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?

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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.

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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.

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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...

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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/