A Killer Plot by Ellery Adams (Book Beginning & Friday 56)

Friday 56 (share from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice (today 56%) 

& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader.

Amazon Description

In the small coastal town of Oyster Bay, North Carolina, you'll find plenty of characters, ne'er-do-wells, and even a few celebs trying to duck the paparazzi. But when murder joins this curious community, the Bayside Book Writers are there to get the story... 

Olivia Limoges is the subject of constant gossip. Ever since she came back to town-a return as mysterious as her departure-Olivia has kept to herself, her dog, and her unfinished novel. With a little cajoling from the eminently charming writer Camden Ford, she agrees to join the Bayside Book Writers, break her writer's block, and even make a few friends... 

But when townspeople start turning up dead with haiku poems left by the bodies, anyone with a flair for language is suddenly suspect. And it's up to Olivia to catch the killer before she meets her own surprise ending.

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A Killer Plot has been on my TBR since it was first released ... in 2010. I finally stopped letting other things distract me from it and I'm so very glad that I did! I think maybe it knew it wasn't the right time back then because I'm not sure I would have appreciated it as much six years ago.

Olivia Limoges, the main character, is a bit much. She's standoffish and curt and pretty much does what she wants when she wants. She had a tough life growing up and worked hard to overcome much and now, at 40, she's well-off and quite happily alone with her businesses, a few friendly acquaintances around town, and her beloved poodle, Captain Haviland.

I've read a lot of reviews for the book where the readers don't like Olivia. Several of them didn't finish because of it. They've seriously missed out. One of the things I loved best about this is seeing how much Olivia grew over the course of the book. She wasn't very likable at the beginning. At the end, though, I wanted to give her a hug, a right-hearty "attagirl," and invite her out for coffee.

From a "cozy mystery" standpoint, this was delightful. (I know -- I use that word a lot here. I obviously just have good taste in books.) I had my suspicions over whodunnit .... a few different times. I like it when they keep me guessing and I also like it when the big reveal comes and I can pat myself on the back over one of my theories being at least partially right. And, like so many other cozies, we have the intriguing potential love interest(s), the quirky group of friends, and good little bit of snark.

This is the first of eight (so far) in Adams' Books by the Bay series. I'm already planning on reading at least one more this year according to my Reading Thing but I may just need to bump something else off of the list (or read really fast) so I can read more!