by Cynthia Chow & Lee Hollis

This week we have a review of a fun Thanksgiving mystery by Lee Hollis, along with a fun Thanksgiving recipe from Lee! Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

Death of a Tom Turkey by Lee Hollis
Review by Cynthia Chow

Having cranky neighbors together participating in Bar Harbor’s annual Turkey Shoot was probably not a good idea, even if they are to be aiming at targets only using bean bags and not real ammo. Someone didn’t get the memo though, as Tom Farley is shot with a real bullet but thankfully that only lands him in the hospital. Unfortunately, not long afterwards he is found shoved in a wood chipper and considering the hatred his roaming turkeys have caused around town, there’s a long list of suspects. Island Times Food & Spirits columnist Hayley Powell takes on the investigation, helping her brother-in-law, the malapropping Chief of Police Sergio, question those who may have had a hand pushing the irritating turkey farmer to his death.

As usual, Hayley’s Food & Spirits columns delight as she shares her memories of past accident-prone Thanksgivings with her ex-husband, family, and friends, including recipes for drinks and leftover turkey. Hayley’s current husband plays a more low-key role than usual in this mystery, although the arrival of his ex-girlfriend Tabitha Collins disrupts their lives, not with any romantic rivalries, but with her interest in real estate and buying up property for a resort hotel. That Tom Farley was one of the holdouts for what could have been a huge payout for his neighbors only adds to the list of motives for wanting him out of the picture, even though Hayley can’t help but respect his refusal to turn the land into a massive tourist attraction.

The 18th of the series by the sibling writing duo Rick Copp and Holly Simason continues to deliver laugh-out-loud moments as it depicts the hilarious interactions between Hayley and her friends. Her BFF Mona Barnes breaks up and reunites with her much younger boyfriend daily, while Hayley’s other BFF Liddy Crawford attempts to woo one of the wealthiest families in town into making her own real estate deal. The banter between the friends is as acerbic and barbed as ever, tinged with the love that only long-time friends have and can comfortably share. Hayley’s columns are often the highlight of the novel, with her family’s chaotic holidays always ending on a warm sentimental note. Filled with recipes, Thanksgiving celebrations, and the humor that is the trademark of all of Lee Hollis’ books make this another delightful, warm-hearted, rollicking mystery for the holidays.

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Happy Thanksgiving
By Lee Hollis

If you are anything like me I am shocked that it is almost Thanksgiving, where did the summer go?

But with this chill in the air I am already looking forward to some yummy comfort food that this colder weather brings and Thanksgiving food is on the top of my list.

Everyone has a favorite Thanksgiving food and mine has always been the stuffing or as some call it the dressing. Give me a plate of stuffing and I could happily eat it as an entire meal.

There was one food I always turned my nose up to and that was the canned cranberry sauce. I watched for years as my grandparents and parents opened that one single can and shook it out onto a plate where it sat jiggly and all jelly like, then it was placed on the table among all of the homemade dishes where it basically sat untouched through the entire Thanksgiving meal except for the one slice that my grandfather put on his plate to go with his dinner every year.

It was definitely not appealing to me at all.

But that all changed about twelve years ago when I moved to another state and decided to host Thanksgiving and while preparing my menu I came across a cranberry sauce recipe that was basically right off the bag of fresh cranberries and decided to try it. It changed my life or at least my view of cranberry sauce.

I am now a cranberry sauce lover. Ever since that first time I made it and took a bite of the cranberry sauce with a piece of turkey there was no going back.

I have experimented over the years with different touches, additions, thick or thin. In the end though I always seem to come back to a hint of orange and in the last couple of years a good splash or more of Bourbon.

There is nothing like a leftover turkey, stuffing with a healthy spread of cranberry sauce and a little mayo on a good roll. To some this may not sound very good but don’t knock it until you try it. It’s delicious.

This holiday season I’m sharing my favorite bourbon cranberry sauce recipe. Hopefully you will give it a try and I hope you enjoy. Also grab a couple of extra bags of fresh cranberries and toss them in your freezer so you can whip up a batch on a hot summer day to enjoy on sandwiches it’s delicious.
Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours!

Love,
Lee Hollis

Bourbon Cranberry Sauce

2 (12 ounce) bags of cranberries
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup water
1 – 4 tablespoons bourbon to taste.
(This is totally up to you on how much you like)

Put all of your ingredients into a sauce pan and cook on medium high heat until almost all of the liquid has reduced.
This usually takes about 20 minutes.
I like to take a spoon and smash some of the cranberries, Some pop and I like to leave a few whole for a little chunky texture. Feel free to smash them all if you like a smoother texture.
Remove from heat and cool for at least 15 minutes then pour into a mason Jar or container and store in fridge until ready to use. Enjoy.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

To enter to win a copy of Death of a Tom Turkey, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “tom turkey” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen December 6, 2025. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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