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!
Praise for Musseled Out
“A lobster pot full of secrets and deceit. This cozy series continues to stand out with its exceptional plotting, intriguing storylines and authentic detailing of the lobstering life.”—RT Book Reviews
“A craftily plotted, brilliantly paced tale… I devoured Musseled Out in a single greedy sitting.”—Crimespree Magazine
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…
Includes Traditional Maine Clambake Recipes!
Praise for Fogged Inn
“A cleverly crafted, character-driven whodunit that engages readers both intellectually and emotionally.”—Crimespree Magazine
“An entirely surprising conclusion wraps up this smartly-plotted mystery whose heroine is intelligent and as appealing as the gorgeous Maine coast.”—Kings River Life Magazine
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…
Praise for Iced Under
“The past and present collide in ways that are just as heart wrenching as they are heartwarming, and the genuine emotions they stir will satisfy fans of these exceptional novels.”—Kings River Life Magazine
“Another excellent installment of what I'm starting to consider the quintessential cozy cooking mystery series…. Such is Barbara Ross’s skill that you buy wholeheartedly into Julia and feel that this is a genuine representation of one person's life, incidental corpses and all.”—Criminal Element
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 fiancé’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…
Praise for Stowed Away
“The best culinary cozy series on the market today.”—Criminal Element
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.
Praise for Steamed Open
“Each one is even better than the previous. I loved it!”—Suspense Magazine