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95th out of 232 books
—
254 voters
Carbs & Cadavers (A Supper Club Mystery #1)
by
J.B. Stanley (Goodreads Author)
James "Professor Puff" Henry may as well have "loser" stamped on his forehead. Divorced, overweight, shy, and living at home, he relies on books and his favorite snack -- cheese puffs -- for sweet relief from his problems. A former English lit professor at William and Mary, he moves back to Quincy's Gap, a small Virginia town in the Shenandoah Valley, to take care of his r...more
Paperback, 277 pages
Published
September 8th 2006
by Midnight Ink
(first published September 1st 2006)
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The first in a new series. I thought it quite clever how each chapter begins with nutritional facts of what the main character is eating. I love small-town settings.
May 05, 2008
Sfdreams
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
cozy mystery fans, dieters, foodists
Shelves:
reviewed
JB Stanley asked me to be her friend, right around the time a close friend of mine recommended Karen MacInerney's Gray Whale series. In one of Karen's books, she mentioned JB Stanley, as well as the Cozy Chicks, of which they are both members. So, I checked out all of her books from the library and I LOVED them!! The two series are both so different, yet both are excellent.
This first book in the series follows former English Lit professor, James Henry, who moved back to his hometown to care for...more
This first book in the series follows former English Lit professor, James Henry, who moved back to his hometown to care for...more
Jul 30, 2008
Elizabeth
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
mystery fans
Recommended to Elizabeth by:
author's site on GoodReads
First in the series. I easily "fell into" the story - This author tells a really good story that reaches out and "grabs" you. If you've lived in a small town, you can recognize most of these characters.
Five people get together to lose weight. They form "supper club" to meet once a week, serve low-carb supper that is tasty and give each other support. As they become friends, they begin to have more rapport, and when a person in town is murdered, they band together to help solve the crime.
I was d...more
Five people get together to lose weight. They form "supper club" to meet once a week, serve low-carb supper that is tasty and give each other support. As they become friends, they begin to have more rapport, and when a person in town is murdered, they band together to help solve the crime.
I was d...more
CONTAINS A SPOILER, CONTAINS A SPOILER.
Well the wait was really worth it. I had been wanting to start/try this series since last fall and kept getting sidetracked. Definitely destined to become one of my favourites. I can think of nothing I did not like. Really enjoyed meeting all of the Flab five. The plot and mystery were engaging and had me guessing. I was roped right into thinking it was Alison. The book had me chuckling and laughing out loud a few times but it also got me misty eyed (when...more
Well the wait was really worth it. I had been wanting to start/try this series since last fall and kept getting sidetracked. Definitely destined to become one of my favourites. I can think of nothing I did not like. Really enjoyed meeting all of the Flab five. The plot and mystery were engaging and had me guessing. I was roped right into thinking it was Alison. The book had me chuckling and laughing out loud a few times but it also got me misty eyed (when...more
Thanks to J.B., I have found a wonderful new series of murder mysteries to read and enjoy!! I am reading the books in order, to best enjoy the growth of the characters and I must say, I am almost through the first book and already looking forward to the next. The Flab Five are charming, flawed and very real, going through what so many Americans go through with their frustrations of weight gain, weight loss and all the gimicky diets out there. Thank goodness they have a good murder to distract th...more
I actually think this deserves 1.5 stars.
SPOILERS
At the beginning, I felt the author was using very flowery and descriptive writing, but by the end, I felt she was trying too hard and that her overt attempts to use big words took away from the story (particularly when Rachel is tying up her prisoners...that was probably the least artistic manner in which that scene could have been written). I liked the book enough, but I can't say I'll read on. Issues like poor illustrations of events, cutesy la...more
SPOILERS
At the beginning, I felt the author was using very flowery and descriptive writing, but by the end, I felt she was trying too hard and that her overt attempts to use big words took away from the story (particularly when Rachel is tying up her prisoners...that was probably the least artistic manner in which that scene could have been written). I liked the book enough, but I can't say I'll read on. Issues like poor illustrations of events, cutesy la...more
http://www.cozylittlebookjournal.com/...
Well, it is my type of mystery--cozy, not gory, featuring good-natured amateur sleuths and even recipes--just like an episode of Murder, She Wrote. But...
It was readable, but not all that well-written. The author used italics for emphasis far too often, sometimes as many as half a dozen times on a page. Better writing could have built the tension without such a distracting device. And also there were a few inconsistencies that never got resolved.
******SPOI...more
Well, it is my type of mystery--cozy, not gory, featuring good-natured amateur sleuths and even recipes--just like an episode of Murder, She Wrote. But...
It was readable, but not all that well-written. The author used italics for emphasis far too often, sometimes as many as half a dozen times on a page. Better writing could have built the tension without such a distracting device. And also there were a few inconsistencies that never got resolved.
******SPOI...more
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Welcome to Quincy's Gap, Virginia home of the warmly engaging James Henry. Whoever said going home was easy? It can be a bumpy rode at first but turns out to be the path meant to travel. Former college professor now librarian, James Henry, returns home to care for his irascible father, Jackson, after the untimely death of his mother. Dubbed "Professor Puff" by his former students, James is more than a little overweight. Determined to do something about his expanding waistline and his incessant m...more
I liked this first book in the series. Since most cozy mysteries are written around a woman lead, I thought having an overweight man as the main character would be a nice change. There were a few things that didn't quite work for me though. The biggest was hints of a romance between James and Lucy. I get the impression that James is attracted and repulsed by her at the same time. This doesn't make for a hopeful romance in my eyes. The other 3 members of the "Flab Five" were mostly unremarkable t...more
I wish I could give half stars, I would gladly give it a 2.5 star rating. Somewhere in between "it was okay" and "I liked it". This is my first Cozy read and to my understanding it is a mystery that is without violence, sex, foul langauge and all the like. There were probably a handful of swear words in this entire book, which was apparently WAY too much for another reviewer here lol .. I am fine with all that, books don't need to have those things to be considered good, however this book felt m...more
In the parlance of avid mystery readers, a "cozy" is a not-too-gruesome murder mystery, often set in a small English village, in which a highly-improbable detective (think Miss Marple) solves the crime. "Carbs and Cadavers" is the first of a series of cozy murder mysteries set in the small town of Quincy's Gap, Virginia. It introduces Professor James Henry, an English literature professor turned librarian, and the four other members of "The Flab Five" -- a club/support group for dieters. The mem...more
If there is such a thing as a light-hearted murder mystery, this is it. I found the main character, James Henry, to be an especially endearing character. I enjoyed the refreshingly honest interaction among the Flab Five. The book was funny and is a great book to pick up for a light summer read. The chapter headings are truly original and made me chuckle.
I met JB Stanley and heard her speak at the Virginia Book Festival. I thought this sounded like an interesting series and picked it up. I really like James and his friends in the Supper Club. I think everyone who has ever been on a diet will appreciate this series.
This is the first of the "Supper Club Mystery" series--silly me, I thought it was about a nightclub with dinner and dancing. It is a group of sleuths that are dieting and get together for supper once/week. Good characters, good plot, well-written, I'll read more.
This had all the right elements of my favortite mystery authors. Small virginia town, centered around food, and plus sized people making a positive difference in the world around them.
The outstanding first in J. B. Stanley's diet/supper club series. It features a convincing plot & excellent characterizations. I am delighted to have found this author.
James moves back home to take care of his father after his mother passes away. He becomes the head librarian. He is feeling lonely until he joins a group call The Supper club. The meet once a week for a meal - their goal is to lose weight, and as aside to help solve the recent murder in their small town.
A former football star is murdered and the Supper Club decide to help the local sheriff solve this crime.
I like the book alot except for two mistakes I found in character names and the glaring on...more
A former football star is murdered and the Supper Club decide to help the local sheriff solve this crime.
I like the book alot except for two mistakes I found in character names and the glaring on...more
This book is enjoyable in the sense that the characters draw you in as well as the adventure. I can't wait to start the second book.
This is a heartwarming group of people who I really would like to spend time with in the future.
I enjoyed the book very much and hope the next is as good.
I liked this book, I thought it was written well. The characters were interesting, which is great. The one thing that bothered me is one of the characters, Gillian, is a dog groomer. This is fine, except at one point in the book she states that she is going to have a busy day because she has to "declaw a cat". Excuse me, but groomers do NOT declaw cats. Only vets do that. The author needs to figure out what a dog groomer can and cannot do. So, I will read the second in the series and we will see...more
This one was fun. A group of people who don't really know each other band together to lose weight (sort of a pre-Biggest Loser) and end up involved in a local murder. I had a bit of a problem with the fact that all live in a *very* small town yet barely know each other. Having lived in a *very* small town at one time, that ain't gonna happen. Still, it was a lot of fun, the sleuths didn't do anything too stupid so it wasn't too hard to see why they kept on going. I'll read the next in the series...more
Professor James Henry has had a rather unfortunate year - his mother passed away, and his wife divorced him. Forced to resign from William & Mary's English department to move back home and care for his reclusive father, James feels AND looks like a loser. His waistline has grown with the stress, thanks to his comfort food - cheese puffs. He decides to join a supper club with others trying to reduce their heft, and soon finds more than just low-carb meals. When a local fixture is found murder...more
This is a thoroughly fun cozy mystery with quirky dieters who have started a supper club to try new low-carb recipes , while loosing weight---hopefully. There is a literature professor, turned librarian; a police department employee, who wants to become a policewoman; a new age geru with a beautiful home; and a postman with a mind for trivia. Together this group finds themselves 'keeping busy' by trying to find out who has murdered their small Virginia town's ex football hero.
There are a few ver...more
There are a few ver...more
The mystery was okay but the fact that the characters (and one assumes the author) know absolutely nothing about low carb diets was continually disruptive to my enjoyment. Nor could the supposed librarian/ex-professor do any reasonable research.
As a librarian and a low carber, I just didn't believe in the main character. Or the supper club people. Nor did I like them very much. There has to be at least one sympathetic, believable character in a book for me to care about it.
As a librarian and a low carber, I just didn't believe in the main character. Or the supper club people. Nor did I like them very much. There has to be at least one sympathetic, believable character in a book for me to care about it.
This is a good start to what I believe is going to be a good mystery series. It was recommended to me a while ago, but I just now starting reading it and I think I am really going to like it. In this first one, some of the plots devices seemed to be a little bit contrived, but I think that will get better as the series progresses. I am ready to move on to book#2 in the Supper Club Mystery series.
Delightful mixed bag of characters who like me are in need of losing weight. They form a supper club to give each other dieting support and develop friendship and purpose in righting wrongs. Since this was the first book, we have only just gotten to know a little about the characters. I assume they will be more fully developed as the series goes along. I enjoyed Lucy and James and hoped for romance to blossom. Gillian did seem a caricature of a flaky new-ager, but Lindy was more down-to-earth.
I...more
I...more
What a cute book. At first, I wasn't sure, but the more I got into it, the more I liked it. It was funny AND I had no idea whodunit when the killer was revealed. To top it off the author lived in Richmond. Gotta stick by us Virginians. The only thing though, sometimes the voice of the book seems to be from someone who is a health nut and has never had an addiction to sugar, which is bad since the book is about fat people on a diet.
This is the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it. You dont have many books written about overweight people and their struggles with it so this was nice to read about their desire to lose weight and how they did it along with their little cheats! I can so relate it. Fixing to read the next one in the series
A silly, sweat mystery in which five desperate people come together to fight calories and carbs, support each other and solve a mystery in the process of losing weight. Nicely told without being condescending toward large people (though a number of peripheral characters are less than kind). I look forward to the next book in this series.
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I’ve written several cozy mysteries series including The Supper Club Mysteries (J.B. Stanley), The Hope Street Church Mysteries (Jennifer Stanley) and the Books By The Bay Mysteries and the Charmed Pie Shoppe Mysteries (written as Ellery Adams).
Please visit my website at elleryadamsmysteries.com for more info on my books.
Thank you for supporting mysteries.
More about J.B. Stanley...
Please visit my website at elleryadamsmysteries.com for more info on my books.
Thank you for supporting mysteries.
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Jun 05, 2012 12:46am