Torn Asunder (A Maine Clambake Mystery Book 12)

Author:    Barbara Ross

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496735737

Kensington Cozies

256 Pages

$8.99; $6.99 Amazon

April 23, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Julia's best friend and business partner, Zoey, is about to marry her policeman boyfriend.  Of course, a gorgeous white wedding dress shouldn't be within fifty yards of a plate of buttery lobster -- so that treat is reserved for the rehearsal dinner.  Julia is a little worried about the timing, though, as she works around a predicted storm.

When a guest falls to the floor dead, it turns out that no one seems to know who he is, despite the fact that he's been actively mingling and handing out business cards.  And when an injection mark is spotted on his neck, it's clear this wasn't caused by a shellfish allergy.  Now, as the weather deteriorates and a small group is stranded on the island with the body -- and the killer -- Julia starts interrogating staff and family members, and Zoey's artist friends to find out who turned the clambake into a crime scene...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Julia Snowden helps run the Snowden Family Clambake, which is given all summer on the private island her family owns.  Her best friend Zoey is marrying Jamie, another friend, and they want to hold their wedding on the island.  While is was difficult to find an open weekend, everything is planned.  Julia and her sister Livvie are in the wedding party, along with Jamie's police partner Pete and his cousin Dan.  They are the scheduled ones to stay on the island overnight.

The rehearsal dinner is a grand affair.  All the guests are invited to try the clambake dinner, and so both sides are attending.  Jamie's large family, and Zoey's friends, since she has no family left.  Julia notices a man mingling that she's never seen, and assumes he's a friend of Zoey's.  But when the man dies during the dinner, no one seems to know who he is.

But do they?  While most of the guests were able to leave before the storm hit, it is now in full force, and the remaining people are stuck on the island with a corpse.  With a man that possibly one of them murdered.  :Luckily, Julia's boyfriend Tom Flynn is there, a detective with the Maine State Police, so he can question everyone.  But will they tell him the truth?  Or will a murderer go free?...

I have read all the books in this series, and I have enjoyed them all.  They are like old friends to me.  Julia, her family members, her friends.  I have witnessed their heartbreaks and triumphs, and shared this through them vicariously.  It has been a journey that I've highly enjoyed.  A journey that has, alas, come to an end.  I would not have mentioned this, but others on social media have already popped the balloon.

But the mystery is done just as well as we expected.  People are keeping secrets, telling lies; and eventually it will all have to come out.  Someone knew the dead man.  Someone wanted him dead.  But  with so many suspects -- and they are -- which one had the opportunity.  Many had motive.  

Julia isn't sure the wedding will go on, but Zoey wants to get married, and nothing is going to stop her, not even wondering if someone she knows is a killer.  But Tom and Julia need to find that killer before the wedding.  The problem is, will they be able to do so?

In the end, we are given a bittersweet finale to this series.  There is a lot of pleasantry in it, a completion of the tale, as you will.  It is a lovely tribute to all those we've known (and loved many of them); and a fitting end to the story.  I am sad to lose this series, but the author has done a wonderful job through the years.  Thank you, Ms. Ross.  Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Torn-Asunder-Maine-Clambake-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0CJLZF5H4/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6351630038

More on Barbara Ross's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/r/barbara-ross/

Hidden Beneath (A Maine Clambake Mystery Book 11)

Author:    Barbara Ross

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496735713

Kensington Cozies

272 Pages

$8.99; $6.99 Amazon

June 27, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Julia and her mother, Jacqueline have come to the exclusive summer colony of Chipmunk Island to attend a memorial service for Jacqueline's old friend Ginny, who's been officially declared dead half a decade after she went out for her daily swim in the harbor and was never seen again.  But something seems fishy at the service -- especially with the ladies of the Wednesday Club.  As Julia and Jacqueline begin looking into Ginny's cold case, a present-day murder stirs the pot, and mother and daughter must dive into the deep end to get to the bottom of both mysteries...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

When Julia Snowden's mother, Jacqueline, asks her to accompany her to the memorial of an old friend, Julia agrees.  The problem is, Julia never heard of Ginny, and wonders why her mother never mentioned her.  But when they arrive on Chipmunk Island, home to generations of people who pass their homes down to their families, she notices the Wednesday Book Club Women -- a group of six women (now five with the passing of Ginny) aren't very welcoming to her, much less to her mother.  But Jacqueline pauses enough to go through Ginny's home, where the memorial is being held, and sees things Julia doesn't.

Julia doesn't know whether questioning her mother will yield results or not, so she keeps quiet.  When they return to the island, they discover the women moving Ginny's furniture about, looking for something.  It's a will, and when it is eventually found, Jacqueline is surprised to find that she's been named executor.  Yet all is not right.  Kitty, Ginny's next-door neighbor, is curious as to if they've discovered anything.  The rest of the women are keeping quiet.  But the more they look, the more they find something isn't right, and Jacqueline wonders if Ginny didn't accidentally die, but was murdered.

Julia's curiosity sets her about looking for the truth.  But it isn't going to be easy, with the women keeping close, and Julia discovering her ex-boyfriend Chris is working on the island.  Have things truly been resolved between them?  Will Julia find what she is looking for, or will a killer manage to not only get away with murder, but kill again?...

This is the eleventh book in the series and I have read them all.  I have watched Julia return home after her father's death to help run the Snowden Family Clambake, and now to see a new chapter in her life begin.  This story is one of the most interesting, with her mother having to make not only decisions for her friend Ginny, but personal ones as well that can change everything.

Julia is mostly centered on solving the mystery; her personal life needs to take a backseat to what is going on otherwise -- or does it?  While we wonder about the truth of Ginny's life and death, and if it was indeed murder, clues are handed to us about a long-ago death and if that was not murder also, or if it was even relevant to Ginny's accidental death.  Then another tragic event occurs, and the state police are brought in (our old friends Binder and Flynn) and will they listen to Julia's theories?  Or will they dismiss it as just that?

When Julia and Jacqueline go to Portland to settle things in Ginny's condo, clues develop as to the woman's life.  With Jacqueline's regrets about not seeing her more, she's been lost in her own thoughts, and Julia must put forth her best efforts to discover what is and is not the truth...

I loved this book, even more than the last.  It was detailed and centered on the people on Chipmunk Island and their secrets.  And secrets abound.  And I do love a mystery-within-a-mystery, as it were.  I love reading how the older mystery is solved as well as the newer one, and this book did not disappoint.  It was absorbing, intelligent, as well as entertaining.  I was sorry to see it end.  But when the ending does come, it is unexpected and enlightening.  And the epilogue left us with something to look forward to.  Highly recommended.

I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Beneath-Maine-Clambake-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BGYV3W33/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5516513390

More on Barbara Ross's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/r/barbara-ross/

Muddled Through (A Maine Clambake Mystery Book 10)

Author:    Barbara Ross

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496735690

Kensington Publishing

288 Pages

$8.99; $6.99 Amazon

June 28, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mud season takes on a whole new meaning in the coastal town of Busman's Harbor, Maine, when local business owners sling dirt at one another in a heated feud over a proposed pedestrian mall.  Vandalism is one thing, but murder means Julia Snowden of the Snowden Family Clambake steps in to clean up the case...

When Julia spots police cars in front of Lupine Design, she races over.  Her sister Livvie works there as a potter.  Livvie is unharmed but surrounded by smashed up pottery.  The police find the owner Zoey Butterfield digging clay by a nearby bay, but she has no idea who would target her store.  Zoey is a vocal advocate for turning four blocks of Main Street into a pedestrian mall on summer weekends.  Other shop owners, including her next-door neighbor are vehemently opposed.  Could a small-town fight provoke such destruction?  When a murder follows the break-in, it's up to Julia to dig through the secrets and lies to uncover the truth...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Julia Snowden helps her family run the Snowden Family Clambake in later spring and summer, when it's warm enough to go out to Morrow Island, which they own.  But during the winter and early spring, she's at a loss.  Having recently broken up with her long-time boyfriend Chris and moved back home with her mother, she's lonely and wondering how to fill her days.  One morning she sees police cars in front of Lupine Designs, where her sister Livvie works in the off-season, and hopes she's alright.  

When she arrives, Livvie is fine, but someone has broken into the pottery shop and destroyed everything in view.  When the owner, Zoey Butterfield, arrives, she has no idea who would vandalize her shop...unless it might be her neighbor Finney, who shares part of the building as an antique store and dislikes Zoey.  But there's no proof, so Zoey is stumped.  Later that evening Julia attends a town meeting where Zoey is in favor of a pedestrian mall on the weekends to bring in more business, but many of the townspeople are against it.  This only agitates the problems between Zoey and her neighbors.

When, soon after, a body is found in Zoey's basement, the state police -- Lieutenant Binder and Sergeant Flynn -- think Zoey is a prime suspect, and Livvie asks for Julia's help in proving her innocence.  But Julia will need more to go on, since she knows next-to-nothing about Zoey.  Where is she from?  Who are her people?  What motives did she have?  And more importantly, did she do it?

On top of this, everyone -- including Julia -- is wondering where her personal life is going now that Chris isn't in her life anymore.  It's obvious there are some men interested in her, but will Julia go down that path, or put it on the back burner for now?  And will she discover who the murderer might be before it's too late for another person?...

This is the tenth book in the series, and I have read them all, looking forward to each one with practical glee.  Each book gets better than the former, and this one is no different.  Julia is on her own this time out, without Chris in her life, and her family wants to help her -- even if she doesn't want it.  When the murder occurs, it's only natural that Julia's innate curiosity -- and cleverness -- get her moving in on the investigation.  By this time Binder and Flynn have given up telling her to leave it alone, knowing she isn't going to, but aren't giving her information without anything in return, either.  A quid pro quo situation, if you will.

So we have Julia trying to find out more about the elusive Zoey Butterfield, who doesn't appear to be letting the murder bother her; staying calm and collected.  Julia wonders why this is so, and starts digging into Zoey's past, with surprising results.  She also does her best at quietly questioning people who might have known the deceased well, with more surprising results coming from that quarter, too.

But what starts out as a murder investigation becomes much more so, with threads scattered throughout the mystery, and each one leading to another until we have a tangle of them, all sizes and shapes, that need to be pulled out and woven into something resembling answers.  Julia is an expert at this, and it's fun watching her put everything together in only the way she can.

I absolutely adore this series, and all the characters within.  There are some surprising things around the corner for Julia, too; and I won't say any more about this except that I think it will be something worth waiting for in the next book.  When the murderer is discovered, the motive is both rather twisted and sad, and is never worth the price that one has to pay.  I eagerly look forward to the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Muddled-Through-Maine-Clambake-Mystery/dp/1496735692/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4588054832

More on Barbara Ross's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/r/barbara-ross/

Halloween Party Murder

Authors:    Leslie Meier/Lee Hollis/Barbara Ross

Genre:       Mystery/Halloween Stories

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN#:    9781496733825

Kensington Publishing

336 Pages

$22.99; $12.99 Amazon

August 31, 2021

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Small town traditions are celebrated throughout Maine during the holiday season.  But when it comes to Halloween, some people are more than willing to reap a harvest of murder...

HALLOWEEN PARTY MURDER by LESLIE MEIER

Tinker's Cove newest residents Ty and Heather Moon turn their Victorian home into a haunted house to raise funds for charity.  But the Halloween fun turns to horrific fright when Heather overdoses on tainted drugs -- and Ty finds himself accused of murder.  Digging deep into the story, journalist Lucy Stone uncovers some sinister secrets in the Moons' past linked to a conspiracy in her hometown...

DEATH OF A HALLOWEEN PARTY MONSTER by LEE HOLLIS

Everyone attending Island Times Food and Cocktail columnist Hayley Powell's Halloween bash is dressed as their favorite movie monster from the Bride of Frankenstein and Jaws to Chucky and Pennywise the clown.  But when partygoers stumble upon Boris Candy's bludgeoned costumed corpse, it falls to Haley to discover who among her guests wanted to stop the man from clowning around permanently...

SCARED OFF by BARBARA ROSS

Three teenage girls having a sleepover on Halloween night get spooked when high schoolers crash the house for a party.  But no one expected to find a crasher like Mrs. Zelisko, the elderly third floor tenant, dead in the backyard -- dressed in a sheet like a ghost.  With her niece traumatized, Julia Snowden must uncover who among the uninvited guests was responsible for devising such a murderous trick...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

I know it's way too early for Halloween, but since I enjoy these authors, I thought I'd start early.  I was disappointed in one, but very pleased by the other two.  For the individual ratings:

⭐Halloween Party Murder by Leslie Meier:  Lucy's husband Bill is finally changing her mind about how she feels regarding the newcomers to Tinker's Cove, Ty and Heather Moon.  And to show she's willing to give them a chance, she's happy to help with the haunted house they're planning for the community, especially when much of the proceeds will benefit the needy in her town.  But the night of the party, Lucy finds Heather near death in the tub, and later learns she died.  Now with Ty accused of murder, and her friend, who's running for the state assembly, defending him, there are more problems than she ever expected, especially since there's a murderer running around loose...

I really wanted to like this, but unfortunately Ms. Meier has turned this into a political rant.  I'm not going to get into it here, but let's just say that I read for entertainment, not to be preached to politically, nor to be told that my way of thinking is just wrong if it doesn't jibe with yours.  So no, I did not enjoy this story at all, but others might.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Death of a Halloween Party Monster by Lee Hollis:   Hayley is throwing a Halloween party at her new restaurant, Hayley's Kitchen, for a select group of friends.  But after the party is breaking up, Lydia comes across the dead body of Boris Candy, who was once dressed as Pennywise the clown, but is no longer -- not that it matters, anyway.  Now police chief and brother-in-law to Hayley, Sergio, is questioning the remaining guests to see which one of them committed the deed.  But with tempers flaring and accusations flying, it's not an easy task.  Now Hayley's trying to put the pieces together but can't believe one of her friends is the guilty party...

This was a terrific short story perfect for Halloween.  I found this one the most hilarious of the three, mainly because I love the banter between Hayley and her two besties, Lydia and Mona.  They make quite a trio. We get to see a different side of Sergio, and some unexpected situations that lead to a discovery of sorts.  It's fun, intriguing, and a quick read that will have you laughing throughout.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Scared Off by Barbara Ross:  When Julia's niece Paige calls her from a friend's house, sounding panicked, Julia heads over there only to find police already arrived.  When she locates Paige and her friend Vanessa, she's allowed to take them home.  It seems that a tenant in the upstairs of the Victorian home, Mrs. Zelisko, is dead, and the girls are insisting they saw her flying like a ghost.  But can Julia find out the truth?  Everyone has different stories, but the woman isn't a ghost, so why did they see her, and who could have murdered her?

With Julia still reeling from her personal life, she's thrown into a murder investigation she didn't want, but is part of nonetheless.  Now she's sifting through the questions and responses to try and find out the truth.  What she does discover throws a lot of people in town, and suddenly there's more to the story than anyone expected...

This is a very interesting short story, and they aren't always easy to write.  While it doesn't have the humor of Ms. Hollis (both authors); it does have a lot going for it.  Julia is once again using her wits to figure out the problem, with her state police friends Binder and Flynn letting her in on the investigation, since she's been helpful in the past.  The answers come slowly but strangely, and no one expects that when it does become clear that this could ever have happened.  We also learn something a bit delightful toward the end, giving us a peek into what the future might hold.  A delightful, refreshing story.  

In the end, I gave the entire thing five stars because I liked the last two stories immensely.  It's only because I don't want to read about politics of any kind (unless I'm reading political science, etc.) in my escapism.  Other than that, I would definitely recommend this to others.

https://www.amazon.com/Halloween-Party-Murder-Leslie-Meier/dp/1496733827/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4066874130

More on Leslie Meier's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/leslie-meier/

More on Lee Hollis's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/lee-hollis/

More on Barbara Ross's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/r/barbara-ross/

Shucked Apart (A Maine Clambake Mystery Book

Author:    Barbara Ross

Genre:      Mystery

Mass Market Paperbook; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9781496717962

Kensington Publishing

240 Pages

$7.64; $7.26 Amazon

February 23, 2021

⭐⭐⭐

When oyster farmer Andie Greatorex is robbed of a bucket of oyster seed worth $35,000, she comes to Julia Snowden for help.  Who wants to sink Andie's successful business?  Is it a rival oyster farmer, an ex-employee, a neighbor who objects to the oyster cages floating on the beautiful Damariscotta River, a lobsterman who feels pushed out by the farm leases, or someone from Andie's personal life?

Then Andie turns up dead, floating by her dock in the scuba gear she wears when harvesting her oysters.  Julia's head start puts her in a perfect position to help her friends in the Main State police major crimes unit with the investigation.  But can Julia make sure the right suspect gets sent up the river before she ends up in a watery grave?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Julia Snowden runs the family Maine Clambake business, which has been successful so far.  It's getting close to the beginning of the season, and she's just going through applications for summer employees when her boyfriend Chris shows up with his friend Andie Greatorex.  It seems Andie was attacked and robbed recently of $35,000 worth of oyster seed, and wants to know who's trying to intimidate her.  But when Julia agrees to question people about it, she finds out that Andie wants to expand her business, and therefore is making enemies all around, which is making Julia's inquiries harder.  When she goes to Andie's one morning to meet with her, she finds her dead in the river.  Shaken, she calls the police and now her friend Binder and Flynn of the Maine State police major crimes unit are on the case.

But when Julia keeps asking questions, two things are also occurring: she's discovering that there are plenty of suspects, and that some of these answers are hitting too close to home.  It's causing her personal problems, and if she doesn't put it aside, she might be the next one to go down permanently...

This is the ninth book in the series, and I have read them all.  And I have loved them all -- except for this one.  While I do enjoy hearing about the area around Maine, having never been there myself, I felt that this book was basically Oyster Farming 101.  There was a lot of conversations and explanations about how oysters are grown and harvested, and much of it was repetitive, telling us that they live on the bottom of the riverbed over and over.  

I imagine if you love oysters you might find this fascinating, but I don't like slimy food and I don't care for oysters, so none of this was interesting to me.  What could have been said in one chapter was said all through the book.  I felt that it slowed down the book.  So this was a big downside to me, considering I felt that it took away from the mystery itself.  Saying that, I did think the book was written well as Ms. Ross has never disappointed in that area.  She manages to bring us to Maine throughout the various seasons, and shows us what life is like for the land dwellers and seamen both.  Her descriptions of the area are delightful, and I do love reading about the area.

I also like the various people in Busman's Cove itself.  Unfortunately, we didn't get to see much of them, either, in this book.  It mainly centered on Julia's investigation, which didn't include any of them, and the fringe life of Chris, which, as all I will say, played a major part in this one.

What I disliked the most the ending.  I felt it was extremely disappointing, and I have to say that if I had known, I would have probably skipped this one.  I do not want anyone to think that this book isn't worth reading; it truly is if you're following the series, but you must draw your own conclusions about the ending,  Saying all I have done, I will continue to read this series as I do like Ms. Ross's writing. 

https://www.amazon.com/Shucked-Apart-Maine-Clambake-Mystery/dp/1496717961/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3877543230

More on Barbara Ross's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/r/barbara-ross/

Sealed Off (A Maine Clambake Mystery #8)

Author:  Barbara Ross
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496717955
Kensington Publishing
234 Pages
$$6.59; $6.26 Amazon
December 31, 2019

⭐⭐⭐⭐

When the Russian demo team clearing out the mansion discovers a room that's been sealed off for decades, Julia's baffled as to its purpose and what secrets it might have held.  Tensions are already simmering with the crew, but when one of the workers is found murdered, things come to a boil.  With the discovery of another body - and a mysterious diary with Cyrillic text in the hidden room - the pressure's on Julia to dig up a real killer fast.  But she'll have to sort through a pile of suspects, including ex-spouses, a spurned lover, and a recently released prisoner, to fish out one clammed-up killer.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Julia Snowden runs the Snowden Family Clambake Company, along with other family members.  It's October, and soon they'll be closing up for the winter.  There's just a few excursions left to Morrow Island, where it's held and where her family's mansion lies, in the process of being restored by a Russian demolition team that was hired to do the job.

There's trouble brewing, however, between a longtime employee and a recent hire.  Jason Caraway has been with them a long time and Julia hired her boyfriend Chris's brother Terry as a favor.  Terry's an ex-con who recently got out of prison, and it's apparent there's a problem between them - the problem being another employee, Emmy Bailey, a single mother who needs the job.  Just when Julia agrees to fire Terry, a body is found on the island and Terry has disappeared.  Chris has asked Julia to prove his brother innocent, and Julia reluctantly agrees, even if others think he's guilty.  But in doing so, will Julia be putting her own life in danger?

I have read every single book in this series and I have loved them all.  Ms. Ross has a way of bringing you not only to Maine, but to Morrow Island, the surrounding areas, and the characters she writes about.  While we may not like every person, we certainly get to know them.

Julia's elderly cousin Marguerite and her granddaughter Tallulah have come for a visit, with Marguerite's intention to see the mansion once more in her lifetime.  There's also a secondary mystery that I really enjoyed: when the workers discover a sealed-up room in the mansion, it was left exactly the way it was originally when used by its last occupant in 1898.  There are personal belongings, and a diary that proves to be a mystery in itself.  Giving the diary to Marguerite, they're hoping she'll be able to shed light on who the woman was who wrote it.

While I enjoyed the mystery and trying to discover who killed the person and why, I enjoyed the mystery of the diary more.  I'm a sucker for a mystery-within-a-mystery, especially when it concerns something that occurred at least a century or more before.  This one, while not as involved as the main mystery (nor should it be) was still quite fun to watch them solve.

There are plenty of red herrings, and enough suspects to go around; and I found the reason for the murder believable enough to carry the story.  As always, it was well-written with a decent plot, and easy enough to be read in one sitting.  I look forward to the next in the series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Sealed-Off-Maine-Clambake-Mystery/dp/1496717953/ref=

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3146769773

More on Barbara Ross's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/r/barbara-ross/

Steamed Open (A Maine Clambake Mystery #7)

Author:  Barbara Ross
Genre:  Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496717948
Kensington Publishing
304 Pages
$7.99; $6.99 Amazon
December 18, 2018

✮✮✮✮✮

It's summertime in Busman's Harbor, Maine, and the clamming is easy - or it was until a mysterious new neighbor blocks access to the beach, cutting off the Snowden Family Clambake's supply.  Julia Snowden is just one of many townspeople angered by Bartholomew Frick's decision.  But which one of them was angry enough to kill?  

Beachcombers, lighthouse buffs, and clammers are outraged after Frick puts up a gate in front of his newly inherited mansion.  When Julia urges him to reconsider, she's the last to see him alive - except the person who stabs him in the neck with a clam rake.  As she pores through a long list of suspects, Julia meets disgruntled employees, rival heirs, and a pair of tourists determined to visit every lighthouse in America.  They all have secrets, and Julia will have to work fast to expose the guilty party - or see this season's clam harvest dry up for good.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Julia Snowden runs her family's clambake business, and the end of summer is near.  But one morning everything is delayed for the funeral of a local, Heloise 'Lou' Herrickson, a woman who was generous and loved by all who knew her.  But the funeral takes a turn when Lou's heir, Bartholomew Frick, shows up late and doesn't speak to anyone, then leaves just as quickly when the service is over.

But what really causes problems is when Frick closes off the beach and road access in front of Herrickson House, angering the townspeople.  The beach has been used daily by clammers who make their living, beachcombers, including one who lives in a nearby cottage, and the occasional tourist who stay in a small home next to the lighthouse. 

When Julia goes to talk to Frick she comes across the housekeeper who has quit rather than work for him, and her attempts at getting him to open the beach again are fruitless.  But she learns later that day that Frick has been found dead, murdered, and she might have been one of the last people to see him alive.

When she's asked by the Snugg sisters, who run a bed and breakfast across the street from her home, to help the housekeeper, Ida, prove her innocence if needed, she can't say no.  But things get complicated sooner than later when her boyfriend Chris has secrets of his own, and it starts to affect their life.  He also asks for Julia's help in something, but she needs more information before she's willing to commit herself.  But Chris isn't so willing to share, and it causes problems.

Now Julia has to help find a killer before someone is wrongfully accused and she doesn't realize just how complicated her life will become.  Will she find a link that will lead her to the truth, or will it be too late and the wrong person will be convicted?

Once again Ms. Ross has given us an intriguing mystery to be unraveled, because that is exactly what we must do.  Take the tapestry she has woven and unravel it, thread by thread, to find the truth hidden inside.  It is an engaging tale that manages to take each piece and connect them seamlessly, with the reader discovering the connections one by one, the same as Julia.  While there are plenty of 'aha!' moments, it is indeed a pleasure to watch her as she takes each one and puts the puzzle together, coming to a satisfying conclusion.

This was a highly enjoyable read, and I applaud Ms. Ross on a story that is both delightful and believable.  We learn more about Chris's past and why he is the person he is, which, as a subplot, brings compassion and understanding to the narrative.  The characters are convincing, and the descriptions of the clambake make you want to experience it firsthand.

At the last, I was sorry to see the story end.  It kept me reading throughout the night, captured in the mystery.  This is the seventh book in the series, and quite as good as the others; I hope to see it continue on for a good long while.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Steamed-Open-Maine-Clambake-Mystery/dp/1496717945/ref=

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2626564413

More on Barbara Ross's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/r/barbara-ross/

Stowed Away (A Maine Clambake Mystery #6)

Author:  Barbara Ross
Genre:  Mystery

Trade Paperback; Mass Market Paperback; Audio CD; Digital Book; Audiobook
ISBN #:  9781432845841; 9781496700414; 9781541455740
Kensington Publishing
280 Pages
$21.24; $7.99; $24.99; $6.99 Amazon
December 26, 2017

✮✮✮✮✮

It's June in Busman's Harbor, Maine, and Julia Snowden and her family are working hard to get their authentic Maine clambake business ready for summer.  Preparations must be put on hold, however, when a mysterious yacht drops anchor in the harbor - and delivers an unexpected dose of murder...

When Julia's old prep school rival Wyatt Jane invites her to dinner on board her billionaire fiancé's decked-out yacht, Julia arrives to find a sumptuous table set for two - and the yachtsman dead in his chair.  Suspicion quickly falls on Wyatt, and Julia's quest to dredge up the truth leads her into the murky private world of a mega-rich recluse who may not have been all that he seemed...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

It's June in Busman's Harbor, and Julia Snowden and her family are preparing for the summer tourist season, when people will flock to their private island and have a real Maine clambake while enjoying the season.  But on their island stands the shell of the home Julia spent all her summers growing up; decayed by age and fire.  Since her mother came into quite a bit of money, she wants to restore the home, but Julia wants to tear it down; still, her mother is willing to see an architect that their friend Quentin has said is in town and can possibly help them.

Imagine Julia's surprise when the friend turns out to be an old school roommate of Julia's - and not one fondly remembered.  While she keeps her thoughts to herself, she still doesn't trust the woman.  But Wyatt Jayne acts as if she doesn't remember the incident that still stands clear in Julia's mind, and when plans for the house have been barely discussed, she invites everyone to dinner aboard her boyfriend's yacht, which is in harbor for renovations.  After Julia meets the boyfriend - Geoffrey Bower - she's surprised that Wyatt would even be attracted to him, but likes him nonetheless.

But it's the next day that even more surprises are in store.  While Julia and her family (and boyfriend Chris) are discussing what to do with the house - restore, renovate or tear down - that she receives a tearful phone call from Wyatt that something's occurred and she needs her at the yacht.  Julia and Chris race to the harbor, and find an almost hysterical Wyatt - and a very dead Geoffrey with a hideous grin on his face.

But this is not all - a crew member has disappeared along with a diamond ring that Julia glimpsed on the table; her niece Page has a new friend with green eyes the exact color of Chris's; Quentin seems to be closer to Wyatt than he's saying; and she also discovers that her friend Genevieve is the chef on the yacht and was hoping for a romantic weekend with Detective Flynn, Julia's once nemesis on the local police force.  But when the police start looking at Wyatt as a serious suspect in the obvious murder, Quentin asks Julia to help her, and she reluctantly agrees - with the help of an unlikely source, Flynn, who's also on the outside due to his relationship with Genevieve. But there's another surprise on the horizon, and it's one that might change the game for everyone involved...

This is the sixth book in the Maine Clambake Mysteries, and I believe that it's the best one yet.  There's the mystery of the ring, which no one seems to have seen but Julia but she knows it's connected somehow, yet since the boat was deserted at the time Wyatt found the body - Geoffrey had given everyone the night off - there's suspects aplenty but sorting through them isn't easy since none of them are inclined to talk and all of them had apparent alibis for the evening.   But Julia plods on, determined for the sake of her friendship with Quentin that she'll do her best to find the truth of the matter.

I truly enjoyed reading this book.  The inhabitants of Busman's Harbor are a varied bunch, and Ms. Ross has a way of bringing them to life, giving each and every character a distinct nature that contribute to the story.  The town she has created seems warm and inviting, and while tourists are welcomed during the summer, it's apparent that those From Away aren't part of their circle which envelops only friends and family, those who they care about and hold dear.  It's this feeling that gives the books its personality and makes it a wonderful read.

We watch as Julia once again uses her wit to sort through the clues - which are plenty - and come to the heart of the matter.  The series grows with each book, and in this one her relationship with Detective Flynn goes through a change, one for the good, as they realize that they need each other and are working toward the same goal in the end.

The story moves at a quick pace, the writing flows, the setting is descriptive and vivid, the mystery is well-thought out and keeps you looking for any evidence along with Julia.  I also like the fact that the police are not cartoon buffoons who can't get anything right;  both Flynn and Binder know what they're doing; the difference is that they're looking in other areas, and since Julia's not a cop, she doesn't have to follow the same rules; and it was nice to see that Flynn actually listened to - and believed - her theory about the murder.

In this book we once again watch Julia as she navigates her relationship with Chris; we learn more about Chris's family and more about Quentin; we learn that not all secrets are good and that what seems to be perfect isn't always so.  It will be interesting to see where these are taken in the next installment.

As always, Ms. Ross never disappoints: When the ending comes and the murder was solved it was all believable and gratifying.  The tale was intriguing and the clues were, for the most part, overt; the threads of the mystery were tightly woven and it all came together nicely.  This can be read as a stand alone, since there is enough information where you don't feel muddled, but since this is such an enjoyable series I would recommend that you read them all.  For myself, I eagerly look forward to the next.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Stowed-Away-Maine-Clambake-Mystery/dp/1496700414/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2150511785

More on Barbara Ross's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/r/barbara-ross/

Iced Under (A Maine Clambake Mystery #5)

Author:  Barbara Ross
Genre:  Mystery, Cozy

Mass Market Paperback; Ebook; (Paperback LP)
9781496700391; (9781410495778)
Kensington Publishing
304 Pages
December 27, 2016; (March 15, 2017)
$7.99; $5.99; ($26.99) Amazon

✭✭✭✭✭

The snow is deep in Maine's Busman's Harbor and the mighty rivers are covered in ice.  Snowden Family Clambake Company proprietor Julia Snowden and her mother, Jacqueline, are hunkered down for the winter when a mysterious package arrives - heating up February with an unexpected case of murder...

Inside the mystery package is an enormous black diamond necklace that once belonged to Julia's great-grandmother and disappeared in the 1920s.  Who could have sent it - and why?  Julia's search for clues takes her on a perilous journey through her mother's troubled family history, from a squabble over the family fortune in "frozen water" to the recent unexplained death of Jacqueline's long-lost cousin Hugh - who'd been missing and presumed drowned for more than forty years.  To protect her mother's inheritance, Julia must fend off a small army of feuding relatives, solve the mystery surrounding Hugh's demise, and get back home before the next blizzard buries them all...

********

Julia Snowden lives in Busman's Harbor, Maine, and experiencing a harsh winter.  With her boyfriend Chris in Florida, and the restaurant they run part-time closed for the winter, she's planning on spending some time with her mother.  While heading out to visit Jacqueline (Julia's mother), asks her daughter to pick up the mail on her way over.  Along with the regular mail, Julia is given a package for her mother, simply wrapped, with no return address.  After arriving at Jacqueline's, they open it and discover a beautiful necklace, of which the center is a huge black diamond.  Jacqueline identifies it as being The Black Widow, which belonged at one time to an ancestor.  Along with the necklace is a simple note:  "For Windsholme".

Windsholme is the mansion on Julia's family-owned Morrow Island, where they hold their summer clambakes.  It was once beautiful but has recently burned to a shell.  It is obvious the necklace is meant to rebuild the once majestic home; but questions abound:  Someone knew about the fire, but who sent it?  Is it real?  Where has it been all these years?  There are other questions as well, and Jacqueline has asked Julia's help in finding out who sent the necklace.

She does her due diligence:  contacts their attorney, has the necklace appraised, and put away for safekeeping.  But then comes her real investigation, so she heads to the local historical society to discover more about her family, hoping to find the clues she needs.  What she discovers there sends her to Boston, where she finds something that changes her world as she knows it...

When Julia arrives in Boston, she learns that not only does she have family there, but they know all about her.  Stunned by this revelation, she also finds that they think she's there for a very different purpose:  Jacqueline's long-lost cousin Hugh has recently died, and they believe she's there for the funeral.  Since Jacqueline has believed him dead over forty years, it is another revelation for Julia to digest, along with the fact that his death may have very well been murder.  But who would want to murder a man who only had weeks to live anyway?

While she is thrust into this mystery, she doesn't tell anyone about the necklace, trying to find out if any of her 'new' relatives sent it.  What she does find out is more about her family, how they know about her and her mother; and why they've kept this secret for years without contacting them.  Although it's a bittersweet reunion of sorts, she still needs to find out if her mother owns the necklace outright, or if any of these people have a claim.  What is true, however, is that not all of her newfound family wants her there, but at least one might be a killer...

Iced Under is the fifth book in the Main Clambake Mysteries, and a delightful book to read.  We learn more about the Morrow family history, Windsholme, and Morrow Island.  Ms. Ross weaves fact into fiction and it is indeed quite interesting.  I loved learning about the history of cut ice, and how it became a "hot commodity".  Merging fact with fiction has always been a favorite of mine to read, and this author does it well.

Her characters are well-developed, so much so that I took a deep dislike to one of them (one guess as to whom) and nearly cried 'foul!' at what I thought this person did not deserve in the least, having had so much already.  It is a testament to Ms. Ross' writing that I was drawn to the characters, who have enough personality to give them a realistic feel, and this is a very good thing indeed.  I love the fact that Julia is a strong, intelligent woman who sticks to a purpose and can subtly ask questions without being intrusive; and that the police consider her an ally of sorts - listening to her - instead of an enemy.

There were plenty of twists and turns, each leading to a new discovery regarding Jacqueline's family; and enough of a mystery to keep me reading to the end.  When we finally do come to the ending, there is sadness tinged with happiness; loss of family with gain; and the anticipation that the next book in the series will not only bring new adventures for Julia and her family, but perhaps brings one or more of the new members along for the ride.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Iced-Under-Maine-Clambake-Mystery/dp/1496700392/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1855659360

More on Barbara Ross's Books:   https://www.fantasticfiction.com/r/barbara-ross/

Fogged Inn (A Maine Clambake Mystery #4)

Author:  Barbara Ross
Genre:  Mystery

Paperback; Ebook
ISBN #:  9781496700377
Kensington Publishing
320 Pages
$7.99; $5.99 Amazon
February 23, 2016

Five Stars

An autumn chill has settled over Busman's Harbor, Maine, but Julia Snowden is warming up the town by offering lobster stew at the local diner.  When her landlord discovers a dead body in the walk-in refrigerator, Julia must figure out who ordered up a side of murder.

Nothing's colder than a corpse -- especially one stashed inside a sub-zero fridge.  The victim spent his last night on earth dining at the restaurant bar, so naturally Julia finds herself at the center of the ensuing investigation.  Lost in the November fog, however, is who'd want to kill the unidentified stranger -- and why.  It might have something to do with a suspicious group of retirees and a decades-old tragedy to which they're all connected.  One thing's for sure:  Julia's going to make solving this mystery her early bird special...

********

Julia Snowden lives in an apartment above the restaurant that she and her boyfriend Chris, operate for dinner.  It is just after Thanksgiving in Maine, and it gives her and Chris much-needed income to get through the off-season winter.  Her landlord Gus owns the restaurant and runs it for breakfast and lunch.  One morning she is awakened by Gus screaming up the stairs at her - telling her there's a dead body in the walk-in refrigerator.

Yes, a dead body...in the walk-in refrigerator.  It's not anyone they know, but she does recognize him as being at the restaurant the night before.  Other than that, he's a complete stranger, and no one seems to know anything about him.  Naturally, the police close the restaurant until they can investigate the crime scene.

Julia, never one to sit around and wait for things to be done in their own time, starts thinking back to the night before.  There were, besides the dead man, four older couples in the restaurant - Henry and Caroline Caswell; Phil and Deborah Bennett; Michael and Sheila Smith; and Barry and Fran Walker.  All four couples sat on opposite sides of the restaurant, and didn't speak with each other - at first.

The night was a foggy one, and Julia's childhood friend, Jamie Dawes, now a police officer, arrived and told them they couldn't leave because there had been an accident blocking the road.  So, until they were given the all clear, they managed to make small talk among themselves, mostly about the weather, but little else.

Julia soon remembers that all four couples paid, at least partly, with gift certificates for the restaurant.  When she checks them, she sees that they had an expiration date of the night they dined.  But according to Maine law, gift certificates can't have an expiration.  She intends to mention this to Lt. Jerry Binder and Tom Flynn, of the state police Major Crimes Unit in Augusta, first chance she has.  Until then, she has them in a cigar box she keeps in her apartment.  But when she goes to check, the certificates are missing, and she's convinced that they've been stolen, although Jamie thinks she may have merely misplaced them.

Rattled by the fact that someone was in her apartment and took the certificates, she vows to find out more about the couples and how they received them.  It seems the certificates were sold in a lot of five, and she knows that someone must have given them to each couple, and wants to find out who it was.  What she does learn isn't much: only that each couple received the certificate in the mail, and according to their answers, they don't know each other.

When Julia later visits Vee and Fee Snugg, sisters who run a B&B and where the deceased man was staying, she learns something new that leads her to a an old photograph at the Yacht Club.  In the photo, taken many years before when they were young, she discovers all four couples standing together - which proves that they lied to her, and they do indeed have some sort of a past.  But why would they deny knowing each other?  And why would they barely acknowledge each other in the restaurant if they did know each other?

Julia is sure that they are all hiding something, and that one of the group may have killed the as yet unidentified man.  She is determined to find out why they lied to her, and proceeds to question them all again, even after she is warned by Lt. Binder to stay away.

What Julia eventually finds out, through dogged investigation, is that not only do the four couples have a history together, but that it connects them to a tragedy which occurred decades earlier, and could have a bearing on what happened that fateful night in the restaurant.

Fogged Inn is the fourth book in the Maine Clambake series, and I found it intriguing in the fact that in solving one mystery Julia may have solved two.  Both plots were linked together in such a way that it never seemed artificial nor doubtful, making the characters involved sympathetic in the process, and a gratifying read.  For while Julia is actually trying to find the person who has been sneaking into her apartment stealing items related to the case while she sleeps, she is drawn into the old cold case that is tied to the current murder.

Along the way we find that there is more tying these people together than what is first seen; a part of their past that they have never been able to escape and has tainted their lives with a sort of sadness and guilt, even in the fact that they were able to find happiness among themselves.

The clues are all there if you look for them, but not always easy to find, and when the case is finally solved, the answers are a bit surprising and unexpected, but satisfying nonetheless.  As I have stated above, this book has an unusual plot which, unlike most cozies, leaves a sort of sadness in the story that makes it even more believable when the ending comes.  Highly recommended.

http://www.amazon.com/Fogged-Inn-Maine-Clambake-Mystery/dp/1496700376/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1558236598

More on Barbara Ross's books:  http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/barbara-ross/