Musseled Out (Maine Clambake Mystery, #3)

by Barbara Ross

The busy summer tourist season is winding down in Busman's Harbor, Maine, but Julia Snowden senses trouble simmering for the Snowden Family Clambake Company. Shifty David Thwing--the "Mussel King" of upscale seafood restaurants--is sniffing around town for a new location. But serving iffy clams turns out to be the least of his troubles. . .

When Thwing is found sleeping with the fishes beneath a local lobsterman's boat, the police quickly finger Julia's brother-in-law Sonny as the one who cooked up the crime. Sure, everyone knows Sonny despised the Mussel King. . .but Julia believes he's innocent. Proving it won't be easy, though. It seems there's a lot more than murder on the menu, and Julia needs to act fast. . .

Includes Traditional Maine Clambake Recipes!

• ISBN10: 0758286899
• ISBN13: 9780758286895
• Publish Date: 28 April 2015 (first published 1 January 2015)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 14 November 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Kensington Publishing
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/isbn/9780758286895

Reviews

[Mystereity Reviews]

I was given an ARC by the publisher in return for an honest review

Musseled Out, the third in the Maine Clambake mystery series, sees Julia and her family facing competition from Thwing, an smarmy entrepreneur. When Thwing turns up dead, Julia investigates to clear her brother-in-law Sonny from the list of suspects.

This was a complex plot; lots of suspects, lots of motives and lots of opportunity. It kept me guessing until the end, and I never had a good idea who was the culprit. I enjoyed that the secondary characters gained more dimension, they became more a part of the story than just scenery. Julia grew as a character as well, it was nice to see her moving forward with her relationship with Chris and with her plans for the future. I identify with Julia's independence and caution, and I thought her thought processes and actions were entirely in line with what the character demonstrated so far. In other words, I find Julia to be a believable and realistic character.

As always, I loved the scenery; I could just imagine Maine in the fall and the gorgeous colors of the leaves on the trees. Also, beware of the food porn, Chris's fantastic dishes will make your mouth water.

A great read, the best in the series so far and I'm looking forward to seeing more of Busman's Harbor.