It’s clambake time again when the local town has a big summer festival and Julia Snowden’s family and their catering company are set up on the pier to cook for hundreds. But when things go wrong and a body is discovered, she’ll have to work to clear one of her employees—a new hire who immediately flees after the body is found underneath the cooking equipment. My favorite thing about this series is it’s so deeply rooted in Maine culture. Each book is like taking a mini vacation to Maine with descriptions of clambakes (so much food!), town festivals with races out in the harbor running over lobster traps, and much more. This had an interesting mystery to piece out. ( )

At Busman’s Harbor, Maine Julia Snowden helps her family’s clambake company prepare a taste of an authentic dish for tourists. When a foot drops out from the fire and the pier is shut down for investigation. The police are looking at a young man working for the Snowden’s as the murderer. Julia believes Cabe is innocent and sets out to help him. ( )

Loved the part about the blueberry barrens. The mystery wasn't particularly strong, but the setting was. ( )

This is the second book in the Maine Clambake Mystery series and I liked it more than the first one. I think that is because the characters were more likable in this book, they got along better and we learned a bit more about their past. Julia Snowden is still helping out at the Snowden Family Clambake which is now making a profit, but she still plans to return to her "real" job in New York. When her sister recommends she get involved in the Founder's Day Committee, she becomes a reluctant member, but works hard to produce a wonderful weekend for the town. The Clambake is serving food on the pier with the newly built "Claminator". When the day begins, Sonny discovers a charred leg sticking out of the claminator as he is trying to add more wood. Cabe, the newest employee of the Snowden Family Clambake, runs and is immediately a suspect. Drawn into the investigation once again, Julia sets out to prove that this nice young kid, Cabe, is definitely innocent. As more and more suspects materialize, Julia once again puts herself in danger to help another.

I really like this series and am looking forward to the next book, Boiled Over. I give it 4.5 stars. I like the atmosphere of the small town on the Maine coast and all of it's seafood and crustiness. The characters that were introduced in this book added flavour to the story as well as helping to solve the mystery. Chris and Julia are continuing to ramp up their relationship, and the twist at the end of the book will keep me reading to see where they go. The mystery was very well plotted, with several suspects and twists. I did figure out who the culprit was, but that did not diminish my enjoyment. Once again, a well written cozy mystery that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a light mystery without the violence. ( )

Julia Snowden is up to her neck in work for the Founder's Day weekend celebration at Busman's Harbor. She's on the committee and has several assignments. But she takes time to check on her family's clambake setup on the pier and she is just in time to see that something is very wrong with the filre, uh, there's a foot sticking out. When suspicion falls on a new Clambake employee, (Cabe) Julia and her family are convinced he is innocent. But he does nothing to help prove his innocence when he runs away. Julia needs to find Cabe and prove his innocence all while trying to keep the weekend and her family business going.

This is the second book in the series. I really like Julia and her family. We get to know the family and the townsfolk better in this book. We also see Julia struggling with her own problems about where her future is leading. The mystery in the book is pretty good. Like all amateur detectives, Julia is sometimes a bit frustrating, but overall you can't help but like her for her loyalty. Hope the next book comes soon. ( )