Ellery Adams Books by the Bay series is a little different from some of the cozies that I have read, less humorous and more introspective. Main character Olivia Limoges has a secret, vulnerable side and the kind of thoughtful intelligence that make the reader want to get to know her better. In A Killer Plot, first in the series, she has recently returned to Oyster Bay, NC, the home of her painful childhood. Wealthy and community-minded, she runs a successful restaurant and is landlord to many thriving local businesses. Olivia's greatest love is her wonderful dog, Captain Haviland, the smartest and best-trained poodle I have ever encountered in the pages of a novel (or in real life!), but she is lonely for human company and in need of social contact despite her long history in the town.
When Olivia discovers the Bayside Book Writers group, she is drawn to one of the group's members, Camden Ford, a charming, talented, and very flamboyant writer (I picture him as Carson Cressley). Camden is visiting the town to do research for his novel, a thinly disguised take on the life of Oyster bay's prominent Talbot family. An aspiring author herself, Olivia offers the group the use of her dilapidated lighthouse cottage as a meeting place and then proceeds to refurbish and redecorate it for the next meeting. When Camden uncharacteristically fails to show up to hear the group's critique of his work, they decide that something is amiss. Camden's body is discovered behind a local dive along with a seasonal haiku painted on the wall, leading Olivia to conjecture that the killer they are dealing with is both literate and likely to strike again. With the help of her newfound friends and gentlemanly police chief Sawyer Rawlings, Olivia finds herself involved in the investigation. Check out this series! You won't regret it.
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