Carbs & Cadavers is the first installment in the Supper Club Mystery series and introduces protagonist James Henry and the “Flab Five.” This book is a delightful cozy and even has recipes. The characters are fun, and most readers can relate, since the five are overweight and are trying to lose weight as a group. A has-been football star, Brinkley Myers, is murdered; although he was loved by football fans, he was almost universally hated by the women in Quincy’s Gap, the small Virginia town where James Henry is the librarian. The law enforcement in this small town is not exactly stellar, and an innocent girl is arrested for the murder. The Flab Five gets involved in solving the crime to help prove her innocence, and in doing so, put themselves in danger.

Highly recommended for mystery lovers who like cozies, recipes, and humor.

I love that this series was been re-released under the author's name. I read this series when it was released as written by J.B. Stanley and I enjoyed reading it as much the second time around. These books are well-written and has a great 'cast' of characters with enjoyable mysteries.

This book was originally published under the pen name J.B. Stanley in 2008. This is a brand-new, fully revised edition published under the author's real name, Ellery Adams.

In this first book of the series we are introduced to James Henry, The Professor, who isn't satisfied with his life. He is recently divorces and has moved back to his small hometown to take care of his aging father after the death of his mother. He tends to eat his worries away and looks for happiness in the foods that he eats, especially cheese puffs. He is working in the local library and does seem to enjoy that part of his life. When a high school teacher comes in and asks to put up a flier for a "Supper Club" for those who want to lose weight, he decides to join not only to lose some weight, but to meet some people. They call themselves "The Flab Five".

The mystery in this story is who killed local, washed up, football star, Brinkley Meyers. A young woman, who has a strong dislike for Brinkley, is arrested for the crime, but the group is sure she is innocent and set out to prove it. Using their brains, their great questioning techniques and likability, the club works their way through facts, clues, and gossip. Will they be able to come up with the answer to who killed Meyers? There are some side stories going on as well that add interest and flesh out the characters and the town. I enjoyed this story with realistic characters, a friendly setting. This was a fun cozy with a surprising ending that made me smile. Being a full figured gal myself, I appreciated the way the author handled the subject of weight loss, making it a normal part of the story. I am looking forward to reading more in this series.

I was a little leery picking up this book, the reviews were a bit hit or miss, but I really enjoyed it! A cozy mystery with characters I could relate to. It's not often that an author can pull off amateur sleuths solving a murder mystery, but this one hit the spot for me.

Thank you Netgalley, for this book, in exchange for an honest review

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2429390056

When I first started reading this book it seemed familiar, and when I looked back I realized that this was a republished book. I enjoyed it then and liked it again. Ms. Adams has a real gift of writing compelling characters. In this book, a diet club called the Flab Five investigates a murder. The plot is fun and the book moves along quickly.
I recommend this book. Thanks to Beyond the Page Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I felt like I had read this book years ago and when I checked the dates it was first published in 2006 under Ms Adams pseudo of J.B. Stanley. I liked it then and enjoyed re-reading it. You find an unusual group of characters, they are members of the Flab Five, a diet club that meets once a month for dinner and pep talk. Henry joins the group when he returns home to small town VA. to keep an eye on his father after his mom passes. When a local bully is found dead and one of the members seems to be under suspicion the group starts investigating. Good cozy and I'm happy to see there are two additional books in the Supper Club Mystery Series. Enjoy this group of friends as they try to conquer the weight loss dilemma and crime. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

When James returns home to take care of his elderly widowed father, he leaves behind a life and career he loved. In return, he has a father who resents and belittles him constantly and a lonely existence where his greatest joy is found in bags of cheese puffs. Sadly, the little orange “friends” cause him to gain weight. He joins a new supper club where the flabulous five, as they name themselves, support and encourage each other in their attempts to ditch the pounds. Despite some apprehension, James discovers both friendship and love. The greatest love he discovers is self love, something he had been lacking.
A local bully is murdered and an innocent young woman is framed for the crime. James and his friends help to get the charges dropped but when the girl is then left for dead by the side of the road, they join forces to find out who did the crime and is now trying to clean up any loose ends.
The characters are fully formed, no pun intended, and the reader becomes involved in their struggles both with their weight and the inner demons that are behind it. Anyone who has dieted ever will certainly empathize with them. I think the series has “legs”.
I give it four purrs and two paws up.

Re-working of an older series by Ellery Adams writing as J.B. Stanley.

Carbs and Cadavers, book one of six.
My rating: 2 of 5 stars, it was okay.

It was okay. I had picked this book up several years ago, not realizing it was by Ms. Adams. It bothered me then, and it still bothers me now, that all of the characters except the victim are fat and pretty much filled with self-loathing. I get that the premise is a supper club to lose weight, but I just didn't care for the way the supper club members were pretty much portrayed as pitiful and shameful. I'd rather see a group supporting one another and helping improve self-esteem instead of all the body shaming. The mystery itself was fine, but the rest of the book just made me sad.

Fit to Die, book two of six.
My rating: 1 of 5 stars, I didn't like it.

I picked up the second book, hoping that maybe the group had some success at losing some weight and it would be more positive. Sadly, it wasn't. This book wasn't any better than the first. A Supper Club group devoted to losing weight while fat shaming one another just made me sad. It feels a bit dated due to that. I'd rather have seen some body positivity or at least some acceptance.

I gave two books in the series a chance, but that's all the time I am willing to invest in this series, though I will be more than happy to read Ms. Adams' newer series.

This is a cozy food mystery. I expected more recipes, based off other food mystery series I've read, but there were only two actual recipes included. While the story itself was pretty cheesy and predictable, I still enjoyed the premise of the supper club and the five main characters trying to band together to lose weight through each other's support and unwittingly end up involved in trying to solve a small-town murder. I enjoyed the small budding romance between James and Lucy, as well as all their efforts to overcome their food addictions and also to help their small community by solving the mystery. The characters were well-developed and the settings, scenery, action, and more were described very well. I felt for James in trying to deal with his father, coming home after a divorce, his mother's death, and the loss of a big university professor position to a small town and trying to adjust to a new lifestyle as a librarian and caregiver to his father. Each Supper Club member has their own story, but we mainly see things from James's point of view in third-person narrative, so maybe the subsequent books in this series will share more of Lucy's, Gillian's, Lindy's, and Bennett's stories.

I had a little bit of trouble getting into the story in the beginning, but it I quickly started enjoying it and found it to be an interesting mystery. The characters were all unique, and I enjoyed watching James work on building new relationships.

What another fantastic series by Ellery Adams! I absolutely LOVE this story! I requested this novel because I have loved reading the author's other works. All of the stories that I have read by this author were books that involve books and that's an obvious weakness. What can I say? I am #obsessed This one seemed a bit different and not focused on the love of reading as much but I am crazy about the author's work so requested and I am so glad I did because Ellery Adams made another great cozy that is sure to please many!
This story is a great cozy that is filled with characters that you can't help but to love!😍💜 I thought this story wouldn't involve books as much but it still had a little bit of the bibliophile charm to it as well. Also being a plus size woman, I could relate to the main characters and their battles. They had there unique and quirky personalities with backstories that made them relatable and causes you to become highly invested in their stories!
I enjoyed the mystery of this story and was surprised by the outcome. This book took me on such a fun adventure and warmed my heart at the same time causing me to be distraught when I finished it. I wanted to read the second installment immediately but you know how a book reviewer's schedule goes, "so many books, so little time". I can't wait to get a chance to read the second book in this series and highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good cozy!😍

Carbs and Cadavers is such a fun mystery. Loved the plot and the quirky cast of characters. I enjoyed this author's writing and look forward to reading more books in this series. You have to read this book.

The Flab five as they called themselves were on a journey but they were not aware of how exciting and adventurous that ride would be. Imagine starting their new weight loss club and diet plan and found themselves smack center in a murder mystery, but just as it was difficult to stay on track with their weight loss program, so it was in tracking the killer. The storyline is a fun and intriguing one with able minded characters giving this book a little quirkiness, it was an enjoyable and interesting read.

I really loved this latest book from Ellery Adams and read it in about two days. It's a cozy mystery that's fun without being overly cutesy. The "Flab Five" supper club initially forms to improve their diets and overall health, but by the end they are all close friends who hopefully will have many more adventures together. I especially identified with James and his obligation to care for his angry widowed father while trying to restart his life after divorce. Since most of the book is told from his perspective, I hope the series continues and that we get to know more about the other club members in subsequent books. I also liked that there wasn't some miracle weight loss by the end. They are all still on their journey, but have found new tools to help them with their weight loss goals, the most important of which is support from others on the same path.

James Henry moved back to Quincy's Gap to become the librarian when his mom passed away and left his dad with no one to take care of him. He befriends the local high school are teacher and she convinces him to join her diet club she has started with a group of friends. He is excited as maybe this will be a way to make some friends in his hometown. At their first meeting they name the club the Supper Club and get hooked into solving the murder of the local playboy at he town's best pastry shop. Can James and his friends solve the murder and lose weight or will the murder derail their weight loss plans before they start?

How can you resist a main character that loves cheese doodles? I was craving them by the end of the book and wanted them as much as James did. I felt for James at every turn of the page. I understood how he felt and want he wanted out of life. Ellery Adams writes her characters with such feeling that you feel like you personally know them. You want to hop inside the pages of the book and be James' and his Supper Club friends friend. You want them to know you understand their feelings but at the same time you want to let them now they are perfect they way they are and real friends see past the chubbiness.

I am excited to read a book about a librarian as the main character as I'm always looking for new things to add to be extensive TBR pile. I get excited thinking "oh, my favorite character has read this". I cannot wait to read the second book "Fit to Die" and revisit my new friends.

No matter what your type of cozy mystery you like, Ellery Adams has a series you will enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Beyond the Page for a copy to read and review based on my own honest words and opinion.

Loved the camaraderie and caring these new friends have!

I really liked the switch from usual cozies to a male protagonist. James is so sweet and I was really happy he and Lucy hit it off. All of these weight loss friends were awesome and were just depicted as people anyone would be happy to have as friends. The mystery was well told and I had no idea who the killer was. The ending had me wondering how the friends were going to get the better of the perp but it worked out great. I really can't wait to read the next in the series!

Having read Ms. Adams' the Secret, Book and Scone Society, this reminds me so much of that particular group of friends. This group wasn't quite as broken but the same type of friendship is there, the support and love they developed for each of their fellow diet buddies.

This was such a cute story! I loved that the main characters were chubby. It was a refreshing change. The Flab 5 is my type of group! It was nice that the characters "shared" their recipes with us as well! I recommend for all cozy lovers!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book, which I voluntarily chose to review.

I honestly always enjoy reading the first book in a new mystery series. I had a pretty good indication that I would like this book quite a bit since I did enjoy this author’s other series.
James is such a likeable character and I cannot wait to see what is next for the supper club. This book really drew you into the characters and story. It was very warm and inviting as you read.
Definitely looking forward to the next book.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

In this first book of the series we are introduced to Professor Henry who isn't quite satisfied with his life. Like some people he tends to eat his worries away and looks for happiness in the foods that he eats. He decides that it is time to make some changes in his life and joins a group of dieters who form a supper club to help one another watch their weight. They deem themselves the Fab Five and look forward to helping one another out in their food struggles. When local Brinkley Meyers dies while visiting the local bakery the group wants to help the young lady accused of killing the man. You see Meyers was a local high school football hero that was adored by some and hated by many. Follow along as the gang works their way through facts, clues, and gossip. Will they be able to come up with the answer to who killed Meyers or have they worked themselves into a corner. This a truly a great read filled with realistic characters, a lovely setting, and a fun whodunit mystery. I loved the humor in the characters and appreciated the way the author handled the subject of weight loss.