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Muddled Through by Barbara Ross Review

 Good Morning Everyone :)

I pray today finds you all doing well, and I want to thank you all for joining me for another book review here on The Preppy Book Princess.

I'm personally a reader who really enjoys cozy mysteries, and I've definitely found a few series over the last few years that have stood out as favorites.

One of those series is Barbara Ross' Maine Clambake Mystery series, and I've read and reviewed quite a few of these titles on my blog over the years.

You can check out those reviews using the links below:

Iced Under

Haunted House Murder

Sealed Off

Shucked Apart

Halloween Party Murder


Keep on reading below for my full review. 


Muddled Through by Barbara Ross:



Source: Library

Publisher: Kensington

Publication Date: June 28th, 2022

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Series: Maine Clambake


Synopsis:

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 . . .

When Julia spots police cars in front of Lupine Design, she races over. Her sister Livvie works there as a potter. Livvie is unharmed but surrounded by smashed up pottery. The police find the owner Zoey Butterfield digging clay by a nearby bay, but she has no idea who would target her store. Zoey is a vocal advocate for turning four blocks of Main Street into a pedestrian mall on summer weekends. Other shop owners, including her next-door neighbor, are vehemently opposed. Could a small-town fight provoke such destruction? When a murder follows the break-in, it's up to Julia to dig through the secrets and lies to uncover the truth . . .

(synopsis from goodreads)



My Review:

Muddled Through is the tenth installment in Barbara Ross' wonderful Maine Clambake Mystery series, and takes readers right back to the idyllic coastal town of Busman's Harbor where Julia Snowden has once again managed to stumble upon a local murder. This one hits personally however, as the murder happens at the pottery shop where her sister Livvie is currently working. Livvie is adamant that the suspect the police are focusing on is not the murderer, and she's insistent that Julia has to help the police find the real culprit. With tensions mounting, and buried secrets about to resurface, Julia once again may have bitten off way more than she was prepared to chew.

I've been anxiously awaiting the release of this one ever since I finished the last title, as the way certain things were left on a cliffhanger had me hankering to want to pick this one up. I ended up being a little disappointed that I didn't get the resolution I was hoping for, but it's always a treat to step back into this fun community, and I do wholeheartedly enjoy these characters, and they way they truly care about one another's well being.

That being said, I ended up not enjoying this one quite as much as I have the previous titles, as I didn't find the mystery was as engaging as usual, and I found it incredibly slow moving. Considering the mystery is always the main draw of this series, if you don't connect with that, it's hard to end up loving the rest of the story.

The characters were great as always, Busman's Harbor continues to be a wonderful setting for a cozy, and I particularly enjoyed more of the story surrounding the renovation's on the Snowden's family's private island. However, the mystery wasn't as good as I was expecting, and didn't particularly enjoy Zoey as a new character addition.

Final Rating: 3/5.

Enjoyable, but not my favorite from the series, and I hope to have a more positive experience with the next title when it releases.

Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)

This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.


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