****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
**Full Disclosure**I received a copy of this book free from the author in exchange for reviews on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble.I've been a huge Ellery Adams fan since I picked up one of her Supper Club mysteries for free on kindle a few years ago. Ever since then, I've read everything she's written that I can get my hands on. She's an excellent mystery writer. The writing is clear, concise and descriptive. There are so many other cozy series that I read book 1 and realize that the author has no idea how to actually write, even if the story and plot are decent.Lethal Letters is book 6 in her Books by the Bay series. I think I have written this in a few of my Books by the Bay reviews but I wasn't a huge fan of Olivia at 1st. She seemed so cold and distant but what I think I really enjoy about this series is that Adams has developed the character so much and Olivia has grown a lot as a warm and caring person since book 1.In Lethal Letters, Oyster Bay is preparing for 2 huge events, Michel's wedding (Olivia's chef at her restaurant) and the Secret Garden party held by the head of the historical association. The murder of Ruthie Holcomb prior to both events sets Olivia and the Bayside Book Writers into a search to find the killer before s/he strikes again.What I really like about this series is that there aren't so many characters that it's difficult to remember who is who but not so few that the story is boring. With each book, I look forward to visiting with Haviland, Rawlings, Laurel, Millay and Harris each time I pick up one of her books. Each character brings their own special flavor to the story and helps advance the plotline along.In addition, I love the North Carolina setting and Adams describes it so perfectly that you can see the ocean and smell the salt air around you. It definitely makes you want to plan a trip for down south!I won't get into a lot of what happens in the story - you can read that for yourself, but know that this is an excellent series where each book gets better and better as the series progresses.
