Book Review: The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker

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The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker  was published on March 17, 2025. It opens with Detective Declan Shaw at a closed subway station trying to work up the nerve to commit suicide when he receives a call from his partner about a break in and homicide at the home of a true crime author. Shaw makes his way to the crime scene to work the case, and in a turn of events, Declan comes under scrutiny in another case loosely connected to this new case. I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Writer  from NetGalley and Little , Brown, and Company for free in exchange for my honest review. I'm appreciative that my request for this book was approved. With this story opening with the main character trying to commit suicide, I almost didn't go any further with the book. However, I am glad I stuck with it as it took me on a fantastic ride and had my emotions all over the place. There were so many twists and turns that just when I thought I had it all figured out, there was ...
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Book Review: Clammed Up (Maine Clambake Mystery, #1) by Barbara Ross

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book review clammed up maine clambake mystery barbara ross

Clammed Up (Maine Clambake Mystery, #1) by Barbara Ross is the first book in a series about a family owned clambake business on an island in Maine.  When Julia Snowden returns home to Busman's Harbor to help her mother, sister, and brother-in-law to help with the family business, she finds a corpse hanging from the banister of their family summer home, which causes the local police detectives the shut the business down.  Who murdered the victim?  Will the Snowden Clambake be able to withstand being closed during the investigation?

Barbara Ross is a phenomenal story teller and weaves such an extraordinary tale that I was completely sucked into Clammed Up (Maine Clambake Mystery, #1). Time seemed inconsequential, and the story played like a movie in my mind.  I have absolutely fallen in love with the Maine Clambake Mystery series.

There were twists and turns aplenty, and I wasn't exactly who the culprit was going to be.  With that being said, I did know that some of the suspects were innocent because they appeared in a later book in the series.  Without a doubt, I was completely shocked at who ended up being the culprit.  The backstories of the characters were interesting and not boring in the least.  I loved the way the small town of Busman's Harbor was painted . . . a very close knit community that is suspicious of outsiders.  This is something I've found to be true when visiting smaller towns around my home state.  The author has painted such a lovely picture of Maine that I now would like to visit the state, especially the coastal areas.

Five out of five stars is what I give Clammed Up (Maine Clambake Mystery, #1) by Barbara Ross.  I am very fond of this cozy mystery series.   It's one of the best in the genre, in my humble opinion.

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