I love this series, and this book was my favorite so far. I love the well developed characters, and how these friends stick up for each other no matter what. James and his friends are people I would love to hang out with. This is an absolute must read and I highly recommend this book and this series!

This is the 4th installment of Ellery Adams' Supper Club Mysteries, which is why I requested the book from NetGalley. Book 2 was fun, so I thought I'd give it a go!

The members for the club are invited to a neighboring town, to serve as guest judges at the Hudsonville Hog Festival. Apparently, their crime-solving reputations has earned them a bit of celebrity and when last minute replacements are needed, they are asked. The invitation includes lodgings at a B&B, plus free meals and other incentives. Who wouldn't like to go?!

Upon arriving at their B&B, the group is immediately assailed by Jimmy Lang, a large, obnoxious man who will be participating in the BBQ competition. While we later find out that his food is indeed great, Jimmy manages to annoy nearly everyone around him. When Jimmy is subsequently murdered, nobody is really shocked until they find out that Gillian is named a person of interest.

Having read book 2, but not book 3, I found out here that James is now dating Murphy but I cannot figure out why. She tells James he wouldn't want his father to propose to his new girlfriend "[b]ecause you'll finally have to grow up and move out of your boyhood room!" What a witch! Then Murphy runs into town pretending to be there for James, but really there for the story. And her surprise news for James is rather unsettling.

The murder actually doesn't occur until over 1/3 of the way through the book. Normally, I'd be annoyed but there is so much going on that I kinda forgot there wasn't a mystery to solve until the death! All the characters and contests keep it interesting. A good read!

Review: STIFFS AND SWINE (SUPPER CLUB MYSTERY #4) by Ellery Adams

I've been "in hog heaven" since discovering the champion Supper Club Mystery Cozy series by prolific author Ellery Adams, and that's a really apropos expression, considering this particular installment focuses on the "Flab Five Supper Club" members judging a Blue Ridge community's popular annual Hog Fest. Invited as celebrity judges due to their growing reputations as small-town amateur sleuths and intuitive crime-solvers, the five friends quickly discover that where pride, corporate sponsorship, and large monetary prizes come into play, so do greed, envy, and resentment.

Stiffs and Swine is the fourth book in Ellery Adams’ Supper Club Mysteries series and it’s an easy and enjoyable read. The storyline is well thought out and the well-developed characters are relatable. There isn’t any gratuitous adult situations or graphic violence, but there is some adult language. The twists and turns and multiple suspects kept me guessing until the reveal. I’m looking forward to reading the next installment in this series.

James Henry returned from his Virginia Beach vacation, but after spending the last two days bickering with his girlfriend, Murphy Alistair, editor and reporter of the Shenandoah Star Ledger, he was second guessing their relationship. Lucy Hanover has finally a Sheriff’s Department Deputy and the other members of their group are so proud of and happy for her. After the last minute cancellation of their original guest judge for the forty-seventh annual Hudsonville Hog Festival, the Hudsonville Chamber of Commerce contacts the Flab Five offering them free rooms, food, and merchandise if they’d agree to choose this year’s Queen Sow and help with the Blueberry Pie-Eating Contest. Everyone except Gillian O’Malley agrees to accept the offer. Gillian’s offended by the slaughtering of animals for the barbeque, but sees the venture as a way to expand Pet Palaces to include doggie travel homes, and finally agrees. Bennett Marshall, a USPS mailman, is preparing to try to be a contestant on Jeopardy! by reading all the trivia books he can get his hands on. When Gillian discovers one of the BBQ contestants is Jimmy Lang, she confronts him, accuses him of killing her husband, and punches him in the face, so when he’s murdered, she becomes the primary person of interest. Sheriff Jade Jones asks the group to stay away from the investigation, but knowing their friend is innocent, James, Lucy, Lindy, and Bennett aren’t able to.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

This is a fun addition to the supper club mystery, featuring James Henry, a big hearted librarian.

The story continues with the flab five, but it seems that the weight loss of some of the members is beginning to show.

Murphy and James are on Rocky ground and Lucy continues to question her decision.

This is a light, fun cozy mystery that leaves you guessing until the end.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.