Muddled Through (A Claim Bake Mystery #10) by Barbara Ross is another wonderful installment in the Claim Bake Series! I feel like we get to visit with old and new friends alike in Busman’s Harbor, Main when I open the pages of these books. I love seeing what Julia Snowden and her family and friends are up too. While I believe you can read as a stand-alone and be ok, but you would miss out on so much more good reading if you did!

So good to be back in Busman’s Harbor, Maine. Julia Snowden is at loose ends mourning the breakup of her relationship and slow season in the tourist town when her sister asks her to help her employer who has found a neighbor killed in her basement. I like getting back to these familiar characters. This is the tenth book in a series, and although it’s nice to be familiar with the characters I’m sure it can stand alone. I liked the focus on pottery in this one, it added an additional interest to the story. The setting of the tourist town and newcomers versus long time residents is handled in a very realistic manner.

Julia Snowden is still recovering from a broken heart. It’s the off season and she’s doing her best to keep busy. While walking in town she sees police cars in front of the local pottery shop where her sister works. Worried about Livvie she runs to the shop and finds that while LIvvie is fine, someone has completely trashed the shop and her items on display. Who would do such a thing in their small town?

The next morning when the other renter who shares the basement with the pottery shop is found murdered in the basement, Livvie asks Julia to help clear her boss Zoey’s name. The two business owners had a contentious relationship, but would someone really kill over disagreements? Someone did…but who killed Phinney and why? Julia intends to find out, but as she becomes friends with Zoey, the state detectives warn her to be careful as Zoey is their top suspect. Can Julia figure out who killed the older man or will she just be another piece of collateral damage in running Zoey off?

This is by far one my most favorite cozy series set in Maine. I’ve bee reading it for years now and am always looking for the next entry to come out. Lovely scenery that you can almost smell and see, solid characters that you can relate to and a great whodunit every time. Can’t ask for more than that.

It's the offseason in Busman's Harbor, and Julia Snowden is at a loose end with no business at the family clambake to tend. She's moved back home and her family is busy trying to find ways to keep her in town now that her relationship with Chris is over, and her sister thinks she has the perfect project for her. Suddenly Julia finds herself "supporting" Livvie's boss after her pottery store is vandalized and another tenant is found murdered in the basement. Of course, Zoey Butterfield doesn't seem like she's in any danger of collapse, but Julia figures out she can solve the mystery anyway....and maybe find a new romantic interest along the way? Enjoyable as always, and I can't wait for Julia to move into her new apartment in Windmere.

Thanks to Kensington Press for a digital ARC via NetGalley.

Wow! Best one yet! Could not put it down! Never guessed “who done it”! Love this series. Always makes me feel like we’re back in Maine. Such a beautiful place - in any season. If you haven’t read this series, you really need to start with book #1 - Clammed Up! You will love getting to know Julia, her family, her business and her town.

A proposed pedestrian mall brings vandalism and murder to Busman's Harbor in Barbara Ross's winning new installment of the Maine Clambake Mystery series.

It's springtime in Busman's Harbor and,, while other parts of the country are welcoming the green warmth of the season, the weather remains cold and dreary in Maine. The Snowden clambake business will not open for two more months, mud is aplenty, and Julia Snowden finds herself back at home, living with her mother as she recovers from her breakup from longtime boyfriend, Chris. So when her sister, Livvie's boss, Zoey Butterfield's pottery shop, is vandalized, Julia welcomes the opportunity to help investigate the crime.

Tensions are high over a proposed pedestrian mall, and Zoey's support for said development appears to make her business a target for vandalism. One of the loudest voices of dissent is her cranky neighbor, Phinney Hardison, who has made his dislike of Zoey and the pedestrian mall very clear. But when Phinney is murdered in Zoey's basement and Zoey becomes the police's number one suspect, Julia must race to solve the multiple mysteries and bring peace back to Busman's Harbor.

Muddled Through was another wonderful entry in this long-running series, which has become a favorite of mine. As can be expected from this well-written series, the plot was fast-paced, with many suspects, misdirection, and a surprise ending. In addition, Julia is undergoing some great character development as she heals from her breakup with Chris, goes on her first post-breakup date, and considers her feelings for childhood friend Jamie. Longtime fans and new readers will be pleased, and the recipes in the back are mouth-watering as always.

Another winner!

Thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books, and author Barbara Ross for an ARC of this novel. All opinions are my own.

This was a great interlude in the Clambake mysteries. Julia is pulled into another uproar in her small town. At times the action does slow down but overall it keeps pace. There is enough intrigue to keep you interested. The reveal at the end was a surprise to me.

Livvie asks her sister to help her boss, Zoey after a man is murdered in the basement of her business/home.
Julia agrees to help, and has been an asset to the police in other investigations in the past.


This is the 10th book in the series.
There are defined characters and plenty of twists and surprises.

This was the first book in this series I have read, and it is a standalone book with all of the major questions being answered.

This is also the first book I've read from this author and want to go back to the beginning and start from book 1.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the author for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

The latest in the Maine clambake series has Julia Snowden investigating yet another murder. When a staunch opponent of a proposal to create a pedestrian market ends up dead, she must investigate to clear a new friend from being charged with murder.

I liked this one a lot! Sometimes this series has slow moments, but I felt like this book’s pace was really on point. We also got some further progress in Julia’s personal life.

This book was sent to me electronically for review from Netgalley. This is a quick fun read with quirky characters...curl up with a cozy afghan, a cup of steaming herbal tea...and a yummy scone...enjoy this book set in Maine...one of my favorite places. Reading about the characters is enjoyable...however, if you have not read others in the series, it might be somewhat confusing. Hope the series continues...love this story line.

Wow loved reading this book and series. Looking forward to the next book in the series. But hopefully things will get back to normal. Hoping for a happy ending

I enjoyed this book. It’s fast paced. The characters are great. The story is interesting. I was definitely surprised by the twist at the end as to who the killer is. #MuddledThrough #NetGalley

When Julia Snowden sees police cars in front of Lupine Design, she races towards the shop where her sister works. Livvie is unharmed but there is smashed pottery everywhere and the storefront is a disaster. It's well known that the owner Zoey Butterfield and her next door neighbor Phinney Hardison are bitter enemies, and signs point to him as the suspect. But when Phinney is found dead in the basement the next day, the police believe Zoey may have killed him as revenge for destroying her studio. Julie thinks not. Another terrific mystery in this picturesque series that twists and turns before the final results are revealed. Enjoyable as always. I like Julia more without her ex-boyfriend Chris.

Scurrilous Secrets…
The tenth Maine Clambake Mystery and a disturbing feud has gripped the town of Busman’s Harbor. When murder takes the place of mud slinging, Julia knows she must intervene. What scurrilous secrets are being hidden and who would kill to keep them that way? A fun cozy mystery with a colourful and well crafted cast and a delightful backdrop. Another worthy addition to the series.

Mud season takes on a whole new meaning in the coastal town of Busman's Harbor, Maine, when local business owners sling dirt at one another in a heated feud over a proposed pedestrian mall. Vandalism is one thing, but murder means Julia Snowden of the Snowden Family Clambake steps in to clean up the case...
New characters, businesses and friendships are forming in Busman’s Harbor. Fun and fast paced mystery.
#MuddledThrough #NetGalley

Julia Snowden helps her family run the Snowden Family Clambake in later spring and summer, when it's warm enough to go out to Morrow Island, which they own. But during the winter and early spring, she's at a loss. Having recently broken up with her long-time boyfriend Chris and moved back home with her mother, she's lonely and wondering how to fill her days. One morning she sees police cars in front of Lupine Designs, where her sister Livvie works in the off-season, and hopes she's alright.

When she arrives, Livvie is fine, but someone has broken into the pottery shop and destroyed everything in view. When the owner, Zoey Butterfield, arrives, she has no idea who would vandalize her shop...unless it might be her neighbor Finney, who shares part of the building as an antique store and dislikes Zoey. But there's no proof, so Zoey is stumped. Later that evening Julia attends a town meeting where Zoey is in favor of a pedestrian mall on the weekends to bring in more business, but many of the townspeople are against it. This only agitates the problems between Zoey and her neighbors.

When, soon after, a body is found in Zoey's basement, the state police -- Lieutenant Binder and Sergeant Flynn -- think Zoey is a prime suspect, and Livvie asks for Julia's help in proving her innocence. But Julia will need more to go on, since she knows next-to-nothing about Zoey. Where is she from? Who are her people? What motives did she have? And more importantly, did she do it?

On top of this, everyone -- including Julia -- is wondering where her personal life is going now that Chris isn't in her life anymore. It's obvious there are some men interested in her, but will Julia go down that path, or put it on the back burner for now? And will she discover who the murderer might be before it's too late for another person?...

This is the tenth book in the series, and I have read them all, looking forward to each one with practical glee. Each book gets better than the former, and this one is no different. Julia is on her own this time out, without Chris in her life, and her family wants to help her -- even if she doesn't want it. When the murder occurs, it's only natural that Julia's innate curiosity -- and cleverness -- get her moving in on the investigation. By this time Binder and Flynn have given up telling her to leave it alone, knowing she isn't going to, but aren't giving her information without anything in return, either. A quid pro quo situation, if you will.

So we have Julia trying to find out more about the elusive Zoey Butterfield, who doesn't appear to be letting the murder bother her; staying calm and collected. Julia wonders why this is so, and starts digging into Zoey's past, with surprising results. She also does her best at quietly questioning people who might have known the deceased well, with more surprising results coming from that quarter, too.

But what starts out as a murder investigation becomes much more so, with threads scattered throughout the mystery, and each one leading to another until we have a tangle of them, all sizes and shapes, that need to be pulled out and woven into something resembling answers. Julia is an expert at this, and it's fun watching her put everything together in only the way she can.

I absolutely adore this series, and all the characters within. There are some surprising things around the corner for Julia, too; and I won't say any more about this except that I think it will be something worth waiting for in the next book. When the murderer is discovered, the motive is both rather twisted and sad, and is never worth the price that one has to pay. I eagerly look forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended.

Muddled Through is the tenth book in this series by Barbara Ross.
The series focuses on Julia Snowden and her family's famous clam bake business.
Julia has ended a long term relationship and she's trying keep her emotions in check.
Livvie is her sister, who happens to work for a pottery business that was vandalized. Things get worse when an grumpy curmudgeon is found dead in the basement of the pottery shop.
The owner, Zoey, is a truly wonderful character and I hope she becomes an important part of the cast in this series.
Julia is good at talking to people and her insight into this mystery was well told.
I had no idea who the murderer was, I was shocked to the core.
I'm excited to see where this story goes, and I hope Julia realizes who the police officer is who is sweet on her.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book. I look forward to recommending it to others.
#MuddledThrough #NetGalley

Muddled Through by Barbara Ross is a wonderful cozy mystery that is the 10th book in the amazing: A Maine Clambake Mystery series. This is truly one of my favorite series ever!

I have read every book in this series and it just keeps getting better and better. It was so great to visit Busman’s Harbor in Maine again.

Julia Snowden is one of my favorite main characters and I love being able to see her character continue to grow, evolve, and mature. We are of similar age, so I feel a kindred spirit in her. She is a great sleuth, and the way Ms. Ross depicts her and the activities she gets involved in are realistic, engaging, and keeps her down to earth and likable. I like that she admits her own flaws, but yet works to figure it all out. She is loyal and passionate towards her family, friends, and family business. Hopefully she will continue on her journey of self-reflection as the series continues on.

I really liked the murder/mystery in this book and honestly did not guess the culprit until it was revealed.

I also liked the inclusion of Jamie and Flynn in regards to personal inclusions within this narrative as well. I think both would honestly make solid contenders as partners for Julia than her ex, Chris. We will just have to see.

As always, an excellent book, witty dialogue, fun characters, and great storyline. Can’t wait for the next one and highly recommend this.

Thank you NG and Kensington for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 6/28/22.

Maine, law-enforcement, amateur-sleuth, felony vandalism, murder, murder-investigation, conflict, greed, family-business, family-dynamics, friendship, small-business, small-town, local-politics, tourist-town, cozy-mystery, divorce*****

Julia is part of the family who operate the Snowden Family Clambake on their private island on the coast of Maine. This winter she is rather at loose ends and is staying with her widowed mother. Her sister works down the block at a pottery store for a gifted potter. The store shares a basement with the shop next door. The initial alarming incidents are a contentious argument at a town hall meeting followed by the discovery of felony vandalism at the pottery store. Then comes the murder of the next-door shop owner. Let the sleuthing begin. I love this series, but the author slips items of past history into the tale so well that it could probably stand alone. The ongoing characters seem so real and engaging, and the new ones are clearly presented. I loved it!
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Muddled Through by Barbara Ross in exchange for an honest review. Julia Snowden and her family run a clambake business in coastal town of Busman's Harbor, Maine. Julia's sister, Livvy, works at a party store. When she opens the store, pottery is broken everywhere. The next day, a neighbor is killed over a mall being built. It's interesting how riled up people can get. I read this book in one day, was so excited when I got it that I started it right away and couldn't stop till I was done.