The Last Word (edition 2011)

This is my favorite book of the Books by the Bay Series, and probably one of my favorite "cozy" mysteries ever. Interesting character development of already-smart characters, a coastal North Carolina setting, plus a little North Carolina history thrown in, made this a book I hated to see come to an end this afternoon!

One of the things I really like about this book is that none of the characters come across as nosy. I've been noticing the nosiness trait in mysteries lately, but not in this book. Refreshing, really. ( )

The Books by the Bay series just keeps getting better and better. In "The Last Word" the author group that contains all of Olivia's closest friends get involved with a famous author, an author who wrote about the POW camp in North Carolina, not all that far from their home. When said author turns up dead Olivia and friends are determined to find out who killed him, and why.

With lots of red herrings, a very expensive and famous painting, and plenty of personal twists and turns this story packs a whole lot of emotion into the mystery.

Now, really looking forward to the next book. ( )

First Line: "All houses have secrets."

Olivia Limoges has hired her half-brother and his wife to manage her newest restaurant in Oyster Bay, North Carolina. Opening day is just a few days away, last minute details are piling up, and the last thing she needs is to be drawn into a flap over a famous author moving to town. But drawn in she is when the author seems to be very interested in the house that friend and fellow Books by the Bay Writers group member Harris Williams is determined to buy.

At first it seems that bestselling author Nick Plumley is merely interested in the house and its history because of the new book he's writing. But when he turns up dead, Olivia has to think that there's more to his interest than meets the eye. And if Plumley was interested in the house, does that mean that new homeowner Harris is in danger with a killer on the loose?

Of all the cozy mystery series that I read, this is one of my very favorites. The character of Olivia Limoges just grabs me by the heart and takes off running. Aside from some superficial differences like money, looks, and age, I could almost believe that Olivia is based upon me because so many of our emotional reactions to people and things are the same. From Olivia's feeling like an outsider to her reaction to children to her judging people based on their reactions to her dog, I "get" this woman, and once I'm this emotionally involved in a book it's almost impossible for me not to devour it as quickly as possible.

Yes, the plot is an interesting one, and I loved the tie-in with the actual World War II prisoner of war camp in nearby New Bern. Adams' sense of misdirection was marvelous, and I was kept guessing clear through to the end. But as any connoisseur of cozies knows, it's not the plot that keeps us coming back for more, it's the cast of characters. The spirit of friendship and support that flows through Olivia and her writers group is wonderful, and although each member has flaws, none is from Central Casting. There's no requisite busybody, femme fatale, or bumbling police officer amongst them, and each character gets his or her moment to shine and to develop. What an absolute treat!

In the mood for a cozy that not only will keep you guessing but will give you several new fictional friends? I heartily recommend Ellery Adams' Books by the Bay series. ( )

This was a very solid mystery by Adams, involving Olivia and her writing friends as they explore another death in Oyster Bay. But what I found most interesting was the inclusion of the historical aspect of the story, involving the incarceration of Nazi POW's in North Carolina during WWII. I have come to enjoy many of the characters in the Books by the Bay series and can only hope that the slight softening of Olivia's character continues. ( )

Olivia’s life is pretty full right now. She’s got the opening of her new restaurant, to be run by her new-found brother and sister-in-law, the impending birth of her nephew, helping Harris find the home of his dreams, trying to figure out just what is going on with Laurel, and finally dealing with her feelings for Chief Rawlings. On top of all of that, she also needs to find time to work on her book.

Booker Prize-winning author Nick Plumely arrives in town, with everyone thinking he is there to write a sequel to his best-selling book about a murder and escape at the New Bern Prison camp, located near Oyster Bay. When he shows a great deal of interest in the house Harris wants to buy, Olivia works her magic, guaranteeing that Harris buys the house. To the delight of the Bayside book writers, Nick agrees to attend their next meeting at Harris’s new house. But it appears that he is more interested in the house itself, and what it may hide, than what anyone has written.

Then Nick is found dead, and the piece he is looking for is found. Now they must figure out if this piece was valuable only to Nick, or if it means just as much to someone else - someone who wouldn’t think twice about killing again. And can Olivia, her constant companion Captain Havilland, and the rest of the Bayside book writers solve the mystery before it’s too late?

Ellery Adams is at her best in The Last Word, the third book in the Books by the Bay series (see A Killer Plot & A Deadly Cliché). Ellery possesses the incredible talent of not only keeping the books each of the Bayside book writers are writing moving forward, but of writing an amazing story as well. It’s been such a joy to see the progress Olivia has made from being a rich, closed-off recluse to now having and sustaining wonderful relationships. Ellery has done a remarkable job of retelling a part of history that many aren’t familiar with and making the reader feel as if they were experiencing it first-hand. The reader is 100% completely drawn into the story. I had such a visceral experience when reading this book; I could actually feel the wind on my face, taste the salt of the ocean on my lips, and hear the waves crash upon the beach. The Last Word made me laugh, made me think, made me smile, and made me cry. The Last Word – in one word – AMAZING! ( )