Muddled Through is book #10 in the Maine Clambake Mystery series by Barbara Ross.

The shop that Julia’s sister works at is vandalized. The owner has a plan for tourism that not everyone likes and some are quite vocal about it. There is a murder and Julia’s sister asks her to look into it.

I really enjoyed this book. I like spending time with the characters and I love the setting for the book. I didn’t guess who the murderer was. There were a lot of twists that kept me guessing.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the free copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Wow book 10 in the series A Maine Clambake Mystery...I love going back to Busman's Harbor, Maine to see what Julia Snowden is up to and see how the town is doing...
Looks like there is another suspicious death in Busman's Harbor and of course Julia is in the middle of the investigation..
Barbara Ross does an excellent job in capturing you from the first chapter if not the first page to make you continue reading. The book flows and doesn't disappoint and of course we get recipes at the end. Since the book started in the Spring the clambakes haven't opened yet so Julia has more time on her hands to help solve a murder.
The characters are wonderful and I especially liked Alice Rumford...her story was unique and heartbreaking.
Highly recommend if you like murder mysteries it's more like a cozy mystery feel to it.
Love this series

I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for allowing me to read an advanced digital copy of this book for an honest review...these are my words and my words alone...

Fun read with our protagonist actually solving the mystery instead of just running into the answer after wrong guesses. I love that they’ve got side issues to work out that isn’t just about their love life and immediate jobs, but also the community at large; like the old verses new stuff regarding shops, ideas, and even look of the buildings. And, all the characters are well thought out and developed, so we are more invested in them.

Muddled Through deserves a sky full of stars!

Muddled Through is a cozy mystery that ticks all the boxes. I’ve read all of Barbara Ross’s books, and this is the very best. I love this series, but I have not figured out what makes this one so special, except it is perfect in every way, and I marveled about it all through the book!

Muddled Through’s plot and subplots, the character development, dialogue, the descriptions of Maine in the spring and other local color, the flow, the pacing - everything was perfect. Even the little bits of back story the author sprinkled in were perfect and necessary, and contained no spoilers that would prevent someone reading the book as a stand alone.

It’s spring (and mud season) in Busman’s Harbor, Maine. The Snowden Family Clambake is not open for the season until summer. Julia Snowden sees flashing police lights at Lupine Design, a upscale pottery shop and studio where her sister works during off-season. She dashes over there, and discovers her sister is fine, but that all the pottery in the retail shop has been destroyed.

Later, the body of another tenant is found in the basement of Lupine Design, and the state police take over the investigation. When Julia solved both mysteries, she was well ahead of me. I didn’t figure it out on my own, like I often do with mysteries. The ending was satisfying, except that it means I have to wait to read another book in the series.

I enjoy reading about the relationships Julia has with her family, and with friends old and new. The characters come alive. The investigation was very interesting, of course. I was amazed during the entire book how perfect it was. I even read the Acknowledgements and the recipes, and I never read those in any book. This time, however, I’m going to make all the recipes. They all captured my interest in the book and my taste buds still salivate when I think of them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the DRC. They want my honest review, and that’s what this is.

It's mud season in Maine, and many of the residents of Busman’s Harbor are at odds with one another over a proposed pedestrian mall. A pottery shop is vandalized, but when a body is found in the same shop a few days later, and since it’s the offseason for her family’s clambake, Julia has time to help the police investigate the murder in order to clear her new friend’s name.

This is the 10th book in this series, which I’ve enjoyed from the very first book nearly a decade ago. I’ve never been to Maine but would love to visit, take part in the Snowden family’s clambake, and maybe befriend a local who would take me to Gus’s for lunch :) The characters in these books feel like old friends, with new people introduced now and then. I like Zoey, the owner of the pottery store, and hope her friendship with Julia continues in future books; Julia needs a friend or two who isn’t part of her family. Julia is newly single in this book, and it looks like there might be the possibility of a dreaded love triangle looming, but I hope that’s not the case.

The mystery here was good, with only a few viable suspects to consider. It looked more and more like one person was the killer, but as Julia unearthed additional information, she was able to figure out who was the true guilty party. I like that she shares what she learns with the police, even when she isn’t sure if it’s relevant or significant. The confrontation with the murderer was suspenseful, and I was surprised to learn who the killer was. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

Muddled Through is the 10th book in the Maine Clambake Mysteries written by Barbara Ross. I've previously finished all the earlier books in the series and enjoy these cozies because they are set in Maine, my future home (wishing for it!). Protagonist Julia Snowden returned home several years ago after a stint in NYC working in the financial sector, but now she runs her family's summer clambake business. Since the last book, she ended a relationship and moved back to her mom's to start fresh. When her sister finds a pottery shop trashed, Julia befriends the owner, Zoey, who helps her figure out how to move on again. But when the owner of the business next door (with whom Zoey often fought) is found murdered in their jointly-owned basement, Zoey's in trouble. Especially given she's hidden some of her connections to the town. Why would someone want to kill the elderly man? Or was he not the intended victim? Julia snuffs out the truth and finds herself trapped with the killer in a near-death scene. Ross captivated my attention like a true thriller in that chapter, and I was so glad to see the ending come together. But now Julia is moving in a new direction and possibly considering dating another character... exciting times for the upcoming books.

Muddled Through by Barbara Ross is the tenth book in her Maine Clambake Mystery series. This time amateur sleuth Julia Snowden sets out to prove that her sister's boss, Zoey Butterfield did not murder the man who rents the space next to Zoe's pottery shop. It takes a lot of digging into the past but Julia pulls through. There is danger and suspense in this storyline. I really enjoyed it. I liked the characters and was surprised at the ending.

Muddled Through by Barbara Ross takes us back to Busman’s Harbor, Maine. Julia Snowden finds herself embroiled in another mystery courtesy of her sister, Livvie. Livvie works at Lupine Designs owned by Zoey Butterfield in the off season. Zoey is a potter who makes beautiful plates, cups, bowls, platters, and other related items. Julia gets a frantic call from her sister. She rushes down to the shop to find the place destroyed. Someone managed to get into the shop in the early hours and destroy the store’s inventory. Zoey had been out collecting clay, so she was no in her apartment above the shop. The day after a raucous town meeting, Phinney Hardison is found dead in the basement of Lupine Design. Zoey is the prime suspect since it is her shop, she had access, and she had an altercation with the victim at the town meeting the previous evening. Zoey and Phinney were on opposite sides of pedestrian mall matter. Livvie asks Julia to investigate and prove Zoey’s innocence. Julia has her work cut out for on this case. Muddled Through is the tenth A Maine Clambake Mystery. It can be read as a standalone since the necessary background information is provided. Barbara Ross has a casual writing style. It is friendly and engaging. It makes her stories easy to read. Julia Snowden is single after parting ways with Chris Durand. She has returned to her mother’s home since Gus needed Julia’s apartment for family. It is spring in Maine which means it is the muddy season. The mud and rain make it difficult to get around. You need to have sturdy wellies if you are going to be out and about. The town is in an uproar over the proposed pedestrian mall. Four blocks of Main Street would be blocked to road traffic on Friday and Saturday evening during July and August. Shops could set out their wares and restaurants could offer outdoor dining (a street festival vibe). Zoey Butterfield, a local potter and store owner, is in favor of the pedestrian mall. Phinney Hardison is not in favor of the mall or tourists. He still considers Zoey a flatlander. Phinney is found dead in Zoey’s basement which leads to a major investigation. Julia is a curious person by nature. She likes to know the answers, so it does not take much persuasion to convince her to look into the crime. Julia asks questions, looks up information online, and searches for clues. The mystery becomes interesting in the second half of the book. I enjoyed following Julia as she gathered intel. I love solving whodunits. I had an inkling as to why a certain person committed the crime, but I was not completely sure until Julia uncovered the final clue. The reveal is suspenseful and suits the series. Julia is still trying to get over Chris Durand. Zoey gives her some good advice. It looks like there is a potential love interest or two for Julia (when she is ready). I enjoy the author’s descriptions of Maine. It sounds like a beautiful area. I liked meeting Alice Rumsford (a local philanthropist). I hope we get to see more of her in the future. Muddled Through is a wicked fun time with messy mud, pulverized pottery, ardent debating, mall melee, a slain neighbor, key conundrum, a brilliant breakthrough, and a questioning Julia.

I love this series. It never disappoints. I thought Julia and Chris made a great team, but I can understand why she broke up with him. I was curious to see what she would do now and I like the direction she is going. Her family is very important to her and that shows in everything she does in the book. This was a good mystery that kept me guessing. Can't wait to see what's next!

As someone living in Maine, I enjoyed this book being set in Maine, as well as all the places/things that I recognized in the story. The first book that I have ever read by her, I enjoyed the mystery.

I enjoy every visit I make to Busman's Harbor, ME, and the Snowden Family Clambake. The residents feel like friends. I liked learning more about the town itself and the shop owners rather than being on the island. The mystery was well-paced and kept me reading late into the night. I love everything about this series and can't wait for the next one.

Julia makes a new friend when her sister Livvie enlists her in the effort to clear the name of Zoey, the owner of Lupine Designs who has been accused of murder. Tensions are running high in Busman's Harbor over a proposal to turn the downtown into a pedestrian mall. Zoey has run afoul of her neighbor Finney and some of the other merchants but never expected someone would vandalize her store. Nor did she expect that a body would be found in the basement. I've been a fan of this series because of Julia and her family, who run a clambake business. The mysteries are classic, the tone is light, and now that Julia's broken up with Chris, there's room for a new love interest to spice things up. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Will be completely enjoyable as a standalone.

Great title for so many reasons, you can be muddled, a situation can be muddled, a cocktail can have a muddled ingredient, and a person can do the muddling, which should not be confused with meddling. Although, Julia does seem to meddle aka investigate. This story has you drawn in, right at the beginning, and you can’t help but empathize with Julia as she teeters back forth between helping and not helping. The initial crime is gut-wrenching and it can be hard to say “no” to family and Lizzie is rather insistent. She has quite a bit on her plate as it is what with the recent break up (Shucked Apart), helping with the family business, taking care of the renovation work on Windsholme and then there is that awkwardness about dating or not dating and having to move back home, again. There seemed, at least to the authorities, to be only one suspect but I thought of at least two others and was still WAY off. This mystery certainly has its share of red herrings which just muddied the investigative waters, but once that same mud was thrown around and worked it began to take shape. I still did not figure it out before the big reveal. I was just as invested in the story as Julia and completely forgot that she had plans to see to. Not sure where the romance angle is going, which has me a bit muddled, not unlike Zoey who asked for a status update. Perhaps I will just make some Mushroom Soup and Butterscotch Cookies to enjoy while I contemplate the possible outcomes, thank goodness the recipes and a few others have been provided at the conclusion. Thanks Ms. Ross!

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily. This book is part of a series, but you can read it as standalone. Julia Snowden is your usual "nosy" female sleuth, but I have to give her kudos because she is pretty smart. Someone vandalizes Lupine Design which is a pottery shop and studio where Livvie works (Julia's sister). The owner, Zoey, is on a mission to set up a pedestrian mall in their harbor town. Some local businesses, including her next door neighbor, Phinney, are not very keen on this idea. To add to that issue, Phinney does not like Zoey at all. They are like oil and water, but they have to "share" space in their retail business which makes their battles with one another even worse. He makes his displeasure known very loudly and publicly. When a body drops, Zoey is a prime suspect, but Julia does not believe that the two incidents are related. The setting for this book sounds heavenly. It is set in a small harbor town in Maine known as Busman's Harbor. The characters are very interesting in this book, and the dynamics between Julia and a certain police officer are in question - will there be a romance or not? Julia is a spunky protagonist who makes the story interesting. The plot was very well written. The mystery itself was a little deeper than the usual cozy mystery which made the mystery more interesting for me. Julia's family hosts clam bakes for tourists, but this does not come into play until the end of the book in this installment. I always enjoy a light read such as this one. You have the mystery and some humor with a little romance mixed in. Barbara Ross is a delightful author. I enjoyed reading this book. It was an easy read. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, you will not be disappointed with this book.

About the Book

Muddled Through is the 10th book in Ross’s A Maine Clambake Mystery series, and I have been excitedly awaiting its release! I discovered this series last summer, and as with most series, I went back and started with the first book to see if I wanted to read the entire series.

I did! And I binge read it and then cooled my heels while I waited for this latest book.

It was so worth the wait!

What initially attracted me to this series was the Maine coastal setting. For whatever reason, I am intrigued by coastal or island settings. Maine is also something of a novelty setting to me; again, I have no idea why!

From the first book I was enthralled with the main character, Julia, and enjoyed her even more in this installment.

Julia’s curiosity turns into a murder investigation when a friend’s pottery showroom is first ransacked and then the scene of a murder. She questions the focus of the investigators and doesn’t believe her friend capable of murder.

Plus Julia has time on her hands since she’s still healing from the break-up of her relationship with Chris. There is definitely progress made in this area in this book!

I gave this book a 5 Star rating because I couldn’t put it down and literally read it in a few hours. This is one of those series that was so good from the first book, and just gets better and better with each new book!
What I Love
The Setting
The Maine coastal setting is a huge draw for me. Maybe it’s because Murder, She Wrote featured a Maine setting, and that was a big part of the beginning of my love of cozy mysteries. I also like the Busman’s Harbor town setting with its mix of old school characters and those a bit more future oriented. That’s always a mix ripe for conflict!
The Characters
The author’s ability to write characters so realistically is amazing. I cried with the characters in this book, felt anxiety as they did, and felt all the feelings along with them. That’s what I call great character writing!
The Plot
I was so taken by this storyline from the first page that I read it fanatically within a few hours. The plot was strong with a well-developed journey encouraging a speedy read-through to see what happens next.

There was a great mix of obvious villains, aka red herrings, and more subtle possibilities that literally kept me guessing to the near end.

I also enjoyed the balance of the main storyline with some supporting sideline bits, such as Julia’s working through life stuff, like family, business, and her love life.

Final Thoughts & My Star Rating

If you’re already a fan of this series or author, then I probably don’t have to tell you to read this book! For those who are new to this series, I will suggest starting with the first book simply because of the development of Julia’s path, and more specifically her romantic life.

I give this book a 5 Star rating!

Mud season is no joke in Maine and neither is the bad blood between business owners, Zoey and Phinney. When Zoey's pottery store is vandalized, Julia arrives to help her sister and Zoey clean up. That night an argument breaks out at town meeting with these two owners on opposite sides. When Phinney ends up murdered in Zoey's basement, she is the main suspect. Julia thinks there is more going on here and begins her own investigation. With a surprise twist, the ending answer a lot of questions. A couple of sub plots break the tension in the book, which was well written. I look forward to more of Julia's adventures and her working on her dreams.

I received a copy of this book from Net galley in return for an honest review.

Muddled Through is everything one could want from a cozy mystery. Barbara Ross has woven a tale that is far more than a mystery, though the mystery is well written and not an easily solved puzzle. This book, the tenth in the Maine Clambake series, has heart. Julia Snowden is at loose ends after breaking up with her longtime love, Chris. Her sister, Livvie, involves her in a mystery to try to keep her mind occupied. It does that, but Julia still grapples with the consequences of ending her relationship with Chris and a broken heart. Julia’s feelings and inner turmoil add so much depth to the story. She reflects on how her life has unfolded and how she is now back home living with her mother as she runs the family business. 

This is one mystery that had me guessing all the way to the end. This book also seems to foreshadow as to where the series may go and I am eager to read for the next book. I highly recommend this entertaining mystery. Five stars.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions stated are solely my own.

Things are heating up in the small coastal town of Busman's Harbor, Maine. What is so awful about a main street pedestrian mall? Seems like anything that draws customers and helps local businesses would be welcome. Such is not the case when the proposal is floated to the residents. Soon vandalism occurs at the pottery shop and is followed by the discovery of a dead body. Julia Snowdon's sister works at the shop and Julia is drawn into finding the killer.
I always enjoy spending time with Julia and her family and their Snowdon Family Clambake business. From the lovely town, various recurring characters and a well crafted puzzle to unravel, each book is a welcome reading vacation. It's almost like a welcome letter from home.
My thanks to the publisher Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I adore this series and was delighted when I found the ARC was available and I was approved to read.

Julia is at loose ends because it is off season and she had recently broken up with her live in boyfriend and then been evicted from her apartment because her landlord wanted it for A family member so she is back at her parents' home sleeping in her childhood bedroom.

Livvy, Julia's sister, works for Zoey a local potter. Livvy calls screaming "Come to the shop." When Julia gets there she sees flashing police lights and an ambulance. She finds Livvy talking to the police and every piece of pottery has been broken but Livvy is fine. Who would do this to Zoey? She seems really nice. Several days later after a contentious town meeting a dead body was found in the basement that Zoey shares with the store next to hers. Maybe she's not so nice.

This is a pleasant, easy to read series. I always enjoy my visit to Maine. Her romantic life is in a bit of a dither. We have new characters and old. The mystery kept me guessing and was a surprise. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.