REVIEW: Written in Stone

Written in Stone
Author: Ellery Adams

Oyster Bay, NC has a witch....a strange fortune teller woman, Munin Cooper, who lives outside town. Olivia Limoges thinks it's a bit unusual when a friend tells her that Munin has summoned her. She is busy trying to help plan the Coastal Carolina Food Festival, but it's just too intriguing to ignore so she goes to visit Munin. The strange woman has much to say about Olivia's past and her mother, leaving Olivia with many questions. Unfortunately, the witch woman is murdered, leaving the questions unanswered and Olivia a suspect. Munin left behind a piece of her artwork....a memory jug filled with clues. Will the items sealed in the jar lead to a killer?

Written in Stone is the 4th book of 8 in the Books By the Bay series, so I'm halfway finished with this series. The mystery was nicely paced and kept my interest from beginning to end. There were some surprises in this one. I like how Ellery Adams not only finishes out the mystery portion of the plot, but takes time to flesh out some more character development and background story in each book. The tale doesn't just abruptly halt when the killer is discovered. I do have to add that at times the events do get a bit too melodramatic for me. I like the mix of mystery and women's fiction.....and dislike it at the same time. Does that make sense? Let me explain -- I enjoy the extra character and story development....but I dislike the characters constant whining about the past, the saga of love relationships and mucka-muck that drown much of women's fiction until it's like reading a story from the Lifetime Channel. That is the very reason I avoid the romance genre like the plague. BUT....the mystery plots in this series are unique enough to keep me coming back. Plus the series is set in NC where I live -- I love reading stories set in my home state. :) So I still roll my eyes when the female characters in these books start getting overly emotional....but I can enjoy the story.

A slight note of caution -- this is technically a cozy mystery series because there is no spurting blood or cursing, etc. BUT, this series does have sex in it. It isn't graphic or overdone....but there are some more adult themes. If looking for a cozy series with no sex or one that is appropriate for sharing with your kids, I would pass this one by.

On to the next book! I'm very curious what will happen with this likable cast of characters in the final 4 books in the series!