mystery series, I just wasn't feeling this one. It was well written with a few twists and turns and a big courtroom trial. With that being said, it was slower paced than I would have liked with very little clues given along the way. Some of the clues and twists given seemed convenient or appeared abruptly.

Three out of five stars is what I rated Death of a Tom Turkey (Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery, #18) by Lee Hollis. Where this may not have been my favorite installment, it may be one of your favorites, so give it a read. This book was published on September 30, 2025.

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