SHUCKED APART: A MAINE CLAMBAKE MYSTERY

Aquaculture industries are becoming big business in the waters of Maine, with loads of money invested in oyster and salmon farming. Lots of money means lots of trouble, but is it worth killing over? Oh, yes, it is.

“Shucked Apart” is Portland author Barbara Ross’s ninth volume in her popular “Maine Clambake Mystery” series, featuring redoubtable businesswoman Julia Snowden. Ross also writes the “Jane Darrowfield Mysteries,” and won the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction.

Ross is a master of the “cozy” mystery genre, with carefully drawn characters and credible plots, subtle clues and intricate twists. This mystery has all of that, plus a fabulous explanation of the oyster farming business, including the science and mechanics of aquaculture, as well as oyster physiology from seed to market.

Julia is asked by her boyfriend to help solve the robbery and assault of a successful local oyster farm owner, Annie Greatorex. Reluctantly, Julia agrees, but the boyfriend doesn’t tell her everything, and neither does Annie. Julia immediately smells a rat, with each possible suspect pointing fingers at someone else, bringing Julia full-circle back to the start of her investigation.

The robbery of valuable oyster seeds leads to an odd ransom note, and then a murder, and the suspect and motive lists grow more complex and surprising, especially when the murder victim’s will and inheritor are revealed. They police think they have a solid suspect, but two frame-ups confuse everyone. It seems that plenty of people opposed the victim’s business plan: lobstermen, property owners, business rivals, disgruntled ex-employees — most driven by anger, greed and typical crook stupidity.

Then she discovers three crimes connected by one factor, and it almost costs Julia her life. And the boyfriend is no help at all. Great fun and an exciting mystery.

GOT WARRANTS?  DISPATCHES FROM THE DOORYARD

Everybody likes cop stories and nobody knows that better than Lieutenant Timothy Cotton of the Bangor Police Department.

Cotton’s first book of cop stories, “The Detective in the Dooryard” (Down East, 2020), deservedly won the Erma Bombeck Award for humor, and this second volume, “Got Warrants?” tries to follow that earlier success. The first book showcased the human side of law enforcement with well-crafted stories of police officers doing the little things nobody ever notices. This book does not do that; instead, it features 80 very short vignettes about drunks, shoplifters and other morons doing stupid things. The Darwin Theory is in full effect here.

These stories are collected from the BPD’s social media program called “Got Warrants?” Unlike the first book, however, there is little laughter here, but it will produce plenty of eye-rolling and head-shaking at people’s outright dumb behavior. A quarter of these stories are about drunks, which is a sad commentary on society. Cotton does try to lighten things up with his signature use of corny alliteration, like “decorative doughnut daywear” and “pestering perverted pedi-phile.”

Stories include the domestic case of “habeus grabus,” the pervert who wants to kiss women’s feet; the unusual ATM deposit (wash your hands); a fleeing suspect who comes to a sudden stop; the hazards of drunks playing a game of Parchessi; and the drunk who wasn’t St. Nick.

Two stories are very unflattering portrayals of Canadians: the Cheez Whiz thief and, you guessed it, a drunk under a bridge. Cotton adds several doughnut shop tales: “Clean Up After Yourself” finds an officer solving a sticky dilemma with two suspects, a mop and a broom, and “Blazer Blasphemy” is about a vulgar doughnut fan. Best is “Ramming Speed,” about a parking lot dispute that proves cars aren’t the problem.

Bill Bushnell lives and writes in Harpswell.

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