Carbs and Cadavers by J.B. Stanley

James "Professor Puff" Henry may as well have "loser" stamped on his forehead. Divorced, overweight, shy, and living at home, he relies on books and his favorite snack-cheese puffs-for sweet relief from his problems. A former English lit professor at William and Mary, he moves back to Quincy's Gap, a small Virginia town in the Shenandoah Valley, to take care of his recently-widowed father. To improve his social life and waistline, he joins a supper club for dieters who lovingly call themselves the "Flab Five." Avoiding carbs is nearly impossible in this deep-fried potato-loving land, so a mysterious death in their small burg provides an effective, if disturbing, distraction. While dodging delectable temptations, Professor Henry and his fellow dieters work together to shed pounds and find the killer who has struck fear in this tight-knit community.

Love, LOVE, love, this book!!!!! What an awesome start to a new series for me!!!!! I could totally relate to the 5 characters in this book, so many of their conversations about weight and such are conversations I have had myself. I loved the way they bounced off of each other and the character development was terrific. I fell in love with the Flab Five and can't wati to read more about them all and their little town of Quincy's Gap!!!!! Kudos to J.B. Stanley for writing a book/series about real life people, with real life problems and including some real life, yummy recipes!!!! :) 5/5