“Jule-YA, there’s a dead guy in the walk-in.”
Howdy. My name is Gus Farnham, proprietor of Gus’s, an exclusive restaurant in Busman’s Harbor, Maine. I been here before and explained all that bit.
My days have been pretty much the same for the last fifty years. At five a.m., I take the pies made by my wife, Mrs. Gus, over t’ the restaurant and open’er up. Got to get an early start to feed breakfast to the lobstermen and fishermen. I turn on the lights, start the big coffee urn, and go into the walk-in refrigerator to get the ingredients to start the pancake batter.
A couple a days ago, I was minding my own business, following my routine, but when I switched on the light in the walk-in, there was a dead guy in there, staring up at me. Poor man had slipped his wind overnight.
Right away, I called up to my tenant, Julia Snowden, who lives in the apartment upstairs. She and her boyfriend Chris run my restaurant for suppah. Of course, Chris was up at Julia’s, too, sleeping over. I don’t much like it, but Mrs. Gus says I need to start living in this century, so I keep my mouth shut. I had to admit with the freezing fog, the roads had been mighty greasy the night before. Maybe it was best Chris didn’t go home.
Julia came running. She said the dead man had eaten in the restaurant that evening. Then the cops showed up, and the EMTs, and half the fire department. I told them they didn’t need to make such a fuss. The man was clearly dead. After that, our part-time local medical examiner arrived. She wouldn’t sign off on the cause of death, so the real state medical examiner came from Augusta, along with the state police, and all hell broke loose.
No one knows who the man is. Julia and Chris say he came in by himself, sat at the bar, and paid with cash. The cops say the man had no I.D., and the Snugg sisters over at the B&B where he was staying don’t know anymore than we do.
Julia says there weren’t many other people in the restaurant that night because of the weather, just four couples, who were all trapped there for hours by a bad car accident at the corner of Main and Main. She says none of them talked to the dead man, but she has a bee in her bonnet that they’re all related—the victim, the other diners, and the accident—though there is absolutely no proof of this at all.
I say Julia and Chris left the restaurant door unlocked and the man wandered into the walk-in and died. They swear the outside door was locked, but they’re young and careless. They’ve left it unlocked before, more than once, though they always deny it. And yet it was. Can’t argue with experience.
Julia is determined to figure out who the man was, how he died and who was involved. I don’t care who figures it out—Julia, the state cops, or the man in the moon. All I want is to get the crime scene tape off my walk-in, my restaurant opened up, and life back to normal.
Fogged Inn is the fourth book in the Maine Clambake mystery series, published by Kensington, February 2016.
An autumn chill has settled over Busman’s Harbor, Maine, but Julia Snowden is warming up the town by offering lobster stew at the local diner. When her landlord discovers a dead body in the walk-in refrigerator, Julia must figure out who ordered up a side of murder.
Nothing’s colder than a corpse–especially one stashed inside a sub-zero fridge. The victim spent his last night on earth dining at the restaurant bar, so naturally Julia finds herself at the center of the ensuing investigation. Lost in the November fog, however, is who’d want to kill the unidentified stranger–and why. It might have something to do with a suspicious group of retirees and a decades-old tragedy to which they’re all connected. One thing’s for sure: Julia’s going to make solving this mystery her early bird special. . .
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All comments are welcomed.
About the author
Barbara Ross is the author of the Maine Clambake Mysteries, Clammed Up, Boiled Over and Musseled Out. Clammed Up was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel and was a finalist for the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction. The fourth book in the series, Fogged Inn was published on February 23, 2016.
Barbara blogs with a wonderful group of Maine mystery authors at Maine Crime Writers and with a group of writers of New England-based cozy mysteries at Wicked Cozy Authors.
Giveaway: Barbara is offering an autographed copy of Fogged Inn to two lucky commenters who comment below. US entries only, please. The giveaway will end March 3, 2016 at 12 AM EST. Good luck everyone!
I’ve read the other three books and enjoyed them. I’ve missed Julia, chris, Gus and Mrs. Gus’ pies.
This is a new author for me and I look forward to reading this awesome new mystery of hers. My mom would take us to Maine and New England when we were little and I loved it. It will be fun to read this book. I love the awesome cover too!!! Thank you so much Dru for the chance to win!!!!
Love this series and can’t wait to read this one! Thanks for the change to win it!
oops! chance, not change!
I haven’t read this series but Fogged Inn sounds like a book I will enjoy. Thank you for the giveaway.
I’m also dying to know who the dead guy in the all-in is. My money’s on Julia finding out who, what, where, & why before the cops. Thanks, Dru & Barbara for the chance for a copy.
Have the first book on my kindle. Hoping to get to soon because I want to read this one. Thanks for the chance.
I love the play of generations in this book. It was wonderful to get the feel of local culture while the solving of the body in the walk-in develops. robeader53@yahoo.com
I haven’t read any books by this author yet. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.
I love this series!! My husband’s family is from Maine in the Newport/Pittsfield/Bangor area. Love reading and knowing approximately where the story is taking place!!
I love this series. Thank you for the chance to win an autographed copy of Fogged Inn.
I try to read everything by The Wickeds and the Maine Crime writers. Almost impossible, but I do try.
Love this series!
This is a fun series. Thank you for the chance to win
I’ve been reading about this book on numerous blogs. It sounds very interesting. Thanks for a chance to enter.
I love the fun language written the way a New Englander would really say it. Gus sounds like a typical older gent. Sounds like a fun eries. I’ll check out the first one so I can get up to speed on the characters!
This is a fun series. Thanks for the giveaway!
What a great series. Thanks for this lovely giveaway.
Gus sounds like the typical Maine resident…or at least what fiction leads me to believe. 😉 Crusty and takes no guff, but probably a softie underneath. What a fun book. Thanks Dru for today’s feature! Thanks Barbara for the chance to win a copy! 🙂
Sounds like a great series.
Thanks, everybody! And good luck with the giveaway. I hope you enjoy Fogged Inn.
I would love to win and read!
Sounds like an interesting book.
Oh, I definitely need to read this ! 😃
I’m so excited for Fogged Inn! I live Maine and I love this series. Thank you for the awesome giveaway!
I love visiting Maine–terrific food, beautiful views, great shopping, and did I mention the delicious food?! I love this series. Such fun reads! Thanks for the chance to win a signed copy of Fogged Inn.
Poor Gus. All he wants is to get back to normal life, running his restaurant. This is a very good series.
I’m eager to find out what the deal is with those gift certificates.
sponds really good, , taking name down to read 1st in series also, hope I win, ty for the chance
Thank you for the chance to win! And maybe Julia didn’t leave the door unlocked…lots of ways he could have been in there! But I’d love to read it to find out!
I would Love to win a copy of this looks really good Thanks for the chance My email is iamabho (at) gmail.com
This would be a great book to add to my cozy challenge list. Thanks for a chance to win a autographed copy.
This sounds like an amazing book. Maine is one of the few states I haven’t visited yet. It is definitely on my to do list along with a clam bake. Would really enjoy reading about Maine in a cozy mystery.
I haven’t been to Maine since 1956 but loved it! Series set there are so enjoyable.
If that’s the first sentence of the book, it will catch many eyes! Thanks for the chance to win!
I love this series. Thanks for the chance to win a copy. Can’t wait to read it.
Enjoyed the previous three books in the series – thanks for the chance to win the latest.
I haven’t heard of this series until now but it sounds delightful! Thanks for the opportunity!
sharonbabyme@yahoo.com
I love visiting Maine. Sounds fun!
This sounds like another great cozy mystery, thank you for the chance to win a copy.
wfnren at aol dot com
What a great sounding series. Thanks for the chance to win a copy of Fogged In.
This book sounds delicious! Love the series.
This has become one of my favorite series, each time I am taken back to vacation in Maine 🙂
Fogged In sounds like a wonderful book! I would love to win a copy~ Thanks Dru Ann!
Thank you Dru Ann for the intro to a new-to-me author and series! I’ve got yet again a few more to put on my TBR list.
I love, love, love this series!
Great series and author, can’t wait to read this book. Thanks for the giveaway.
Brrrrr! What a place to find a body. Thanks for the contest.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
Gus sounds like a trip. Can’t wait to read Fogged Inn and get to know even more about him, Julia, and everybody else. Thanks for the chance to win.
Wow! What a joy it would be to win thus one!
Looks like a most interesting read. Thank you for this opportunity to win a copy
Another series I need to binge-read……
Thank you for the giveaway…..