A Deadly Cliche by Ellery Adams

"Why are you calling him a victim?"

Olivia frowned.  Was this cop some recent hire looking to impress the chief?  He was as fresh of face and as awkward of body as a preadolescent boy, but his speech was clipped and laced with arrogance. "I chose that term because unless that man buried himself up to the neck and then somehow found a way to cover his head with a bucket, someone else performed those actions for him."

In A Deadly Cliché by Ellery Adams, Olivia Limoges brings us back to the coastal town of Oyster Bay, North Carolina, where the townsfolk are still curious, the beaches are still beautiful and the Bayside Book Writers are still meeting regularly to critique the work being done on their individual novels.

The book starts out with Olivia and her ever so faithful poodle, Captain Haviland, discovering a dead man buried in the beach just a short walk from her home.  More than a little bizarre, this body has not only been buried neck deep, but the man is found naked and holding a shovel in his hand. 

The murder on the beach seems to take on new meaning for Olivia when she finds out shortly after discovering the body that there has been a series of burglaries throughout Oyster Bay.  Even more interesting, strange items are being strategically left behind at each crime scene leading the authorities to call on the Bayside Book Writers for assistance.  Butter with a knife sticking out of it is left at one crime scene and a deck of cards with a missing Queen is left at another. The most creepy case was the discovery of antique dolls that had been damaged; one being left with a silver spoon shoved in its mouth. 

But it isn't until the murder of one of the home owners that the Bayside Book Writers make a connection between the burglaries and the body found on the beach.  Using the investigative reporting skills of a member of the Bayside Book Writers, the group is able to find the hidden meaning behind all of the clichés, but not before the killers make their final move.

In A Deadly Cliché by Ellery Adams, we also get a closer look inside Olivia's past when a mysterious package arrives at her restaurant demanding money to learn the whereabouts of her father, a man that has been missing for 30 years.  The story adds another dimension to the history surrounding Oyster Bay and leaves you mourning at her loss and rejoicing at the future she has ahead. 

Another favorite part of this series is that these characters are writers and while reading  A Deadly Cliché you get a good look at the novels these characters are creating.  The novels being written within the book include fantasy and science fiction.  In all honesty, it is just as fun reading the novels that are found within this novel.  Ellery is a gifted writer and I'm curious to know if she really plans to pen a book in the science fiction / fantasy genre.  I'm really looking forward to the next book in this series.

Ellery Adams grew up on a beach near the Long Island Sound. Having spent her adult life in a series of landlocked towns, she cherishes her memories of open water, violent storms, and the smell of the sea. Ms. Adams has held many jobs including caterer, retail clerk, car salesperson, teacher, tutor, and tech writer, all the while penning poems, children’s books, and novels. She now writes full-time from her home in Virginia.

You can learn more about Ellery Adams on her website http://www.elleryadamsmysteries.com/ .