Helpful Score: 9
A BOOKS BY THE BAY MYSTERY
Release Date June 1, 2010 Paperback and Kindle
A new series set in Oyster Bay, North Carolina, where Olivia Limoges returns to her home town after many years away, her return as mysterious as her leaving has everyone in town is talking about her. She keeps to herself, with her talented dog Captain Haviland and is working on her unfinished manuscript, unfortunately at the moment she is suffering from a severe case of "writer's block". At the local diner she meets charming young man, Camden Ford, and with a little help from diminutive Dixie the waitress, she agrees to join The Bayside Book Writers where she actually makes a few friends.
Sadly one of her new friends ends up dead in an alley with an obscure Haiku poem left with his body and his will not be the only body found before this mystery is solved. Olivia enlists the help of The Bayside Book Writers to help the police find the killer.
I LIKED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a really fun mystery, there are so many quirky characters, and a captivating plot. We learn enough about Olivia's past and her potential romances that will keep us wanting more stories from Oyster Bay. I am terribly jealous of Captain Haviland as my 2 dogs can barely sit still for a minute let alone help sniff out a killer. Please Ellery don't make us wait too long for another visit with Olivia and the people of Oyster Bay.
To find out more about Ellery Adams visit her web site at http://elleryadamsmysteries.com/ .
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from The Berkley Publishing Group a division of Penguin Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 : Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Release Date June 1, 2010 Paperback and Kindle
A new series set in Oyster Bay, North Carolina, where Olivia Limoges returns to her home town after many years away, her return as mysterious as her leaving has everyone in town is talking about her. She keeps to herself, with her talented dog Captain Haviland and is working on her unfinished manuscript, unfortunately at the moment she is suffering from a severe case of "writer's block". At the local diner she meets charming young man, Camden Ford, and with a little help from diminutive Dixie the waitress, she agrees to join The Bayside Book Writers where she actually makes a few friends.
Sadly one of her new friends ends up dead in an alley with an obscure Haiku poem left with his body and his will not be the only body found before this mystery is solved. Olivia enlists the help of The Bayside Book Writers to help the police find the killer.
I LIKED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a really fun mystery, there are so many quirky characters, and a captivating plot. We learn enough about Olivia's past and her potential romances that will keep us wanting more stories from Oyster Bay. I am terribly jealous of Captain Haviland as my 2 dogs can barely sit still for a minute let alone help sniff out a killer. Please Ellery don't make us wait too long for another visit with Olivia and the people of Oyster Bay.
To find out more about Ellery Adams visit her web site at http://elleryadamsmysteries.com/ .
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from The Berkley Publishing Group a division of Penguin Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 : Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Helpful Score: 5
First Line: Two of Oyster bay's lifelong citizens were in line at the Stop 'n' Shop, gossiping over carts stuffed with frozen entrees, potato chips, boxes of Krispy Kremes, and liters of soda when Olivia Limoges breezed through the market's automatic doors.
Olivia is no stranger to gossip-- she's been its regular subject ever since she came back to town. Preferring her own company and that of her dog, Captain Haviland, to most townspeople, she works on her novel in solitude. Writer Camden Ford has to turn on all his charm, but he finally gets Olivia to agree to join the Bayside Book Writers group. Just when she seems on the verge of making new friends, people begin turning up dead with poems left by the bodies. Anyone with the gift of language becomes suspect, and it's up to Olivia to catch the killer before she meets a poem with her name on it.
There seems to be more and more cozy mystery series using the North Carolina coast as a setting, and I don't mind a bit. This first entry in the Books By the Bay series has so much to recommend it.
I loved Captain Haviland, the black standard poodle. So many people only know poodles from seeing them in the show ring, and I for one can testify that you don't have to keep them groomed in those ridiculous styles-- plus they're some of the most intelligent dogs on the planet. (Yes, I'm a former poodle owner!)
I also loved the new bookstore in town, Through the Wardrobe, and really enjoyed the secondary characters. Olivia proved to be a fascinating main character. She's used to having money and spending it, so it was interesting to see how she used it in her own small hometown which relies so heavily upon tourism. So much of the time she was very prickly and aloof which made it difficult to warm up to her, but she's an onion that has to be peeled back a layer at a time. The more she interacts with the other characters, the more approachable she's going to get.
I'm going to enjoy peeling back those layers as this series progresses!
Olivia is no stranger to gossip-- she's been its regular subject ever since she came back to town. Preferring her own company and that of her dog, Captain Haviland, to most townspeople, she works on her novel in solitude. Writer Camden Ford has to turn on all his charm, but he finally gets Olivia to agree to join the Bayside Book Writers group. Just when she seems on the verge of making new friends, people begin turning up dead with poems left by the bodies. Anyone with the gift of language becomes suspect, and it's up to Olivia to catch the killer before she meets a poem with her name on it.
There seems to be more and more cozy mystery series using the North Carolina coast as a setting, and I don't mind a bit. This first entry in the Books By the Bay series has so much to recommend it.
I loved Captain Haviland, the black standard poodle. So many people only know poodles from seeing them in the show ring, and I for one can testify that you don't have to keep them groomed in those ridiculous styles-- plus they're some of the most intelligent dogs on the planet. (Yes, I'm a former poodle owner!)
I also loved the new bookstore in town, Through the Wardrobe, and really enjoyed the secondary characters. Olivia proved to be a fascinating main character. She's used to having money and spending it, so it was interesting to see how she used it in her own small hometown which relies so heavily upon tourism. So much of the time she was very prickly and aloof which made it difficult to warm up to her, but she's an onion that has to be peeled back a layer at a time. The more she interacts with the other characters, the more approachable she's going to get.
I'm going to enjoy peeling back those layers as this series progresses!
Helpful Score: 5
Im pretty torn with my thoughts on this book.
It started out with a really good bang and then midway through, it fell flat. I had a hard time connecting with the main character being that she is 40ish, filthy rich and the topic of the town gosip. She takes her dog everywhere with her, without reprocussion, and about every 2-3 pages shes feeding her poodle some gawd awful garbage enough to give anyone a heart attack. The poodle however was probably the best character here. Hes well mannored obeys every single command, and yet that just adds to the un-believeable-ness to the book.
Id say the book was about 100 pages too long at most. But the author did a great job describing the scenery, and I really enjoyed one of the secondary characters "Dixie"
I probably wont follow up with the next book in the series.
It started out with a really good bang and then midway through, it fell flat. I had a hard time connecting with the main character being that she is 40ish, filthy rich and the topic of the town gosip. She takes her dog everywhere with her, without reprocussion, and about every 2-3 pages shes feeding her poodle some gawd awful garbage enough to give anyone a heart attack. The poodle however was probably the best character here. Hes well mannored obeys every single command, and yet that just adds to the un-believeable-ness to the book.
Id say the book was about 100 pages too long at most. But the author did a great job describing the scenery, and I really enjoyed one of the secondary characters "Dixie"
I probably wont follow up with the next book in the series.
Helpful Score: 3
Sort of liked it, sort of not crazy about it- I liked the premise and there was enough action to keep the plot rolling, but there was too much devoted to Olivia walking her dog, feeding her dog, etc. And while I did not guess the identity of the killer, I wasn't thrilled with the motive. It made sense in a way, but there was one part I still don't exactly get. I may read the second in the series if the premise sounds good. We'll see.
Helpful Score: 1
fun light mystery. enjoyed it. want to read more by this author.
Helpful Score: 1
I agree a lot with the review from "myhotstylist". From the start I thought it was going to be really good, but I quickly lost interest. It took me a whole month to read a 311 page book, which is so unlike me. The last day I made myself read the last 150 pages just so I could start reading a new book. I have the next 2 in the series on my wish list, but I'm not sure I will read them or give the series another try. If I do it will be awhile before I'll want to.
Helpful Score: 1
I had a really hard time connecting with the main character. I just didn't like her at all. I think I might have liked the book had the main character been different. I give this book only 2 stars and I will not read any more of the series.
Helpful Score: 1
I really liked this book and will now read the whoel series. I liked it because the characters were beleivable and low key. The main character was quiet, and not nosy, just drawn in. I did not guess who had done it, but I did not feel tricked. It was a good read.
Helpful Score: 1
New mystery series set in a small coastal NC town. Main character needs to be a less haughty. Other characters save the storyline. 3 stars
Helpful Score: 1
Lots of good aspects in this well written book, sadly for me, the book didn't keep my interest very well. The plot was a bit convoluted and I'm not sure it ever did make much sense. I feel the series shows a good bit of promise and I hope book 2 will capture my interest better. I really enjoyed the snippets of the other books being critiqued by the writers group and for the most part I found the characters pleasant and believable. Olivia's actions and character seems to a bit uneven, most of the time if I would 'meet' her, I wouldn't want to spend much time with her.
Barb W. (kidcrazybarb) -
Helpful Score: 1
I have so many good things to say about this series that I'm not sure where to start! 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!!
Helpful Score: 1
A good start to the series introducing the Oyster Bay, NC
residents and visitors. Olivia Limoges returns to the town after several years and starts fresh with a top notch restaurant and other properties. I like the Bayside Writers group and their regular meetings to review their works in process. Characters are funny and sad. Bk 2 continues the story which I also liked.
residents and visitors. Olivia Limoges returns to the town after several years and starts fresh with a top notch restaurant and other properties. I like the Bayside Writers group and their regular meetings to review their works in process. Characters are funny and sad. Bk 2 continues the story which I also liked.
"A Killer Plot - A Books by the Bay, Book 1" by Ellery Adams is a well-written cozy mystery about the members of the Bayside Book Writers club who are all working on a book and having a bit of trouble with their writing. Olivia Limoges left Oyster Bay, North Carolina mysteriously and has just as questioningly returned to her wealthy home along with her standard poodle, Captain Haviland. Not many people know much about her, but she holds the meetings in her home and bakes lovely refreshments for the members of the book club.
One enthusiastic member seems to be overjoyed with the club, but he winds up dead and with the body is left a haiku poem. Other deaths start to occur and the same thing is left somewhere near the bodies again...a haiku poem.
Olivia and her bookclub members and friends waste no time in trying to find out who the perpetrator is before one of them becomes the next victim.
I really enjoyed this book and read it very quicky. It fits nicely into the cozy subgenre of mysteries and is an enjoyable read.
One enthusiastic member seems to be overjoyed with the club, but he winds up dead and with the body is left a haiku poem. Other deaths start to occur and the same thing is left somewhere near the bodies again...a haiku poem.
Olivia and her bookclub members and friends waste no time in trying to find out who the perpetrator is before one of them becomes the next victim.
I really enjoyed this book and read it very quicky. It fits nicely into the cozy subgenre of mysteries and is an enjoyable read.
A book review group has a member murdered and manages to solve the mystery before the police. Great characters, hard-to-solve mystery with twists, and an interesting beginning to a new series. I'm sold. I have a new author in Ellery Adams to add to my list of want-to-reads.
I am always looking for a new cozy series and this one is acceptable. The characters are interesting enough and the locale charming. The mystery is convoluted and does not make much sense at the end. But, I still enjoyed it and will be reading the rest of the series.
