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.
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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.
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Shucked Apart by Barbara Ross is the 9th A Maine Clambake Mystery. It can be read as a standalone for those new to the series or may have missed a book or two. Reading the earlier books, though, will provide more background on Julia, her family, friends, and the business. It is May and the season has not begun yet in BusmanÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s Harbor, Maine. Julia Snowden is surprised when her boyfriend, Chris Durand brings his poker buddy, Andie Greatorex to visit her (where she learns Andie is a woman). Julia is told that Andie was attacked and robbed of the oyster larvae (spat) she had just purchased. Andie would like Julia to use her sleuthing skills to see if she can uncover the guilty party. This is a different type of case for Julia. She does have some extra time on her hands, so Julia agrees to do a little digging. Julia questions several people including AndieÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s ex-partner (business and personal), a lobsterman, a rival oyster farmer, and a neighbor of AndieÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s. Julia has barely begun her investigation when Andie is murdered. The mystery provides us with a couple of suspects, a red herring, and subtle clues. There was a nice surprise in this whodunit. It was nice to catch up with Julia before the busy season begins. We do see Chris, but the other regulars are largely absent (one or two only briefly mentioned). I must admit that I am not a fan of ChrisÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s. He is a nice man, but he does not seem like the right person for Julia. I could tell the author did her research on oyster farming. It was interesting learning how oysters are raised and harvested (not that I would ever eat one). I enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of Maine as well and I liked that we left BusmanÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢s Harbor to visit nearby Damariscotta. We also learn about the rivalry between lobsterman and oyster farmers plus how residents feel about the oyster beds. I thought Shucked Apart was easy to read with a likeable main character. The pacing varied in this story. While Shucked Apart is not my favorite book in this series, I still enjoyed my visit. Shucked Apart is a charming tale with oyster offspring, rival lobsterman, employee problems, lease barriers, and sly sabotage.
Lori
Apr 3, 2021
Shucked Apart
Dollycas's Thoughts
It's almost time for The Snowden Family Clambake Company to open for the season. Manager Julie Snowden should be hiring employees and making sure everything is in place to open but her boyfriend Chris has asked her to help one of his poker-playing friends. First, Julie was to cover her surprise that his friend, Andie Greatorex is a woman, and then she has to figure out why Chris thinks she can help her. Andie is an oyster farmer and she was attacked and robbed of 2 buckets of oyster seed (spat) valued at $35,000. There are several would-be suspects but before Julia has time to do much legwork she finds Andie dead. The suspects remain the same but Julia feels time is of the essence if she is going to catch the cold-blooded killer.
I have never eaten an oyster, the sliminess just turns me off, so I never really thought about where oysters came from or were cultivated. Ms. Ross gives us a delightfully detailed account of what it means to be an oyster farmer. It was very interesting but while I am sure many love the delicacy, no, I still won't be eating any. I like many other forms of seafood so I can handle missing out on a few oysters. Ms. Ross also shines a light on how important tourists are to these small towns.
I really enjoyed catching up with Julia before the season starts. Because of the timing, all the usual characters do not make an appearance or just make cameos but a major change does occur within these pages. A change that made this reader pretty happy. We are introduced to several new characters and the author does an excellent job making them relevant to the mystery.
The murder this time takes place in Damariscotta, not too far from Busman's Harbor. Ms. Ross's descriptions really make every setting come alive. I was intrigued by several places including a few homes. Life along the river was very easy to visualize.
This was another complex mystery full of red herrings and surprises. The pace started a little slow but picks up nicely as the story continues and Julia starts to eliminate suspects. Julia is a fine sleuth and tagging along with her this time was extra fun. We both figured out the real culprit at the same time and almost too late.
I love the way Barbara Ross tells a story. She draws you in with the fantastic characters you have become invested in over the series and she tangles them up in a complicated mystery that holds you tight until the final page.
This is one of my favorite series. Shucks, Shucked Apart is a captivating cozy that takes readers on a mini-vacation to the beautiful coast of Maine. I have enjoyed every trip and plan to return as soon as the next book is released.
