Boiled Over (A Maine Clambake Mystery) (23 page)

Those who know Maine history will recognize how much Gus’s rather eccentric and truncated version owes to
The Lobster Coast: Rebels, Rusticators and the Struggle for a Forgotten Frontier,
by Colin Woodard (Penguin, 2004). If this novel has piqued your interest in Maine or history, or if you just enjoy beautifully written nonfiction, I cannot recommend this book enough.

The story of the Busman was inspired by the life of Reuben Ruby as told in
The Hidden History of Maine
, by Harry Gratwick (The History Press, 2010), the story of Jim Foley as told in
The Lobster Coast
(see above), and a photo of early bus service in Ocean Point found in
The Boothbay Harbor Region, 1906-1960
, by Harold B. Clifford (Wheelwright, 1961).

The line, “As far as he was concerned, terrorists and tourists were in the same boat, and hopefully it was sinking,” comes from the self-authored obituary of David McKown, which appeared in the
Boothbay Register
on October 25, 2012. For full-on Maine eccentricity, nothing beats reading the complete article.
http://www.boothbayregister.com/article/david-mckown-dies-age-68/4895
.

There really is a Wild Blueberry Land in Columbia Falls, Maine and you should go there.

Thanks to Lisa and Chandra Hanscom of Welch Farms in Roque Bluffs, Maine who gave a wonderful tour of their blueberry farm and small processing operation, and who answered my many questions about the blueberry harvest. That’s another place you should visit the next time you travel Down East.
http://uniquemainefarms.com/uniquemaine-farms.com/Welch_Blueberry_Farm.html
.

David Brooks Stess has photographed the blueberry rakers in Maine for over twenty years. His 2013 exhibit at the Portland Museum of Art was the culmination of this work. The photos are hauntingly beautiful.
http://blog.voxphotographs.com/2013/04/13/david-brooks-stess-what-23-years-looks-like
.

And, as always, if this novel has left you with a craving for a real clambake on a private island in Maine, you should go to the Cabbage Island Clambakes.
http://www.cabbageislandclambakes.com
.

Thanks to Marilyn Mick and Carolyn Vandam, who explained the tour guide industry to me and made Richelle Rose come alive.

As always thanks to my wonderful agent, John Talbot, and to my editor, John Scognamiglio and the tremendous team at Kensington—so professional and a joy to work with.

My husband, Bill Carito, is the real cook in our family. He developed and tested all the recipes in the book (except the blueberry pie, which is one of my specialties and the potato salad which is a treasured family recipe). I only had to sit at the table with a fork in one hand and a pen in the other, writing down words like,
tangy
!

The Maine Crime Writers accepted me, even though I had only one mystery novel published and was new to Maine. They gave me the courage to write a mystery series set in Maine and I’m so glad they did. Thanks especially to Kate Flora, Lea Wait, Kaitlyn Dunnett and all the crew.

I don’t know where I’d be without my first readers, my writers group, Mark Ammons, Katherine Fast, Cheryl Marceau, and Leslie Wheeler. Also, in their guise as the editors at Level Best Books, Kathy, Mark, and Leslie let me out of a whole summer of editing and proofreading. Thank you, thank you. I could never have completed this novel without you.

I can’t imagine going on this journey alone, and I’ve been so lucky to have the support of the Wicked Cozy Authors, Jessie Crockett, Sherry Harris, Julie Hennrikus, Edith Maxwell, and Liz Mugavero. Sherry Harris has done triple duty as valued friend, cheerleader, and editor.

While I was writing
Boiled Over
, my mother faced her final illness and death. This book absolutely could not have been written without the support of my family—Bill Carito, Kate Carito, Rob and Sunny Carito, the fabulous Viola, who kept our spirits up, and most of all, my amazing brother, Rip Ross and his wife, Ann. Steady as a rock.

KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by

Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018

Copyright © 2014 by Barbara Ross

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

ISBN: 978-0-7582-8687-1

ISBN-10: 0-7582-8687-2
First Kensington Mass Market Edition: May 2014

eISBN-13: 978-0-7582-8688-8
eISBN-10: 0-7582-8688-0
First Kensington Electronic Edition: May 2014