As winter is in full affect at Busman's Harbor Julia is settling down with her mother beating out various snowstorms when her mother receives a package and upon opening it finds a beautiful expensive black diamond necklace with a message for Windsholme which is a empty house on Morrow Island. Julia and her mother can't figure out who it's from but the story takes them back to Julia's mothers childhood. Julia wanting to help her mother finds herself traveling to Boston to figure it out.

In Boston she finds family members they didn't know they had and a long lost cousin who supposedly died in Maine. They also find a murder mystery as their cousin died a couple of days ago, but the police are adament it was murder. Who killed Hugh the long lost cousin and why?

This book was incredible I couldn't put it down I loved the history that was incorporated into it, and learning more about Julia's mother and relatives. This book was so fabulous anyone who loves history with a cozy mystery will definitely love this book! Ms. Ross is a catch of a writer and I can't wait to see what she cooks up next!

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Julia Snowden and her mother are snowed in during a Maine winter. Expecting nothing more than snuggling under the covers and reading a good book, Julia is surprised when the mail brings a mystery - a priceless black diamond necklace gifted to her mother, but with no indication of who sent it. This sends Julia on the path of discovering not just who sent it, but about her mother's family.

I really enjoyed this book. Jumping in to the 5th book in the series did not hurt the reading experience. I enjoyed the characters and their interactions and definitely recommend this series!

Great idea for a book and really well executed. A thoroughly good read. Highly recommended. .

Enjoyed this book, didn't guess who the murderer was. Would read this author again. Thanks for letting me read and review this book

This series just keeps getting better. Boston is the setting rather than Maine and the reader learns more backstory of the series. While it would be best to read them in order, the author fills in the background very well, allowing the series to be read in any order. From her home in Maine to Boston, the hunt is on to find out who sent a long lost and very valuable family heirloom to Julia's mother. They thought there was no more family around. I'll be looking forward to the next in the series.

Iced Under by Barbara Ross is the 5th in the Maine Clambake Mystery series. Once again, Julia Snowden is involved in a couple of mysteries, but this time, not in Busman's Harbor. This is a fresh idea that really pulled me in to this story. It is February and there is an impending storm coming. Chris is off in Florida helping a friend set up his boat for the tourists so Julia decides to visit her mom. Jacqueline asks her to pick up her mail at the post office on the way. As well, Livvie is expecting to deliver the new baby anytime. When an anonymous, mysterious package that was in the mail is opened, a family mystery is revealed.

As the story unfolds we learn about long lost relatives, family betrayals, tightly held secrets and a history that many would consider shady. This history helps us to understand Jacqueline and the life that shaped her. Once again, Julia uses her brain, her computer and her research skills to follow the clues and information to unravel the mystery of the "Black Widow". There is a murder in this book, but it is actually secondary to the family mystery. Julia's love for family and her moral compass push her to dig deeper to solve the mysteries.

The new characters in this story are wonderful. They are accepting, honest and loving. The plot pulled me right in and I kept reading quite late in the night to finish this one and find out what happened. This book was much more emotional than the others in this series. When family is such an integral part of the story like it was in this book, it is easy to become more involved with the characters. The historical information imparted in the story was quite interesting and not something I had heard of before. I will definitely do a bit more reading to find out more. It was obvious to me that this had been quite well researched. This book took a different route than the others in the series, but was still just as good and entertaining as well. I am looking forward to what Barbara Ross has in store for us with her next book.

While it is interesting to learn about the history of selling ice, the book did not make me eager to learn what was going to happen next. Possibly, not having read the earlier titles in the series caused me to be less taken with the characters.

This is another great addition to this series. I wasn't sure what I thought about the romance story line of Julia's, but by the end I was a believer of their love. I also loved the storyline of Julia's family. This is truly the best book of the series and I liked all of the new characters we were introduced to. I can't wait for the next in the series!

Iced Under by Barbara Ross is the 5th in the Maine Clambake Mystery series. As in the previous mysteries in this series the story centers around family but not the Snowden Family Clambake Company. The story is centered around the blustery cold winter of Maine, the pending birth of Julia's sister and the anonymous package delivered to Jacqueline. I found this book just as entertaining as the previous ones in this series. Although it is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone. The characters are believable and you will find yourself drawn in with each page.

Excellent story telling in this cozy-that-isn't. I hadn't read others in the series but I don't think that was a problem. Julie is a well drawn character who is also intrepid at untangling long standing family secrets. I liked the detail in the Boston setting (and I'm curious now how Ross does with Maine,) THanks to netgalley for the ARC- this was a winner. I'm going to look for more from Ross. Two thumbs up.

I absolutely love this series. Barbara Ross is amazing. Each book of hers is better than the last one.

The snow is deep in Maine’s Busman’s Harbor and the mighty rivers are covered in ice. Snowden Family Clambake Company proprietor Julia Snowden and her mother, Jacqueline, are hunkered down for the winter when a mysterious package arrives—heating up February with an unexpected case of murder . . . nside the mystery package is an enormous black diamond necklace that once belonged to Julia’s great-grandmother and disappeared in the 1920s. Who could have sent it—and why? Julia’s search for clues takes her on a perilous journey through her mother’s troubled family history, from a squabble over the family fortune in “frozen water” to the recent unexplained death of Jacqueline’s long-lost cousin Hugh—who’d been missing and presumed drowned for more than forty years. To protect her mother’s inheritance, Julia must fend off a small army of feuding relatives, solve the mystery surrounding Hugh’s demise, and get back home before the next blizzard buries them all . . .

A delicious cozy read ! This series is a delight and each new release is fresh adventure and fun for the reader. In this next in series. a mysterious family heirloom begins a very intricate well developed sleuthing where the clues wind greatly through the story and characters we love.. Set in a small fishing harbor in Maine the location, community and people are delightful . I love the premises of this mystery as it involves our protagonist family and tightly held secrets over the years. This is a perfect blend of the ultimate cozy mystery with all the right elements we crave. ! I loved this book. Thank you for the advance reading copy which did not influence my review. I highly recommend this series for your reading enjoyment .

I'd read and reviewed "Fogged In," the fourth in this Maine Clambake Mystery series and thought it was pretty good! The fifth edition, "Iced Under," is even better! The mystery this time surrounds a long-missing family heirloom necklace that arrives in Julia's mother's mail. Julia sets out to find out who sent it and to solve the mystery of who took the necklace from Julia's ancestors in the first place. Her search leads her to long-lost relatives in Boston and comes to a conclusion during an epic snowstorm. This was a great read, keeping my attention with interesting twists and turns. The supporting characters are unique and continuing characters still add interest to the book (e.g., Julia's sister's pregnancy, her boyfriend's absence while on a sailing trip). My only disappointment is that Julia's cat seems to take a back seat in this book. I'd love to see him play a bigger role in the storyline. I hope to read more in this series!

I was totally drawn in by page 2. I could not put this book down. It keeps the suspense and drama on great levels so I was never bored.

I thought this book started off quite slowly, alot of genealogy searching was involved but then it turned into a very good murder mystery. I enjoyed all of the different characters and it's definitely a great book to read during the cold winter months! I look forward to reading more books by this author.

As I've mentioned before in other book reviews in this series, it took me awhile to warm up to the characters. As time has moved on, I have found that I really enjoy this series, especially the Maine setting. In this installment, Julia's mom Jacqueline, receives a mysterious package in the mail. The origin of the contents of the package sends Julia down to Boston to meet some of her extended family.

What was interesting was the information of Maine's ice business and how it intertwined with Julia's family history and what it did to later generations of the family. What was slightly confusing was the family tree and how each person was interconnected. As I received an ARC from NetGalley, maybe the finished version of the book had one included. As always, there were a number of recipes included in the back of the book. I look forward to book 6!!

I loved this book! The mystery of the necklace was intriguing, and I loved how Julia was doing genealogy research to try to solve it. I also loved the quirkiness of the characters. The only experience I have with this series is the novella in Eggnog Murder, but I had no trouble following the story. By the end, I was feeling a definite connection to the characters.

One of my favorite cozy mystery series! This isn't like the conventional cozies where the murder takes place within the first few chapters. There's a lot of speculation with Julia and her mom trying to figure out who sent a mysterious package. In turn, the hunt leads to a murder far into the storyline where numerous suspects abound and no one is to be trusted. This is a series worth investing your time, starting with the first book. Julia is a solid protagonist and each book gets better and better. There are also mouth-watering recipes included at the end and you may want to try them all.

This is a great book; this is the fifth book in the Maine Clambake Mystery series written by Barbara Ross. This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. This book will keep you reading long into the night. If you are looking for a great book, then you need to read this book. I am looking forward to reading the next book by this great author. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.