Hello Bookish Lovelies :)
I pray today finds you all doing well, and I'm so thankful you chose to take the time to stop on by The Preppy Book Princess today for another book review.
I'm a little late getting around to posting this one, but today's review is going to be for a title featured in my 2023 Most Anticipated Releases Post.
I'm looking forward to diving right into today's review, but first, if you'd like to check out my reviews of some of the previous titles in this series, you can do so using the links below:
Otherwise, keep on reading down below where I hope you'll all join me for today's full review.
Hidden Beneath by Barbara Ross:
Source: Library
Publisher: Kensington
Publication Date: June 27th, 2023
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Maine Clambake Mystery
Synopsis:
Serving up mouthwatering shellfish, the Snowden Family Clambake has become a beloved institution in Busman’s Harbor, Maine. But when new clues rise to the surface five years after the disappearance of Julia Snowden’ s mother’s friend, the family business shifts to sleuthing . . .
Julia and her mother, Jacqueline, have come to the exclusive summer colony of Chipmunk Island to attend a memorial service for Jacqueline’s old friend Ginny, who’s been officially declared dead half a decade after she went out for her daily swim in the harbor and was never seen again. But something seems fishy at the service—especially with the ladies of the Wednesday Club. As Julia and Jacqueline begin looking into Ginny’s cold case, a present-day murder stirs the pot, and mother and daughter must dive into the deep end to get to the bottom of both mysteries . . .
(synopsis from goodreads)
My Review:
Hidden Beneath is the eleventh title in Barbara Ross' Maine Clambake Mystery series, and I always look forward to getting another visit to Busman's Harbor. I was particularly looking forward to this title, as my favorite title in the series so far has been Iced Under- where readers were treated to some of the rich backstory connected to Julia's mother Jacqueline. When the synopsis of this one hinted at the fact that more of Jacqueline's backstory was going to be a big focus of the story, I couldn't wait to jump right in.
This series without a doubt has been one of my all time favorite cozy mystery series right from the start. However, this particular title didn't live up to the expectations for me, and I personally found it to be a lot more lackluster than the previous titles. It dragged for quite a bit, and I had a hard time getting into the mystery. The ending was well done, and it was nice to get a peak into more of Julia's relationship with her mother, but overall it just ended up feeling like something was missing. I usually loved the rich character driven plots employed by this author, and I felt it was missing here.
There was a lot of potential for the Chipmunk Island mystery plot, but it just didn't end up being what I was hoping for.
Don't get me wrong it was still an enjoyable read, and if it had been my first visit to this series, I probably would have loved it even more. However, it paled in comparison to the previous titles, and I'm hopeful the next title will be right back to the amazing story I've come to expect from this series and this author. Without giving away spoilers, I really enjoyed the ending of this one, and I hope there's more to come from a particular storyline in the future!
Final Rating: 3/5.
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.
Comments
Post a Comment