Sealed Off

The clambake season is winding down in Busman's Harbor, Maine, and the Snowden family only has a few more events before fall arrives.  In Sealed Off by Barbara Ross, Julia Snowden is looking forward to the season ending. Between the constant bickering among her crew and the renovation of her family's home on Morrow Island, she cannot wait for the last remaining clambakes to be completed.  (Sealed Off will be released by Kensington Publishing Corp. on December 31.)

While she is touring the family home with her mother's cousin 90-year-old Marguerite and her granddaughter Tallulah, the demolition crew discovers a mysterious room, sealed off from the rest of the house. In the room are furnishings and the possessions presumably belonging to the nanny or governess of the family's children. No one is more surprised than architect Wyatt Jayne.

When Julia unearths several handwritten journals from among

the effects in the room, a new mystery crops up. Who was the young woman and what became of her? While Julia would love nothing more than to research the history of the hidden room, she finds herself thrust in the middle of a quarrel among her crew.

Long-time employee Jason has been flirting relentlessly with Emmy but not to be outdone, another employee Terry seems to be interested in her as well. Of course, this does not sit well with Jason's ex-wife Pru, who also works for the Snowden Clambake. 

When Jason is found dead under the wood pile a few days later and Terry is missing along with one of the Russian demolition crew members, the local police naturally focus on Terry, an ex-con. Because Terry is the brother of Julia's boyfriend Chris, she feels obligated to clear him. 

With two mysteries on her mind, Julia plunges into her investigation. The Maine Clambake Mysteries make me hungry for lobster, corn on the cob and all the trimmings. Another intriguing addition to Barbara Ross' series with two tightly woven mysteries.