Customer Reviews

The Battered Body (The Supper Club Mysteries)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you like good food and good friends with a murder on the side you're in for a treat. This series has all the componants that make us "cozy" readers love them. The people are well developed and easy to identify with. The scenes behind the desk at the library are well written and appropriate, and the murder is well plotted and beautifully presented. Everyone should indulge themselves once-in-a-while. Start with the first one and read them through. You deserve it!

All of Quincy's Gap is looking forward to the New Year's wedding of Jackson Henry to his girlfriend, Milla. Milla's famous sister, television chef, Paulette Martine, is even coming from New York City to bake the wedding cake.

Murphy Alistair's book, "The Body in the Bakery," featuring the adventures of the Flab Five is due to be published any day. James Henry is hopping mad that he and his friends will be exposed to the world for ridicule. He decides to focus on his father's upcoming nuptials, being nice to his step-mothers visiting family members, and rekindling his romance with Lucy Hanover. His friend Bennett is practicing for his appearance on Jeopardy, and Gillian is making strange teas and hosting Christmas parties. Lindy is waiting for Luis to take their relationship to the next level in public. The Fitzgerald twins are looking for love-- in all the wrong places!

The murderer in this book was not surprising, but the human interest stories pack a wallop. The book really wraps up a lot of relationships between the characters, and adds a few new and welcome family members to Quincy's Gap. This was a cheerful, life affirming and heartwarming cozy mystery. I just hope that this wasn't the last book in the series... but if it was, bravo, it was a beautiful end.

In preparation of Jackson Henry and Milla's New Year's wedding, her sister, Paulette Martine who is a television chef, comes to town to bake the wedding cake. James Henry, of the Flab Five, tries to be nice to Milla's relatives to keep his mind off of Murphy Alistair's upcoming book which will feature the adventures of the Flab Five, and probably not in a flattering manner. He's also hoping to rekindle his romance with Lucy, another member of the Flab Five and a sheriff's deputy. Bennett, another Flab Five member, is studying for his upcoming Jeopardy appearance.

The Fitzgerald twins, from the library James Henry manages, are looking for love but not always in the right places.

When Paulette is found murdered, James Henry investigates to try to speed things along. Jackson and Milla have postponed their wedding until it is resolved. As Milla's family prepares for the funeral, they show their true colors. Plus James is trying to buy his first house. There is so much involved and in the midst of all this, he gets a big surprise. Can he find the killer and help his dad and Milla to go on with their wedding and their lives?

I love this series. Each of the Flab Five characters brings something unique to the mixture. I also really enjoy the Fitzgerald twins. I wonder if when the author began this series she expected them to play such a large role. James' dad has really grown on me, especially since he met Milla.

I hope there will be many more books in this fabulous series. I highly recommend this book and the series.

The story is a little weak on actual detecting, but the author sure knows how to throw some new twists into the character's lives! Now James has a new reason to try to eat healthier.

I have read all of J.B. Stanley's supper club mysteries and enjoyed each one. This is interesting and now I am anxiously waiting for the next one to come out to see how the lives of the characters continue.

another fun story about this great group of quirky characters. while there is definitely a mystery to add interest it is much more about about heart than gore. recommend for a fun escape from dreary winter weather.

This fifth entry in the "Supper Club" series opens with librarian James Henry preparing for his father's Christmas Eve wedding to girlfriend Milla. Milla's sister, Paulette, is a well known "celebrity" chef who descends on Quincy's Gap with her beleaguered personal assistant in tow. Paulette plans to create one of her signature wedding cakes for Milla, but someone "offs" the temperamental diva before the big day arrives. The wedding is postponed and James and the other members of the "Flab Five" do what they do best: eat and solve mysteries. Then eat some more.

I really enjoy "cozy" mysteries and am willing to give them a lot of leeway when it comes to plausibility, but this one really pushes the envelope! The crime is so convoluted and executed in such a bizarre fashion that I chose to just ignore it and focus on catching up with the series regulars. If you're an armchair sleuth and like to solve the mystery I wish you luck. I don't want to get too specific and spoil the story, but let's just say this one is quite a s-t-r-e-t-c-h.

I've grown very fond of these characters, especially James Henry, and there certainly are some big changes in store for them in this installment. A couple of the plot twists felt slightly bizarre, but I have to admit that I wouldn't have predicted the direction this took and I do enjoy surprises...

If you've followed the series since book one then you'll probably enjoy this one. If you are new to the series then this is not the place to start. The personal relationships between the main characters grow and change as the series evolves, and starting with this book will leave you feeling like you've walked into the middle of something.

Bottom Line: This is a series about a small town librarian and four of his friends who met when they formed a dieting support group, but found that they had a knack for solving mysteries. This is very much a cozy series, with the emphasis on the characters and domestic details rather than suspense. I like the uplifting tone of these books; they're a warm/fuzzy type of read and I find the small town atmosphere appealing. No strong language or sexual content.

Book One: Carbs & Cadavers (The Supper Club Mysteries)
Book Two: Fit to Die (The Supper Club Mysteries)
Book Three: Chili Con Corpses (The Supper Club Mysteries)
Book Four: Stiffs and Swine (The Supper Club Mysteries)
Book Five: The Battered Body (The Supper Club Mysteries)
Book Six: Black Beans & Vice (The Supper Club Mysteries)