Review Summaries

• Readers often enjoy the coastal atmosphere and food details. Some appreciate the accessible series opening, while others find the pacing gentle.

Reviews

• Primo romanzo della serie "A Lobster Shack Mystery" ci introduce la protagonista Allie Larkin una ballerina che a causa di un infortunio deve mettere in pausa la propria carriera. Decide di tornare nei luoghi di infanzia e di lavorare con la zia a un chiosco che vende panini con l'aragosta : dopo un contest culinario terminato in tragedia si trasformerà in investigatrice amatoriale come nella tradizione dei cosy mystery. Nel complesso la storia scorre bene, anche se a volte un po' lentamente, i personaggi sono credibili e il finale presenta un colpo di scena imprevedibile. Penso che leggerò anche i successivi che verranno pubblicati. Raccomandato.

• I love lobster. I've only had it a few times (family on the U.S. east coast, me in the southwest), but the taste and richness (and butter!) stays with you. So when I saw this little lobster on the front cover, running TOWARD me (not away), I picked up this book because the cover was fun, as is the name: Curses, Boiled again. (How many titles can you come up with involving lobster parts? So many....Genius) A murder mysteries that occurs at a televised food contest was pretty unique and amazing, especially when a gimpy ballerina, her no nonsense sister, and Aunt Gully (great character, great name) band together to solve the murder of a famous movie star after she takes only one bite of a competitor's lobster offering. Suspects abound and clues are dropped as liberally as dripping melted butter, but assembling those clues will keep you reading. All the while the reader is there, in Mystic Bay, at the beach with the salt air, the cool breeze, and a town's cast of characters that range from adorable to quirky to sinister. But even with all the fun, there are chills and thrills and surprises and a great twist. (I thought I knew who did it, but I was wrong and I didn't care. The villain was so much better than the one I chose.) All the loose threads were tied up in the end (mandatory), and I can't wait to read the next installment. I just feel really bad for the citizens one Mystic Bay. If the author (Shari Randall) keeps writing such good books, a whole lot of them will be marked for murder in the the future.

• Nice read after a long day

• General Introduction Shari Randall has come up with a fun book here. There’s no such thing as a brand new book idea, just putting your own spin on an idea already out there. This author does it in spades. A restaurant, a food festival, and reality television? I’ve seen plenty of combinations for two of these, but all three? Not too many at all. The one thing missing from this book is a lobster roll recipe. I got to find one, since this book made me hungry for one! The Characters Allie Larkin is a fun character. I automatically felt for her with the injury crushing her dreams for the moment. She is fully developed, and I enjoyed her bit of a scatterbrained attempt at solving the murder. She feels more realistic that way. I love Aunt Gully, because she is a feisty broad. And she’s caring of others. The right personality for a restaurant. The sister Lorel is one I love to hate. She seems too perfect for me, too put together, has no clue the insecurities she creates. Reminds me of my own sister. Doesn’t everyone have one of these in the family? I hope in the sequel she gets accused of the murder! Sorry Shari! The cops I liked in this story because they are a little bit fumbly. Reminds me of Amos Tucker in Murder She Wrote. This is the kind of cop that needs help, making this cozy mystery one step closer to a reality. There were a lot of secondary characters in here because of the type of plot base. But I don’t think I had much trouble keeping them straight. The Setting Descriptions The setting I wish I could have envisioned better. There were so many different settings that I had trouble figuring out where I was. On the other hand, the descriptions were very vivid, very telling, and I did get a feel of the places in the story. I just struggled piecing them all together to get a view of the town. The Dialogue Very snappy dialogue kept the story moving. I liked how everyone talked. And even though most were from the same area, there was just enough differences in how people phrased things to keep everyone straight on who was saying what. The Pace The story didn’t seem to drag at all. I kind of flew through this story. It would have been nice to have an additional intense scene or two, felt this was a bit lacking. I know cozies aren’t supposed to be intense, but it’s good to have a bit of a heart pounding going on. The Plot I liked the concept of this story. As stated before, it’s not unique, but it’s not used too often. Shari Randall did a good job on mixing up different ideas for a mystery together into one. I found plenty of red herrings that I didn’t know where red herrings until the end. She had plenty of clues sprinkled throughout, most of which I missed, not because of bad placement, but because of good placement. I had no clue who committed the murder until the reveal. It shocked me. I shouldn’t have been. I should have guessed this, but the story was so well developed it fooled me into forgetting about it.

• Off we go to Mystic Bay to visit and enjoy Aunt Gully's wonderful lobster rolls and chowder. Where, you ask? Why at the Lazy Mermaid Lobster Shack of course. And, yes by the ending of this interesting and character filled murder mystery, I was craving New England styled chowder! A popular television food program, called YUM!, has chosen the Lazy Mermaid as one of four contestants for a lobster roll cookoff. Everyone is so excited. And, the competition is to be held right in Mystic Bay. Aunt Gully is joined by her nieces, Allie (The Boston Ballerina,) and Lorelei (The Business woman.) Allie is home due to a damaged ankle and loves helping her Auntie, ok, not so much the lobster picking, but you get the idea. The show comes and the four contestants watch eagerly as the four 'important' judges take their first bite...ah, oh. And, off we go with ambulance sirens racing to the hospital where one judge, the one from Hollywood and Broadway dies. Poison, did I say poison? Oops I did but let's keep it among us friends, okay? The police look at the contestants and it is up to Allie to clear her Aunt's name as well as her own. I did enjoy this tale. The location was well written, the dialog interesting, and the crime with many motives kept me turning the pages. Do give this new series a read. I'm downloading the sequel today!

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