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    Poisoned Prose
    Poisoned Prose
    Poisoned Prose
    Audiobook9 hours

    Poisoned Prose

    Written by Ellery Adams

    Narrated by Karen White

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    When Olivia Limoges and other Oyster Bay patrons of the arts sponsor a retreat for famous storytellers, one of them is going to have a very unhappy ending . . .

    Olivia thought that gathering some of the most renowned storytellers in one place would be a nice, simple way for herself and the Bayside Book Writers to appreciate their talents. But things take a dark turn when the most famous storyteller in the nation-the captivating performer Violetta Devereaux-announces onstage that she will meet her end in Oyster Bay.

    When Violetta is discovered murdered after the show, everyone involved with the retreat becomes a suspect. There are rumors that Violetta, who grew up in extreme poverty in the Appalachian Mountains, possessed an invaluable treasure. Now Chief Rawlings and the Bayside Book Writers must work at a frenzied pace to solve the crime before someone closes the book on them.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateNov 3, 2015
    ISBN9781494586263
    Poisoned Prose
    Author

    Ellery Adams

    Ellery Adams has written over forty mystery novels and can’t imagine spending a day away from the keyboard. Ms. Adams, a native New Yorker, has had a lifelong love affair with stories, food, rescue animals, and large bodies of water. When not working on her next novel, she reads, bakes, gardens, spoils her three cats, and rearranges her bookshelves. She lives with her husband and two children (aka the Trolls) in Chapel Hill, NC. For reading guides and a list of bibliotherapy titles, please visit ElleryAdamsMysteries.com.

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    Reviews for Poisoned Prose

    4/5

    83 ratings13 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Loved it! Very unexpected twists and turns.
    • 5/5
      As an aspiring author, Olivia Limoges is happy to sponsor a retreat for famous storytellers- among other things she is hoping to get some ideas to help her lackluster novel. She and fellow members of the Bayside Book Writers Club are especially entranced by the storytelling abilities of Violetta Devereaux who accurately predicts her own imminent death. Olivia's boyfriend Sawyer Rawlings is on the case but as always he welcomes the help of Olivia and the rest of the Bayside Book Writers Club in solving the murder. They are eager to help him but don't realize how devastating the truth may be."Poisoned Prose" is the nicely done, at times heart-breaking, fifth book in Ellery Adams' Books By the Bay cozy mystery series. This book represents a crossroads of sorts for some of the characters and longtime fans of the series may be surprised at some of the choices the characters make. This novel is about friendship and loyalty and the twists and turns it can take, even among family members. Adams has a gift with words and words play an important part of this story - I actually felt like I was in the audience when Violetta was telling her stories. Adams' gift with words weaves its way throughout the entire story whether it be the setting of Oyster Bay (I could feel the heat); the characters (who grow with each story); or the mystery (which is well plotted with more than a few twists and turns and surprises). Olivia continues to grow on me as a character even if I don't always like her or the decisions she makes. She is certainly a complex character who is still learning to open her heart to people and love. Without giving too much away, the end to the book made me both sad (for more than one reason) and very happy. The series seems to be going in a slightly different direction and I can't wait to see what happens next!"Poisoned Prose" is another nicely done mystery by Ellery Adams.
    • 4/5
      I’m binge reading this series … out of order. The problem with that is the stories seem to run together. So I’ve got to get the review written soon after I finish the book, otherwise I get plots confused. But that’s my problem. Poisoned Prose is another story featuring Olivia Limoges, restaurateur, heiress and resident of Oyster Bay, North Carolina. The story revolves around a renowned storyteller, Violetta Devereaux, who is appearing at a storytelling event at the local public library. A few minutes after enthralling the audience, she’s dead, murdered. But why? Who would want her dead? It’s up to Sawyer Rawlings, the local police chief, to figure that out. As usual, there are clues he needs the Bayside Book Writers group to help decipher. Members include Olivia, Rawlings and three others. When it’s finally figured out that the murder involves some sort of treasure, our heroes need to figure out what the treasure is, where it’s located and who murdered to get it. This was not my favorite book in the series, but it was good nonetheless. I thought the last few chapter were not well organized, a bit over-written -- and I found myself skimming for the plot. Still, Poisoned Prose is in the top tier of cozy mysteries and I’m a big fan!
    • 4/5
      The series gets better with each book.
    • 4/5
      Next Books by the Bay Mystery for me and it didn't disappoint. Fun regular characters with interesting plot and background data.
    • 4/5
      A nice cozy mystery in the seaside town of Oyster Bay (not the one on Long Island), featuring a restaurant owner and her police chief lover. No proof, but I suspect this is set in North Carolina. The story includes Appalachian storytellers and a genetic mutation that gives people blue skin, something I have heard about, so it wasn't nonsense. But the usual motives of passion, envy, and greed are reliably employed. A pleasant read
    • 3/5
      cute book in another Ellery Adams series. took awhile for me to get into it.
    • 4/5
      Ms. Adams writes another solid cozy mystery. This time Olivia and the rest if the book writers group is excited about a storytelling event being held in Oyster Bay. Olivia is especially interested because the story she's been writing has fallen flat and she's needs some inspiration. While Olivia is still not the warmest person on Oyster Bay she is someone who will do anything for her and her town which is good because many of the town will be needing her support this time around when a famous storyteller is killed at the library her mother worked at.

      This is part if a series and you do need to read the others or you'll miss too many references. Also if you like warm and fuzzy main characters this book won't be for you. If, on the other-hand you like strong, opinionated women with a decent mystery it's a definite read.
    • 5/5
      When a talented group of storytellers, led by Violetta Devereaux, come to Oyster Bay to spin their tales, Olivia and the Bayside Book Writers are very excited to hear them and possibly to learn from them.All doesn't go as planned when Violetta is killed and there are so many suspects that Olivia is helping out Rawlins to figure out who killed her, and why.There are plenty of twists and turns to this one, and even the locals are suspected in this complicated case.I do enjoy spending time in Oyster Bay with Olivia and her friends, employees and the various town people she associates with so I will be reading more in this outstanding series.
    • 4/5
      This book/series is written by the same author that writes the Peach Pies and... series. It makes me smile, because no two series could be so far apart and still be cozy. While Peach Pies and... is sweet, light, and high on fantasy, the Books by the Bay series is heavy, weighted down with pasts of family secrets, tragedies, some abuse, and loneliness. I don't know why I initially continued to read this series; the first book or two the MC, Olivia, is an ice queen. Each book has seen her become that much more human and in Poisoned Prose she's downright likeable, if not yet the kind of girlfriend most women would love to have. I don't believe they have to be read in order in order to enjoy them, but reading the books in order reveals a secondary story line taking place over the arc of the series: the coming home and healing that allows the MC to find her place in the world, in her community and in her own home, a/k/a The Big Thaw. I think Poisoned Prose is probably my favorite to date; a retreat for renowned oral storytellers comes to Oyster Bay, and the most famous of them all announces her own coming death at the beginning of her show. A family friend with a dicey past is implicated in the crime and Olivia's writing group starts digging around. Ms. Adams did a terrific job with the storytellers scene; I felt like I was there in the crowd and experiencing the atmosphere. Olivia and her boyfriend, Police Chief Sawyer Rawlings, are at a crossroads relationship wise, and Olivia throws herself into the mystery to avoid the complications arising from forward momentum. I like them together, and the author does a good job of expressing intense feelings that are realistic for a couple no longer in their 20's or 30's. (I'm guessing they're in the early 40's but it's never stated what age either is.) The mystery behind Violetta's death was really written well; there are a lot of secrets, clues and the possibility of "treasure" all locked up in the stories she told. Unexpected connections to old friends leaves Olivia re-evaluating just how well she knows anybody, and the ending was expected right up until Ms. Adams thaws a wrench in the works and surprises you with the twist at the end. I'll admit I'm never going to be on the edge of my seat waiting for the next book in this series to come out, but it is a series I'll always follow; solid, mature writing, with realistic characters makes this book (and series) just that one step above the bulk of cozies being published today.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this installment of the Books by the Bay series. I love the North Carolina coastal setting, and the character development continues nicely from previous books in the series. The protagonist, Olivia, continues to be a sharp, compassionate person, without being just the lead Nosey Nelly. Even though I read this on the Kindle app on my iPhone, it was still a pretty quick read, considering how busy I've been. I hope there will be more Books by the Bay!
    • 5/5
      My favorite cozy mystery series just keeps rolling along, and I'm loving it. Ellery Adams has created a series with real depth and substance, and each book is a chapter in Olivia Limoges' life. Previous books have dealt a great deal with Olivia's past, but Poisoned Prose finds her devoting a lot of thought to her future. Having always believed that she was meant to live alone, it's a huge step to even consider entering a committed relationship with Sawyer Rawlings, but that's what Olivia is doing. Before you start to think this is a one-woman book/series, nip that thought right in the bud. Each member of the Bayside Book Writers is a strong character who has progressively evolved through each book, and some fans may not be happy with how things turn out for two of the members here in this latest book. Following this group not only shows how they put their heads together to solve crimes, it also shows how a critique group can work to help writers produce marketable novels.The setting of Oyster Bay, North Carolina, makes me hear the waves on the shore and smell the salt in the air. I'd love to tag along with Olivia and her dog, Captain Haviland, as they use a metal detector on the beach each day to look for treasures. And while the setting and all those fully-fleshed characters work their magic, there's a genuine puzzler of a mystery to solve as well.If you're the type of reader who's looking for a little less fluff in the cozy mysteries you read, I highly recommend Ellery Adams' Books by the Bay series. When I stumbled across them, it was as though I'd borrowed Olivia's metal detector and found a gold doubloon.
    • 5/5
      Poisoned Prose is the fifth book in the Books By The Bay series.
      Poisoned Prose just might be the best and most exciting book of the series, IMHO.

      This book centers around storytellers and Adams does an excellent job of spinning her own tale. Flynn, Olivia's past lover, is planning a storytellers retreat in Oyster Bay and has asked Olivia if she would provide some financial backing. As everyone is gathered at the local library, the foremost storyteller in the country, Violetta, announces to the crowd that the "ghost" will come and get her before she leaves Oyster Bay. Olivia is waiting for Violetta after the storytelling, but when she goes to look for her, she finds the storyteller dead. Violetta had talked of a treasure, but no one knows what it might be or where it is.

      This tragedy hits even closer to home for Olivia, as her friend Dixie, waitress at Grumpy's, cousin, Lowell, who worked for Violetta has gone missing. Lowell has a record for thefts and immediately becomes a
      suspect.

      So, it is time to gather the Bayside Book Writers together and begin looking for the killer. Harris, with his expertise with computers starts searching the internet for who Violetta family is and where they came from. Laurel with her background as a reporter, gathers more information about Violetta's career. Millay, with her experience as a bartender will talk to the other storyteller and hopefully gather valuable information. While Olivia tries to keep Dixie settled and at the same time try to locate the missing Lowell. Of course, Rawlings, the chief of police is busy doing his own interviews.

      Looking forward to the next book in the series to see how Olivia and Rawlings are progressing with their relationship and what effect the leaving of one member of the Book Writers group will have on the rest of them.

      Another superb book from Ellery Adams.