I've read half a dozen Ellery Adams books over the past couple of years, and I always come away feeling like she is an exceptional writer. Her plots are always solid, her characters are well written and dimensional, and her mysteries keep me guessing til the end. The Battered Body was no exception to this. It was my first Supper Club read, but I immediately felt a kinship with the group, and I can't wait to reconnect with them in the other books from the series. The mystery was particularly clever. And, as always, her writing style is just very pleasant. I have yet to find one of her books to not be an enjoyable read, and again, this one was no exception. Highly recommended to anyone who likes a good cozy.

This is the fifth in the series. Netgalley gave me permission to read this 5 days after it was published.

This can be read as a standalone. It is the second in the series that I have read, I was not lost.

I liked the plot twists and the locked room format. The five friends work on solving a murder. There is wit, humor and emotion throughout. I enjoyed being able to read and follow the clues.

The Battered Body is the fifth 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 affable. As their friendship grows, the members of the Flab Five have developed an enviable camaraderie as they continue to support each other in their quest to lose weight and work together to solve mysteries. There isn’t any graphic violence or gratuitous adult situations, but there is some adult language. I’m looking forward to reading the next installment in this series.

James is looking for a house to purchase because his dad, Jackson, is marrying Milla on Christmas Eve and he wants to give them an unforgettable honeymoon as a wedding gift. Once they are married, Milla wants to shut down her cooking class business and open Quincy’s Whimsies, a specialty/gourmet shop in Quincy’s Gap. James is also hopeful that Lucy and he can start over fresh and plans to ask her out on a real date. James’ former girlfriend, Murphy Alistair, the editor/reporter of the Shenandoah Star Ledger, has written a book about the “fictional” account about Quincy’s Gap, the lives of the Flab Five, and their crime solving endeavors and he knows the entire group is going to be upset. Milla is hopeful the wedding will bring her estranged sisters and her together again. Milla’s younger sister, Paulette Martine, known as the “Diva of Dough,” has agreed to bake the wedding cake, dinner rolls, and create a dessert bar. She’s self-centered, with an acerbic tongue, and quickly makes enemies wherever she goes. Paulette and her abused assistant, Willow Singletary, are staying at the local B&B, where Paulette rented all the rooms and demanded unlimited and undisturbed time in the kitchen. When her body is found in the B&B’s locked kitchen and poisoning may be the cause of death, everyone, including her children, sisters, assistant, and many others she offended become suspects. With Lucy officially investigating the murder, James is forced to accept that he might always take second chair to her oath to uphold the law. Bennett is still reading all the trivia books he can get his hands on and his friends are helping him by asking trivia questions every chance they get so he’ll be prepared for his upcoming trip to Philadelphia to be a contestant on Jeopardy! The authorities are looking hard at Paulette’s family and the supper club members find that clues and suspects few and far between. In the midst of activity and investigating the murder, James receives a life changing surprise.

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

Review: THE BATTERED BODY (Supper Club Mystery #5) by Ellery Adams

Ellery Adams is my "Number One" author of Cozy Mystery. I read her novels in one or two sessions, but meanwhile I consume a virtual nine-course dinner, from mystery to plot twists to denouement "I didn't see coming," from a veritable range of human emotions including love, friendships, anger, resentment, jealousy, ambition, and more, to clever conclusions that satisfy me as a reader.

THE SUPPER CLUB MYSTERY Series focuses on the tiny Blue Ridge community of Quincy' s Gap. Native son James Henry returned after his unexpected divorce, resigning his professorship at the College of William and Mary and taking on the position of Library Director. James struggles with weight, and together with four friends, formed the Supper Club, to learn healthy consumption and to support each others' weight loss. Very quickly the Fab Five discover other shared talents: they are all effective amateur sleuths!

In THE BATTERED BODY, James' father is remarrying after some years of widowerhood, and his about-to-be bride invites her estranged sister, a celebrity cook, to town for the wedding. "The Diva of Dough" is an astringent personality, highly self-centered, with an acerbic tongue, long estranged from family members. In fact, she's a "perfect" target of many she encounters, including family members, employee, and virtually everyone.

Ms. Adams delivers an exciting and heartfelt locked-room mystery, and several very unexpected surprises along the way.