This is a great group of friends, the kind that anyone would love to be a part of. Great food, great friends, and great gumshoes! This is an early episode showcasing the wedding of James's Dad and Milla and the untimely demise of Milla's celebrity chef sister who is as bitter as a lime and there is nothing sweet about it. Having family around can be stressful enough now add to it the kidnapping of the library's Christmas elf, James Henry's need for a new home, his on again off again relationship with Lucy, his attempt to eat the holiday sweets in moderation and to make matters worse, Diva Paulette dies, murder by salmonella poisoning. Not only are the recipes "to die for" the bonds of friendship that these characters show is incredible. For those brief moments while reading you feel like you are a part of the group. I also enjoy that the main character is a man, James Henry; professor turned head librarian who wears his heart on his sleeve and is incredibly thoughtful. It is a nice change of pace to see a male perspective. Great story as usual and I can't wait to see what happens next!

I read this series when it was released as written by J.B. Stanley and I enjoyed reading it as much the second time around. These books are well-written and has a great 'cast' of characters with enjoyable mysteries. I love how the characters continue to grow through out this series.

James Henry,the head librarian for Shenandoah County Library, is preparing for the marriage of his elderly father to a sweet lady so when she says that her sister , the Diva of Dough, is coming to town to make their wedding cake, James Henry is sure that his waistline will be expanding. Expecting that his future stepmother's sister will be just as sweet, the reality is a different matter and when the Diva is murdered, no one is surprised. James Henry is in for multiple surprises before he and his Supper Club friends find the murderer.

Love this series, the characters are ones I can truly sympathize with regarding the problems of weight-control.

This is a wonderful cozy series that has no sex or terrible violence. J.B. Stanley, better knows as Ellery Adams is a prolific writer and has several very good series. This is book 5 in the Supper Club Mystery series and takes us back to Quincy's Gap in time for Milla and Jackson's Christmas Eve wedding. The only fly in the ointment is Milla's sister, The Diva of Dough TV star is coming to bake the cake and isn't happy being in nowhere's ville. When she ends up dead in the kitchen covered in cake batter the members of the Supper Club are going to investigate so the wedding can proceed as planned. You can read this as a stand alone but you'll want to have the background from the previous books. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair an honest review.

I just finished The Battered Body and it is fabulous!
James Henry is the greatest character and this story was no exception.
The mystery was engaging and the stories revolving around it were just as captivating.
I recommend this book to any cozy mystery reader.

I volunteered to read and review an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

The Flab 5 fins themselves deep in cake batter in another yummy addition by Ellery Adams. This time our favorite gang find themselves racing to find out who done it as the bodies stack up amid wedding preparations.

I really love this series and the main characters in this stories are more than just people in a book. I have come to think of them as friends. They got together to try and lose weight, but have become best friends, who are there for each other not matter what and an amateur sleuth team that even has a book written about their first solved crime, even though the author has taken a lot of literary licence with the story.

In this book, James' dad, Jackson, and cooking teacher name Mila (Camilla) are getting married on Christmas Eve. Camilla's younger sister, Paulette Martine, is a celebrity baker and has come to town to make the cake for the wedding. It turns out that Paulette is obnoxious, rude and haughty and it doesn't take long for her to alienate most of the townsfolk in Quincey's Gap. When Paulette was found dead, with cake batter all over her face, it is deemed to be an accident, salmonella poisoning from raw eggs. Lucy, doesn't feel right with the accidental ruling so she and her supper club friends start to investigate. When there is another dead body, thinks heat up big time.

It seems like all of the friends had some sort of epiphany in this book that was really enjoyable to read about. There is a huge reveal of information in this book that will shake up the friends and family and I look forward to seeing where this leads. What I really enjoy about this series is that the lives of the characters are just as important as the mystery. James loves that not only is his father happy, but he now has a new mother in his life. The twins find some love interests as well as some of the Flab Five. Things are looking up for our friends and I am looking forward to the next book in this series. Once again, this is a re-release of an updated version of this book.

These Supper Club books are just plain fun! I've enjoyed them all and appreciate how the characters have grown and changed over the course of the series. James' father, in particular, is a whole new man from the grumpy guy we met in the first book. One of my favorite series for sure!

This was a fun book to read. The not so nice celebrity chef and the other characters are interesting. The Flab Five are a hoot. As always, Adams delivers with an interestingly intertwined mystery, friends, and fun. Look forward to reading more in this series.

This series is a cozy mystery and on the cheesy side, but I still have enjoyed getting to know the characters and how things develop for them, in their personal lives, their interactions with each other, the new characters added to the story line. The focus of this book is on Milla and Jackson's wedding and also Bennett finally getting to be a contestant on the TV show <i>Jeopardy!</i>. The murder mystery surrounds Milla's family and the wedding. I figured out a bit of the why fairly early on but not the who. I also figured out the mystery surrounding Glowstar the Elf on the Shelf's kidnapping. The twist of James's ex-wife returning towards the end of the book was unexpected and added a fun element to the story. The descriptions of the library, the twin librarians, the town, the food, and the Flab Five friends are great. The recipes sound great, mostly desserts in this one! There were quite a few other delicious-sounding dishes described in the book but no recipe for them, so that's a bummer! ha ha! Overall, a fun and entertaining, lighthearted read.

Back to Quincy Gap! This time with a celebrity chef who definitely is not as sweet as her cakes!

It’s no surprise when she turns up dead and quite a few people aren’t too sad about that. But James and his friends, The Flab Five, are determined to find out who cut the cake lady out of the picture. With not a lot of clues or suspects, the members of the group are really having to work this one.

And when another body turns up, well, they may be running out of time!

The friendships among this group are so well done. All of the characters are well drawn and are just lovable. Add in some recipes and you have one sweet cozy mystery.

One of my favorites.

Netgalley/Beyond The Page

The Battered Body by Ellery Adams is the fifth novel in A Supper Club Mystery series. James Henry is the head librarian for Shenandoah County Library in Quincy’s Gap. His father, Jackson is getting married on Christmas Eve to Milla. James wants the newlyweds to be on their own when they return from their honeymoon, so he has been looking for his own home. After trying on his suit for the wedding, he notices that his weight has gone up considerably since Milla started cooking for the two men. James consults nutritionist, Dr. Ruth Wilkins and starts keeping a food journal. Now if he can just avoid the cheese doodles (and cake, cookies, the break room snack machine). At dinner about two weeks before the wedding, Milla announces that her sister is coming for the wedding and she will be making the cake. It turns out that Milla’s sister is Paulette Martine, a famous chef and “Diva of Dough”. Milla requests that James pick her up at the airport and warns him that Paulette can be “prickly” (that doesn’t bode well). Prickly turns out to be an understatement for the Diva’s attitude (rude, condescending, and critical are more accurate) and she estranges every person she encounters (unless there are press present). One morning James receives an early call from Lucy that the Diva has been found dead in the Widow’s Peak Inn kitchen covered in the cake batter she was mixing (what a waste of good cake batter). The Supper Club members are once again caught up in a murder. Can they whip up the killer and get the wedding back on track?

The Battered Body is an entertaining cozy mystery. I thought The Battered Body was well-written, it had a steady pace and good flow (smooth transitions between sections). I do recommend reading Carb and Cadavers before embarking on other books in A Supper Club Mystery series. It will help you get to know the characters, their backgrounds and relationships. There is quite a bit going on in The Battered Body. The Fitzgerald brothers are intelligent, caring men. The libraries Elf on the Shelf is missing, and they intend to get it back. Scott has a girlfriend, and it is putting a strain on the twin’s relationship. They need to find a lady friend for Francis. James is hoping to start again with Lucy Hanover, but there may be an insurmountable obstacle in their path to happiness. James struggle with dieting adds levity to the book. I thought the author did a wonderful job at portraying the struggle many people have when trying to lose weight (especially during the holiday season and when a famous chef is in town cooking/baking up a storm). Bennett Marshall, the postal carrier, is going to appear on Jeopardy and he is diligently studying. Murphy Alistair’s book is coming out soon and the Supper Club is dreading it. They know that Murphy will not be kind. It is pleasant to see the changes in Jackson Henry. He has certainly transformed since the first book in this series, though, there is still is some gruffness about him (adds to his charm). The mystery was well-crafted, and readers will be surprised at the end. It is not one that can be completely solved before the reveal (we are not given all the details until later in the book). I welcomed the delightful quote from Cicero which books lovers everywhere can relate to. The quote is “a room without books is like a body without a soul”. I am eager to read the next installment in A Supper Club Mystery series.

Another great book in a fantastic series. I love James Henry, his friends, and family. This book had several twists, turns and surprises, with events I never saw coming. I couldn't figure out who the murderer was, and I definitely was surprised when it was revealed. I love the descriptions of the food in the book, and there are recipes at the end. I highly recommend!

This is my first book by this author.I really like to read a good whodunit especially in the “Cozy Mystery” genre because although there is usually a murder there is not an abundance of gore. This was book #5 in the series and it did standalone. We do meet characters from previous books and there seems to be an ongoing storyline. At times I did want to know more about characters from previous books so my recommendation is to start this series from book one for a more immersive experience. But you will not be lost if you start with this book.

You will like James and his friends who help local police deputy, Lucy, solve crimes. Lucy is also James’ on-again-off-again girlfriend. The victim had many enemies so figuring out the murderer is some work but saying that, I did wish for an earlier and more detailed introduction to the criminal. I thought the 24 year-old twins who worked at the library were rather immature and I didn’t understand that immaturity. Perhaps that was explained in a previous book.

I recommend this book with some reservations. I think it can be enjoyed more fully if the series is started from the begging. For me coming in at book #5 it was only just “okay”.

James and his pals are back at it again…solving murders and struggling with the weight loss. Ellery Adams is such a great writer. The mystery is interesting and I’m loving how James’s personal life developed in this one. I’m looking forward to the next installment!

Thanks again to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book, which I voluntarily reviewed.

I really love this series and these wonderful friends who originally got together to lose weight but have become more than just sleuths. They're true best friends that have each others' backs no matter what.

In this book, James' dad and a cooking teacher name Milla (Camilla) were getting married on Christmas Eve. Since Milla's younger sister was a celebrity baker, she had agreed to make the cake and other items for the wedding. When Paulette was found with her cake batter all over her face, it appeared to be an accident but Lucy who was now a deputy, didn't feel right with the accidental ruling so she and her supper club friends set out to do one of the things they did best together...investigate!

It seems like all of the friends had some sort of epiphany in this book that was really enjoyable to read about. What's cool about this series is that it's not just a mystery story. Each story is one that's also about friendships. I'm not sure why I wanted to read this book out of order (it wasn't a problem at all, I'm just particular that way). It didn't ruin anything for me. There are a couple of fun surprises that happen to some of our favorites. I love that James now has a mom in his life again and that his dad is living grouchily happily ever after! I think I will go back and get caught up before reading the sixth book though.

In Battered Body by Ellery Adams, we return to Qunicy Gap, Va. and the Supper Club. It's nearing Christmas and James is busy trying to find a house to buy and getting ready for his father and Milla's wedding. When Milla's sister, a celebrity chef, aka, The Diva of Dough, arrives in town everyone wonders how such a rude, mean person could be Milla's sister. Well, someone is done with the Diva! When she shows up dead in the kitchen of the B&B she is staying with her assistant covered in cake batter the clock begins to tick to find the murderer. The story has plenty of suspects, plot twists, and suprises. You are kept guessing to the end. Thoughout the story though, you get updates on the Supper Club members and library employees. Not only is there mystery, but romance and humor.
This is a great cozy mystery.
I was given a copy from NetGalley for an honest opinion/review.

In this fifth book of the series Jame's dad is getting married and he agrees to help with any of the arrangements that he can. When his dads soon to be wife asks him to pick up her sister from the airport he readily agrees but he soon learns she is nothing like her sister. You see the woman is question is the famous Diva of Dough and she may be an awesome baker she isn't a nice person. She is there to prepare the wedding cake and other desserts that will be served up at the wedding. When the Diva is found dead in the kitchen there are suspects abound who hated her but the police rule her death an accident. Even though it was ruled an accident Lucy has a feeling that it wasn't so her and the other members of the Supper Club decide to look into things. Follow along as they turn over every rock to find out if the Diva was murdered or if it was truly an accidental death. Along the way you'll meet some family members who each had a reason to wish her ill, an assistant that she walked all over, and strangers that she managed to anger in just one meeting. Along the way another body turns up and things get even more exciting. James is handed some shocking news and looks for a house so his dad and soon to be wife can have privacy. Bennett finally gets his chance on jeopardy, does he win? or does he tank? Lets not forget that Murphy's book is coming out, what will the groups reaction to that be? This is such a fun series filled with well rounded characters that share in their differences and join together in the struggle of weight loss. I look forward to seeing what they get into next.

This series just keeps getting more and more delicious with their great storylines and awesome characters. Paulette was a piece of work who was on everyone hit list so to speak, while her sister Milla was the opposite of all that she represented. As much as Paulette was a royal pain, in the you know where it was up to James, Bennett, Lucy, Linda and Gillian the flab five, to solve her murder but when another occurred shortly, it was now a race to find the culprit was on. In this story, emotions were running high on all fronts and the flab five needed to keep it together in order to solve this one. A nice mix of complexities creating an intriguing twist throughout the whole book, a deliciously entertaining and intriguing cozy mystery, that keeps adding flavor to the series, nice.

This is the fifth book in The Supper Club series.

James. Lucy, Gillian, Lindy, and Bennett have weight issues to varying degrees. They felt that they should form a support group and decided to call themselves The Flab Five. But they seem better at solving murders in their community of Quincy Gap, rather than getting a grip on their weight issues.

The Battered Body begins with James busy with last minute plans for his father's, Jackson and Milla’s wedding. Milla sister, Paulette Martine-The Diva Of Dough, has agreed to come to Quincy's Gap and bake the couple’s wedding cake. But before the happy event can take place The Diva Of Dough is found dead in the kitchen of the B&B where she is staying, face down in a cake batter. From the time that the Diva arrived in town, she started alienating the residents of Quincy Gap and add to that she was not on speaking terms with her sister, Louise, or her daughter, Chole.

The members of The Flab Five agree that they need to start their own investigation so that Milla and Jackson can go ahead and get married. They have so many possible suspects that they are not sure whether they will be able they begin to wonder if they will ever be able to find the killer.

Also going on in Quincy Gap, James has found what he considers the perfect house and the Flab Five help him get the house ready to move into. James is also hoping to win back Lucy’s affection. But that might be easier said than done as Murphy Alistair’s “fictional book”, about the private lives of the residents of a small community. Bennett is about to put Quincy Gap on the map when he appears of Jeopardy. Plus there are a couple of romances that begin to blossom.

Once again Adams provides the reader with a well-plotted and told story with well-developed characters that you would want to be friends with.

I’m hoping that there will be more books in this series in the near future.