A Killer Plot (Books by the Bay Series #1)

A killer start to a new seris

Welcome to Oyster Bay, North Carolina where the living is easy and murder is on the mind.

Olivia Limoges has returned to the hometown she left as a young girl. She is rich, stunning, suffering from a case of writers block and still a mystery to the locals, and often keeping only the company of her loyal poodle Captain Haviland. She also owns the local five star restaurant and has invested a lot in local properties, becoming landlord to many of the businesses around her. While having breakfast at the local diner she overhears some people talking "book stuff." Dixie, her friend and waitress explains that they are a group called the Bayside Book Writers and encourages her to join. She hesitates until she speaks with Camden Ford, the apparent leader of the group. She finds him witty, charming and impossible to refuse. Olivia decides that she is going to fix up the lighthouse cottage on her property for their meetings.

It looks like things are improving for Olivia, particularly in the friend department, until people start showing up dead. When one of her new friends winds up dead, with of all things a Haiku poem left next to the body, Olivia and her writer friends know they will do whatever they can to find out who is responsible for the murder. But can they figure it out before more bodies start to fall? Do the murders have to do with the gossip book one of their group members is writing about a well know family, the desire to push through a new housing development no matter what the cost, or something else no one could have possibly anticipated?

A Killer Plot is a fantastic start to a new series. The characters are fun, fresh and a bit on the eccentric side. There is Dixie, the roller skating dwarf waitress, Harris the computer geek who suffers from a serious case of Rosacea, and Millay the bartender, who likes to show up with her hair a different color each time they meet. These are just a few of the fun people you will meet in this charming first book of the Books By The Bay Mystery series. The characters are believable and the author gives the reader great insight into the world of a writer. With new friendships, possible romance(s) and promises of great things to come, A Killer Plot is one book you don't want to be caught dead missing.

5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommended

Olivia Limoges moves back to Oyster Bay, North Carolina, an accomplished woman with an interesting history. She befriends and joins a local aspiring writer's group and renovates her childhood home to house the group. When one of their members is found dead in an alley, the rest of the group bands together to get to discover why he was murdered.

Ms. Adams has created some truly engaging characters with the full range of flaws and failings. This group of people make up a support group that would be an asset anywhere. They are caring, intelligent diverse individuals and they strongly lend themselves to repeated visits to the town of Oyster Bay. Here is hoping that there are many more books in this series to come.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

A fresh, new series

A Killer Plot is the first in a brand new cozy series by Ellery Adams. Olivia Limoges is the main character with a haunting past. She returns to her hometown a wealthy woman and is often the center of the town's gossip. She comes across as aloof and uncaring. She's still wounded from her childhood and is learning how to break down her walls.

She's given the chance to join the Bayside Book Writers, a group of hopeful writers who meet regularly to critique their rough drafts, where she meets new friends. The offer comes from Camden Ford, who is currently writing a book about the high-powered Talbot family. When Camden is killed, Olivia feels a sense of loss for her new friend and takes it upon herself to find his killer.

A Killer Plot is a fresh addition to the cozy genre. Olivia is a complex main character, while the secondary characters assist with moving her forward from the isolation she feels as a result of her past. There's a hint of a love interest for her, but it doesn't deflect from the mystery. Adams does a fantastic job with character development and description of Oyster Bay, that the reader can easily visualize each scene while reading. Some may question Olivia's relationship with her poodle Havilland and how she communicates with him. It's through this relationship that Olivia is the most vulnerable and is seen with emotion.

The storyline moves at a steady pace and I never felt it was rushed. I didn't solve the mystery and was quite surprised at the killer's identity and the motives for the killings. If you're a cozy fan and looking for a new series, I highly recommend A Killer Plot. The second book, A Deadly Cliche will be released in March 2011.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Debut plot succeeds!

Oyster Bay, North Carolina better be careful, or it's going to fall off of Time's Top "Ten Best Kept Vacation Secrets" list! Wealthy Olivia Limoges has returned to the town and is part of the re-vitalization of town by being both restaurant owner and landlord to many of the new businesses in town. Olivia's poodle, Captain Haviland, seems to be her best friend in life until the Bayside Book Writers group invite her to join them. A murder in town, coupled with haiku clue, get the writers group involved in some detecting. I liked that the story was challenging, characters from outside the quaint town help shape the story as much as those from Oyster Bay. Adams secondary characters, like rollerskating Dixie, gentle, yet deep police chief Rawlings and all of the Bayside writers shine in this debut novel. I definitely look forward to their next mystery.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A good read from start to finish!

As with any book, you never know what you are going to find at page 1. What I did find with this book was that even at page 1, I couldn't put it down. The characters were down to earth and as the events unfolded, they kept me engrossed right up to the end. The imagery of the beach setting made me feel like I was right there. The main character Olivia and her dog Captain were a likeable pair. I think anyone with pets can understand the relationship between Olivia and her poodle. And anyone who likes a good mystery will be happy with this selection. This book was an enjoyable read and I can't wait to see what happens with the next book!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A twisty, surprising debut

This shoreline mystery is definitely a great beach read--others have recapped the plot, so I'll just say it's fun, it's fresh, the characters are real people (not cardboard cutouts bound to the plot and nothing else) and the dialogue rings true. This is a terrific debut, and it promises much, much more to come! We want more Olivia!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A great new series

We are introduced to a strong woman with emotional baggage and by becoming involved with the group, she is slowly healing and embracing her life. This is a charming mystery that made me feel for the lure of the town and the characters that live in Oyster Bay. This is a great book and I look forward to reading more stories about Olivia and her friends.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A BRAND NEW SERIES FOR COZY LOVERS

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.

I REALLY LIKED IT!!!

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.
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 Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A strong traditional mystery.

Unusual heroine, coastal setting, literary themes, and a captivating mystery. Highly recommended.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great read.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great Read!!

A great cozy. Engaging characters, breezy seashore setting, I rrally enjoy this author.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A marvelous debut!

Enough readers have already talked about the story points, so let me just say that Ellery Adams' debut novel, A Killer Plot, is not only a great read, but a visceral experience. Olivia Lamoges investigation into a friend's murder, will have you hearing the waves crash on the North Carolina shore. You might even feel the ocean winds stinging your cheeks. Visit Oyster Bay and you'll long to return again and again. I can't wait for the next installment.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Loved It!

I finished A Killer Plot this week & loved it! I felt like I was right there with Olivia & Captain Haviland. I loved the beach setting, the writer's group (& their 1st chapters), & the coffee references. :o) I'd love to go browse around in Through The Wardrobe. I liked the references to New Bern, NC since I've been there. I can't wait to learn more about Olivia & her past.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A Killer Plot

I just got done reading one of the best books. I love how strong Oiliva comes across and of course who can not love her wonderful dog Haviland? The characters in this book are believable and draw you in from the start. I am anxious to see how the book club comes along with the growth of the characters. I look forward to reading the next book in the Bay Mystery series.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

If you love Murder She Wrote, you're going to love this one

If Olivia Limoges were an ice cream sundae, she'd be made of three scoops of bossy drizzled with a coating of panache and a sprinkling of nuts. She was in no mood whatsoever to put up with Darlene and Sue Ellen's flapping jaws in the Oyster Bay Stop 'n' Shop and when she plopped a bag of Iams dog food on Sue Ellen's chips and posies, they knew she meant business. They could say anything about her, including the fact that she was the richest woman in town, but she had no intention of being the gossip special of the week. Not very likely. Her dog Captain Haviland, a black standard poodle, was her constant companion and she was soon out the door and sitting in her Range Rover with him.

She rolled into a handicapped parking spot in front of Grumpy's Diner to relax and do a little reading. Olivia needed a bit of sympathy from her best friend Dixie, who was all of "four feet seven inches tall, including the two inches provided by a pair of roller skates and an inch of comb-teased, sun-streaked brown hair." The last thing she expected was a bunch of yappers reading from their manuscripts . . . "His eyes lingered on the heaving swell of her breasts." That did it. A few wry comments later and she found herself on the receiving end of an invite to the Bayside Book Writers club. Why not? After all she was writing a book.

She dusted off her protagonist, "Kamila," and began to enjoy the motley members of the club, including Camden Ford, a.k.a. Milano Cruise, a big time gossip columnist. Little did they know that his body would soon be found in an alleyway "slumped against the brick wall like a discarded department store mannequin." A strange Haiku had been left with the body, a clue for the literati to solve.

Chief Sawyer Rawlings stepped in to take their statements, but soon there would be another body and another literary conundrum to solve. A cemetery, a land deal, a movie star, a rock band named Blackwaters, a gossip columnist . . . how did they all tie in? Olivia walked the beach to think about it, but found a clue lying in the sand she never wanted to find. She reached out to touch some curly black fur only to find yet another piece of paper. HAVILAND! What was going on? This was a real emergency and the Bayside Book Writers had been called to action, but just how were they going to find this killer?

This exciting new, killer of a series with the Bayside Book Writers club is going to garner a LOT of fans. I loved the assortment of characters in this cozy who range from the small town quirky waitress to the more sophisticated and suave literary aficionado. A little splash of Chivas Regal anyone? The pace was relaxed, but the writing was not at all shallow. This is the type of book that you're going to be carting around with you, just hoping for a few minutes to read the next chapter. It's one of those "don't bug me, I'm reading" books you're going to savor from the first page to the last. The ending was well paced, unrushed and made me anxious to read the next in the series.

Quill says: If you love Murder She Wrote, you're going to love this one because Jessica Fletcher...er, Olivia Limoges has now gone south!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Enjoyable Book

First time to read this author. If you enjoy "Cozy" mysteries, you will like this one. I look forward to reading others in this series.

I totally recommend this book.

I haven't even finished it yet and I've already been online to order Ms. Adams' other books. I've read the first book of a couple of new series lately and this was far and away the best. I just wish I could read some of the books Olivia's friends are writing! Ms. Adams makes even the book-within-the-book interesting and readable.

This Book by the Bay Tarheel amateur sleuth mystery is an enjoyable tale

In Oyster Bay, North Carolina the prodigal daughter Olivia Limoges returns but she keeps to herself. Her only outlets of affection are her dog Haviland and her goal is to finish her novel. She is forty, beautiful and rich, but nobody can get past her shell she erected around herself. No one until she meets Camden Ford, a gossip columnist interested in writing a fictional account of the Talbot family concentrating on the rich patriarchal tyrant Dean who wants to build a housing complex in the town.

Something about Camden charms her and makes her agree to mingle with his book group. She joins the Bayside Back Writers and attends their meeting at the cottage near the lighthouse. Olivia is heartbroken when she finds Camden's murdered body in an alley. She vows to find his killers who left haiku on the victim's body. Before the townsfolk can get over the homicide Olivia finds another corpse. Dean's heir Blake and his sweetheart come to Oyster Bay to obtain approval for the housing project. While Blake and his father's trusted partner Max are trying to win over city council, Olivia investigates. Someone wants her to stop threatening her dog and eventually her.

This Book by the Bay Tarheel amateur sleuth mystery is an enjoyable tale due to the main protagonist who is independent and forceful; she knows what she wants and goes after it, in this case finding Carmden's killer. The support cast are developed enough to either enhance Olivia's investigation or her as readers will appreciate the heroine's often inquiry into who killed her friend and why.

Harriet Klausner

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