Death and a Pot of Chowder

June 1, 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

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 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.