This is the 9th in series and a great addition to the series. I am always happy to return to Julia and The Snowden Family Clambake Company in Busman’s Harbor, Maine. The author has created a wonderful seaside community that sweeps the reader away to the coast of Maine and the clamming business . Thank you to the author, the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity for review. My review opinions are my own.

Chris asked Julia to instigate a large theft of Oysters. As Julia investigates she finds many red herrings and has suspects in her sights. Chris is proving to not be the right guy for her along the way as he does not like her sleuthing on the side. This is a fun return to this charming series with a murder, theft and happenings that pave the way for the next book. I was pleasingly surprised by the ending. I love returning to Busman's Harbor and Julia's world for an afternoon of sleuthing in Maine. Very well done to the author. A most enjoyable cozy series.

Shucked Apart is the 9th book in the Maine Clambake Mystery series by Barbara Ross. In this book, I was pleased to meet the proprietor of The Snowden Family Clambake Company, Julia Snowden of Busman’s Harbor, Maine. Busy preparing and hiring staff for the new summer season, Julia helps out when her boyfriend, Chris, comes to her about poker friend Andie Greatorex, the owner of the Great River Oyster Farm in Damariscotta, not far from Busman's Harbor. Andie is having problems as $35,000 worth of baby oysters have been stolen. The police think its a simple robbery but Andie thinks it's an act to sabotage her business. Julia is shown around the Great River Oyster Farm the next day and learns a little about the other oyster farms and lobstermen in the area. But Julia barely gets the chance to start poking around as Andie receives a ransom note and when she next turns up at Great River Oysters, Andie's boat is nowhere to be seen. Then Julia makes a deadly discovery; Andie's body is bobbing around in the water.

Although book 9 in the Maine Clambake Mystery series, this can be enjoyed as a stand-alone. With a compelling plot, drama aplenty, a great bunch of characters, and oodles of mayhem added to the mix, this was a fantastic read that kept me on my toes. The writing style of Barbara Ross was a good fit for me. Trying to unravel the mystery in the pockets of Julia was lots of fun and I welcomed the comfortable pace as well as the neatly packaged ending. I would like to backtrack and devour the eight books I've missed in this series as I thoroughly enjoyed Shucked Apart and I'm game to see what adventures befall Julia and the Busman's Harbor crowd, next. The book leaves the reader with five recipes that seafood lovers will salivate over, and I'm keen to try out the Lobster Mashed Potatoes. Very highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Kensington Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

A wonderful read! Interesting, complex and quirky characters make this a page turner. I loved reading about Maine and oyster farming. Lots of twists and turns kept me guessing and wanting to turn to the next page. A must read! Thank you to the author and net galley for the opportunity of reading this arc, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have been adoring this whole series!

When a friend of her boyfriend needs help finding who stole from her, Julia Snowden is roped into helping. She is reluctant but decides to help out. When she finds this friend dead, can Julia find the murderer before anything else happens?

I have truly enjoyed reading this series. I've been powering through it for the past week and loving it. I love Julia and her family. I love her boyfriend Chris. And I love Julia's relationships with everyone in the town. I find Julia so relatable and so much fun to read about. I liked the mystery in this one. It was a bit predictable but at the same time took me completely by surprise. I was upset by the end of this book. I don't like the resolution of something and I'll have to deal with that. But I am looking forward to the next in this series!

The ninth book in the Maine Clambake Mystery series starts with one woman getting Shucked Apart from her last oyster farm purchase!

Julia’s long-time boyfriend Chris introduces her to Andie. Andie has a problem. She was attacked and robbed of two buckets of baby oysters. While they are worth $35,000, it requires an expensive river farm to raise the oysters. Therefore, Andie thinks someone is trying to ruin her business. Could it be another oyster farm? Or could it be her fired and disgruntled former employee? Or is it the rich summer house owners who think Andie’s farm is ruining their views? Or could it be lobstermen who want the river for their own cages? Julia decides to find out!

Shucked Apart is a slice-of-life tale set on the rural Maine coast. The characters are genuine and have unique motives. In addition, readers will learn a lot about how oysters are farmed and eaten. There might be a bit too much about oysters for me. The “teaching” slowed the plot significantly in my opinion. But if you find a slow-paced cozy mystery pleasant, or love oysters, you may like this book more than I did. 3 stars.

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an ARC of this book. I enjoyed very much reading Shucked Apart. Being a reader of the series, it's always nice to return to great characters and a lovely setting for a good mystery. This time, the story is around the murder of an oyster farmer. It was different to read about a character in this line of work. Barbara Ross weaves a multidimensional storyline, where characters are complex and not without some flaws, as well as with a variety of events and facts that could explain what happens. If you like good, solid mysteries taking place in the coastline, this book is definitely for you.

I enjoyed this installment. Learned about oyster farming and the lobster business. The author weaves in the realities of these small towns into the stories. I found it engaging and was surprised at the reveal on who the culprit was. Sign me up for the next edition.

I was given an advanced copy by Netgalley. I am not required to leave a positive review.

Another enjoyable read. I haven’t read all the series, but it is written so well I really don’t believe you need too. Or in fact in order! This time Julia is asked by her boyfriend Chris to help a poker buddy of his figure out why Andie was attacked and her Oyster Spat or seed was stolen. Problem number 1....surprised to hear Andie is a women.....Julia always assumed it was Andy, There are the usual twists and turns in this who done it. The usual characters have returned and there is some trust issues between Julia and Chris. I did figure out who done it, but there are some surprises along the way.
 I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story.

This book got me in the mood for summer and picnics and barbeques. I love visiting with the Snowden family. Julia Snowden runs her family's clambake business in Busman's Harbor, Maine. An old friend of her boyfriend's comes to her looking for help. Someone attacked her and stole her oyster seeds and she doesn't think the police are looking in the right places. Julia agrees to help her and starts looking for who would benefit from Andi losing her oyster seeds. What she doesn't expect is to stumble upon Andi's dead body in the water.

Reading any book in this series always gets me ready for warmer weather. Julia is a great lead character and a great sleuth. I liked learning more about Chris's friends. I do wish there had been more of Julia's family. The mystery was well done. I liked how the clues were thrown in. I figured out the killer the same time as Julia. I wasn't thrilled with the ending but I'm hoping it will be resolved in the next book. I can't wait to read more.

I always look forward to a new Maine Clambake mystery! The setting is always described extremely well, and I always feel like I'm actually there in Busman's Harbor with Julia, Chris, their family/friends/employees, etc.

In this book the focus is on Chris and Julia's relationship, including a female friend that Julia had never met before who is later found dead. It was interesting to see the dynamics and repercussions of that. The ending will make you want another story STAT!

This series is one of my favorite cozies, and I always preorder each installment. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading about oyster farming; I found it fascinating! As always, all the food sounded delicious, and you'll be craving a satisfying clambake meal with Julia and her family!

Thank you, Netgalley, for my arc!

The Snowden Family Clambake Company has a beloved reputation in Busman’s Harbor, Maine. Almost as famous is the sleuthing ability of proprietor Julia Snowden, which is why an oyster farmer seeks her out when she’s in trouble.

When Andie Greatorex is robbed of two buckets of oyster seed worth $35,000, she wonders if somebody’s trying to mussel her out of business. Could it be a rival oyster farmer, a steamed former employee, or a snooty summer resident who objects to her unsightly oyster cages floating on the beautiful Damariscotta River? There’s also a lobsterman who’s worried the farm’s expanding lease will encroach on his territory and Andie’s ex-partner, who may come to regret their split. Before Julia can make much headway in the investigation, Andie turns up dead, stabbed by a shucking knife. Now it’s up to Julia to set a trap for a cold and clammy killer...
Amazon.com

Shucked Apart is the ninth book in the Maine Clambake mystery series by Barbara Ross. It was released yesterday. One of my favorite things about this series is how much I learn by reading it. In this book, I learned about oyster farms in Maine. Now, I have an advantage many readers don’t. I live on Hatteras Island, NC, and we, too, have oyster farms. So, I asked someone I know about our oyster farms to double-check what I learned. The someone used to be a party (not with balloons, but most definitely with beer) boat captain turned oyster farmer, not unlike one of the characters Barbara has created, but without his financial problems. That in and of itself tells me Barb researched aqua farming and the changing times of the fishing industry.

There’s tension right from the beginning of Shucked Apart, but the source is surprising. Please welcome Barbara Ross back to WWK. E. B. Davis

Julia isn’t the jealous type. She likes boyfriend Chris’s friend Andie right away. The problem is that Julia thought that Andie was Andy. Why didn’t he mention his poker playing friend was a female?

Chris keeps a lot of secrets. Julia had thought they were through the worst of his disclosures, and arguably they were. But in this book she’s surprised to find he’s been keeping quiet about things both large and small. The question is, why?

Do two buckets of oyster spat really cost thirty-five thousand dollars? Really?
Like agriculture, aquaculture requires investment. Two buckets of oyster spat, if properly cared for, have the potential to turn into hundreds of thousands of babies, so the potential to make money is there. Also, breeding those babies is highly specialized and not done in a lot of places, so there is demand.

Do oyster spat look like quinoa (or like Cream of Wheat right out of the box, small, white, round granules)?

Yes! That’s how everyone I talked to described them. I did get to see them for myself and I don’t have a better description.

Although oysters clean the bodies of water they live in because they filter it, they also give off a lot of scat—especially the spat or oyster seed (tiny baby oysters without diapers). Is the benefit greater than the detriment?

This is a controversial topic, especially in places where people are fighting about aquaculture. The farms in Maine are relatively small, owned by individuals and small groups, not giant corporations. The Damariscotta was too polluted to sustain sea creatures of any type until the 1980s. Since the oyster farms have been established, it has only gotten cleaner. In balance, I tend to believe the oysters make the river cleaner.

When someone knocks Andie down and runs with the expensive buckets of oyster seed, Andie wants Julia to investigate because Chris has bragged about Julia’s investigative skills. Why does Julia decide to investigate?

Julia likes Andie almost immediately. They are young, entrepreneurial women running challenging businesses in Maine. Also, it is a time of year when Julia can help out. Once the clambake season starts, she’ll be working sixteen hours a day every day.

I initially had problems with your setting. Andie’s company is named The Great River Oyster Company because the farm is in the Damariscotta River, which would be fresh water, but it isn’t really, is it? Seals can be seen on the river? The lobstermen also have buoys on the river, too? You didn’t make the river’s name up either, did you?

The real Damariscotta is a beautiful river in Maine. The source, Damariscotta Lake, is fresh water, but the river is very tidal, and the saltwater coming in on the tide makes the part of the river where the oyster farms are quite brackish. As you mention, seals, lobsters and other saltwater creatures live in that part of the river. I recommend the Damariscotta River Cruise to anyone who visits midcoast Maine in the summer.

You mention there are oyster hatcheries. Not to get too spicy, but how do oysters mate?
Oysters begin life as males and later become female. The young males release sperm and the females release eggs—millions of them. Some of the sperm finds the eggs and they become larvae, which later become the spat that opens our story in Shucked Apart. The release of the sperm is what gives us the expression that you shouldn’t eat oysters in months without an R in them. It gives the oysters a different taste and texture that some people love and some people dislike. Some farms purchase triploid oysters from the breeders, which don’t reproduce. This practice avoids the spawning season, enabling all months to be R-months’ taste and without the energy spawning requires of the oysters.

You mentioned that unlike clams, oysters can’t move. Do oysters just lie on the river bottom or do they sort of dig into the clay? Aren’t oysters a barnacle-type of critter, gluing themselves to things?

Oysters aren’t like barnacles in that they don’t attach to docks, boats, etc. They pretty much stay where you put them unless the current carries them along. An oyster’s happiest place is sitting on top of another oyster, but that doesn’t result in a pretty shell that farmers can sell to restaurants at a premium. Another happy place for oysters is on relatively hard bottom, which is why the clay on the bottom of so much of the Damariscotta is so appealing.

Andie is on the verge of expansion. A meeting is set in which her expanded farming territory will be approved or rejected. Why are a lot of people against her expansion?

People are often frightened of change, period. In addition there are competing interests on the river—oyster farmers and lobstermen who don’t want more river leased to others. Homeowners and pleasure boaters who don’t like the look of the floating oyster cages.

One of Julia’s aunts lives on the river with her lobsterman husband. She gets information about the attack on Andie from her uncle, but it also puts her in an uncomfortable position. How does she handle that?

Julia loves her aunt and uncle. Though she knows that fights among lobstermen can be absolutely vicious, she doesn’t believe her uncle could be guilty of murder. Though she investigates every clue that comes her way, Julia has to trust someone and decides it is her family.

Julia finds out that Andie used to be a romantic and business partner with Mack, who went into the restaurant business and is now married with children to someone else. Mack explains to Chris and Julia the similarities between wine’s terroir and oysters’ merroir. What’s all that? And are oysters a trendy menu item?

Just as wine grapes take on the unique taste of the soil, weather, elevation, etc. of the vineyard where they are grown (terroir), oysters take on the taste of the unique composition of the water they grow in—minerals, temperature, and so on (merroir). That’s why all the different oysters on the east coast can be the same breed but look and taste so different from the Canadian Maritimes to New England to the Chesapeake to the Carolinas, where you are, to Florida.

Oysters are having a moment. They were a major source of protein at the end of the nineteenth century. In the 1890s New Yorkers ate an average of six hundred oysters a year. Then the Hudson got too polluted to sustain the oysters and the techniques for shipping from other places and farming were not yet in place on the east coast. The oyster fell out of favor. Many chefs attribute the current oyster craze to the sushi craze because it got Americans into eating raw seafood again. Of course you don’t have to eat oysters raw. I include recipes for baked oysters and oyster stuffing in the book.

Andie’s next-door neighbor, Pinney Kirwin, doesn’t like oyster farming, especially close to her house and her river. During the 1800s and early 1900s, her family owned a shipbuilding business and owned the entire river front area. But Pinney’s family outvoted her and sold off land and a smaller house to Andie. Why does Julia see a comparison between Pinney’s family and her mother’s family?

Julia’s mother and Pinney are both descended from families that made fortunes in Maine when there were fortunes to be made there. Julia’s mother’s family was in the ice business and Pinney’s in shipbuilding. Both families left the state when those industries collapsed, and became summer residents only. Julia’s mother, however, now makes her life among the locals, while Pinney, who appears to live in Maine a lot of the year, moves exclusively in summer people circles.

What’s an abutter? Someone you share a property line with.

What is a chandlery? A place where ship provisions are stored and sold. It could include items specifically for ships, like sailcloth, rope, and so on, or also fresh food and water.

You include a recipe for lobster mash—but what is it? Lobster mashed potatoes—and they are delicious!

There are such a thing as soft-shelled lobsters? When do they do that?

Lobsters shed their shells as they grow. In Maine typically this takes place in early summer. During the period right after lobsters grow their new shell they are considered soft-shells. Some people think the soft-shells are the best, others prefer hard-shells. This is a frequent source of lobster-related arguments.

What are alewives?

They are a species of herring that lives in saltwater but spawns in freshwater. In Damariscotta, there is an Alewife Festival, which takes place when the fish come and climb the fish ladder in town to get to fresh water.

What kind of fresh tuna is used in the Sous Vide Spicy Tuna recipe?

The instructions say fresh tuna cut 1 ½ to 2 inches thick. You’re cooking it, so it doesn’t have to be sushi grade, but if you want sushi grade and are willing to pay for it, by all means go for it.

You say that having a house on the water is constant work. Do you have first-hand information about that? Do they really continually paint the Golden Gate Bridge? (And why is it orange? My six-year-old self was so disappointed.)

I’ve heard that analogy to painting the Golden Gate Bridge all my life. (As soon as you work from one end to the other, it’s time to start over again at the beginning.) I have no idea if it is true, but it makes a nice point.) My mother-in-law had one side of her house on the water painted every year. Once all four sides were completed, it was time to go around again.

So, Le Roi was right, huh. Should have known. What’s next for Julia?

In “Scared Off,” the Snowden Family Clambake novella in Halloween Party Murder, Julia gets a panic call from her niece, Page. High school kids have crashed the little Halloween sleepover party Page is attending at a friend’s house. They’re trashing the place and the friend’s parents are nowhere to be found. I’m currently working on the tenth Maine Clambake Mystery novel, as yet untitled. It takes place during Mud Season. (In Maine mid-March through April).

Julia Snowden is asked by her boyfriend Chris to help a poker buddy who was a victim of an unusual assault and robbery. Andie Greatorex was ambushed and her two pails containing oyster seed worth $35,000 was taken. Although a bit surprised when she learns that Andie is a female friend, Julia reluctantly agrees to poke around. Julie enjoys getting a tour of Andie's oyster farm business, but she ends up finding Andie dead the next day. A distinctive oyster knife is found stuck in her neck.

There are plenty of suspects for Julia to wade through. Andie's former business partner and boyfriend Mack inherits the business. The lobstermen are unhappy about the oyster farms taking over the riverfront, including Julia's Uncle Bob. Ken Farrow has just started his oyster farm and may have been determined to get ahead at any cost. And the once prominent Kirwin family, led by feisty Pinney, was opposed to Andie's plans to expand her oyster farm business.

Meanwhile, Julia is also struggling with her relationship with Chris. Some surprise revelations indicate that he is keeping secrets and not willing to fully let her into his life.

This was another enjoyable book in the long-running Maine Clambake mystery series.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Kensington Books with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

Love this series and author and was NOT disappointed. Grand characters, wonderfully crafted mystery, and perfect atmosphere all combine to allow the reader to lose themselves in this wonderful cozy.

Julia Snowden, owner of the Family Clambake Company, returns ready to start on new season. Critical is hiring her new summer staff. However, Chris, her boyfriend, entangles her in a mystery. Andie a friend has been robbed. Stolen was $35,000 of oyster seed. Andie runs an oyster farm.

This is the first that I’ve read in this series. I learned a lot about oyster farming. I learned about Julia and her ability to untangle a story. And I found some new characters to love.

Without giving too much away I would suggest starting at the beginning of the series because if you start with this one and you are a classic cozy reader you are going to feel a little sad at the end. This story, this sleuth. Andie Snowden, really came to life for me and even without all of the back story I had just enough to be able to navigate the river of clues. And what a variety of clues there were and no one was above suspicion, except for Andie, who has enough experience flushing out the truth that even the state police Major Crimes unit. This quickly goes from a high priced robbery to a homicide. There are several red herring and some tasty looking recipes at the end of the story. I do hope that the story goes on. I am always amazed at how much I learn in cozies, like this one and the way oysters are grown and harvested, the different stages of development and how brackish vs fresh water influences the flavor.

Shucked Apart by Barbara Ross is the 9th book in A Maine Clambake Mystery series, and a wonderful addition. Julia Snowden and her family are getting ready for the summer season and opening the Snowden Family Clambakes Company in Busman's Harbor, Maine. When Julia's boyfriend's friend gets robbed of her oyster seeds, Julia agrees to help her. There are a lot of twists and turns in this book, which Julia is determined to solve. Ms. Ross's books just seem to get better and better. I enjoyed reading about spring, as it snows outside. I strongly recommend this book and the whole series, you won't be disappointed.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Another wonderful visit to Maine. More oysters than clams this trip. A clever murder mystery that kept me guessing. Terrific series. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.

Shucked Apart is the ninth book in the A Maine Clambake Mystery series by Barbara Ross.

Julia is busy reviewing applications as the clambake season her family runs is quickly approaching, and she needs to get the staff in place. When her boyfriend, Chris, asks her to help a member of his poker group find who had stolen $30,000 of oyster seeds that had just been picked up from their supplier, she reluctantly agrees. Julia heads to the oyster farm and is surprised that Andy turns out to be Andie. Chris with having some explaining about this. Andie will explain an oyster farm’s operation and add that she has experienced some minor sabotage, which she put to someone not happy with her plans to expand her oyster farm. The next day Julia has plans to visit with Andie and explore more of the workings of oyster farming. When she arrives, Andie is not waiting for her, so he walks to the end of the pier to get a better view of the river. When Julia looks down into the river, the body of Andie is floating near the dock. Even though Julia needs to get the staff assembled for the season’s clambake business, she can’t help from searching for Andie’s killer. Julia will soon learn that there are many suspects to be investigated. She needs to know more about Max, who was Andie’s former business partner and whose oyster knife was sticking in her throat. Also, there’s a struggling fellow oyster farmer who’s upset with Andie’s looking to receive additional oyster farming areas, lobstermen who don’t like the oyster farmers encroaching on their sites, and summer residents along the river who don’t like looking out on the oyster traps.

I’ve loved this series since book one, as I did this one. The books are well-written and plotted and give the reader a look at a small seaside community’s life. I particularly liked learning about the growing and harvesting of oysters.

There are also delicious sounding recipes with the book.

I’m eagerly awaiting the next book in this informative series.

In short: Robbery investigation turns into a murder investigation with plenty of suspects.

Synopsis from the publisher: The Snowden Family Clambake Company has a beloved reputation in Busman's Harbor, Maine. Almost as famous is the sleuthing ability of proprietor Julia Snowden, which is why an oyster farmer seeks her out when she's in trouble.

My thoughts: This is Book 9 in the Maine Clambake Mystery and I absolutely loved it! This can easily be read as a stand alone, in fact it was the 1st I’ve read in the series. I definitely am going to go back and read the whole series now.

What I liked:
The center of this story focuses on the mystery which had many suspects, twists and turns.
Great sleuthing
All the descriptions of the area and learning about oyster farming.
Well developed secondary characters

Shucked Apart: A Maine Clambake Mystery
By Barbara Ross
Kensington
March 2021

Review by Cynthia Chow

After numerous confrontations with criminals and having kept more than one family member out of jail, Julia Snowden shouldn’t be surprised when her boyfriend comes to her for help. What definitely does catch her off guard is that Chris Durand’s poker buddy “Andy” is actually Andie Greatorex, very much a woman and one who is convinced that she’s being sabotaged. A recent mugging attack on her resulted in over $35,000 of oyster seed – “spat” – being stolen, but while the police see it as a robbery for profit Andie believes that the crime was intended to intimidate her. In just a few days there will be a hearing to approve Andie’s application to expand her business, one that would make her the largest oyster farmer on the Damariscotta River. Other farmers are concerned that could lead to future controlled legislation, local homeowners don’t approve of the unsightly boats and traps, and lobsterers resent the intrusion on their traps. Andie was right to be concerned, as the day before her hearing Julia finds Andie facedown in the water at her Great River Oyster Farm, stabbed in the back with an oyster shucking knife.

In a case of Chekov’s knife, Julia had recently seen that restaurant knife in the hands of Mack Owen, Andie’s former partner in romance and business. With the name of Mack’s Oyster Shack branded on the murder weapon and still named as Andie’s heir, Mack becomes the obvious suspect and is the next to ask for Julia’s investigative help. Running her family’s Snowden Family Clambake gives her insight and access to the close-mouthed community that the police do not have, and by keeping them updated on her findings she maintains a cordial relationship with them. Proving to be less amenable is Chris himself, who only recently opened up to Julia about his family and still hasn’t introduced her to his longtime friends. That they seem to know all about her while she knows nothing about them would seem to negate his being ashamed of her, but Julia can’t help but feel as though he has shut her out of a vital part of his life. She will have to balance coping with this inner turmoil with her investigation as she not only delves into the Maine’s contentious agriculture world, but continues to interview employee applicants during their brief “calm” off-season.

This ninth in the series excels at allowing the characters to evolve and grow, making them truly come alive and real for readers. As a couple Julia and Chris are facing more than one stumbling block, and readers will be rooting for Julia to make the decisions that will be best for her now. Proving just as compelling as their relationship challenges is the exploration of the oyster farming business. Julia may know the inside and out of hosting clambakes, but farming, preparing, and eating oysters is an entirely foreign world. Seeding spats into the river, individually harvesting them by hand, and even how to deftly shuck and suck down oysters prove to be intricate, very involved procedures. Readers who have grown to love Julia’s clever wit, the Snowden Family Clambake, and the often chilly weather of Busman’s Harbor will be intrigued by the introduction of oyster farming and look forward to what next will be thrown into Julia’s complicated life.