Maine Clambake Mystery

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... 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...

For Julia Snowden, the Founder's Day summer celebration in Busman's Harbor, Maine, means helping her family's clambake company to prepare an authentic taste of New England seafood. Any Mainer will tell you that a real clambake needs wood for the fire... so why is there a foot sticking out of the oven? The townspeople want to pin the murder of the RV park owner on Cabe Stone, a new employee of the Snowden Family Clambake Company - who bolted from the crime scene and disappeared. Julia knows having another murder associated with her family's business is a recipe for disaster... but who is the killer? Cooking up a proper investigation doesn't leave much time for the rest of Julia's life, and this is one killer who'll do anything to stop her from digging up clues...

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 Jayne invites her to dinner on board her billionaire fiance'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 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.

Early October is "winding down" time in Busman's Harbor, Maine, but there's nothing relaxing about it for Julia Snowden. Between busloads of weekend leaf peepers at the Snowden Family Clambake and a gut renovation of the old mansion on Morrow Island, she's keeping it all together with a potentially volatile skeleton crew-until one of them turns up dead under the firewood. 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.

In the ninth installment of the award-winning Maine Clambake Mystery series, Julia Snowden and the Snowden Family Clambake Company return for another case of mystery and murder in Maine-this time, Julia must uncover the murderer of an oyster farmer. 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 Maine 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?

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...

Someone may have spiked this year's Irish coffee brew with murder! Irish Coffee Murder by Leslie Meier Part-time reporter Lucy Stone is writing a piece for the Courier about four Irish step dancing students from Tinker's Cove on the cusp of making it big. But the story becomes headline news for all the wrong reasons when one girl's mother is found dead in her bathtub. Did a stage mom take rivalry too far, or is some other motive at play? Death of an Irish Coffee Drinker by Lee Hollis As owner of Bar Harbor's hottest new restaurant, Hayley Powell offers to cater the after-party for popular comedian Jefferson O'Keefe, who's playing his old hometown for St. Patrick's Day. But it's no laughing matter when Jefferson keels over after gulping down his post-show Irish coffee, leaving Hayley to figure out who decided this joker had gone too far . . . Perked Up by Barbara Ross It's a snowy St. Patrick's Day in Busman's Harbor. But when the power goes out, what better way for Julia Snowden to spend the evening than sharing local ghost stories-and Irish coffees-with friends and family? By the time the lights come back, they might even have solved the coldest case in town . . .

Serving up mouthwatering shellfish, the Snowden Family Clambake has become a beloved institution in Busman's Harbor, Maine. But when new clues rise to the surface five years after the disappearance of Julia Snowden's mother's friend, the family business shifts to sleuthing . . . 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 . . .

EASTER BASKET MURDER by LESLIE MEIER: Tinker's Cove businesses are clashing over a new Easter Basket-themed promotion to boost in-store sales. When the one-of-a-kind art piece is stolen, it's up to part-time reporter Lucy Stone to investigate three struggling entrepreneurs who stick out in the local scene. But a huge town scandal comes into focus when a harmless shopping spree turns deadly, leaving Lucy to stop a murderer from springing back into action . . . DEATH BY EASTER EGG by LEE HOLLIS: As Bar Harbor's annual egg hunt approaches, Island Food & Spirits columnist and restaurateur Hayley Powell is thrilled to introduce her grandson, Eli, to local springtime traditions. Keeping up with a rambunctious toddler isn't always sunshine and rainbows-especially when a decadent peanut butter treat kills the Easter bunny himself! Now it's up to Hayley to crack the clues and scramble deadly plans before it's too late . . . HOPPED ALONG by BARBARA ROSS: Julia Snowden's Easter Sunday at Windsholme looks like it's been borrowed from the pages of a lifestyle magazine. But when a dead body is discovered in the garden-then vanishes soon after without any explanation-an innocent hunt for eggs becomes a dangerous hunt for answers. Julia must find out if April Fool's Day came early or if she's caught in a killer's twisted game . . .

In Barbara Ross's award-winning series featuring sleuth Julia Snowden and her family's coastal Maine clambake business, Morrow Island is a perfect spot for a wedding-and a Snowden Family Clambake. Julia Snowden is busy organizing both-until a mysterious wedding crasher drops dead amid the festivities... 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, family members, and Zoey's artist friends to find out who turned the clambake into a crime scene...