Killer Characters

Books by the Bay Mystery Series, Book 8

By: Ellery Adams

Narrated by: Karen White

Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Restaurant owner and aspiring novelist Olivia Limoges is happily enjoying her new marriage. Sadly, the same doesn't hold true for Laurel, a fellow Bayside Book Writer. While struggling with a demanding job, twin boys, and a terminally ill mother-in-law, Laurel learns that her perfect marriage is mostly fictional. When she catches her husband fooling around with his mother's hospice nurse, she issues impassioned threats that will later come back to haunt her.

After the nurse meets a deadly denouement, Chief Rawlings is forced to take Laurel into custody. While Olivia protests the arrest, the rest of the Bayside Book Writers become a group divided, with Rawlings and Harris on one side and Olivia and Millay on the other. Now the women must race against the clock to prove that Laurel's not the sort for murder, before her story ends in tragedy.

©2017 Ellery Adams (P)2017 Tantor

Good story until the end

I have always enjoyed the books in this series, but I hope this is the end of the series because I won't be reading anymore books by this author. The ending shows no concern for the feelings of the readers and was totally unnecessary. This was an "automatic" buy for me on preorder but I will hold off and read the reviews from now on

What?

This is my favorite series and I have so enjoyed each one, but the ending of this one
was awful! Why kill one of the best characters? Ridiculous!

Killing a series should be the title.

I liked the mix characters for this series. And your stories were good. This story was flowing well--I was listening, I was gathering clues---then I was waiting to see how our mix matched comrades would solve this mystery. Then it hit-- the slap in the face. It was a total surprise!!!
WHY?

Why did you destroy it all. It could have been different--easily. Ellery, you did us wrong. I wish I could return the whole series--it had not finished yet--they had places to go. It is a shame. Are you going to do this to us with your other series? I have to ask.

Not a Cozy Mystery and a Waste of my money

Would you try another book from Ellery Adams and/or Karen White?

Ellery Adams has just been removed from my author list. I was reading her books for cozy mystery and instead she killed off one of the two main characters. 8 books of wasted time and money.

Has Killer Characters turned you off from other books in this genre?

I still love cozy mysteries but I have been turned off from Ellery Adams as a writer

Which scene was your favorite?

the book was worthless

What character would you cut from Killer Characters?

The author

Any additional comments?

The author should give me a refund for all of my money spend on Audible and the Digital copies.

Really!? Stunned...

I have loved and followed these characters through 8 books now. Ms. Adams does a great job creating them so that they live inside you like part of your family. Therefore it made me cry to loose one. The story was good, the ending I disliked emensley, and although the author has every right to kill off her characters, I'm still wondering why? Not just because I truly liked this character, but also it concerns me as to how the Bay Side Book club continues without this connection? Really? I don't see any reason for the death here.

OMG...

I think I need a support group.
I'm devastated, angry and so confused about the ending!! I couldn't even listen anymore after Sawyers death.

Sad that the ending wasn’t up to her usual.

I love Ellery Adams books,but this ending was disappointing. I will from now on read reviews and try to eliminate series from my list when she kills off the hero we have gotten to care about.

Do you hate your readers!?!?!

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

You made me fall in love with your characters and then kill one of the best ones off? IWhat was the point? I feel like I lost another friend. I hate to be depressed which is why I read your books, to get away from reality. If you write another book in this series, a series I've loved, I won't be buying another. I'm also afraid to start another one of your series now. I really really wish you hadn't done that!

What could Ellery Adams have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Don't kill your main characters.

Sad to see this series end

Any additional comments?

I have listened to the entire Books by the Bay series. In the beginning of the first book, I wasn't a fan of Olivia because she seemed self-centered and appeared to feel that because she had money she could do what she wanted. Fortunately, I stuck with the book and learned why Olivia was the way she was and saw her transformation to someone who truly cared about the people of her town. She became a true friend. I have journeyed with Olivia, the Captain, the Chief, the Bayside Bookwriters, Dixie & Grumpy and the other quirky inhabitants of Oyster Bay through the changes in their lives and have felt as if I truly knew them. I became invested in their lives. They are flawed, as we all are, which makes them seem real. The ending of this book was heart-wrenching. Losing someone I had become to think of as a part of my life was very hard. But while I would have preferred a different ending, this is the ending that we were given and, as in life, we don't get to choose how things turn out. This was Ellery's story, and she was kind enough to share it with us. As readers, it is not our place to dictate the direction a story will go. We are along for the ride and I, personally, am glad I took this ride with Ellery and the Oyster Bay characters.

I read some of the other reviews and felt that they were unfair. They admitted that they truly enjoyed the BBB series until the ending of the last book. And some swear that they will never read another of Ellery's books because of one chapter in the 8th book. Obviously Ellery has proven that she is an excellent writer if she can evoke so much emotion from the loss of one character. It is the job of a writer to get readers invested in the characters and their lives - to truly care what happens to them. Ellery has done that. I found myself crying near the end of the story, but my tears dried as the final scenes played out. I will truly miss the people of Oyster Bay, but I will continue to read Ellery's other books, as she is a talented author with a lot to offer. In addition to the Books by the Bay series, I have also listened to and/or read five other series by Ellery (Book Retreat, Antiques and Collectibles, Charmed Pie Shoppe, Hope Street Church, and Supper Club), and I have enjoyed every one of them. And I have pre-ordered The Secret, Book and Scone Society (the first in a new series) in Kindle and I hope it will be available in Audible at some point. So, to those who have decided not to read more of Ellery's work because of one ending, I say...It's your loss - you are missing out on a lot of truly entertaining adventures. Keep them coming Ellery, and I look forward to every new story you are willing to share with us.

Not as strong as earlier Bayside books

The narrator was great, but the story was somewhat convoluted. It was quite dark for a cozy mystery, but because Ellery Adams is a strong writer, that doesn't bother me. I was, however, deeply saddened by the ending. I didn't get to see the letter that Ellery Adams published within the book itself explaining that the series was ending, because it was not included in the audio book. I'm very curious about why she made the choices she did as a way to end the series. Of all of the Bayside books, my favorite one is the one with the swamp witch.