Death and a Pot of Chowder: A Maine Murder Mystery

by Cornelia Kidd

Overview

For fans of Sarah Graves and Leslie Meier comes a “wicked good” cozy mystery “brimming with family secrets, authentic characters, a rustic Maine island setting, and plenty of good food” (B.B. Haywood, New York Times–bestselling author)

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683315841
Publisher:	CROOKED LANE BOOKS
Publication date:	06/12/2018
Series:	A Maine Murder Mystery , #1
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	373,504
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Maine author Cornelia Kidd, who also writes under the name Lea Wait, spent a wonderful summer on a Maine island when she was ten. Now she lives in a historic home on the banks of the Sheepscot River with her husband, artist Bob Thomas, where she cooks seafood, reads, writes, speaks to groups of all ages about writing, and, whenever possible, drinks champagne. This is her first Maine Murder mystery.

Editorial Reviews

06/01/2018
Anna Winslow thinks there are no secrets on Quarry Island, ME, but she's in for a few surprises. Like discovering a younger half sister from her father's second marriage. On the day she drives to Portland to meet Izzie for the first time, her brother-in-law Carl disappears from his lobster boat. Anna's husband, Burt, asks her to come home, and later that evening, Carl's body is found. But he didn't drown. Carl was shot and Burt had been heard arguing with his brother. Anna needs her newly found sister more than ever as they team up to find a killer on the island. Maine author Lea Wait (Thread the Halls), writing as Cornelia Kidd, introduces a small island community with hidden dynamics. VERDICT Although the ending won't surprise avid mystery readers, this is an excellent character-driven homespun story. For Wait's fans as well as enthusiasts of Sarah Graves's Maine-set books and other island-themed mysteries.—Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

Library Journal

04/23/2018
At the start of this entertaining series launch from the pseudonymous Kidd (who also writes as Lea Wait), Quarry Island, Maine, native Anna Winslow learns that she has a half-sister, Izzie Jordan, a recent culinary school graduate. Anna and Izzie meet in Portland, where they hit it off almost at once. Anna’s joy at finding an unknown relative is soon tempered by the news of the drowning of her brother-in-law, Carl. When Carl’s death is deemed a homicide and her lobsterman husband, Burt, becomes the prime suspect, Anna enlists Izzie’s help in clearing Burt’s name. Izzie—who also scopes out real estate for a new restaurant on the island—proves her worth, both as a sister and as a fellow sleuth, as the pair uncover hidden secrets in the small, close-knit working-class community. Kidd clearly knows coastal Maine and the details that make the inhabitants and the landscape unique. Though the reader might wish that Anna participated in more of the action, she and Izzie prove to be a formidable force, one that will easily sustain a series. Agent: John Talbott, Talbot Fortune Agency. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Death and a Pot of Chowder:
“Entertaining...[Anna] and Izzie prove to be a formidable force.”
—Publishers Weekly

"This is an excellent character-driven homespun story. For Wait’s fans as well as enthusiasts of Sarah Graves’s Maine-set books and other island-themed mysteries."
—Library Journal

“A simply riveting mystery from beginning to end by a master of the genre...Very highly recommended and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library Mystery/Suspense collections.”
—Midwest Book Review

“I enjoyed the deft plotting and the cast of characters, especially Anna and Izzie, a formidable team I look forward to knowing better in future books.”
—Suspense Magazine

"A wicked good mystery brimming with family secrets, authentic characters, a rustic Maine island setting, and plenty of good food. You can practically smell the salt air and taste the lobster rolls."
—B.B. Haywood, New York Times bestselling author

“Delicious...Authentically set in Maine, Kidd has served up a delectable mystery!”
—Daryl Wood Gerber, nationally bestselling author of the Cookbook Nook mysteries and the French Bistro mysteries

"Death and a Pot of Chowder is a savory summer delight. Cornelia Kidd has dished up a murderous treat in this page-turning mystery."
—Nancy J. Parra, national bestselling author

“Readers are going to devour Cornelia Kidd’s delicious debut mystery with enthusiasm and a reluctance to put it down...A five-star hit!
—Edith Maxwell, bestselling author of the Quaker Midwife mysteries, the Local Foods mysteries, and the Country Store mysteries

"Compelling...I couldn’t put it down.”
—Barbara Ross, author of the Maine Clambake mysteries

“Life and death on Quarry Island, Maine are welcoming and terrifying...Kidd serves up a compelling mystery along with a taste of life on Quarry Island. I couldn’t put it down!”
—Linda Wiken, bestselling author of the Dinner Club mysteries

From the Publisher