Nogged Off

By Barbara Ross

Previously published in the collection Egg Nog Murder.

‘Twas the week before Christmas, and Julia Snowden’s escape from New York has just hit a snag. Fresh off accidentally poisoning half her colleagues with her “Killer Eggnog,” Julia’s would-be subletter, Imogen Geinkes, is now jobless and homeless—leading Julia to invite the young woman home for the holidays in Maine. But when they unload the rental truck in Busman’s Harbor, they find something that wasn’t on anyone’s packing list: the body of Imogen’s former boyfriend.

Suddenly, the wordplay in Imogen’s name—“I’m a jinx”—isn’t so adorable. But for all the calamities that follow in Imogen’s wake, Julia’s certain she’s no killer. As Julia digs into the case, the appearance of the ex’s brother—his identical twin—doubles the confusion. Has Imogene been double-crossed by an evil twin? Was the eggnog “accident” no accident at all? If Julia doesn’t unwrap the murderer’s true identity soon, one of the twelve days of Christmas could be her last . . .

Praise for Steamed Open

“Sure to appeal to readers who treasure the Maine coast, Ross’s latest continues the lives and minor dramas of her fictionalized version of Boothbay Harbor with amiable characters.” —Kirkus Reviews

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kensington Books
• Release date: Oct 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9781496726704

Barbara Ross

Barbara Ross is the author of the Maine Clambake Mysteries. Her books have been nominated for multiple Agatha Awards for Best Contemporary Novel, RT Books Reviewer's Choice Awards, and the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction. The co-editor/co-publisher of Level Best Books, which produces anthologies of crime stories by New England authors, she lives in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. For more information, visit maineclambakemysteries.com.

Book preview

Ross

Chapter One

I breezed onto the Acela at South Station in Boston and took a seat in first class. From my road warrior days working in venture capital, I had enough Amtrak points to take a train to the moon and back, should such a trip be offered, and I was determined to burn as many as possible before they expired. This was the last time I’d be making the trek to New York City for a good long time.

I snuggled into the comfy seat and closed my eyes. It had already been a long day. I’d left my apartment in Busman’s Harbor, Maine, at four in the morning so my boyfriend, Chris, could drop me at the train station in Portland in time to catch the five-twenty. If all went according to plan, I’d be at Penn Station in Manhattan by lunchtime and at my apartment in Tribeca not long after that. Then, using the key I still had, with the permission of my subtenant, I’d take the few personal items I wanted from my soon-to-be-former apartment to UPS for shipping and be on my way back to Maine by early evening. Down and back in one day. If everything went perfectly, maybe I’d even have time to do a little Christmas shopping and drink in the glory of Manhattan during the holidays.

The young woman I’d sublet to, Imogen Geinkes, was not only taking over my lease when it was up on January 1, she had also agreed to buy most of my furniture. In addition, I’d soon be getting a check from the building management company refunding my security deposit, a little boost to the coffers that couldn’t come too soon. The change in my life from my Manhattan job in the financial industry to managing my family’s struggling clambake business in Maine had meant a considerable change in my finances as well.

Down and back in one day. I couldn’t believe how perfectly the plan had come together.

* * *

I jiggled my key in the lock of my old apartment on North Moore Street. Manuel, the quasi-security guard, quasi-doorman, had made me sign in at the front desk, but he’d let me go straight up without calling ahead. Whether it was because he remembered me, or because Imogen had told him about our arrangement, I didn’t know. The lock had always been a little reluctant, and I was relieved when at last the tumblers turned and the door to the apartment swung open.

I stepped into the dark living room. One of the best things about the apartment was its view across the Hudson, and I was surprised Imogen kept the blinds closed. I turned on the lights and stepped into the kitchen area. I wasn’t planning on taking much, just some dishes, three oil paintings that had been my grandfather’s, and, the real reason for the trip, my books.

I piled my dishes on the breakfast bar. I needed to get my stuff together to calculate how many boxes to buy on my first visit to the shipping store. That’s when I heard it.

Sniff.

Hello? I called. I waited, counting to ten. No response. I shrugged and reached for the dinner plates. I loved the apartment, but I had to admit it was entirely possible the sniff had traveled through the paper-thin walls from one of the adjoining units.

Sniff.

Hello? I said again. The sniff was louder that time, and seemed to come from close by. The bedroom door was closed. I started toward it. Imogen?

On my way through the living room, it happened again. Sniff. Right next to me. Imogen! She sat, hidden in a large, upholstered armchair that had been my grandfather’s.

Julia?

Imogen. I thought you were at work.

I’m supposed to be. A solitary tear squeezed from the corner of her eye and tracked down her cheek.

Ho, boy. What is this about? I knelt beside the chair. What’s happened? The waterworks turned on full force. I waited while she pulled herself together.

Imogen worked at a small advertising firm on Hudson Street, an easy walk from the apartment. I’d spoken with her boss-to-be when I’d checked her references before subletting to her. He’d said she was a new hire, but he expected great things. That had only been nine months ago. What had gone wrong?

There . . . there . . . there was a holiday party, Imogen stuttered out.

Oh no. She was twenty-two, eight years younger than me, and the same age I’d been when I’d arrived in New York. People can be awfully foolish at that age. I dreaded what might come next.

It was just a little gathering. At the office, on Friday night.

I counted backward. Today was Wednesday. Only three workdays later. Perhaps the damage, whatever it was, could still be undone.

They asked each of us to bring something. For the celebration. Imogen broke down and sobbed again. I moved to the matching chair opposite, waiting for the rest of the story.

My mama makes a killer eggnog, Imogen said. It’s the best. At home, in Buckhead, Atlanta, we have an open house every year on New Year’s Day. People rave about Mama’s eggnog. So I made it. But, Julia, something was wrong with the eggs. I food-poisoned every one of my coworkers and their guests!

Oh my gosh! I’d been expecting a tale of disaster, but not exactly this one.

People were throwing up, and worse, Julia, much worse. We all ended up in the ER with salmonella poisoning.

Were you fired?

In the deep chair, Imogen shook her head. No, but I can’t go back there. I just can’t. Once you’ve been in an emergency room, hooked up to an IV, being rehydrated, next to your boss and your boss’s boss . . . The tears returned. I can never see any of those people again.

So, you’ve quit? No severance, no unemployment compensation. I braced myself for what was coming next.

Uh-huh. Imogen nodded, tears sliding down her cheeks. So I won’t be able to take the apartment.

Chapter Two

Even though I’d seen it coming, the news felt like a blow. Drat! The best-laid plans . . .

If I had any hope of getting my security deposit back, I had to get the apartment cleared out. Pronto. I was in New York on a Wednesday because I had it off from work at the restaurant I ran with my boyfriend, Chris, during the winter. I pulled up the calendar on my phone and saw nothing but a solid block of work and holiday obligations running until New Year’s Day. I had to act.

I supposed I could donate most of the furniture to charity, but it was too late in the day to arrange for a pickup. I could follow the time-honored New York tradition of donating it to the passing crowd by leaving it on the sidewalk. But whatever I did, no one would take my mattress and box spring, or the upholstered furniture, due to the pervasive fear of bedbugs.

I looked around the apartment. So much of the furniture had come from my mother’s father, who had spent the long years of his widowerhood in an apartment on Riverside Drive. He’d died shortly after I arrived in the city, and it had seemed to everyone the perfect solution for me to take most of his furniture. The pieces were old and unfashionable, but I was getting my MBA and hardly in a position to argue. Looking at it now, the overstuffed couch, the straight-backed chair where Imogen sat huddled, its twin where I sat across from her, the mahogany bed and bureau in the bedroom, I wondered how much of the furniture my mother had grown up with. Was she sentimentally attached to any of it? We had a bunch of photos of her at several ages sitting on that sofa.

My mother lived in closer communion with her family’s past than most people. Morrow Island, where we ran the Snowden Family Clambake in the summer, had been in her family for five generations. But by the time she’d come along, the money was long gone and the family dispersed.

Reviews for Nogged Off

[jbarr5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Eggnog Murder by Leslie MeierThis is a collection fo stories from different authors with the same theme: eggnog murders..Eggnog Murder by Leslie NeierThis story starts out with Lucy and her family that live and work in Tinker's Cove, Maine. I have read many in the series and enjoy them as they are not very graphic.This one has a lot to offer as it's Christmastime in the small village and things are happening.The community has a lot going on some to raise money for the charities the community donates to.Love hearing all about the events and especially the charities. Lucy is feature reporter for the local paper and she helps to solve the murders in town.Red bear santa club sounds like a good cause as they raise a lot of money. There are a few deaths and with Elizabeth coming home from Paris and the house already full it's going to be a challenge to get through it all.Love hearing about the LBD and how it can be enhanced. Hope the story about PTSD gets written and things happen that can aid others.Amazing who the culcprit was in this story as it points to many along the way..Death by Eggnog by Lee HollisFirst time reading this author so playing a bit of catch up with the characters.Hayley works at the Island Times and she gets along with a crime reporter Bruce but they don't mesh all the time.The town is having their annual restuarnt dinner where everyone brings their establishments best treats to sample. Some are allergic to nuts and some to dairy.Nobody gets along with the 80 librarian but none wanted her dead either. Amazing that we have been to this town in Maine-Bar Harbor and enjoyed other places nearby: Jordan's Pond, Mount Desert, etc. Awesome place to find nature, outside and peace.Lot of characters but easy to keep track of who is who and does what for a living. Has recipes.Love how Hayley helps solve the mystery of who the murderer was. She does talk to a lot of others in town and asks a lot of questions..Nogged Off by Barbara RossFirst time reading this author and enjoyed the book. This one starts out with Julia and she's on her way from Maine to NY to close out her apartment that she sublet and will sell to her in a weeks time. Problem is when she arrives things don't go according to plan.After they arrive back in Maine with the furniture and other belongings things go haywire and the truck and it's contents are stolen. Love haring of the town and especially the events that take place annually-what a treat!Julia takes it upon herself to help solve the mystery of the murder and who it really is. So much information about identical twins-so fascinating to learn about this.Good story line and hope to read more from this author. Enjoyed the characters.I received this review book from The Kensington Books and this is my honest opinion.

[beth3511 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Five stars for the Barbara Ross story. Four stars for the Leslie Meier story (did not like the climax; too close to real-life events). Two stars and a half stars for the Lee Hollis story.

[aztwinmom · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm glad I don't like eggnog because I wouldn't want any after these short stories! But Christmas cookies and cider would go well with the stories!In Eggnog Murder by Leslie Meier, a bottle of eggnog is gifted and regifted and a woman dies. Was she the intended victim? Lucy Stone is busy balancing Christmas, work, and family, but still digs into the mystery. Her daughter is home on a visit from Paris and is not only obnoxiously Parisian, but thoroughly thoughtless of anyone around her. Will it be a good Christmas after all?In Death by Eggnog by Lee Hollis, eggnog is the murder weapon again. This time, the town's horrible librarian is the victim. Who killed her and why? Everyone disliked her, but who wanted her dead?In Nogged Off by Barbara Ross, no one dies from eggnog, but the story begins with a contaminated batch of eggnog causing food poisoning at an office party. Julia is planning to close up her New York apartment and turn her lease over to Imogene, but Imogene was the supplier of the eggnog and ends up going back to Maine with Julia. But what is really going on?

[kris_anderson-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Eggnog Murder by Leslie Meier, Barbara Ross, and Lee Hollis contains three Christmas cozy mystery stories. Eggnog Murder by Leslie Meier is set in Tinker’s Cove, Maine. The Pennysaver is serving eggnog and cookies during the annual holiday stroll. Dorcas Philpott has a cup of the holiday brew and ends up dead. Who tampered with the eggnog? Lucy wants to find the killer and wrap up the investigation so she can enjoy the holidays with her family.Death by Eggnog by Lee Hollis is a Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery story. Agatha Farnsworth is the town librarian that people dread talking to because she is extremely grumpy. At the annual Restaurant Association Christmas Dinner, Agatha enjoys a cup of eggnog. Unfortunately, it is her last. Hayley sets out to bag the killer.Nogged Off by Barbara Ross is set in Busman’s Harbor, Maine. Julia Snowden ends up with an extra unwanted guest for Christmas. Julia goes to clean out her apartment and finds her tenant Imogen Geinkes in tears. Imogen just lost her job and boyfriend. Julia packs up everything in a truck and takes Imogen to her mother. The moving truck disappears and is found with Imogen’s ex-boyfriend dead inside. Julia wants to tie this investigation up quickly so she can enjoy the holiday with her family.Eggnog Murder contained some cute stories. They are short and sweet. They are nicely written and good additions to each series. I did find the mysteries simple and easily solved. It is nice to catch up with the characters from the cozy mystery series that I enjoy reading. I give Eggnog Murder 4 out of 5 stars (I liked them). You can enjoy the stories even if you have not read the books in each series (you might find some new cozy mystery series to enjoy). Eggnog Murder will help put you in the mood for Christmas.

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is like a Whitman’s Sampler – you get a small taste of three really fine cozy mystery writers. If you picked up the book because you regularly read one of the authors, you will be pleasantly surprised by offerings of the other two. All three authors have written equally delicious killer stories . . . just don’t sample the eggnog.

[mandolin77 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book! I loved all three mysteries.

[seasonsoflove_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.Meier, Hollis, and Ross each contribute a novella-length cozy mystery themed around eggnog and the holiday season. Each of their stories contains characters from their own mystery series.These are fun, quick reads to get you in the holiday spirit. Each mystery was good, and had some nice twists at the end.I also really enjoyed getting the glimpses into each author's characters. It makes me want to read more of their books.There really wasn't much not to like about this book. I really liked getting three cozy mysteries in one book, all holiday-themed, all with clever solutions, and all with engaging characters.If you're looking for a fun, holiday-themed read, this is a great cozy mystery collection.

[stephlaymon · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Eggnog Murder is a compilation of three short cozy mysteries by three different authors. All the stories are a part of their own series. It is tough to do a cozy properly in such short form as it turns them into fluff, even beyond what I have come to accept in the genre. That being said, all of the authors delivered entertaining enough stories, with wonderful Christmas settings.I was, however, very disappointed in the amount of political opinions that Leslie Meier managed to pack into her work. Honestly, I hate that sort of thing to its core to begin with, but it absolutely ruined what might have been my favorite story in the collection. I have not read any of her other books, but the first in this same series, Lucy Stone Mysteries, was on my short list for the holidays. Only because of my love for Lucy Stone's age, place in life, and realistic family conflict (which I found so relatable) I will still give it a try. If it is laden with her political concerns it will be peace out!