Sometimes the best way to know a person is by asking questions, so let’s meet Allie.
What is your name?
Allegra “Allie” Larkin.
How old are you?
27.
What is your profession?
Ballerina/lobster roll maker – really! While my broken ankle heals, I’m working in my Aunt Gully’s lobster shack, The Lazy Mermaid.
Do you have a significant other?
No time for a boyfriend – it’s tourist season!
Do you have any sibling(s)?
I have an older sister, Lorel. I love Lorel, but she’s my exact opposite. She works for a big Boston social media firm and is all business, all the time. She even changed her name from Lorelei to Lorel because it sounded more professional.
Cats, dogs or other pets?
I love playing with my dance teacher’s Russian Blues, Rudi and Raisa.
What town do you live in?
Mystic Bay, Connecticut. It was a fishing village at the turn of the century, but now it’s a tourist town that was voted one of New England’s most charming places to visit.
House or building complex?
I live with my aunt at her cottage, Gull’s Nest.
Do you rent or own?
I also rent a room in a house in Boston with some dancer friends, so I’m near the company when I perform.
What is your favorite spot in your house?
The rocking chair by my bedroom window belonged to my mom, who passed away when I was born. When I sit in it and look out at the ocean, I think of her.
Who is your best friend?
Verity Brooks, owner of Verity’s Vintage Shop.
Amateur sleuth or professional?
Amateur.
Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
My friend Bronwyn Denby is studying criminal justice and is doing an internship with the Mystic Bay Police. She’s a great resource but I can’t let her know she’s helping me – she’s pretty by-the-book and doesn’t want me to get in trouble. Most of my sleuthing is done on my own or with Verity.
Favorite meal?
Don’t tell my aunt, but it’s not a lobster roll! Don’t get me wrong, hers are delicious, but after making them all day I crave a hamburger with the works.
Favorite dessert?
Strawberry shortcake – sun warmed strawberries, fresh whipped cream, buttery shortcake – yum!
Favorite hobby?
Shopping for vintage clothes and jewelry.
Favorite vacation spot?
Anyplace warm with a beach.
Favorite color?
Aquamarine.
Favorite author?
I love the Vicky Bliss books by Elizabeth Peters. They have it all – mystery, romance, travel.
Favorite sports team?
Boston Bruins – I love hockey.
Movies or Broadway?
Tough question. Both!
Are you a morning or a night person?
Night owl – if I can’t perform I love to dance at New Salt, Mystic Bay’s hottest night spot.
In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
Since my injury, I do a lot of Pilates and a modified ballet barre every morning, then I head to the lobster shack to do prep work for our opening at 11 AM. Then it’s tourists and tour buses all day until we close at 9 PM. Barely time to breathe! But Aunt Gully and her Gully’s Gals make it fun, and we’ve started catering behind the doors of some of Mystic Bay’s elite. One Fourth of July party we catered was especially interesting. . .
Giveaway: Leave a comment below for your chance to win a print copy of Against The Claw. U.S. and Canadian entries only, please. The giveaway ends August 1, 2018. Good luck everyone!
You can read about Allie in Against the Claw, the second book in the “Lobster Shack” mystery series, coming July 31, 2018. The first book in the series is Curses, Boiled Again!.
Welcome back to the seaside village of Mystic Bay, where someone’s been found sleeping with the fishes. . .
Ballerina Allie Larkin is still back home, healing up from a broken ankle and lending a hand at her aunt’s Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack. But now that the famed restaurant is branching out into the world of catering, Allie’s help is needed more than ever―even on the lobster boat. The last thing she expects to find once she’s out on the bay, however, is the dead body of a beautiful young woman.
When days pass and not even the police can ID the corpse, Allie takes it upon herself to learn the truth about what happened. Her investigation leads her all the way from the local piers to the secluded estates of Mystic Bay’s posh elite. But how can she crack this case when everyone seems dead-set on keeping their secrets beneath the surface?
Finger-licking delicious, Shari Randall’s Against the Claw is the second in the Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack series.
Purchase Link
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About the author
Native New Englander Shari Randall is the author of the Lobster Shack Mystery series from St. Martin’s Press. She and her family live in a midcentury modern money pit near a lighthouse (good) and fog horns (bad). When she’s not writing, she’s dancing, reading, traveling, trying new restaurants, or volunteering at her local library.
All comments are welcomed.
I love lobster, so this is a must read series for me. Thanks for the giveaway.
Hi Doward, it pairs perfectly with a lobster roll. Good luck!
Elizabeth Peter’s Vicki Bliss books are among my favorites as well. How can you resist a character like Schmidt?
Hi Doward, it pairs perfectly with a lobster roll. Good luck!
Hi Grace, someday I am going to go on a big Vicki Bliss binge. They are so good!
Nice to meet Allie–I agree, strawberry shortcake, especially in the summer, is so good! Thanks for the chance to win!
Good luck, holdenj!
A ballerina who does Barre exercises with a broken ankle? Wow! I’d like to win this book.
Good luck, Amy!
Being from New England, I love New England authors and settings!
Hi Gram, I’m from Connecticut. How about you? I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you!
Great to see Allie in action again, (and congrats on your second, Shari!)
Thank you, Tina!
Thank you Dru Ann for the insight into Allie Larkin’s life and Shari Randall’s latest book.
Good luck, Robin!
Is Mystic Bay a fictitious town? My sister-in-law lives in Mystic, Connecticut, which is on the water and also touristy.
Mystic Bay is a very thinly disguised version of Mystic! Actually I’ll be signing at Bank Square Books in the real Mystic on Sunday!
Who wouldn’t love to live in a town named Mystic Bay? Just the name says adventure around every corner!
That’s the nice part of writing – inventing your own town!
I read the first book in this series and enjoyed every page of it. We love vacationing in New England during the summer. We stay in hotels from Newport, RI to Cape Cod. We love sea food (as in see food, eat it)and have it at least once a week. I’d love to add this new title to my home library.
Thank you so much Nora-Adrienne! I’m also on the see food diet!
aI was born and raised in MA and I love reading books about New England. Great title/cover. Love it.
Hi Paula, I love New England too (I’m from CT) Good luck!
That cover is eye-catching! Would like to start this series.
Thank you, Gloria. Good luck!
Ballerina to lobster roll maker is quite a change in life styles. I’m curious how Allie copes with it.
Hi Pat, It was fun to write such a fish out of water story.
Sounds very interesting…I’m looking forward to starting the series..thanks for the chance to win!
Good luck, Renee!
This makes me hungry for lobster! Book sounds like a great read, looking forward to reading the series.
Good luck, Dianne!
Food and murder what a interesting read.
Good luck, Karen!
I fully agree with Allie about strawberry shortcake. It’s my favorite dessert too. I’m looking forward to reading this book!
Nothing like fresh summer strawberries! Good luck!
This book looks great! I would love to win a copy!
Good luck, Linda!
Love books set in New England!
Me, too! Good luck, Mary!
I really enjoy this series, cant wait for this release. Thanks for the chance to win.
Thank you, Kay! Good luck!
Oh, strawberry shortcake is so yummy.
Have to admit it’s my favorite, too!
Thank you Dr Ann for the insight in to Allie’s life. Against the Claw sounds very intetesting. I can’t wait to read it.
Good luck, Virginia!
Absolutely loved the first book and would love a chance at the second book.
what a fun sounding series. Just went and ordered the 1st title so i will be up to date. thanks for the chance to win the 2nd title!
I love the sound of Mystic, Connecticut and all that seafood.I recommended your first book to a friend that I hope will come with me when I make it up there next year.
Marilyn ewatvess@yahoo.com
I’ve never had a lobster roll but I’ve heard that they are amazing…now I’m drooling. Congrats on your new release!
Congratulations on your release. This is MY kind of series with lobster being something I COULD eat every day (if I could ever afford to do that!! 😄). I loved book 1 and would absolutely love to win your giveaway so much. Thank you for the chance. Wishing g you the best of everything!
Cynthia
**** WINNER ****
Against the Claw is Marilyn
Congratulations!