Lori C. (dollycas) reviewed on 2/29/2016 + 705 more book reviews

Dollycas's Thoughts

Back to Busman's Harbor, Maine, and this time it is snowy and icy and there are no clambakes. Instead Julia and Chris have opened Gus's Too. They take over Gus's restaurant in the evenings to give locals one place to dine during the off season. They are still finding their way, running the business by themselves, but they are off to a great start. That is until a dead body is found in the walk-in frig. Julie and Chris recognize the man as a customer from the night before. This leads them to take a closer look at all their customers from that night. Since it was foggy, rainy and cold there weren't many. Some relatives of mine Caroline and Henry Caswell were among the guests. They certainly couldn't have anything to do with that dead man, could they??

I started reading and I just couldn't stop. I was excited not only about Chris and Julia's new venture, but I desperately wanted to know how that guy ended up in a cooler in a restaurant that was locked up tight and why? Ross has plotted a marvelous mystery and I loved the way everything came together with a very unexpected ending, very different than a typical cozy mystery. At first I was sure I liked it but after thinking about it, I was totally on board with it.

We meet several new characters this time, couples that come to eat at Gus's Too. When Julia does her investigation we get to know them all quite well and their connection to the town. She visits with each of them several times as she tries to figure out if they had anything to do with the man's death even when they claim they didn't know him at all. I found the dialogues interesting and I really tuned in to catch any clues.

Julia has moved into the apartment above Gus's and Chris spends most night there. He still has his cabin which he is remodeling so he can rent it out during tourist season. They are starting to get more comfortable in their relationship but they have a lot of things to work out. Julia is a little too sure of herself after helping solve previous cases and Chris just wants her to leave the investigating to the police. Well, we all know that is not going to happen.

The fog plays a huge part in this story and I just don't mean the weather outside. I really felt Julia and the police were working in a fog and through the fog to identify the victim and catch the killer. At times it was as thick as pea soup and I truly didn't know how it was all going to come together in the dwindling amount of pages left, especially because I knew there were recipes back there too.

This is another strong story from Barbara Ross and I commend her for coming up with a great story in the off season when the town is really moving at a much slower pace with less people around. It was nice to get to know some of the other residents of Busman's Harbor. They were a unique bunch. I hope they pop in for visits in future stories, especially those Caswells!

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