Against the Claw: A Lobster Shack Mystery
By Shari Randall
St. Martin’s
August 2018

Review by Cynthia Chow

Until her broken ankle heals and she can return to her soloist position with the New England Ballet Theater, Allie Larkin is recuperating and helping out with her aunt’s Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack in Mystic Bay. Although business is already booming for the kitschy, mermaidabilia lobster restaurant, Aunt Gully enthusiastically jumps at the chance to be the caterer for Stellene Lupo’s annual Fourth of July party. The local celebrity is the owner of a New York modeling agency, and Aunt Gully can’t resist the opportunity to mingle and network on Stellene’s Harmony Harbor estate. Even Allie’s business-minded sister Lorel can’t resist the chance to ogle at the celebrities, and Allie is willing to do anything to distract her sister from her bad boy boyfriend. The only cloud looming over what should be a spectacular event is the discovery of a young woman’s body in a lobster trap, unidentifiable and the victim of a drug overdose.

Accustomed to the stage, Allie is game to donning a glittery shell bra and mermaid skirt in order to serve hors d’oeuvres; especially if it means getting up close and personal with megastar singer Eden and her smolderingly hot guitar player. It seems like a dream come true when the musical icon asks the sisters to stay with her on Stellene’s yacht, but it becomes a nightmare when things goes dreadfully wrong during the night. Being rich and famous doesn’t mean that they don’t have the same problems as “normal” people, but it does mean that they have the resources to bury their secrets and stop anyone in their way. Being hampered with an orthopedic boot isn’t going to slow Allie down one second, whether it’s performing in Mystic Bay’s Broadway by the Bay in an aerial harness or finding justice for the poor woman Allie can’t forget.

Plots and clues are sprinkled throughout this delightfully atmospheric mystery, which contrasts the mouth-watering Lobster Shack meals with the exclusive Harmony Harbor estate. Both Allie and her best friend Verity are tempted by a chiseled musician, but getting to know the lifestyles of rich and famous may be deadly. With the local harbor police proving less than reliable, Allie does her best to maneuver her way through local gossip and cloistered wealthy families, all while performing an experimental musical play sure to bring the down the house. Allie’s good humor while dealing with a career-ending injury and adjusting back to life in a small coastal town makes her an extremely genial and admirable heroine. Readers will be invested in seeing whether she returns to her life back in New York City, or finds herself at home with the quirky, tourist and fishing-centric town. The action and intrigue builds to levels that will have readers more than ready of the next installment in this suspenseful and very entertaining novel.

I love this series! Allie is a ballerina who broke her ankle and, in recovery, is helping her Aunt Gully with her lobster restaurant in Mystic Bay. She's also dealing with (and enjoying) her sister Lorel and Lorel's boyfriend Patrick. They aren't the focus of the novel though- it's the group of them solving the murder of a young girl whose corpse, when found, is unrecognizable. Then there's another murder. Yikes. This reaches a bit beyond the usual cozy to look at the differences between rich summer home owners and year-rounders in a small town. Allie and Gully are terrific, the plot has just the right number of twists, and it's all in all a very good read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. You don't need to have read the first one to enjoy this- and I'm looking forward to the next one!

Shari Randall Interview 072518

Welcome back to the seaside village of Mystic Bay, where someone’s been found sleeping with the fishes. . .

Ballerina Allie Larkin is still back home, healing up from a broken ankle and lending a hand at her aunt’s Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack. But now that the famed restaurant is branching out into the world of catering, Allie’s help is needed more than ever—even on the lobster boat. The last thing she expects to find once she’s out on the bay, however, is the dead body of a beautiful young woman.

When days pass and not even the police can ID the corpse, Allie takes it upon herself to learn the truth about what happened. Her investigation leads her all the way from the local piers to the secluded estates of Mystic Bay’s posh elite. But how can she crack this case when everyone seems dead-set on keeping their secrets beneath the surface?
US.MacMillan.com

My mind churned with memories of last night, a night that had begun
so magically, champagne and music and a nighttime glide across the bay to
a multimillion-dollar yacht with a star and a handsome musician.
And ended with my sister smeared with her boyfriend’s blood.
Shari Randall, Against The Claw (Kindle Loc. 2102)



Against The Claw, the second book in Shari Randall’s Lobster Shack Mystery series, will be released by St. Martin’s Press on July 31. I interviewed Shari when her first in the series was released, Curses, Boiled Again, which was a wonderful read. But so often an author spends years developing the first book. It’s the second book, written under time constraints, that is critical to the success of a series. I’m pleased to report that I liked Against The Claw perhaps even more than Curses, Boiled Again.

Why? It’s the authenticity. In cozies, the main character inevitably finds a body. Shari builds scenarios that smack of realism. When main character Allie Larkin innocently finds victims in the course of her life, there is no stretch to believe the contrived. Readers are just as shocked as Allie. It’s the author’s gift and a blessing to readers who are jaded and immune to another body find. There is an emotional connection on the visceral level that enables this authenticity. As a writer, I’m reading and studying.

There’s also a lot of fun reading. Shari must have anticipated the first question I was going to ask because at the very end of the book she supplied the recipe of Aunt Gully’s Love Sauce, which surprised me due to it also being a bisque.

I have no need to welcome Shari to WWK, old-timer here that she is—so just drop by and give Shari a high five and a virtual champagne toast. E. B. Davis

Thank you for inviting me for an interview, EB. Champagne and lobster rolls for everyone!

Miranda, the mother of Allie and Lorel, died giving birth to Allie. How does Allie feel about that?

Allie doesn’t miss her mother the way she would if she’d known her. She does have a sense of longing, a sense that there is a missing piece in her life, but it’s wistful, not painful. Her Aunt Gully, who stepped into the mother role for Allie and her sister, Lorel, has been too much fun and too big a presence in Allie’s life for her to feel a sense of loss.

Does Lorel resent Allie?

We would have a field day if we could get Lorel to a therapist! On some level, I think she does but it’s expressed mainly as exasperation. Allie and Lorel are opposites - Allie is intuitive and artistic, Lorel is businesslike and all about the numbers. Oil and water. Plus, Lorel is the older sister and can be bossy. That’s why their relationship is so much fun to write – they are two characters who want the same things but go about them in different, usually opposing, ways.

Is Allie and Lorel’s difference in perspective due to their mother’s death?

I’ll leave that up to the armchair psychologists among our readers.

Bertha Betancourt plays a pivotal role in Against The Claw. Does Bertha play Bruce Springsteen on her boat?

I love to picture Bertha blasting “Born to Run” while she’s out on the lobster boat with the wind in her hair!

How did Bertha become Mystic Bay’s Lobster Lady?

Bertha’s family has been lobstering in the Mystic Bay area practically since the town was founded in the 1600s. Some folks whisper that the Betancourts were also pirates and Bertha loves playing that up. In my research I’ve discovered many women who captain their own lobster boats, so Bertha is part of a fine tradition.

Why did she offer housekeeping services to those owning homes on islands in Mystic Bay?

Lobstering is a difficult profession and it’s seasonal. Bertha, like many lobstermen and women, often has to take other jobs to make ends meet. Mystic Bay has plenty of wealthy residents who need their stunning vacation homes cleaned.

Is the Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack open for dinner or is it a lunch place?

It’s open for lunch and dinner. Actually, if Aunt Gully is there before opening and thinks you look hungry, she’ll make you a lobster roll. She has an inner Italian mama in her that makes her want to feed everyone.

Lorel has an MBA, but it seems like she mostly does PR work. What is her Boston job?

Lorel’s just turned 30, but she’s flown up the ladder to vice president at her Boston-based social media company. In Book Three, I’ve given her a stunning office with floor to ceiling windows overlooking Boston Harbor.

Aunt Gully is asked by Stellene Lupo, the owner of a premier modeling agency, to cater her famous July 4th party at her nearby estate. The Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack hasn’t ever catered before. What were the factors they considered when deciding whether or not to accept the job?

Mostly they considered the insane amount of money that Stellene would pay to get famous Lazy Mermaid lobster rolls for her party. But also everyone is dying to get behind the doors of one of the biggest, most secluded mansions in town to be part of this gala party for celebrities and other one percenters.

Stellene’s estate is called Harmony Harbor, but is there a cove or harbor in Mystic Bay that lends the estate its name?

Yes, Harmony Harbor (the estate) is on Harmony Harbor (the harbor). Sorry if it’s confusing! I dream of having a map in my books (are you listening, St. Martin’s?).

Why does Allie characterize Lorel as looking like “the cool blond heroine of a Hitchcock movie?”

Allie’s like me, she’s a fan of classic Hollywood movies. When I picture Lorel, I see an actress like Kim Novak or Grace Kelly, whose cool exterior masks a passionate interior life. As a side note, I’ve had male readers tell me that Lorel is “hot.”

Have tourists ever stolen Aunt Gully’s mermaidabilia that decorates the Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack?

Not yet. Great idea, EB!

Are a lobster’s claws sharp enough to cut off a human finger?

It depends on the size of the claw, but you should never, in the words of Hector the cook, get casual around a lobster.

There are times when you break past for present tense. Why?

I’m still figuring things out as a writer. When I’m having Allie go through a stressful or exciting experience, I want to get as much into her head as I can, so the reader can share that experience.

Is the stage a place where Allie can escape?

Absolutely. Since her injury, she’s struggled with her sense of self. She’s spent most of her life working toward a dance career. Here she is, just about to take on dream roles, when she’s injured. If she’s not a dancer, who is she? Luckily for Allie, she’s discovered a love of sleuthing.

After finding a body entangled in a lobster trap, Allie experiences trauma. What happens to her?

She comes very close to going into shock. I don’t want to give too much away, but though she’s affected greatly, Allie’s good in an emergency. When she’s faced with difficult situations, she’s able to kick into another gear to keep functioning.

Allie eats ice cream with her friend Bronwyn, who is in police training, in the morning and with another friend Verity, who owns a vintage clothing shop, at night on the same day. Does Allie have an ice cream problem?

This one hits close to home. One person’s problem is another person’s party.

I didn’t know that ballerinas coated their pointes with rosin. I also didn’t know it was sticky. I thought rosin was a powder. Does the stage get sticky and can that be dangerous?

I learned so much from my research with Boston Ballet. Some dance companies travel with their own floors, which are made of a nonslip material called marley. But sometimes on tour, dancers will work in a theater with a slippery floor – sometimes the custodians will wax a wooden floor so it’s nice and shiny – which is a disaster for ballet dancers. So they’ll step into a box of crushed rosin (same thing that violinists use on their bows) to make their shoes slightly sticky. There’s a whole art and science to dancers treating their footwear to work on different stages. But you’re right – too much rosin can be a problem, also.

Detective Rosato commands a Harbor Patrol boat to go after stolen evidence. When Allie leaps into the boat, does she reinjure her ankle? Will she have more time away from dance?

Can’t give away any spoilers, but there is a Book Three….

Allie makes a promise to stop interfering in police stuff. She lying, isn’t she?

Allie is an honorable woman, so she means what she says – at that moment in time. But there is a Book Three….

Will Aunt Gully get a new van?

I thought she would, but then things took an interesting turn. (sorry about the pun!)

Thank you again for the interview, EB. I love being a Writer Who Kills!
To celebrate Against the Claw, I’m doing a giveaway. Just say hello and let me know if you like lobster, and I’ll send a copy of ATC to one commenter. U.S. only, please!

Shari Randall's Against the Claw is a perfect summer cozy mystery read. It's Fourth of July week, and dancer Allie Larkin is spending time at home in Mystic Bay, Connecticut while recovering from a broken ankle. She and her sister, Lorel, are helping their Aunt Gully at her Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack when she discovers one body hooked on a lobster trap, and another the night after a big party that they're catering. A clever and creative mystery that is nicely written, and so well told that the ending really surprised me! A+ to this second book in the Lobster Shack Mystery Series, this reader is off to track down the first book - note: I haven't read it (Curses, Boiled Again!) yet, but Against the Claw really worked as a standalone! A+

Allie Larkin, a ballerina recovering from a broken ankle, is helping her Aunt Gully open the Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack in Mystic Bay, Connecticut along with Allie’s sister Lorel and the Gully Gals, friends of Aunt Gully who pitch in to help when business gets ramped up.

One morning Allie goes out with Bertha to collect lobsters from her traps and they discover a dead girl in the water near Cat Island. Then Aunt Gully gets a call from wealthy resident Stellene Lupo’s assistant Zoe Parker to cater Stellene’s July 4th party. While the party is success for the Lobster Shack, Allie and Lorel end up spending the night on Stellene’s yacht only to wake up to find another dead body – Lorel’s ex-boyfriend, Patrick Yardley.

Against the Claw is a well-done cozy. Interesting characters and realistic relationships. The complex plotline is skillfully distracting while laying the foundation for the conclusion. An engaging read to be savored.

This was such a fun read and also the first book by this author I have read. I really enjoyed the setting and the characters. The story is well written and every time I thought I had figured the mystery out I was wrong. In this book I was introduced to Allie Larkin, her sister Lorel, and their Aunt Gully who owns the Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack. After catering a Fourth of July party, Lorel's ex boyfriend Patrick is found murdered. Is Lorel the guilty party? I highly recommend this book! It's a good mystery.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced digital copy of Against the Claw by Shari Randall. This is the second in a series which takes place in Maine with a backdrop of a local lobster shack featuring award winning lobster rolls served up by a delightfully eccentric senior citizen and her crew. The protagonist is Allie, short for Allegra, a classical ballerina recovering from a broken ankle. It was not necessary to have read the first book in the series to understand the characters, and this book is a complete mystery in itself. I enjoyed this book so much I will probably go back and read the first book in the series as well as future installments as they are published.

Allie has returned to her hometown of Mystic Bay, Maine to help her Aunt Gully run the Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack while she recovers from a fall in the Boston home she shares with several other dancers. In this book, her ankle has improved enough for her to take a guest role in a local theater production as well as helping her aunt prepare for a new venture of catering for a local celebrity. Meanwhile, in her daily activities she goes out on a lobster boat with one of Aunt Gully’s friends and when they pull up the last lobster pot of the morning, they discover the body of a young woman whose bracelet has caught on the pot.

Throughout the book, Allie works to identify the young woman while at the same time worrying about her sister’s renewed attachment to the local bad boy and working the catering event. As one might expect, these different threads eventually intersect in an altogether satisfying conclusion. The characters introduced along the way are distinctly drawn, with those who are sympathetic often being people you would like to meet and get to know, and those who are less likable evoking the opposite feelings.

The clues to the murder are sprinkled liberally throughout the book, although not so obvious as to be like flashing neon signs. While I did correctly determine the “who” early in the book, I did not determine the “why” until much later. This resulted in a satisfying end to the mystery as well as a nice increase in pace toward the end that pulled me through to the final conclusion. There was a final chapter that read more like an epilogue and seemed to be a bit abrupt in terms of tying up a few loose ends but this did not affect the mystery’s resolution.

The only frustration for me was the relationship between Allie and her older sister Lorel, short for Lorelai. Allie spends much of her time trying to save Lorel from heartbreak while Lorel returns the favor by being manipulative in terms of work which lead to Allie finding the body as well as some unexpected requirements for the catering job. I found myself wishing that at some point Allie would give Lorel a swift kick instead of being so accepting her treatment and coming back for more.

I found this a delightful cozy mystery that is both smart and entertaining, worthy of four and a half stars and rounded up to five. If you are looking for a new cozy writer, or new cozy series, this is one to try.

While waiting for her broken ankle to heal so that she can resume her career as a ballerina, Allie Larkin is back in her hometown of Mystic Bay, Connecticut, and she’s helping out at her aunt’s Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack restaurant and performing at the local theater. Allie’s life suddenly gets complicated when she’s out on a friend’s lobster boat and she pulls up a dead body instead of some yummy crustaceans. The young woman is a Jane Doe, and Allie is determined to help the police figure out the woman’s identity and what happened to her. When a second body turns up – this time her sister’s ex-boyfriend – Allie is even more determined to figure out what is going on in Mystic Bay before her sister is arrested for at least one of the two murders.

I thoroughly enjoyed AGAINST THE CLAW from the first page to the last. Randall balances out Allie Larkin’s personal life (working at the Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack, her relationships with family and friends, and her rehearsals at the local theater) alongside Allie’s amateur investigation into the two murders. There are a lot of twists and turns in the plot and in Allie’s investigation into the two murders. The readers will be left guessing as to who the killer(s) is and what the motive(s) is. I also enjoyed all of the quirky, real-life characters. Allie Larkin and her aunt Gully are fun, relatable, and likable characters. The setting is also very intriguing, and Randall brings the New England coastal town to life through her descriptions.

Delightful! I said it in my review of the previous book, but I'm not normally a cozy mystery person. Randall, however, has created a cozy series with all of the cozy hallmarks-small town, great characters, lack of gore-that is enjoyable by all. After reading two books, I can't wait to find out what happens next to Allie, Aunt Gully & Lorel!

This book was fantastic! There were so many twists and turns, I wasn't sure hope it was going to come together, but it did. Tying up the loose ends ended with a couple of shocking twists...Shari Randall really served up a good story and Allie, once again, cracked the case. #againsttheclaw

I will post this review to Amazon once it is released.

Against the Claw by Shari Randall is the second book in the cozy A Lobster Shack Mystery series. The series is centered around dancer Allie Larkin who had to return home to Mystic Bay when she was injured and couldn’t dance so she took up working with her aunt at her Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack.

Working at the restaurant has been much more than just waiting on tables and serving up lobster to the customers for Allie. Aunt Gully has had her doing a bit of everything since she returned from helping with the lobster tasting to solving the murder that took place there.

Now Allie finds herself once again being asked to cover other jobs that come with running a lobster business when she’s sent out on the boat to check the lobster traps. Allie didn’t mind being out on the water until she pulls in a line and finds much more than lobster attached. Floating beneath the surface is the body of a young girl and once police are involved and not finding out what happened Allie once again goes about solving the mystery.

The Lobster Shack Mystery series is not one that is overly quirky so to me that is one element that keeps me from gushing completely about this series. The lack of that certain element often leaves the characters feeling a bit flat to me and wishing they would stand out a bit more. However, on the flip side I do quite enjoy the whole “lobster” setting of the books and find myself quite interested in the mystery side of things so despite the lack of my favorite dash of uniqueness to the characters I do still enjoy the books with each installment leaving me to rate at 3.5 stars.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Against the Claw is the second installment in the A Lobster Shack Mystery series set in the coastal town of Mystic Bay, Connecticut and featuring Allie Larkin, a ballerina who is recovering from an injury by helping her Aunt Gully serve up delicious lobster rolls in the family's Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack. Celebrity and modeling agency owner, Stellene Lupo has requested that the Lazy Mermaid caters her fourth of July party at her exclusive estate, Harmony Harbor and she only wants Aunt Gully, Allie and Lorel do serve up the tasty lobster treats.

In an effort to help lobster supplier Bertha Betancourt, Allie sets out for a day of pulling up traps. One of the traps contains not only lobsters but the body of a young woman. With no identification found on the body, Allie finds herself feeling responsible for locating the girl's family but the only clue she has to go by is the distinguished pitchfork tattoo circling the girl's wrist.

The ladies are shocked to learn that among the party's A-listers is the famed singer, Eden. Sneaking into the kitchen during clean up, Eden seems shaken that someone is stalking her and she begs Allie and Lorel to come stay the night with her on Stellene's yacht that is anchored in the harbor away from prying eyes. Delighted to have an opportunity to get to know the singer better the sisters agree. Morning dawns with a dead body in the inflatable boat tied to the yacht, and it's not long before Lorel becomes a prime suspect.

Allie sets out to solve the two mysteries and quickly begins to suspect that the recent deaths in Mystic Bay are connected and somehow also involve the Broadway by the Bay performance of Ondine that Allie has agreed to be a part.

A fast paced page turner from the first paragraph. The author does a fantastic job describing the cozy New England town and the locals who call Mystic Bay home. The lobster rolls and Aunt Gully's secret sauce will have you drooling for a trip to the shore.

I received an advanced copy of Against the Claw from NetGalley via St. Martin's Press. While not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.

Against the Claw is a fantastic book. I couldn't put it down. Allie, Lorel and Aunt Gully are such great characters, I felt like I was hanging with friends.
The story is intense and the writing flowed from page to page with so much excitement, I just couldn't stop reading.
The town of Mystic Bay is described in such detail that I feel like I've visited and have eaten at the lobster shack.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for approving me to read and review an ARC of this book.

Against the Claw is a rollercoaster ride of plot loops that will challenge readers to correctly guess whodunnit. Allie Larkin and her Aunt Gilly are kind-hearted characters who simply want to successfully run the Lazy Mermaid, Aunt Gilly’s lobster shack. They have loyal employees and numerous friends helping them. Allie is relieved when her sister, Lorel, finally breaks up with two-timing town bad boy, Patrick Yardley, but the tense moments don’t stop there—they become deadly.

I was pleasantly surprised by each twist and turn of this cozy mystery. Somehow, a mysterious death that’s connected to a second, not-so-surprising death, immeshes the sisters and their aunt in a web of deception, addiction, and lies. I was astonished at all the secondary characters who were not as they appeared to be. A pageturner with an ending that left me wanting more adventures with the cast of the Lobster Shack Mysteries! The author provides a delicious recipe at the end.

I read and reviewed an arc provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. Thank you.

I enjoyed every minute of this book. The characters were so well done and the story never dragged. The only issue I had was craving lobster rolls for the rest of the day.

Against the Claw is the second book in Shari Randall’s A Lobster Shack Mystery series. This is the first book I’ve read in this series, but there is great background information and I didn’t feel lost. The mystery is well plotted, the characters are well developed, and the location is charming. This is a great, quick read with a creative plot that kept me guessing until the reveal. I’m looking forward to reading the next installment in this series.

Allie Larkin, a ballerina who is recovering from a broken ankle, is staying with her aunt and helping at her lobster shack, The Lazy Mermaid, in Mystic Bay, Connecticut. Allie goes out with Bertha Betancourt, known as Mystic Bay’s Lobster Lady, to help her collect lobsters from her traps when they make a gruesome discovery … the body of a young woman. The woman is unrecognizable, but has a distinctive tattoo, but when the police are unable to identify her, Allie decides to see if she can. Zoe Parker, personal assistant to Stellene Lupo, an influential island resident, contacts Aunt Gully to hire The Lazy Mermaid to cater Stellene’s annual Fourth of July bash at her estate, Harmony Harbor. One of the guests, Eden, a popular singer, insists Allie and Lorel spend the night on Stellene’s yacht, Model Sailor, with her and another guest. The next morning, Lorel finds the body of her on-again/off-again boyfriend, Patrick Yardley, in a ridge-hulled inflatable that’s tied up to the yacht. Since Lorel recently had a somewhat public confrontation with Patrick, the sisters worry she might be a suspect and Allie decides to try to identify the person responsible for Patrick’s death.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

Shari Randall is a new to me author and I enjoyed her a great deal! I believe this is only the second in the series and the good news for me is that there's another one for me to read! I love the characters of Mystic Bay and I especially love everyone involved with The Lazy Mermaid. I want to be a Gully Gal now. I want Aunt Gully to adopt me (nevermind that I'm an adult and she's fictional). On a more realistic note, I desperatelyl want to go to New England and this has only intensified that desire - a great deal. The scenery was so beautifully written, I could feel the breeze, smell the air, and taste the yummy food. As for the characters? The sibling relationship was believable and I hope to see it evolve in future books. The entire family dynamic was actually pretty relatable though we didn't really see much of Dad in this book. The mystery was well done. I was able to figure out the puzzle pieces but I couldn't quite figure out how they went together. It was very nicely put together at the end. The only downfall was that one of the characters that was a bit of a key player wasn't fleshed out very well. We never really got to know her character or motivations. I think that's really the only reason I'm not giving this a full 5 star review. I wish I could give half stars because I would make this a 4 1/2 star review. As I can't, I have to dock a full star. I absolutely cannot wait to try out the recipes from the back of the book. This is a wonderful cozy that will satisfy cozy lovers and foodies alike.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley, and Shari Randall for the opportunity to read this book and provide my honest opinions to others.

Murder, mayhem, and lobster! What could be better. Allie, Aunt Gully, and the famous Lazy Mermaid give us a second fabulous story. The already busy lobster shack is asked to cater a vey large party given by a prominent resident. So Allie and Lorel have to wear mermaid costumes, it's still thrilling to be at the exclusive island of Stelline Lupo. But the party takes a murderous turn that night when Lorel's boyfriend (sort of) shows up dead the next morning. The characters are so real and true, you'll feel like family. You'll also be hungry for lobster during the entire book so be prepared!

Shari Randall has given us another wonderful entry into the Lobster Shack Mysteries. Aunt Gully and her girls are asked to cater a 4th of July party for a well to do, famous resident of the area. Prior to the party, Allie discovers a body while out on the lobster boat early in the morning. The girl is unrecognizable and soon the town is wondering who she might be. Allie and her sister Lorel begin an investigation on their own and realize the ties to this girl strike very close to home. This is a strong entry into the Lobster Shack Mysteries and I very much enjoyed the thrill a minute adventure. Each of the story lines presented were well woven together and I appreciated the creative murder plot. This is a great, quick read and should be added to your beach reads this summer! I can't wait until the next entry into this series! #netgalley

Ballerina-with-a-broken-ankle Allie is staying with her aunt and helping out at the Lobster Shack when she discovers a body--or two. Though there were times when I got a bit impatient with all the Lobster Shack details, the mystery itself did have a good resolution. I thought the characters were a bit hazy, though. Maybe it was just to keep multiple suspects going, but I didn't feel like I really knew many of the characters. Despite plenty of physical descriptions, they just didn't come to life for me like I would have liked. Still, a fairly engaging story.

(Will cross-post to Amazon on pub date.)