Paulette has rented an entire bed and breakfast so she will have a professional kitchen in which to create her masterpiece for the wedding.  In the short time she is in Quincy’s Gap, she manages to insult all of James’s friends, members of the supper club/dieting support group, who also solve crimes.  Speaking of, James’s ex-girlfriend Murphy is about to release her first “novel” based on a recent event in Quincy’s Gap and her venomous pen is out to get all the revenge she could not inflict in person.  James is very displeased about the book and tries to put all his energies into Milla and Jackson’s wedding and with finding a house of his own to live in once the couple is married.

With more than enough going on, James is shocked when he hears that Paulette has been found dead in the bed and breakfast kitchen.  Fellow supper club member, Lucy (with whom James has been dancing around a relationship for several years), is on the police force and while she urges James not to get involved, she also can’t resist sharing details of the investigation with her friends. 

To throw one more curve into the equation, James’s ex-wife Jane shows up with a surprise, one that will change James’s entire life in ways no one could expect.  Another murder, old grudges, and another surprise announcement from another club member will be sure to make this Christmas one to remember for years to come.  

There is a lot packed into this latest Supper Club Mystery, but what makes it so enjoyable is the focus on the supper club members and all the good things that happen to them.  James is very adaptable to all situations. He gets stressed out often and overeats to relieve his stress, something he is working with a counselor on changing, but overall and outwardly, he is very calm and reassuring to all around him. 

With relationships with Murphy and Lucy wrapped up for sure, and the return of his ex-wife, life could be taking a new and interesting change for James.  Because the murder victim is not close to anyone in Quincy’s Gap, including, sadly, her own sister, people are concerned about another murder, but normal events can continue on. 

Some suspension of belief must occur as Lucy regales the group with details of the murder and asks the gang for their input, something that if her superiors learned about in real life, they’d be less than pleased about for sure.  The murderers are solved with a bit of educated guessing and intuition, something that prevents at least one more.

There is a certain sadness to the story as Milla watches her family, not reunite, but unearth old grudges, but as Milla looks around she can see a new, welcoming family that will help fill in any sadness she might feel for the loss of her own.  One of the best entries in this series to date, The Battered Body will have readers anxious to hear how the events that have occurred will play out when James and company find their next body.                                        

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry