Book ~ "Stowed Away" (2017) Barbara Ross

From Goodreads ~ It’s June in Busman’s Harbor, Maine, and Julia Snowden and her family are working hard to get their authentic Maine clambake business ready for summer. Preparations must be put on hold, however, when a mysterious yacht drops anchor in the harbor - and delivers an unexpected dose of murder.

When Julia’s old prep school rival Wyatt Jayne invites her to dinner on board her billionaire fiancé’s decked-out yacht, Julia arrives to find a sumptuous table set for two - and the yachtsman dead in his chair. Suspicion quickly falls on Wyatt, and Julia’s quest to dredge up the truth leads her into the murky private world of a mega-rich recluse who may not have been all that he seemed.

Julia is getting her family’s Maine clambake business set up for summer in Busman’s Harbor, Maine. Their place on Morrow Island includes Windsholme, the old family mansion that was partly burned last year. An architect comes in to check out the mansion to see what can be done with it. The architect turns out to be Wyatt Jayne, Julia’s old prep-school mean girl. Julia isn’t happy to see her again but tries to be civil, as her mother seems to be taken with her. 

Wyatt is staying aboard her boyfriend, Geoffrey's yacht, while it's being refitted at the local marina. Geoffrey is very wealthy (made his fortune off the housing crash) and pretty much keeps to himself, partly because many people dislike him or protest against him. Wyatt invites Julia, her boyfriend Chris, and Quentin (a mutual friend) to dinner on the yacht with Geoffrey. It's pleasant enough but odd. The next morning, Julia gets a panicked call from Wyatt ... she'd found Geoffrey murdered. Julia teams up with Flynn, an off-duty police officer (he's girlfriend was the yacht's chef), to figure out what happened.

This story was written in first person perspective in Julia's voice. There was a twist towards the end that was a surprise but also unbelievable. The whodunnits in this series have been pretty straight forward but this one was a bit convoluted. It's a cozy mystery so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity. At the end of the book, there are recipes that were mentioned during the story including oven roasted beer-can chicken and potatoes and gnocchi.

This is the sixth (of 12) in the Maine Clambake Mystery series. I read the first five recently and will keep moving through the series.