Shucked Apart–Maine Clambake Mystery #9

The Snowden Family Clambake Company has a beloved reputation in Busman’s Harbor, Maine. Almost as famous is the sleuthing ability of proprietor Julia Snowden, which is why an oyster farmer seeks her out when she’s in trouble.

Available in mass market paperback, ebook, audiobook, and large print editions

When Andie Greatorex is robbed of two buckets of oyster seed worth $35,000, she wonders if somebody’s trying to mussel her out of business. Could it be a rival oyster farmer, a steamed former employee, or a snooty summer resident who objects to her unsightly oyster cages floating on the beautiful Damariscotta River? There’s also a lobsterman who’s worried the farm’s expanding lease will encroach on his territory and Andie’s ex-partner, who’s now struggling to keep his restaurant afloat. Before Julia can make much headway in the investigation, Andie turns up dead, stabbed by a shucking knife. Now it’s up to Julia to set a trap for a cold and clammy killer . . .

The author describes the area so beautifully, the fishermen so completely, the sights, sounds, and fragrant air plunks you into the middle of her scene. The well-developed characters make you wish you could sit at their table…

Rosepoint Publishing.com, January 19, 2021

. . .one of the best books in this endearing series, and I look forward to more exploits with Julia and her gang.

Dru’s Book Musings, February 11, 2021

I honestly don’t know how Barbara Ross does it, writing such a terrific cozy culinary mystery series filled with consistently intriguing puzzles and fresh social dynamics for our heroine, Julia Snowden, to navigate as she solves crimes while trying to run her businesses.

Criminal Element, March 17, 2021

Ross is a master of the “cozy” mystery genre, with carefully drawn characters and credible plots, subtle clues and intricate twists. This mystery has all of that…

Kennebec Journal, February 25, 2022

. . . an intelligent, well-plotted page-turner with likeable characters and a doozy of an ending. . . Highly recommended.

Suspense Magazine, February 2021

The juxtaposition of the crime investigation and the personal dilemma is juggled beautifully; Ross really makes the reader care about Julia and her friends, and the pacing is perfect–and it’s not easy to do this without making one story more important than the other.

Queer and Loathing in America, November 18, 2021

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