Book Five in the harrowing and heartwarming Supper Club Mystery series by New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams! “Sprinkled with delightful characters and topped off with a dash of suspense.” —Romantic Times Book Reviews Librarian James Henry and the supper club will have more than enough food for thought trying to count calories and catch a killer . . . Reluctantly visiting humble … Quincy’s Gap to create a special wedding cake, celebrity chef the “Diva of Dough” is not nearly as sweet as her delectable confections, and it’s just a matter of time before she alienates everyone she meets. When her corpse is discovered, covered in cake batter no less, there are more than a few locals who think she got her just desserts. And despite their own distaste for the woman, James and his friends know they have to rise to the occasion and solve the murder. With clues and suspects few and far between, the supper club members realize that catching the culprit will be anything but a cake walk. And when a second victim turns up dead, they’ll have to quickly discard any half-baked notions about the killer . . . before they all get iced. Includes mouthwatering recipes! This is a brand-new, fully revised edition of a book originally published under the name J. B. Stanley.Praise for the Supper Club Mystery Series: “Heavy on fun, light on gore, this savory mystery comes complete with yummy recipes.” ―Publishers Weekly“Foodies will love the recipes and fans the new adventures of the five friends.” —Kirkus Reviews
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Another great book in a fantastic series. I love James Henry, his friends and family. This book had several twists, turns and surprises, with events I never saw coming. I couldn’t figure out who the murderer was, and I was definitely surprised when it was revealed. I love the descriptions of the food in this book, and there are recipes at the end. I highly recommend!
In Battered Body by Ellery Adams, we return to Qunicy Gap, Va. and the Supper Club. It’s nearing Christmas and James is busy trying to find a house to buy and getting ready for his father and Milla’s wedding. When Milla’s sister, a celebrity chef, aka, The Diva of Dough, arrives in town everyone wonders how such a rude, mean person could be Milla’s sister. Well, someone is done with the Diva! When she shows up dead in the kitchen of the B&B she is staying with her assistant covered in cake batter the clock begins to tick to find the murderer. The story has plenty of suspects, plot twists, and suprises. You are kept guessing to the end. Thoughout the story though, you get updates on the Supper Club members and library employees. Not only is there mystery, but romance and humor.
This is a great cozy mystery.
I was given a copy from NetGalley for an honest opinion/review.
A Delectable Read
In this fifth book of the series Jame’s dad is getting married and he agrees to help with any of the arrangements that he can. When his dads soon to be wife asks him to pick up her sister from the airport he readily agrees but he soon learns she is nothing like her sister. You see the woman is question is the famous Diva of Dough and she may be an awesome baker she isn’t a nice person. She is there to prepare the wedding cake and other desserts that will be served up at the wedding. When the Diva is found dead in the kitchen there are suspects abound who hated her but the police rule her death an accident. Even though it was ruled an accident Lucy has a feeling that it wasn’t so her and the other members of the Supper Club decide to look into things. Follow along as they turn over every rock to find out if the Diva was murdered or if it was truly an accidental death. Along the way you’ll meet some family members who each had a reason to wish her ill, an assistant that she walked all over, and strangers that she managed to anger in just one meeting. Along the way another body turns up and things get even more exciting. James is handed some shocking news and looks for a house so his dad and soon to be wife can have privacy. Bennett finally gets his chance on jeopardy, does he win? or does he tank? Lets not forget that Murphy’s book is coming out, what will the groups reaction to that be? This is such a fun series filled with well rounded characters that share in their differences and join together in the struggle of weight loss. I look forward to seeing what they get into next.
This is the fifth book in The Supper Club series.
James. Lucy, Gillian, Lindy, and Bennett have weight issues to varying degrees. They felt that they should form a support group and decided to call themselves The Flab Five. But they seem better at solving murders in their community of Quincy Gap, rather than getting a grip on their weight issues.
The Battered Body begins with James busy with last minute plans for his father’s, Jackson and Milla’s wedding. Milla sister, Paulette Martine-The Diva Of Dough, has agreed to come to Quincy’s Gap and bake the couple’s wedding cake. But before the happy event can take place The Diva Of Dough is found dead in the kitchen of the B&B where she is staying, face down in a cake batter. From the time that the Diva arrived in town, she started alienating the residents of Quincy Gap and add to that she was not on speaking terms with her sister, Louise, or her daughter, Chole.
The members of The Flab Five agree that they need to start their own investigation so that Milla and Jackson can go ahead and get married. They have so many possible suspects that they are not sure whether they will be able they begin to wonder if they will ever be able to find the killer.
Also going on in Quincy Gap, James has found what he considers the perfect house and the Flab Five help him get the house ready to move into. James is also hoping to win back Lucy’s affection. But that might be easier said than done as Murphy Alistair’s “fictional book”, about the private lives of the residents of a small community. Bennett is about to put Quincy Gap on the map when he appears on Jeopardy. Plus there are a couple of romances that begin to blossom.
Once again Adams provides the reader with a well-plotted and told story with well-developed characters that you would want to be friends with.
I’m hoping that there will be more books in this series in the near future.
A Wedding, A Murder, and A Surprise
The Battered Body is the fifth book in Ellery Adams’ Supper Club Mysteries series and is an enjoyable read. The storyline is well thought out and the well-developed characters are affable. As their friendship grows, the members of the Flab Five have developed an enviable camaraderie as they continue to support each other in their quest to lose weight and work together to solve mysteries. There isn’t any graphic violence or gratuitous adult situations, but there is some adult language. I’m looking forward to reading the next installment in this series.
James is looking for a house to purchase because his dad, Jackson, is marrying Milla on Christmas Eve and he wants to give them an unforgettable honeymoon as a wedding gift. Once they are married, Milla wants to shut down her cooking class business and open Quincy’s Whimsies, a specialty/gourmet shop in Quincy’s Gap. James is also hopeful that Lucy and he can start over fresh and plans to ask her out on a real date. James’ former girlfriend, Murphy Alistair, the editor/reporter of the Shenandoah Star Ledger, has written a book about the “fictional” account about Quincy’s Gap, the lives of the Flab Five, and their crime solving endeavors and he knows the entire group is going to be upset. Milla is hopeful the wedding will bring her estranged sisters and her together again. Milla’s younger sister, Paulette Martine, known as the “Diva of Dough,” has agreed to bake the wedding cake, dinner rolls, and create a dessert bar. She’s self-centered, with an acerbic tongue, and quickly makes enemies wherever she goes. Paulette and her abused assistant, Willow Singletary, are staying at the local B&B, where Paulette rented all the rooms and demanded unlimited and undisturbed time in the kitchen. When her body is found in the B&B’s locked kitchen and poisoning may be the cause of death, everyone, including her children, sisters, assistant, and many others she offended become suspects. With Lucy officially investigating the murder, James is forced to accept that he might always take second chair to her oath to uphold the law. Bennett is still reading all the trivia books he can get his hands on and his friends are helping him by asking trivia questions every chance they get so he’ll be prepared for his upcoming trip to Philadelphia to be a contestant on Jeopardy! The authorities are looking hard at Paulette’s family and the supper club members find that clues and suspects few and far between. In the midst of activity and investigating the murder, James receives a life changing surprise.
I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.