This month, as part of my continuing effort to cover at least one classic or highly recommended Cozy mystery every month, I’ve read the first entry in Barbara Ross‘s Maine Clambake Mystery Series, Clammed Up.

Julia Snowden has gone back to her family home in Busman’s Harbor, Maine, for the summer. A national economic recession and a poorly timed bank loan to try to expand before the economy broke have left the Snowden Family Clambake Company in dire straits, and Julia’s expertise in finance make her the perfect person to attempt a last-ditch financial solution before the bank calls the loan in.

The Snowden family has run their clambake company for about half a century, running guests out to their privately owned Morrow Island to partake in some of the finest delicacies the local waters can offer, a remote island several hours away by boat.

One of the parts of the financial solution includes opening up the clambake to new and different clienteles other than the regular twice-daily tourist crowd, such as offering early season special outings like wedding receptions. Unfortunately, the first such wedding reception is ruined by the discovery of a body on the island, that of the best man – and in the best classic mystery fashion, it seems like everyone has some sort of motive for doing him in.

One thing I really appreciated about Clammed Up is that the mystery is revealed almost immediately at the outset of the book. While there is a lot to be said for establishing a strong setting and cast, many novels tend to “meander” through the lives of the protagonist for far too long before getting to the mystery, especially in the first entry of the series. That isn’t the case here.

That isn’t to say that this establishment doesn’t occur – there is a great deal of time taken up in the first half of the novel with establishing the community, the family’s routine, what an average clambake is like, and other similar details. But all of it takes place with the murder already firmly established and in mind, which really helps a novel for someone like myself who appreciates the mystery as much as its backdrop.

Another thing I really love about Clammed Up is the cast. In some cases, the urge to make Cozy characters feel “unique” and “quirky” can backfire, making them feel more like caricatures than genuine characters. Clammed Up doesn’t fall into that trap – less sympathetic figures in the town still feel like people trying to do the best job they can under trying circumstances, rather than stubborn obstructionists that are outright trying to either ruin the Snowden family or cover up the crime (well, aside from the criminal, of course).

If you’re looking for a great Cozy set in a scenic, picturesque setting with interesting but believable characters and an engaging mystery that will present itself almost immediately, I can strongly recommend Clammed Up. I feel that this might be an especially good Cozy for those of us who are missing our own summers just a little bit more this year, as it can let you escape to the scenic seaside, if only for a bit.

P.S. As always, if you are interested in reading some of the other entries about highly recommended Cozy Mystery series, you can find them at the Most Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on the site.

Do you sometimes read a mystery book and find yourself just lost in the book so much that the characters, the setting and the overall tone of the book is so enjoyable that you are not even trying to solve the mystery? This just happened to me when I read The Survival of the Fritters, the first book in Ginger Bolton’s Deputy Donut Mystery Series which is the next book in my quest to cover some of the most popular and recommended mystery series. When I got near to finishing this book, I suddenly realized that the mystery was being revealed, and I had not even really tried to solve it myself!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying there is anything wrong with the mystery in this book — far from it! Maybe it was just the mood I was in, but I was enjoying the writing and being in the small northern Wisconsin town of Fallingbrook so much, the ending just kind of crept up on me.

The story opens in the Deputy Donut donut shop. Emily Westhill, our sleuth, and her father-in-law, Tom Westhill (who was the ex-chief of police of the town) run the Deputy Donut shop. Emily is actually the widow of Tom’s son Alec, who was a police detective in the town until he was shot and killed on duty. Emily and Alec were only married four years before he was killed, and Emily is still in her twenties. 

The little donut shop is frequented by many of the town’s people including quite a few members of the police force. Also often there are the Knitpickers, a group who, not surprisingly, are knitters. On this particular day, however, one of the regular Knitpickers, Georgia, was not there. By the end of the day, the Knitpickers had returned to the Deputy Donut shop in order to get Emily to go with them over to Georgia’s house to see what was wrong with her. Being a Cozy Mystery, of course, before long a body was discovered and Emily begins her side job of sleuthing!

The town has a lot of charm. Reading about Emily and her friends reminded me about why I enjoy Cozies so much. Emily has a wonderful little house. And she has a cat with the same name as her shop — Deputy Donut, which she shortens to “Dep” most of the time. Living right behind her in an identical house is Lois who has a long connection to Georgia. So Lois helps Emily with her snooping about. The town has a number of characters who could be involved with the murder(s), so if you are needing to practice your sleuthing skills, the clues and the suspects abound in this book.

But, as I said earlier, I was just along for the ride in this one — for once I left the solving of the mystery to the book’s sleuth! How about you, does this ever happen to you? (I don’t solve most of the mysteries in the books I read, but I sure do enjoy trying!) 

By the way, the author has another very popular series that she wrote as Janet Bolin, the Threadville Mystery Series. 

P.S. As always, if you are interested in reading some of the other entries about highly recommended Cozy Mystery series, you can find them at the Most Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on the site.