Death And A Pot Of Chowder by Cornelia Kidd is the first book in the NEW “Maine Murder” mystery series. Publisher: Crooked Lane Books, coming June 12, 2018

Maine’s Quarry Island has a tight-knit community that’s built on a rock-solid foundation of family, tradition and hard work. But even on this small island, where everyone knows their neighbors, there are secrets that no one would dare to whisper.

Anna Winslow, her husband Burt and their teenage son have deep roots on Quarry Island. Burt and his brother, Carl, are lobstermen, just like their father and grandfather before them. And while some things on the island never seem to change, Anna’s life is about to take some drastically unexpected turns. First, Anna discovers that she has a younger sister, Izzie Jordan. Then, on the day she drives to Portland to meet Izzie for the first time, Carl’s lobster boat is found abandoned and adrift. Later that evening, his corpse is discovered—but he didn’t drown.

Whether it was an accident or murder, Carl’s sudden death has plunged Anna’s existence into deadly waters. Despite barely knowing one another and coming from very different backgrounds, Anna and Izzie unite to find the killer. With their family in crisis, the sisters strive to uncover the secrets hidden in Quarry Island—and, perhaps, the ones buried within their own hearts.

Sure to be an intoxicating read for fans of Sarah Graves and Leslie Meier, Death and a Pot of Chowder is the first Maine Murder mystery by Cornelia Kidd.

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This was an enjoyable introduction to a new character from author Lea Wait. We meet Anna who has just learned that she has a half-sister. They suddenly become more than sisters when tragedy strikes and it’s now up to Anna and Izzie to solve a puzzling case in order to save her family.

I like it. The author does a great job in staging this fresh whodunit with a mystery that kept me on my toes and I could not put down, quickly became a page turner as I had to know what the outcome would be in this multi-plot story line. The comfortable tone, the author’s writing style and the pacing was on par with how well this story was being told. The narrative was visually descriptive putting me in the middle of all the action, especially with a sense of a Maine’s atmosphere as I followed along with Anna and Izzie as they made headway into others who had a stronger motive. I thought I had a handle on the killer’s identity, but that twist at the end when the killer’s identity was reveal, that I did not see coming. Snippets from 1800’s housekeeping and cooking tips greeted each chapter, which added to my reading pleasure. Boasting a lovable cast of characters and engaging dialogue, this was a terrific start to a delightfully charming series that I hope is here to stay.
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FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.