Murder by Death

A very good follow up to Clammed Up, but not quite as good.  I thought this mostly because the author's repeated use of flashbacks, while very well done and well-written, got on my nerves.  I don't know why.  They just did.

Julia's a member of the Founder's Day committee and her family's clambake business is one of the food vendors for the event - until a body is found in the wood fire they're using to cook the food.  One of her employees runs away from the scene and is generally thought to be the murderer.  Julia hired him rather last minute, and when she realises just how little information she has for him, starts digging, trying to both find him and help him.

I generally enjoyed this story quite a bit.  But after reading it and thinking about it for awhile, I am left with the feeling that perhaps the author tried to take a very involved plot and shorten it into a 300 page story.  Nothing is truly lacking, but just about everything could have been fleshed out a little bit more.  Why does Julia's family dislike her boyfriend Chris?  I'd have liked to know a bit more about Zach and how he ended up at the RV park.  What happened to her silent investor?  What about Quentin?  Where's Quentin?

It's probable I'm being too harsh.  I enjoyed the story, it kept my attention and the characters weren't at all flat.  The murder plot was delightfully twisty and clever.  I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the first book, and I've added the next book to my personal list.

(At least a couple of the recipes at the back look good too!)