Chili Con Corpses

Despite (or because of) the success of their diet club, the Flab Five hit a diet plateau of boredom that has them eagerly signing up for a "fix and freeze" cooking class to learn how to prepare tasty and spicy meals. Also attending the class are the glamorous twins Parker and Kinsley Willis, transplants from New York City. The beautiful veterinarian and teacher whip up their share of emotions among the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountain natives, and when one of the twins is murdered during a school field trip suspicion immediately falls upon Flab Five member Lindy, whose jealousy of Parker's attentions on the school principal had her making unfortunately overheard death threats against the woman . Determined to prove his fellow diet club member's innocence, librarian James Henry teams up with reporter Murphy Alistair to determine who could have wanted either twin dead. Also complicating James's life is the accidental deposit of a winning lottery ticket in the library's bookdrop that presents both investigative and ethical complications. The joy of reading this series comes from following the diet club's physical and emotional ups and downs as they cope with their personal and diet issues. As James's relationship with deputy-in-training Lucy Hanover falters as a result of her obsession with both her physical fitness and her training partner, James's attraction to the sexy reporter definitely grows. The librarian's relationship with his acerbic and diet-sabotaging father as well evolves as Jackson Henry's new career as an artist has him focusing his attention towards new directions. Readers will relate with the diet club's frustrations, James's discovery that new health problems seem to make every food taboo, and the romantic complications of the entire group. Fully of humor, recipes, and extremely likable characters, this continues to be a very enjoyable mystery series.

J.B. Stanley once again teases our taste buds and sates our appetites with Chili Con Corpses, the third installment in her utterly delicious Supper Club Mystery series. On this occasion, we bump into two supper club members, James and Bennett, working hard at the gym when Murphy Alistair, the editor of The Shenandoah Star Ledger, walks into the Y, accompanied by two drop-dead gorgeous strangers - twins Parker and Kinsley Willis. Later, while James and Bennett are rewarding their hard work at the gym with a treat from the Custard Cottage, Murphy and the twins show up again, and introductions are made. Parker is a vet who attended Virginia Tech with Murphy, and Kinsley is her quirky twin sister from New York. The supper club members, a.k.a. The Flab Five, are five Quincy's Gap, VA residents with very different backgrounds and interests, who get together on a regular basis for friendship and moral support in their quest to lose weight and improve their health. Since they have all made great strides toward their goals but are getting a bit tired of constantly dieting, Lindy suggests they try something new - so the club members all sign up for 10 Saturday cooking classes at Fix `n Freeze - to have fun and allow themselves to splurge on Mexican cuisine once a week. James Henry, local librarian and supper club member, figures prominently in this particular supper club mystery. He's having some health issues, is having some problems in his romantic relationship with fellow supper clubber, Lucy, is worried about his father, is trying to resolve a dilemma dealing with a lottery ticket left at the library, and is unfortunate enough to stumble upon a very dead body while serving as a chaperone at Lindy's behest on a school field trip. When things start to look really bad for Lindy, the supper club members decide to do some sleuthing on their own. They are actually downright clever and come up with several ingenious ways to ferret out information about the possible suspects, although it isn't until all five of the club members are involved and working together that things really start to heat to boiling. This is a thoroughly delightful cozy mystery, with a wonderful cast of realistic main characters, any of whom this reader would enjoy meeting in person, enough suspense and action to keep the story moving right along, and, as if that weren't enough, there are also several scrumptious Mexican recipes included! All in all, Chili Con Corpses is a very satisfying read, and I'll be waiting anxiously for J.B. Stanley's fourth Supper Club Mystery! Carol Ann Hopkins 3/24/2008

Librarian James Henry and his friends in the The Flab Five supper club decide to join a Mexican cooking class at the suggestion of Lindy, a local schoolteacher. Class heats up when a Murphy, a local reporter, and her friends, gorgeous twin sisters, enroll. When people start turning up dead, the evidence appears to point toward Lindy. Things don't seem to be going too well for James and Lucy as Lucy works harder and harder to pass the sheriff's test. As they continue to drift apart, Murphy steps in. James is unsure as to his feelings but isn't willing to just sit around either. Knowing Lindy can't be the killer, The Flab Five step in. Can they find the killer before anyone else dies? I thoroughly enjoy this series. James and The Flab Five are fabulous. I really like the dieting tips and hearing how they struggle with it. I especially like the Fitzgerald twins at the library. They are so ingenious and engaging. The small-town setting in Virginia is great as well. I recognize a lot of the area landmarks. I can't wait for the next installment in this series. I highly recommend this book and the whole series.

J. B. Stanley gives the small town, eccentric character, cozy mystery genre sparkle. You'll soon count the characters as friends and become comfortable in the local library where mysteries are solved, romance is pondered, and the three male library staffers bond with each other as well as the reader. Jo Faye Walker

James, Bennett, Lindy, Lucy and Gillian are members of the Flab Five, a club who supports the members concerning proper diet and exercise so they can lose weight. It is a diverse group with Lindy trying to get up the courage to tell the high school principal she likes him. James and Lucy are an entry but the two are drifting apart and the relationship ends when he sees her with another man who is helping her pass her test to be a police officer. James is drafted into being a chaperone at the Luray Caverns where art students can paint after hours. While everyone is in a different area, one of the students finds the body of Parker Willis who they later find out is an heiress who was in practice with veterinarian Collin Crabtree. Her twin sister Kinsley is distraught so the group members try to console her. They once again start sleuthing to find the killer while Kinsley lets her ex-boyfriend Gary console her. CHILI CON CORPSES is as much a tale of friends with common interests as it is an amateur sleuth mystery. The five members of the support group know each other's strengths and faults, but like each other despite of their weaknesses. James is the glue that holds the story together as he takes care of his father, tries to remain friends with Lucy while pursuing another relationship and guiding the investigation so that nobody is in danger. Harriet Klausner