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Ellery Adams

Ellery Adams

American · 4 series

Ellery Adams is the pen name of American author Jennifer Stanley, a prolific writer of cosy mysteries whose work is defined by one consistent passion: books. Almost every series she has created revolves around literary settings — bookshops, book clubs, libraries, and reading retreats — making her a natural favourite among bibliophile readers who want their mysteries steeped in the love of reading.

Stanley began writing under the Ellery Adams name in 2010 with the Books by the Bay Mystery series, set in the fictional coastal town of Oyster Bay, North Carolina. The series follows Olivia Limoges, a wealthy restaurant owner, and the Bayside Book Writers group she belongs to. Mystery and manuscript collide in a setting that blends Southern charm with seaside atmosphere.

She has also written as J.B. Stanley, producing the Supper Club Mysteries and Collectibles Mysteries under that name. As Adams, however, she has been most prolific, running several concurrent series across more than a decade of publishing.

The Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery series added a touch of magic realism to the cosy formula, featuring a heroine with the gift of baking enchanted pies. The Book Retreat Mystery series transported readers to Storyton Hall, a luxury English-style resort where every guest is a book lover and every murder threatens the sanctity of a perfectly curated reading weekend. The Secret, Book and Scone Society series, the most recent and still ongoing, centres on a clandestine group of women in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, who share secrets and scones in equal measure.

Adams writes with warmth and pace, and her books are among the most reliably enjoyable in the genre.

Quick Facts

  • Real name: Jennifer Stanley
  • Also writes as: J.B. Stanley
  • Active since: 2010 (as Ellery Adams)
  • Based: United States
  • Recurring theme: Books, literary communities, reading
  • Tone: Warm, witty, community-centred

Reading Order Advice

Each Adams series is self-contained and can be started independently. Within each series, read in publication order — character relationships and ongoing storylines reward readers who follow from book one. The Book Retreat and Secret, Book and Scone Society series in particular build meaningful arcs across their runs.

Books by the Bay Mystery

  1. 1
    A Killer Plot
    A Killer Plot (2010)

    Olivia Limoges joins the Bayside Book Writers in Oyster Bay — and the group's first real mystery begins when a fellow member turns up dead.

  2. 2
    A Deadly Cliche
    A Deadly Cliche (2011)

    A string of thefts and a murder bring Olivia and Police Chief Rawlings closer together as they untangle clues hidden in plain sight.

  3. 3
    The Last Word
    The Last Word (2011)

    A famous author visits Oyster Bay for a literary event, but when someone is silenced for good, Olivia must read between the lines.

  4. 4
    Written in Stone
    Written in Stone (2012)

    A local historian's death points to buried secrets in Oyster Bay's past, and Olivia risks everything to bring the truth to light.

  5. 5
    Poisoned Prose
    Poisoned Prose (2013)

    A visiting storyteller brings dark tales to Oyster Bay — and when death follows the performance, Olivia must separate folklore from fact.

  6. 6
    Lethal Letters
    Lethal Letters (2014)

    Old love letters surface and old scores are settled violently, drawing Olivia deep into Oyster Bay's most guarded family histories.

  7. 7
    Writing All Wrongs
    Writing All Wrongs (2015)

    A writers' conference brings outsiders to Oyster Bay, and when one of them is murdered, Olivia must determine who had reason to silence them.

  8. 8
    Killer Characters
    Killer Characters (2017)

    In the final instalment, Olivia faces her most personal case yet as danger strikes at the heart of the Bayside Book Writers group itself.

Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery

  1. 1
    Pies and Prejudice
    Pies and Prejudice (2012)

    Ella Mae LeFaye returns to Havenwood, Georgia, and reopens her family's pie shop — discovering that her talent for baking may be more than natural.

  2. 2
    Peach Pies and Alibis
    Peach Pies and Alibis (2013)

    When a festival in Havenwood ends in murder, Ella Mae must bake her way through a tangle of alibis and old rivalries to find the truth.

  3. 3
    Pecan Pies and Homicides
    Pecan Pies and Homicides (2014)

    A stranger arrives in Havenwood with dangerous secrets, and Ella Mae's enchanted pies may be the only thing standing between her community and harm.

  4. 4
    Lemon Pies and Little White Lies
    Lemon Pies and Little White Lies (2015)

    A wedding in Havenwood stirs up jealousy and concealed pasts, and Ella Mae discovers that even white lies can have deadly consequences.

  5. 5
    Breach of Crust
    Breach of Crust (2016)

    Ella Mae faces her most dangerous adversary yet as long-buried threats resurface in Havenwood and the fate of the community hangs in the balance.

Book Retreat Mystery

  1. 1
    Murder in the Mystery Suite
    Murder in the Mystery Suite (2014)

    Jane Steward manages Storyton Hall, an English-style resort for book lovers — and when a guest is found dead in the mystery-themed suite, she must investigate discreetly to protect her beloved retreat.

  2. 2
    Murder in the Paperback Parlor
    Murder in the Paperback Parlor (2015)

    A romance writers' retreat at Storyton Hall turns deadly when one of the authors is murdered, and Jane must look beyond passionate plotlines to find the real killer.

  3. 3
    Murder in the Secret Garden
    Murder in the Secret Garden (2016)

    A gardening weekend at Storyton Hall ends in violence, and Jane discovers that the grounds conceal more than beautiful flowers — they hide dangerous secrets.

  4. 4
    Murder in the Locked Library
    Murder in the Locked Library (2018)

    When a rare manuscript goes missing and a scholar is killed, Jane must protect Storyton Hall's legendary library — and its most closely guarded treasures.

  5. 5
    Murder in the Reading Room
    Murder in the Reading Room (2019)

    A book club retreat at Storyton Hall is shattered by murder, and Jane must read between the lines of each guest's story to find the truth.

  6. 6
    Murder in the Storybook Cottage
    Murder in the Storybook Cottage (2020)

    A children's literature festival brings families to Storyton Hall, but when a guest is found dead in the fairy-tale cottage, Jane faces her most unsettling investigation yet.

  7. 7
    Murder in the Cookbook Nook
    Murder in the Cookbook Nook (2021)

    A culinary retreat at Storyton Hall combines food, fiction, and fatal ambition — and Jane must separate recipes for disaster from the real motive behind a guest's death.

  8. 8
    Murder on the Poet's Walk
    Murder on the Poet's Walk (2022)

    A poetry festival transforms Storyton Hall's grounds into a literary landscape — until a poet is found dead on the estate's most scenic path.

  9. 9
    Murder in the Book Lover's Loft
    Murder in the Book Lover's Loft (2023)

    Jane investigates a death in Storyton Hall's newest and most coveted accommodation, where the guest list is exclusive and the secrets run deep.

Secret, Book and Scone Society

  1. 1
    The Secret, Book and Scone Society
    The Secret, Book and Scone Society (2017)

    Four women in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, form a clandestine society built on shared secrets, books, and scones — and their first meeting draws them into an unexpected murder investigation.

  2. 2
    The Whispered Word
    The Whispered Word (2018)

    The society takes on a new member whose troubled past seems connected to a recent death, and Nora Pennington must decide how much trust is safe to give a stranger.

  3. 3
    The Book of Candlelight
    The Book of Candlelight (2020)

    A locked-room mystery surfaces in Miracle Springs when a local is found dead under impossible circumstances, and the society must read the scene more carefully than any novel.

  4. 4
    Ink and Shadows
    Ink and Shadows (2021)

    A tattoo artist new to Miracle Springs carries a dangerous secret, and when violence follows, the society finds that some stories are written on the skin rather than the page.

  5. 5
    The Vanishing Type
    The Vanishing Type (2022)

    When rare books begin disappearing from the area and a collector turns up dead, Nora's expertise as a bookseller puts her at the centre of the mystery.

  6. 6
    Paper Cuts
    Paper Cuts (2023)

    The literary community of Miracle Springs is shaken when a local writing group's member is murdered, and the society must parse fact from fiction in every account they hear.

  7. 7
    The Little Lost Library
    The Little Lost Library (2024)

    A beloved Little Free Library in Miracle Springs becomes the scene of a crime, and Nora must follow a trail of donated books to uncover a carefully concealed killer.

  8. 8
    The Tattered Cover
    The Tattered Cover (2025)

    In the latest instalment, a damaged book leads Nora and the society toward a secret someone was willing to commit murder to protect.

If you enjoy Ellery Adams, try...

  • Lorna Barrett — Bookish cosy mysteries centred on literary settings
  • Cleo Coyle — Long-running cosy mystery series with themed settings