A Deadly Cliche Review

 A Deadly Cliché 
by Ellery Adams
From Goodreads:

 While walking her poodle, Olivia Limoges discovers a dead body buried in the sand. Could it be connected to the bizarre burglaries plaguing Oyster Bay, North Carolina? At every crime scene, the thieves set up odd tableaus: a stick of butter with a knife through it, dolls with silver spoons in their mouths, a deck of cards with a missing queen. Olivia realizes each setup represents a cliché. And who better to decode the cliché clues than her Bayside Book Writers group?

My Thoughts:  I am totally a fan of cozy mysteries now, and the first book in the Books By The Bay Mystery series was one of my first ever cozy reads (and a book club selection).  I got to meet Ellery Adams recently, and I got a copy of her third book since I downloaded A Deadly Cliché over a year ago.  I can't believe I waited so long to get to it!  Major book fail, midnighters.  I apologize. 

I probably liked this even more than a second book because Olivia opens up a bit more in this second installment.  Olivia is such a different type of person from me, and because she's so independent, that I felt that I was kept at an arm's length from her. But as A Deadly Cliche unfolds, Olivia does too.  She's made good friends, and she's learned to share herself with them.  I thought the way her love interests played out in the novel was very fitting to how she's... not necessarily changing, but becoming more herself.  Oh, Olivia still feeds Captain Haviland food fit for a king, but she also gets her hands dirty to help her town and her friends. 

I found myself drawn, once more, to the supporting characters.  I really love Laurel and her story line, and I want to see more!  The way Olivia supports her friends, from Laurel to Harris, is truly heartwarming.  It makes me want to move to Oyster Bay!  Again, I loved reading the excerpts from the writer's group's books.  I think Adams has a career in crossover genres if ever she decides to change things up.  I would totally read Millay's book!

I enjoyed the murder mystery part of the book too, the cliches left at the scenes of the crime were clever- oh, that's right, I love a good cliche!  But I honestly liked Olivia's personal drama, and Laurel's new intrepid reporter role even more.

Looking forward to reading book 3 whilst I'm at the beach this week!

A Deadly Cliché gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

**I own a copy of this book on my Kindle**