A Killer Plot

Books by the Bay Mystery Series #1

By: Ellery Adams

Narrated by: Karen White

Length: 11 hrs

Publisher's summary

Olivia Limoges is the subject of constant gossip. Ever since her mysterious return to the small coastal town of Oyster Bay, North Carolina, Olivia has kept to herself, her dog, and her unfinished novel. With a little cajoling from charming writer Camden Ford, she agrees to join the Bayside Book Writers to 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.

©2010 Ellery Adams (P)2015 Tantor

Critic reviews

"The seaside setting is fun, and the interactions between the year-round locals and the summer residents are insightful." ( RT Book Reviews)

Unsatisfactory

Main character is remote and unsympathetic: completely unengageing and aloof. Story line had little, if no, feeling of believability. Don't bother with this one.

loved it this author's got me hooked on this serie

this is the first book I've listened to twice listen to the other books in consecutive I love the characters in it they're believable and real

First read....good story but drug a bit in places

First read....good storyline. It was a fun read but drug a bit in places. Not sure about a heroin who ignored the facts that it is listed that dogs are not allowed in places, but she takes her large dog in anyway, including restaurants and she parks where ever she pleases, regardless of posted restrictions.

Fantastic

Where does A Killer Plot rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Number 1

What did you like best about this story?

Elderly Adams is the most original writer in the Cozy Mystery genre I have come across. I am now on the last book in this series and not a single one disappointed me. Unfortunately most books in this genre are very similar, not this series.

What about Karen White’s performance did you like?

This series might not be as good without the outstanding performance of Karen White. Her voice and inflections match perfectly what I would expect the heroine in this story to sound like. She does a wonderful job.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Great start to an amazing series

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this series, but this book cemented Ellery Adams as one of my favorite authors. I simply love everything she writes. A definite read or listen.

Iffy writing and mediocre narration

The only way I could get through this was to speed up the narration to 1.25. At regular speed the not particularly inspiring prose was rendered worse by an overly slow narration, like there was drama in every cliché, which clearly there was not. That said, the mystery was relatively satisfying. But honestly, I presumed this was self-published and was surprised to find it actually got a regular publisher. Way too many standard tropes and descriptive phrases.

Mixed, with good story, some interesting character

Was really hopeful that this series would be a great fit. First, the story was very good. Mature writing with good depth and quality in descriptions. Writing seemed to be improving as story unfolded. Just when most characters appeared to be moving toward cliche territory, the author snatched them from the brink with unexpected turns which none-the-less avoided "jumping the shark."
The narration was uneven however and quite annoying in the beginning. Odd stilted way of portraying the main character. Sometimes general narration was presented in that same odd manner. This did improve part way into the book but was present so strongly one was tempted to stop listening.
Some cliche portrayals of characters still seem present: Small town people are simple and ignorant, working men hate queers, wealthy people are selfish and grasping, etc. Hopefully the author will continue to open her own mind and eyes for character creations and continual growth in the next book and avoid the easy way so prevalent in many series. This will avoid the tedium which strikes when the characters become characatures of themselves.
Good series beginning.

Poodle Had Potential

While I loved Olivia's devotion to her poodle Havilland, I didn't connect with the main character. The author showed talent and humor, so I would try another book by Ellery Adams.

Lots of twists and turns!

Very good suspense. Great characters. Hint of romance. It's hard to guess anyone's ages, especially the main characters because of the narrator's voice. Unfortunately, she sounds pretty old (and I'm about the age she sounds so it's not a generational thing.)! This took away from the performance for me. But it's slight enough, I'm going on with the next in the series.

Just there

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. The story was hard to get into and once I got a couple chapters in I really didn't care one way or the other about any of the characters.