A Deadly Cliché

First Line: "Storm's comin'," the fisherman said, stroking the pewter whiskers of his beard.

While walking with her standard poodle, Captain Haviland, along the beach, Olivia Limoges finds a body buried in the sand. Could this be connected to a series of strange burglaries in the Oyster Bay, North Carolina area? At the scene of each burglary, the thieves set up bizarre tableaux: a stick of butter with a knife cutting through it, a doll with a spoon in its mouth, an incomplete deck of cards.... Suddenly Olivia understands that each scene represents a cliché, and what better group of people to decode this sort of clue than her Bayside Book Writers?

There's no sophomore slump in the Books by the Bay cozy mystery series. A Deadly Cliché is show more even stronger than the first. Although the characters understand that the burglars are leaving clues behind, understanding the why takes a while to unfold, and the thieves' identities even longer. Part of the reason for this is due to the fact that there's a subplot in play: Olivia has been given information that her father-- long believed to be drowned at sea-- may actually be alive, and finding him is more important to her than unmasking the thieves.

This subplot adds depth to the character of Olivia. For years she's kept a protective shell around herself, one that kept her aloof and almost entirely unapproachable in the first book, A Killer Plot. As she tells another character, she is working on "defrosting," and learning about her father is going to help her do just that. It's also going to add to future books in the series.

Another bonus to this series is being able to watch a writers group in action. For anyone who's interested in the craft, it's useful to see how the group interacts, to see how they critique each other's work, and to understand how they help one another.

This series is pretty much Olivia's show, and although I love seeing a wealthy person being a force for good in her community, and I enjoy watching her become more approachable and willing to trust, I'm hoping that more of the secondary characters-- particularly those in the writers group-- will come to the fore and share more of the limelight with Olivia.

As in the first book, Captain Haviland continues to be an excellent canine sidekick, even if he does seem to eat nothing but gourmet food. He doesn't have any super powers; he's just a well-trained, well-behaved dog that loves his human. You can't ask for more than that.

However, I can and will ask for more than that. What do I ask for? More books in this series, please! show less

A DEADLY CLICHÉ is the second in a series set in a small North Carolina town and features a wealthy single woman as its heroine. Olivia Limoges was forced to become self-sufficient at a young age and is a bit of a loner. She has recently moved back to her home town, is enjoying life as a successful business woman, philanthropist and budding writer and is even starting to make real friends. Finding a body part-buried in the sand when walking the beach with her much-loved dog (a particularly intelligent standard poodle) one morning does put a bit of a dampener on things but Olivia copes well, channelling her energies into practically assisting the police investigation. At the same time a member of her writing group is applying for a job show more with the local newspaper and asks for Olivia’s moral support when conducting interviews with the victims of a string of recent burglaries. As if this mini-crime wave wasn’t enough to be getting on with, the town’s residents must prepare for a hurricane and Olivia receives a message suggesting that her father, who she thought had died when she was a child, is alive.

I’ve grown pretty disenchanted with cosy mysteries in recent years due to the increasingly high gimmick count but this series is proving to be a keeper. Although A DEADLY CLICHÉ is a lighter read than anything else I’ve tackled recently it doesn’t patronise readers and offers good quality writing and character development. For example we see Olivia come to grips with her fledgling friendships but it does not run entirely smoothly as she can still be a bit blunt and unable to see someone else’s point of view. When her friend Laurel is grappling with the notion of getting a job in defiance of her husband’s wishes Olivia doesn’t even try to understand why Laurel is finding the decision hard. While this might not make Olivia entirely likeable it does make her a more realistic character than she’d have been if the author had taken the easy route with her development.

The mystery plot is a decent one, even though it’s not too difficult to see how the two cases will connect and the other elements of the story, such as Olivia’s love interests and the myriad goings on in the town were all lively enough to maintain my interest. At one point there’s a race on boats the townspeople make out of cardboard that reminded me of milk carton regattas I participated in as a youngster and I enjoyed reading about the preparations needed for an area that’s subject to hurricanes. Personally I could have done without the extracts from the books that the members of the Bayside Writers Group (of which Olivia, Laurel and the town’s sheriff are members) were considering throughout the novel but they’re easy enough to skip if not your cup of tea either.

I suppose it’s a little warped to think that a book in which two murders take place is ‘light relief’ but one of the things that characterises a cosy mystery is that all the serious crimes are satisfactorily resolved. And unlike the more realistic crime fiction I spend most of my time with these days, in cosy mysteries powerful people do not get away forever with treating their fellow humans with the indifference normally reserved for insects. Occasionally it’s nice to pretend that the world is not an inhumane and miserable place. show less

Did not enjoy this as much as the first one, nor nearly as much as books 1-3 of the "society," books. Still gets some stars because Adams comes up with unusual and interesting murder scenarios, and this one was just plain ..... weird (but original.)

Only TWO stars though, because - even though I tend to agree with Adams' positions - the relentless, often clumsy, insertion of social commentary gets on my nerves! On top of the aggressive diversity of the characters, it makes the books unnecessarily "of the world," instead of being light escapism from it.

I will probably read the next "society," book and maybe try other Ellery Adams series, but I think I'm done with this one. Our heroine Limoge's generosity borders on narcissism, or maybe show more some weird savior complex, despite her professed resistance to being recognized for it. Like the moralizing, this wouldn't be a big problem except that it's so overdone. It is a not-so-cozy distraction from the lovely setting, the unusual mysteries and otherwise passable writing (her "philanthropy," also tends to highlight that Limoge is more of a lucky, nosy control freak than a clever amateur sleuth.)

And one last complaint while I'm on a roll and feeling petty...enough with the damn dog already! I love dogs, but aside from him being spoiled to the point of a heart attack looming, it's really disgusting how much time he spends in restaurants and commercial kitchens being catered to by staff. Sure hope they are washing their hands.

****
Also a warning- some characters' exceptionally bad parenting is blatantly attributed to their being Jehovah's Witnesses. Hard to believe the author and editor thought this was not a problem. I am not a Witness, but I was shocked on behalf of Witness friends. I know enough about them to know the assertions made about JW beliefs here are probably flat wrong, and at the very least not universal or official as implied. show less

Olivia Limoges, out walking with her beautiful companion Captain Haviland--the poodle on the cover--discovers a dead body on her town's pristine beach. At the same time, there seems to be a growing crime spree in her small town, giving Police Chief Rawlings more than enough to keep him busy, and the Bayside Book Writers Group lots of fodder for future stories. To complicate the plot even more, Olivia has just been given a clue that her father, thought to have been lost at sea over 30 years ago, may in fact still be alive, and she seems to be developing more than professional feelings for Chief Rawlings (in addition to or instead of her current lover????)

It was even better than I imagined it would be. The double mysteries of the crime show more spree in Oyster Bay, and the question about Olivia's father are both solved in a well-written, well-crafted plot that leaves plenty of room for more adventures in future volumes. Haviland shines, Olivia's life is expanding, and we are getting to know a terrific cast of characters, each of whom has lots of room to grow, but who is developed enough to reside permanently in our affections already. show less

Olivia Limoges discovers a body under a bucket while walking her dog along Oyster Bay's beach. There's also a series of burglaries, all of which fit a well-known cliche. One of these turns deadly. About the same time Olivia receives a blackmail letter telling her that her father who went missing when she was a child is alive. The author tries to include too much in this installment. While a link is established between the body on the beach and the burglaries, the story focusing on Olivia's father is unrelated. It perhaps should have been a novella between installments rather than a part of the cliche story. Its purpose seems to be to introduce readers to her newly found half-brother who will likely be appearing in future installments. show more While enjoyable, the problems mentioned in the spoiler prevent a higher rating. Olivia is not my favorite character. I read the first installment several years ago. I will try to get to the next installment a little sooner and hope the author learns to keep her novels more focused. show less

I read the first book in this series earlier this month and got hooked. Unfortunately adulting took over my life since then with summer DIY projects sucking up all my reading time. But....thanks to hoopla and my lovely digital library card from a nearby metro library....I downloaded several more Books By the Bay stories. I can adult....and listen. Perfect!

A Deadly Cliché is the second book featuring Olivia Limoges and her friends from Oyster Bay, NC. I love reading cozies set in NC since I live here. The people in this series remind me of folks I know from the small NC town I live in. All that's missing is the nearby beach since I live in the western mountainous portion of the state. There are 8 books in this series.

Olivia is walking show more her dog along the beach hunting for washed up treasures that she saves in a collection. She spies an upside down sand bucket and smells something bad. Thinking some kids or tourists might have trapped a crab or other animal under the bucket, she lifts it up. Oh, it's something dead alright. Just not a crab or another sea creature. It's a man. Dead. Soon the local police are investigating the murder and a strange string of burglaries. At each scene odd things are left....a stick of butter with a knife stuck in it, a doll with a silver spoon shoved in its mouth... Olivia realizes each display refers to a cliché. When the burglars kill a homeowner, the case gets much more serious. Who is leaving the clichés and why? Soon Olivia and her writer's club friends learn that trying to track a killer can be dangerous.

I enjoyed this story. When I first started reading this series I had a really hard time liking Olivia. But as her background developed, I came to understand why she is so prickly and difficult. This second book has a lot more background development for her and other characters. I'm enjoying the mysteries and the side stories about the characters, too. Olivia's memories of the loss of her parents and growing up with her grandmother are very emotional. It makes it easier to keep reading when she acts like an asshat.

This series has been on my TBR shelf for at least a year waiting for me to find time to read it. I'm glad I finally decided to jump in and read. Very enjoyable cozy mystery series! I'm already listening to book 3, The Last Word! show less

Olivia Limoges and her Oyster Bay Writers group return for the second in a series. While walking her standard poodle, Captain Haviland, Olivia makes a grisly discovery – the decomposing body of a man buried in the sand. It’s a holiday weekend and Chief Sawyer Rawlings has no missing person reports that match the victim. But before he can be identified a series of burglaries captures the attention of the residents. The burglars not only take all the valuables, but they leave behind odd tableaus – a stick of butter with a knife in it, a deck of cards dealt for a hand of poker, etc. The members of the writers group recognize the clichés and begin to ferret out the possible connections between the burglaries and the body on the show more beach.

I like this series. I like Olivia’s independence and “get on with it” attitude. She has a crusty exterior, but frequently steps up to help those around her, sometimes anonymously. I also really like her relationship with her poodle, and that the dog is a dog (doesn’t help solve anything, unless he happens to bark at an intruder). Her relationships with the town’s residents are developing nicely in this second installment. She is definitely beginning to open up to the possibility of love and affection in her life. I thought the reveal was a little over-the-top, but I was still sufficiently entertained. There is a significant subplot involving her long-deceased father that I found distracting, unnecessary and implausible, but it’s a small part of the whole. I’ll keep reading the series. show less