Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

Carbs & Cadavers is the first book in the ‘A Supper Club Mystery’ series. And what a start to this new series! As a re-introduction to the writing of Ellery Adams I must say bravo. I was captivated by the characters and the mystery and spellbound by the writing.

The story begins with English literature professor James Henry having moved back to Quincy’s Gap to look after his recently widowed father a couple of months earlier. In the opening paragraph, after over a year of not weighing himself, when he was able to see the results of stepping on the scale again:

“James leapt backward off the scale as if it had suddenly caught fire.”

Well, I must say, at times I can relate; who doesn’t hate the scale once in a while? As a result of his need and desire to lose more than fifty pounds, when Lindy askes to post a flyer up in the county’s main library (where James is the head librarian) looking for like minded people who want to join a supper dinner club for those looking to shed a few pounds, James agrees to the flyer being posted in the library.

Are You Feeling Out of Shape?

Not So Pleasantly Plump?

Downright Miserably Fat?

Join our New Supper Club!

We Plan to Get Fit Together!

We Meet Every Sunday Night!

Make Friends!

Lose Weight!

Call Lindy at 555-2846



James further questions Lindy to clarify what a Supper Club is. Lindy then suggests that since James is new in town and single, that he might like to join and make new friends! James then agrees that he would like that. Early on we learn that cheese puffs are James kryptonite. Subsequently, the guilty pleasures of all the other members (Lindy, Lucy Hanover, Bennett Marshall and Gillian O’Malley) is revealed J. I love how early on James (of course it would be the librarian taking on the role) went on to conduct the research for the diet they chose to follow, which I am sure had a lot to do with some of the successes they had.

You ask how a Supper Club gets involved with a murder? Well, Lucy works for the local sheriff’s department. She has aspirations of getting into the academy, once she has become a healthy weight. So when Brinkley Myers turns up dead in the town bakery and the only suspect is a local waitress (whom the supper club members think is innocent), they take it upon themselves to investigate. It was good that there were numerous potential suspects for the group to follow up on.

I found the interactions James had with his father Jackson a bit disconcerting in the beginning. Jackson behaves as a curmudgeon, with little interest in interacting with his son. At almost every meal time, when James has fixed Jackson’s meal, Jackson is silent and frequently rude.

“Jackson hadn’t had much to say since he sold the hardware store, and when he did speak his words were usually critical. These days, he rarely opened his mouth unless he wanted to issue a complaint. James preferred his father during one of his quiet moods. He Wondered how his mother put up with such morose company.”

I absolutely loved the twins Frances and Scott Fitzgerald (long0limbed, brainy bibliophiles). They were not part of the Supper Club, but in my mind, very important supporting characters. Their ideas and implementation of said ideas surrounding the float for the parade were excellent. And the many ideas they had for bettering the library were spot on, in my opinion.

As the week’s pass, the Supper Club members have success in their weight loss endeavors. They also have success in proving the innocence of each and every suspect that the local police deemed the culprit. I really enjoyed the methodical way (for the most part) the group worked. Another bonus is that I did not have an inkling as to “whodunit” until the end – just the way I like my mysteries!

There might actually be some romantic pursuits happening? Time will tell. There was just the bud of a relationship opening up, but with many issues still to be resolved (one of them is a slob…can James get past that?). I cannot wait to see where this relationship may or may not go in the books to come in this series.

If you are a fan of the cozy mystery genre, then I highly suggest this series by Ellery Adams. I for one cannot wait until I get to crack the spine of the next book in the series “Fit to Die”.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

I enjoyed reading Carbs and Cadavers however, I wish I had realized that it was being re-released. I went into it thinking it was a brand new novel and it wasn't. Additionally, I was having a hard time with the fact that our sleuth was male. I have never read a cozy with a male lead so it took some time for me to get used to. I don't think I liked it as much as female leads (because I tend to identify with them more) but I will certainly give the next book in the series a try to see if I can overcome these feelings.

Recommended for those who love cozy mysteries and those who want something different in their sleuths.

Ellery Adams new Supper Club Mystery series. James Henry moves back to Quincy's Gap and joins a group of supper club dieters. When a former high school football star is found dead at the bakery, the supper club investigates. Fun new series!

A reissue originally published under a different name. A fun, easy read revolving around a diet supper club.with plenty of twists and turns to keep it interesting.

Since I started reading cozy mysteries regularly a couple of years ago, I have heard a lot about this series, but haven't been able to find the first book. Thankfully, the series is being re-released by Beyond the Page Publishing, who approved my request for an ARC of Carbs & Cadavers from NetGalley.

What I liked most about this book is the high quality of the writing. In general, Ellery Adams is an excellent writer, and this book lives up to the standard I have come to expect after reading the first couple of titles in the Books by the Bay series. The supper club is a believable way to bring a group of diverse people together, and the fact that one of the members is interested in law enforcement makes the group's involvement in solving a crime feel organic rather than gimmicky. The characters also have very distinct and interesting personalities. Even James, the awkward and quiet librarian who is the lead character of the series, is intriguing in his own way. I also love the supporting characters of the Fitzgerald twins who work at the library and James's ornery father, who is in mourning for his deceased wife.

At times, descriptions dwell a bit too much on the appearance of the overweight members of the supper club, talking about bulging fat in a way that feels unnecessary and vaguely uncomfortable. There is also a lot of talk about food - not just what the supper club eats, but also what the characters eat when they cheat on their diet. I usually don't read food-centered mysteries because I find these details boring, but those who enjoy recipes and long descriptions of meals will likely be pleased, since Adams does make each dish sound appetizing.

Overall, I found this to be a solid mystery with a strong plot, engaging characters, and a setting I'd like to visit again. I look forward to reading the other volumes of this series.

Carbs and Cadavers by Ellery Adams is the first book in her Supper Club series. It was a good beginning to this cozy series. Ms. Adams has written a richly detailed story that includes characters that I could relate to on many levels.

James, Lucy, Lindy, Bennett and Gillian all want to lose weight but haven't been successful on their own. They band together to provide recipes, encouragement and support as they strive to achieve their goals. Although strangers they soon begin to bond over future goals and dieting woes. In the process they become involved in a murder investigation. There were plenty of twists and red herrings to keep me confused until the reveal.

A quick cozy mystery read with a male point of view that is not recommended for readers that struggle with weight loss.

James Henry’s ex-wife is marrying a rich lawyer. His mother has just died. He decides to quit his dream job as an English professor and move back home to take care of his father. He finds a job as the public librarian in his hometown of Quincy’s Gap, Virginia. When one of the library’s customers, Lindy the high school’s art teacher, wants to announce a new supper club for dieters, James decides to attend. Lindy, James, Lucy, Bennett and Gillian meet weekly for Sunday supper and begin a low carb diet together. Lindy and James just want moral support in their battle of the bulge. Lucy is a clerk in the Sheriff’s office who wants to be a Deputy. However, her excess weight prevents her from passing the physical. Bennett is a mailman, who wants to regain his former wrestler’s muscular form. Gillian is a vegetarian new age type who wants to fit into a tank top. They name their group the Flab Five. Oh, and former football star Brinkley Myers is murdered by bleeding out in the town’s bakery. Who stole the lone bottle of Coumadin, a blood thinner, in town? The police arrest Whitney, a part-time waitress in the local diner. The Flab Five decide to investigate.

James is an interesting character. However, most of the other folks in Carbs & Cadavers are not fully formed but seem more like stereotypical placeholders. This may have been the author’s intention with the goal of moving to different character’s point of view in each book in the series. There are a few recipes in the book: Phony Mashed Potatoes made with cauliflower and Guiltless Crustless Pumpkin Pie along with a “Good” Carb Snack List.

I enjoyed reading a cozy from a male point of view. The setting of Quincy’s Gap with its small town parades, haunted hayrides and helpful neighbors was great. However, some of the scenes didn’t seem real. A staunch vegetarian who goes on a low carb diet and begins eating meat while complaining extensively? A mail truck that can’t carry the weight of four overweight people without squealing tires and groaning axles? The attraction between James and Lucy seems one-sided and forced. Worst of all the murderer’s motive is absurd. A lot of the supposed humor is at the expense of thick people like splitting pants, gross underwear exposures and cheesy puff handprints indicating diet cheating. Creating a series about dieting would appear to be attractive to readers with their own weight issues so why is the author making fun of fat people? I know the author can write better. Her Books by the Bay Mysteries are one of my favorites. But I think an opportunity was missed here. Hopefully, a thicker writer will try to write a more empathetic mystery series about dieters. 1 star.

Thanks to the publisher, Beyond the Page Publishing, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Carbs and Cadavers is a first in a series written by J.B Stanley, aka Ellery Adams.
I have been a fan of Ellery's for a while now and I am always excite to read one of her books.
This is a fun series with great, strong character.s, different stories reflecting on the different characters, and of course a well planned mystery.

James Henry has returned to his childhood home to take care of his father after his mother's death.
Quincy's Gap is a small town, but James felts a bit lost returning there after a failed marriage.
When he meets the peppy Lindy, who is forming a "Supper Club' to help friends get together to form a weight loss support group, James feels maybe things will work out after all.
What James didn't expect was the cold, hard edge attitude of his father or his sudden attraction to another Supper Club member.
The story becomes even better when they try to investigate a murder on their own and find themselves in hot water more than once.

I have read this book before but read it again when it became available on NetGalley.
Ms. Adams has a true talent that pulls the reader deep into her stories. They are written with such passion and love, I feel as if I could expect to meet James at the library, or Lucy at the Sheriff's Dept.
Her characters come to life as soon as soon as Ms/ Adams outs pen to paper ( or fingers to keyboard) and each of her books has its own style and charm.
I will always be a huge fan and I always look forward to reading one of her books.

I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

Fun and Engaging Story
Carbs & Cadavers is the first 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 likeable. The main characters are relatable, as they have hopes, aspirations, regrets, and flaws, and they develop an enviable camaraderie as they get to know each other, support each other in their quest to lose weight, and work together to solve a mystery. There isn’t any gratuitous adult situations or graphic violence, but there is some adult language. I’m looking forward to reading the next installment in this series.

James Henry is an unhappy, overweight, thirty-five year old man, whose wife recently divorced him, and after the passing of his beloved mother gave up his job as an English literature professor at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg so he could move back to Quincy’s Gap, Virginia to care for his grumpy, reclusive father, Jackson. It had been almost two months since James moved back into his childhood room and he took over the position of head librarian at Shenandoah County’s main library, the King Street Branch, one month ago. He’s also shy, insecure, and somewhat socially challenged but is caring a, has a huge heart, and is a great listener. When Rosalind “Lindy” Perez, an art teacher and student advisor at Blue Ridge High, stopped by the library with a flyer she’d like to post on the bulletin board in the lobby and asked him to join a supper club, he agreed. The other members are Lucy Hanover, who works as an assistant at the sheriff’s department, Bennett Marshall, a USPS mailman, and Gillian O’Malley, who owns Yuppie Puppy, and he becomes the fifth member of a supper club for dieters who decide to call themselves the Flab Five. When Brinkley Myers, a former high school football star, who was worshipped by men, which he savored, and loathed by women because of his disparaging remarks and behavior when he had an audience, mysteriously dropped dead in Sweet Tooth, a local bakery owned by Megan Flowers, her daughter, Amelia, tried to help him. Sheriff Huckabee and Deputy Keith Donovan suspect Whitney Livingstone, a young waitress at Dolly’s Diner and part time student at James Madison University put Coumadin in Brinkley’s meal at Dolly’s Diner. Unfortunately, Beau Livingstone is the only person in their small community with a prescription for the blood thinning medication. Convinced she’s innocent, the Flab Five team up to investigate. Whitney admits she hated Brinkley, but denies killing him and says Dolly served him his meal on Saturday, not her, and because it was homecoming day, everyone ate Dolly’s traditional Victory Loaf before going to the football game between the Blue Ridge Red-Tailed Hawks and the Jefferson High Cougars.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

I’m not sure how I feel about this book. . Written by the same author, The Books by the Bay series is my favorite “ group” cozy mystery, and while it may not be fair to compare with this book, I can’t help making comparisons. The characters in the Bay series are very well developed and extremely interesting who meet together as a group helping each other write books. The characters in Carbs & Cadavers become friends through a weekly supper club where they diet together.. The book seems lackluster as they’re not particularly interesting characters, seem to feel a little sorry for themselves, and who wants to read about the struggle to lose weight. Most of us live it. While Ellery uses similar elements in both books, for,example, the diner and it’s proprietor, the Bay series seems better developed and more exciting to read. I couldn’t become emotionally attached to James, his,friends or care about this mystery. Maybe the series will become better with the second book which I would,give a try.

This is a reissue of a book previously published by this author (using a different name).
Not what I expected but may appeal to others.

This is the first book in the Supper Club mystery series. I have read books by Ellery Adams before, so I jumped at the opportunity to read this new series. The premise of the series is novel and amusing. The story revolves around a supper club of dieters called the Flab Five. They are all trying to watch what they eat and whittle their waistline, but they soon find murder on the menu. Divorced professor James Henry finds himself back in Quincy Gap when his mother dies. He returns to help out his dad. The death of his mother has made him look at his life a little closer and he doesn’t like what he sees around his waistline. He has taken a substantial paycut when moving back to the small town, taking a job at the local library. He has no real friends in town. Just as he was beginning to feel a bit down, Lindy comes to the library asking permission to hang a flyer for a Sunday night dinner club for dieters. James decides to give the club a go himself and the Flab Five is born! The characters are very real. They have hopes, aspirations, regrets and flaws. You will find yourself rooting for them. There is friendship, camaraderie and more than a few quandaries in this amusing book.