This is book # 3 in the Books By the Bay cozy mystery series featuring Olivia Limoges, her dog Haviland, and a group of writers who meet regularly to discuss their works in progress.

Olivia’s friend Harris Williams has just found the perfect house; built in the 1930s the house was moved to its new location to make way for a development. Olivia is surprised to learn that a famous author, Nick Plumley, is in town and also interested in the same house. After Harris moves in and begins renovations, he discovers a valuable painting hidden in a staircase. Could this be a reason for Plumley’s interest? Before Olivia can ask him, Plumley is murdered.

Well, there is much to be unpacked in this story. There’s the history of the nearby prisoner of war camp that housed Germans during WW2, and an escape from that camp that resulted in a guard being killed. The painting Harris uncovers seems to have a connection to the POWs.

There’s also the subplot of Olivia’s and police chief Rawlings nascent relationship. Can they put their pasts behind them and form an adult attachment? One thing I like about this series is how Adams slowly gives out the backstory of the characters, letting readers get to know Olivia, her extended family, and the residents of Oyster Bay over the course of the series. ( )

I really like Ellery Adams and I love the characters in this series. I will go back to #1 and start at the beginning. ( )

First off, I need to state that part of the blurb is incorrect. Olivia, who never shows much emotion anyway, isn't thrilled about Plumley. She barely even knows who he is. Secondly, he never stops by the writer's group at all. I just wanted to make that clear, since I didn't want anyone to think that I'd missed something in my review.

Olivia Limoges is a very rich woman who was raised by her grandmother after her father disappeared at sea and her mother was killed in a freak accident. Inasmuch, she never has been able to become close to anyone, and when the widowed Chief Rawlings tried once, she pushed him away. But things have been changing for her -- she learned from an anonymous letter that she had a half-brother living nearby, and she's opening a new restaurant and has convinced him and his family to move to Oyster Bay with the lure of him being the head chef. They've been settling in, but with his wife Kim heavily pregnant, his daughter Caitlyn, and he being as standoffish as Olivia herself, it's going to take some time for their relationship to grow.

She's also helping her friend and fellow co-writer Harris Williams in his search for a home. He's fallen in love with a bungalow that needs plenty of work but he wants it. When she discovers that Nick Plumley is also about to make an offer on the home, she insists that her realtor get the papers signed ASAP because she's worried Plumley will offer more and take it from Harris. When everything is done and they've helped Harris move, she wonders what it is that fascinates Plumley so much about the house. Then she discovers that he offers to read Harris's manuscript and help him, and she becomes even more suspicious. But it doesn't stop there...

When Harris discovers an old watercolor in the stairs of his home, he gives it to Olivia to get it appraised. She finds that it was painted by a German prisoner of war who had once lived in an American prison camp with others, Heinrich Kamler. Digging into the man's life, she learns that he allegedly stabbed a prison guard and escaped with another prisoner named Ziegler. But this is only the beginning. When Olivia starts digging for answers, she finds that Plumley knew more about the watercolor than was said, and that his ties might be just as close as those of someone she's known for a long time. Someone who's been right in front of her, living their own lie...

I have to say that I wasn't truly impressed with the first two books in the series, thinking that Olivia seemed more than standoffish; she seemed downright cold. In this book, she's far more likable of a character and has more empathy toward others. Her relationship with her friends is steadily growing, along with those of her family members. She does things that are totally selfless, and it made me like her even more.

When she starts looking into the murder of the prison guard and the life of Kamler, what she finds is that he's totally different from a man who would have murdered someone else, and she also sees that there's more about him she didn't know; that he fell in love with a young American, and she now starts to look into the girl's life, bringing the story to life. It's both interesting and sad, and I loved reading every minute of it.

When we get closer to the end, we finally realize who the killer is at the same time as Olivia. Her sadness about the situation is apparent, yet it gives hope that another life may be saved from despair in the long run. It's a very good story with a very good ending, and hope of something better in the future. Recommended. ( )

Cozy mysteries with more depth and heart than normal. Love this series! ( )

I generally love cozies but I had so much trouble getting myself to read this one. I am giving up on page 50. I don't like the main character. She is too cold for my liking. She is rich, with two restaurants and plenty of businesses. She reminds me of someone that I know who had a bad childhood but never connects with people. I am ashamed of myself, I should be more tolerant but when I read this book, it is like forcing myself through the pages. I love the location and would love to visit that area but it strains my patience to not like Olivia Limoges and have the book progress so slowly. ( )