Clammed Up–Maine Clambake Mystery #1

****Nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel for 2013

****Nominated for the RT Book Reviews, Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for 2013–Amateur Sleuth

****Finalist for the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction

Summer has come to Busman’s Harbor, Maine and tourists are lining up for a taste of authentic New England seafood, courtesy of the Snowden Family Clambake Company. But there’s something sinister on the boil this season. A killer has crashed a wedding party, adding mystery to the menu at the worst possible moment.

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Julia Snowden returned to her hometown to rescue her family’s struggling clambake business–not to solve crimes. But that was before a catered wedding on picturesque Morrow Island turned into a reception for murder. When the best man’s corpse is found hanging from the grand staircase in the Snowden family mansion, Julia must put the chowder pot on the back burner and join the search for the killer. And with suspicion falling on her old crush, Chris Durand, the recipe for saving her business and salvaging her love life might be one and the same. . .

VERDICT This very satisfying series debut keeps a steady and confident pace from the beginning; readers can enjoy both figuring out the mystery and taking an armchair visit to coastal Maine. Recipes included.

Library Journal, September 1, 2013

Clammed Up is a terrific start to what promises to be a top-notch series, with a cast of characters I look forward to knowing better.

Suspense Magazine, September 2013

☆☆☆☆½ This first installment in a new series is a real treat. The story flows effortlessly, and the setting is a character on its own…

RT Book Reviews, September 2013

I heartily recommend that you pick up this book and devour it…

Mystery Scene Magazine, November 2013

Ms. Ross has written such a gorgeously cohesive novel that I wanted to celebrate it as a paragon of cozy cooking mysteries as well as a fine piece of fiction on its own.

Criminal Element, April 2017

It’s always exciting to catch the first book of a new mystery series and realize it’s the start of years of enjoyment ahead

Kingdom Books Blog, November 2013

Barbara Ross’ debut is a magical trip into the summers of my youth, spent with my feet firmly planted in the ocean water and enjoying seafood. Right from the first page I knew that this was a book that I was going to enjoy immensely, that would keep me up late at night, and I wasn’t wrong. Clammed Up was an absolute delight!!

A Prairie Girl Reads, September 2013

The dialogue is pitch-perfect. Julia’s a strong, smart, winsome heroine for whom you can’t help but root. And Ross’ supporting cast could have stepped straight off the coast and onto the page…

The Season, September 2013

I can see this series on the bookshelves for years to come.

Dru’s Book Musings, September 2013

A delightful debut that has me hungry for more!!!

Escape with Dollycas, September 2013

Julia is a strong, likeable character, her family is close knit yet complex, and it looks like her love life is about to get interesting as well! Book #2, Boiled Over, due out May 6, 2014 is already on my calendar!

Melissa’s Mochas, Mysteries and More, September, 2013

Clammed Up by Barbara Ross is a master class in character development.

Criminalelement.com, August 2013

A delicious and charming debut to a new series. RECOMMENDED.

I Love a Mystery, November 2013

…the elements in this cozy mystery came together really well, the characters were interesting, and I look forward to the next book in this series.

Miranda’s Library, August 2013

So while I can’t really get to Maine at the moment, I can escape with this awesome book that made me feel like I was right in the midst of things.

Girl Lost in a Book, October 2013

You know that moment when you think you have it all figured out? Well then bam it hits you, a plot twist and the whole idea you had is gone.

Springtime Lily Reading Corner, January 2014

Clammed Up certainly deserves its nomination for the Agatha, and I will be making my reservation for another clambake with Julia and her family.

Carstairs Considers, April 2014

…made me crave seafood and the Maine coast in this delightful start to a new series.

YABookNerd Mysterious Saturday Review, April 2014

if someone who had never read a cozy mystery before asked me to recommend a book to introduce them to the genre, I might choose this one.

Cozy Little Book Journal, July 2014

With great secondary characters and an ending I didn’t expect, I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery. Will I be reading the next book in this series? Definitely.

Hobby Farmer by Day, Author by Night, May 2014

I highly recommend this book.

The Little Reading Cabin, April, 2015

…a gorgeously cohesive novel…

Criminal Element, April 2017

Great drama, intrigue, suspense, and plenty of non-stop action too.

Kristen’s Book Jungle, September, 2015

“Deliciously atmospheric, delightfully suspenseful, divine!”

Sarah Graves, author of A Bat in the Belfry

“If you haven’t been on a Maine clambake, Barbara Ross’s book is the next best thing…except for the murder.”

Sheila Connolly, New York Times bestselling author of Buried in a Bog

“Clammed Up will leave readers clamoring for second helpings.”

Leslie Meier, author of Easter Bunny Murder

“Take lobster, clams, and an ear of corn. Add one murder. Fold in a complex heroine, an assortment of colorful suspects, and a plot with lots of twists and turns. Heat up on an island off the coast of Maine. The result? Clammed Up contains just the right amounts of all the best ingredients to provide mystery readers with a tasty treat.”

Kaitlyn Dunnett, author of Vampires, Bones and Treacle Scones