Helpful Score: 6
I couldn't put the book down. Read it in one day and now can't wait until the next one is out. I love the central characters and the story lines Ms Adams writes about. I'm new to the "cosie" grenere and I can get my fix of mysteries without all the blood and gore. I also like Captain Haviland, the dog that is featured in this series. I love dogs and miss mine so I live vicariously thru this animal. It's a wonderful book. I hope Ms Adams writes many more for "A books by the Bay" series.
Helpful Score: 4
I thought this second-in-series was better than the first, in that the characters are growing nicely. I like that Ellery Adams seems at least as interested (if not more so) in bringing life to her characters, as she is to solving the mystery. If there was one weak spot in this engaging tale, it was the premise of the cliches ... I think it was a great idea, but I'm not sure it was developed quite as much as it needed to be ... All in all, I'm more interested to continue reading the series to know the characters than to solve the mysteries ...
Cheryl C. (moondance120) reviewed A Deadly Cliche (Books by the Bay, Bk 2) on + 422 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
I enjoyed this second book in the series. I found Olivia to be rather cold in the first book and like that she is becoming a more likeable character. I enjoy the mixture of small town residents and their interaction with each other. 3 stars
Helpful Score: 3
My favorite mystery series- it is written very well and stimulates the intellect to keep up with the characters of which I wish I could be friends with a few of them!
Barb W. (kidcrazybarb) -
Helpful Score: 2
I have so many good things to say about this series that I'm not sure where to start! I strongly suggest you start with the 1st book & read them in order to get the most from this series. The characters are very believable...including Olivia's dog, Captian Haviland. The mysteries are great & I love the sidebar romance angles too...it gives the characters more depth. What sets this series apart from others I've read is The Bayside Book Writers group aspect. At each meeting, they critique a chapter from one of the members' books. What I love about this series is that you, too, get to read some of the chapter that they'll be critiquing at their next meeting. One member is writing a romance novel whereas another is writing a science fiction novel...and so on. It's almost like reading several books at the same time!!! I'm almost done reading the third book in this series & I'm already counting the days until the 4th book is released!!
Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Helpful Score: 1
First Line: "Storm's comin'," the fisherman said, stroking the pewter whiskers of his beard.
While walking with her standard poodle, Captain Haviland, along the beach, Olivia Limoges finds a body buried in the sand. Could this be connected to a series of strange burglaries in the Oyster Bay, North Carolina area? At the scene of each burglary, the thieves set up bizarre tableaux: a stick of butter with a knife cutting through it, a doll with a spoon in its mouth, an incomplete deck of cards.... Suddenly Olivia understands that each scene represents a cliché, and what better group of people to decode this sort of clue than her Bayside Book Writers?
There's no sophomore slump in the Books by the Bay cozy mystery series. A Deadly Cliché is even stronger than the first. Although the characters understand that the burglars are leaving clues behind, understanding the why takes a while to unfold, and the thieves' identities even longer. Part of the reason for this is due to the fact that there's a subplot in play: Olivia has been given information that her father-- long believed to be drowned at sea-- may actually be alive, and finding him is more important to her than unmasking the thieves.
This subplot adds depth to the character of Olivia. For years she's kept a protective shell around herself, one that kept her aloof and almost entirely unapproachable in the first book, A Killer Plot. As she tells another character, she is working on "defrosting," and learning about her father is going to help her do just that. It's also going to add to future books in the series.
Another bonus to this series is being able to watch a writers group in action. For anyone who's interested in the craft, it's useful to see how the group interacts, to see how they critique each other's work, and to understand how they help one another.
This series is pretty much Olivia's show, and although I love seeing a wealthy person being a force for good in her community, and I enjoy watching her become more approachable and willing to trust, I'm hoping that more of the secondary characters-- particularly those in the writers group-- will come to the fore and share more of the limelight with Olivia.
As in the first book, Captain Haviland continues to be an excellent canine sidekick, even if he does seem to eat nothing but gourmet food. He doesn't have any super powers; he's just a well-trained, well-behaved dog that loves his human. You can't ask for more than that.
However, I can and will ask for more than that. What do I ask for? More books in this series, please!
While walking with her standard poodle, Captain Haviland, along the beach, Olivia Limoges finds a body buried in the sand. Could this be connected to a series of strange burglaries in the Oyster Bay, North Carolina area? At the scene of each burglary, the thieves set up bizarre tableaux: a stick of butter with a knife cutting through it, a doll with a spoon in its mouth, an incomplete deck of cards.... Suddenly Olivia understands that each scene represents a cliché, and what better group of people to decode this sort of clue than her Bayside Book Writers?
There's no sophomore slump in the Books by the Bay cozy mystery series. A Deadly Cliché is even stronger than the first. Although the characters understand that the burglars are leaving clues behind, understanding the why takes a while to unfold, and the thieves' identities even longer. Part of the reason for this is due to the fact that there's a subplot in play: Olivia has been given information that her father-- long believed to be drowned at sea-- may actually be alive, and finding him is more important to her than unmasking the thieves.
This subplot adds depth to the character of Olivia. For years she's kept a protective shell around herself, one that kept her aloof and almost entirely unapproachable in the first book, A Killer Plot. As she tells another character, she is working on "defrosting," and learning about her father is going to help her do just that. It's also going to add to future books in the series.
Another bonus to this series is being able to watch a writers group in action. For anyone who's interested in the craft, it's useful to see how the group interacts, to see how they critique each other's work, and to understand how they help one another.
This series is pretty much Olivia's show, and although I love seeing a wealthy person being a force for good in her community, and I enjoy watching her become more approachable and willing to trust, I'm hoping that more of the secondary characters-- particularly those in the writers group-- will come to the fore and share more of the limelight with Olivia.
As in the first book, Captain Haviland continues to be an excellent canine sidekick, even if he does seem to eat nothing but gourmet food. He doesn't have any super powers; he's just a well-trained, well-behaved dog that loves his human. You can't ask for more than that.
However, I can and will ask for more than that. What do I ask for? More books in this series, please!
Helpful Score: 1
I read the first title in this series and wasn't blown away, but the premise for this one sounded unique so I gave it a try. Unfortunately the unique premise was about all I liked about it. This book moves SO slowly. I had to flip pages (quickly) just to get through it. There is so much extra "blah" in it that does not relate to the plot. I didn't even wind up reading the last 40 pages or so after I found out who was doing it and why. Not sure why this is such a popular series. I read a lot of mystery series and this one just doesn't do it for me.
Darilee P. (cozysleuth) reviewed A Deadly Cliche (Books by the Bay, Bk 2) on + 153 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Olivia has many surprises in this second book with the Captain, Haviland always nearby and very calming and obedient.
Olivia has several projects underway and finds new friends as she once again participates in Oyster Bay's events and political scene. Happy and sad too with several families in the story.
A unique surprise at the end as the mysteries are solved.
Ready for Bk 3.
Olivia has several projects underway and finds new friends as she once again participates in Oyster Bay's events and political scene. Happy and sad too with several families in the story.
A unique surprise at the end as the mysteries are solved.
Ready for Bk 3.
The series is getting better and the characters, who were first just odd, are rounding out and becoming more people than groups of characteristics.
The book ends with a nice addition of characters to join our crew. No one could resist the resident poodle, either.
My only complaint is that I wish that there was more attention to plot development. It is the weak part of the series. In both books, it seems tacked on the characters lives, as in, Hey, it's a cozy, we better get some crime going.
The huge plus is the addition of the ongoing novels written by the writer's group.
I will read the rest of the series with great affection.
The book ends with a nice addition of characters to join our crew. No one could resist the resident poodle, either.
My only complaint is that I wish that there was more attention to plot development. It is the weak part of the series. In both books, it seems tacked on the characters lives, as in, Hey, it's a cozy, we better get some crime going.
The huge plus is the addition of the ongoing novels written by the writer's group.
I will read the rest of the series with great affection.
