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430th out of 660 books
—
636 voters
The Last Word (A Books By The Bay Mystery #3)
by
Ellery Adams,
J.B. Stanley (Goodreads Author)
Olivia Limoges and the Bayside Book Writers are excited about Oyster Bay's newest resident: bestselling novelist Nick Plumley, who's come to work on his next book. But when Olivia stops by Plumley's rental she finds that he's been strangled to death. Her instincts tell her that something from the past came back to haunt him, but she never expects that the investigation cou...more
Mass Market Paperback, 313 pages
Published
2011
by Berkley Prime Crime
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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....more
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....more
Olivia Limoges and her fellow members of the Bayside Book Writers club are initially excited when Booker Prize winning author Nick Plumley comes to Oyster Bay. But their initial enthusiasm is tampered down a bit when Nick seems far too interested in Harris Williams’ new house. Nick seems to think there is something hidden there but he is murdered before Olivia and gang can find out what he was looking for. When Harris does find something that might turn out to be very valuable, Olivia soon reali...more
IN this latest book about the Bayside Book Writers, a famous novelist with secrets to hide--who knew?--moves to Oyster Bay The book writers are ecstatic--until he's found murdered. Sheriff Sawyer Rawlings still doesn't want Olivia's help but she and Haviland, her poodle, find themselves tangled in a story of POW camps in North Carolina, valuable art work, lost relatives and an old murder. Meanwhile, Olivia is still running her upscale bistro and opening a new seafood restaurant with her newly di...more
Okay, another cozy where the lead woman character gets involved in solving local murders and also has a relationship with the town police chief. This one has more meat to it than other cozies.
First of all, there is a writers circle. Olivia and Sawyer, the police chief, are in the group. All are budding writers, and the group meets on a regular basis to critique each other’s works. They take turns submitting a chapter for the others to read and then they meet to critique the work. You do get to...more
First of all, there is a writers circle. Olivia and Sawyer, the police chief, are in the group. All are budding writers, and the group meets on a regular basis to critique each other’s works. They take turns submitting a chapter for the others to read and then they meet to critique the work. You do get to...more
When last we saw Olivia Limoges, she had just discovered a long-lost half-brother living on a nearby island. Coincidentally, as Olivia is a restaurateur, Hudson runs a diner. Unfortunately, it's not doing too well, and he's having trouble supporting himself and his growing family. Olivia persuades him to move to Oyster Bay and take over her new venture, The Bayside Crab House.
Meanwhile, Olivia meets well-known author Nick Plumley, who is thinking of settling in the town. Invited to visit him at...more
Meanwhile, Olivia meets well-known author Nick Plumley, who is thinking of settling in the town. Invited to visit him at...more
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Ellery Adams threw me a curveball in the opening of her latest book, The Last Word. It doesn’t surprise me that her character, Olivia Limoges has retreated into her own world, but I didn’t expect it. And, I was disappointed in her when I learned that. However, as you continue to read Olivia’s story, it’s hard not to forgive her.
Olivia Limoges is one of the wealthiest women in Oyster Bay, North Carolina, owning two restaurants, and a number of other businesses in town. But, she had a tragic child...more
Olivia Limoges is one of the wealthiest women in Oyster Bay, North Carolina, owning two restaurants, and a number of other businesses in town. But, she had a tragic child...more
This novel entertained me on so many levels that I find it rather hard to review. "The Last Word," is an historical fiction murder mystery set in modern times. The book is in Oyster Bay, North Carolina which has held some amazing, to me, secrets that are explored as the setting for the crime.
Olivia Limoges is the main character who continues to grow throughout this series. One thing we know about Olivia is that she cares for her friends which are picked with extreme care. Olivia does not love e...more
Olivia Limoges is the main character who continues to grow throughout this series. One thing we know about Olivia is that she cares for her friends which are picked with extreme care. Olivia does not love e...more
Ellery Adams has quickly become a favourite of mine. I noticed that her books keep getting better. I loved A Killer Plot, but A Deadly Cliché was even better. The Last Word, however, is better still. Is there a limit? Well, I sure hope not! Ellery Adams has told me that her editor said that book #4 is the best so far, so I'm already counting the days until I can judge for myself!
I have been raving about the wonderful characters enough in my review of A Killer Plot and A Deadly Cliché, so I refus...more
I have been raving about the wonderful characters enough in my review of A Killer Plot and A Deadly Cliché, so I refus...more
I have loved all the books in this series but this one is the best so far and brings to light the authors amazing growth as a writer. Ellery Adams takes a little snippet of North Carolina history, unknown to most people, and masterfully weaves a mystery featuring the characters we have gotten to know and love right into that history making it relevant today. It is absolutely brilliant.
The way the mystery unfolds surprised me but it just flowed so naturally it couldn’t have played out any other w...more
The way the mystery unfolds surprised me but it just flowed so naturally it couldn’t have played out any other w...more
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This was my first opportunity to read a book by Ellery Adams. I am now a forever fan who is hooked!
Meeting everyone in Oyster Bay was such an amazing exerience. Ellery has created wonderful characters that I couldn't help loving.
Olivia Limoges is more than believable and I LOVE her. Her friends, family and life immediately drew me in. And I realy love the fact that, I seem to have alot in common with Miss Limoges. From her affection of Capain Havilland to her deeply rooted love of her town, nei...more
Meeting everyone in Oyster Bay was such an amazing exerience. Ellery has created wonderful characters that I couldn't help loving.
Olivia Limoges is more than believable and I LOVE her. Her friends, family and life immediately drew me in. And I realy love the fact that, I seem to have alot in common with Miss Limoges. From her affection of Capain Havilland to her deeply rooted love of her town, nei...more
I love the way the characters are growing. The depth of their lives, and interactions of the group is making them all so real. Even the ancillary characters are so real it's like I know them in real life.
I found this book somehow on my current TBR list and re-read it. Enjoyed it as much the 2nd time as the first.
I found this book somehow on my current TBR list and re-read it. Enjoyed it as much the 2nd time as the first.
The Last Word is the third in the Books By The Bay Mystery series, and in my opinion the best one.
Olivia has a full plate these days, what with her trying to help Harris find his dream house, working with Laurel and her personal problem and the opening of a new restaurant to be run by her half brother. Then the famous author Nick Plumley takes up residence in Oyster Bay. It is thought he has moved here to work on his sequel to his award winning book. It seems that he wants the same house that Ha...more
Olivia has a full plate these days, what with her trying to help Harris find his dream house, working with Laurel and her personal problem and the opening of a new restaurant to be run by her half brother. Then the famous author Nick Plumley takes up residence in Oyster Bay. It is thought he has moved here to work on his sequel to his award winning book. It seems that he wants the same house that Ha...more
Dec 08, 2011
Janet
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-by-the-bay-mysteries
Oh, my. I finished The Last Word last night/early this morning. The author has said that she felt it was her best work yet, and I concur.
The third book in the Books by the Bay Mystery series builds on and develops the events and relationships from the previous two books. This is an exceptional series with a wonderful group of main and supporting characters. The buildup was so well paced and those last several chapters felt like a roller coaster ride that you couldn't get off of. I'm starting to...more
The third book in the Books by the Bay Mystery series builds on and develops the events and relationships from the previous two books. This is an exceptional series with a wonderful group of main and supporting characters. The buildup was so well paced and those last several chapters felt like a roller coaster ride that you couldn't get off of. I'm starting to...more
This series just keeps getting better and better. In THE LAST WORD Olivia is helping her friend Harris get situated in his new house, meets a bestselling author, deals with the growing relationship between herself and her brother, and gets involved with murder and romance.
It's chocked full of details and wonderful characters. I won't go into the actual plot, but it's developed enough to keep me reading and not guessing the ending. Most of all I love the main character, all her flaws and strength...more
It's chocked full of details and wonderful characters. I won't go into the actual plot, but it's developed enough to keep me reading and not guessing the ending. Most of all I love the main character, all her flaws and strength...more
The Last Word really is, as stated by the author and reviewers, her best book yet. Buy the book if you can. Failing that, borrow it from your public library or from a friend. Just read it! You won't be sorry.
Olivia Limoges is growing as a person and making personal discoveries, bonding with her new-found family and falling in love. Solving mysteries is still on her agenda. What is not to like?
Ellery Adams has the magic touch, making her characters come to life, including everyone in her writers...more
Olivia Limoges is growing as a person and making personal discoveries, bonding with her new-found family and falling in love. Solving mysteries is still on her agenda. What is not to like?
Ellery Adams has the magic touch, making her characters come to life, including everyone in her writers...more
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...more
With lots of red herrings, a very expensive and famous painting, and plenty of personal twists and turns this story packs a...more
I really liked this book, and that surprised me a little. I haven't read the second in the series, but I did read the first book, and I didn't like the main character much at all. So when I started reading this book and remembered my dislike of Olivia, I considered stopping then and there but decided to keep going. I liked her character much more in this book - she's quite a bit more "human", and the relationships among the writers' group members have developed well. The plot and mystery were al...more
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 w...more
Booker Prize-winning author Nick Plumely arrives in town, with everyone thinking he is there to w...more
I have not read the previous books in this series, and I am pretty sure I must go find them.
I liked this book a great deal once I got into it. I knew about the prisoner of war camps around the country, so the plot was quite plausible. The fact that people in the community would become involved with prisoners seems sensible. I think that having a love affair between a prisoner and a young woman from the town makes perfect sense. And it does seem their love was very intense.
Olivia is wealthy, and...more
I liked this book a great deal once I got into it. I knew about the prisoner of war camps around the country, so the plot was quite plausible. The fact that people in the community would become involved with prisoners seems sensible. I think that having a love affair between a prisoner and a young woman from the town makes perfect sense. And it does seem their love was very intense.
Olivia is wealthy, and...more
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 f...more
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 f...more
Love this series, and there is a fourth one in the works. Yeah!!
Olivia is a busy lady these days. She is building a relationship with her half-brother and his family. Olivia is nervous about the upcoming birth of the new addition to the family. She is also rushing to make sure that the opening for her new restaurant will go off without a hitch. All of this while also trying to get her next chapter ready for the Bay Side Writers and figure out how she feels about Chief Rawlings. So there is no su...more
Olivia is a busy lady these days. She is building a relationship with her half-brother and his family. Olivia is nervous about the upcoming birth of the new addition to the family. She is also rushing to make sure that the opening for her new restaurant will go off without a hitch. All of this while also trying to get her next chapter ready for the Bay Side Writers and figure out how she feels about Chief Rawlings. So there is no su...more
Dec 17, 2011
Debra
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery-thriller-suspense
Olivia gets drawn into the past of the New Bern POW camp when a best selling author who wrote about the era is found dead in his rental home.
As I have come to expect in this series, Adams draws us into the town, its businesses and residents. The setting is skillfully created. Sympathetic characters engage our emotions. As such it is easy to ignore some of the hard to believe aspects of the plot. In this one the history element interested me (and meshed along with other books that I have read on...more
As I have come to expect in this series, Adams draws us into the town, its businesses and residents. The setting is skillfully created. Sympathetic characters engage our emotions. As such it is easy to ignore some of the hard to believe aspects of the plot. In this one the history element interested me (and meshed along with other books that I have read on...more
This is my favorite book of the series so far. There is a lot going on, but it all ties together nicely in the end and is easier to follow than everything that happened in the last book. The main mystery was very strong and I become so attached to these new characters that I may or may not have cried at the end. The whole thing was very powerful. I was also inspired to work more on my art, which is a nice little bonus that was very unexpected. Can't wait to read the next one!
This series gets better with each book, in my opinion. The first book put me off a bit because the main character was so cold and robotic. But the author has made good inroads to making her more likeable; though she still has a ways to go. The secondary characters are extremely likeable and well fleshed out, offering secondary story lines that are interesting. The plot was excellent in this one, really well developed and I didn't have a clue until the very end who the bad guy was. An excellent j...more
I absolutely enjoyed The Last Word. I follow all of this author's series and she just continues to get better and better. Each time I close the book on Oyster Bay I feel as though I have just returned from a mini-vacation there. I look forward to more adventures with Olivia romping around in her Range Rover, running with Haviland along the beach, and of course solving a mystery with the Books by the Bay writers group! Thank goodness this is not the author's last word!
The third in the Books by the Bay Mystery series, this one is Ellery Adams' best yet. Her characters keep evolving, especially Olivia, the protagonist, who continues to grapple with her emotions and her role and identity in the town of Oyster Bay. Adams does a great job of weaving historic facts into this novel, bringing the intrigue to a new level. This is a cozy that is about more than solving a murder. With humor, pathos, and intelligence, The Last Word draws the reader into the lives of char...more
You know, i enjoy the story lines in this series but i have a definate discourse with Olivia. She comes off as a wealthy snob who is plainly rude to he "friends" but is generous with her infinite monies. I have trouble liking her. She is looked upon as omeone who knows "everything", the go-to person. Her poodle is her constant companion with gourmet tastes. Her fear of becoming involved with someone is ridiculous as the up-tight attitude borders on snobbery.
Good plot, but I didn't much care for the main one much. She 'falls in love' with her 1-hour old nephew, and then doesn't mention him (he's in the hospital for a serious surgery) for many chapters...but she does think about him once in a while. It's supposed to be a 'book' book, but there's more detail about what they have for lunch, or breakfast, or dinner than anything else..but I"ll try another by the same author to see how it goes.
This is the third book in this series. Olivia and her writers club get involved in a mystery surrounding a painting they find by a POW from WWII at a camp nearby somewhere in North Carolina. The story is also about her newly found half brother and his family and the opening of Olivia's new restaurant that they are going to run for her. Her romance with the chief also advances. I like these characters and look forward to seeing what they do next.
I really do like this cozy series. It seems so *grown up* in comparison to some of the other cozies I read! Olivia Limoges and her dog, Captain Haviland are back with the rest of the Bayside Book Writers. Booker Prize winner Nick Plumley has arrived in town and with him, an interesting story from the past ... the World War II prisoner of war camps in North Carolina. Good series and I will be waiting for the publishing of the next in the series.
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(from author's website)
Ellery Adams grew up on a beach near the Long Island Sound. Having spent her adult life in a series of landlocked towns, she cherishes her memories of open water, violent storms, and the smell of the sea.
Ms. Adams has held many jobs including caterer, retail clerk, car salesperson, teacher, tutor, and tech writer, all the while penning poems, children’s books, and novels. S...more
More about Ellery Adams...
Ellery Adams grew up on a beach near the Long Island Sound. Having spent her adult life in a series of landlocked towns, she cherishes her memories of open water, violent storms, and the smell of the sea.
Ms. Adams has held many jobs including caterer, retail clerk, car salesperson, teacher, tutor, and tech writer, all the while penning poems, children’s books, and novels. S...more
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