Berried to the Hilt (Gray Whale Inn Mystery, #4)

When a lobsterman discovers a sunken ship, Cranberry Island is abuzz with excitement. Is the wreck the remains of the Myra Barton , the missing ship of island sea captain Jonah Selfridge? Or the elusive Black Marguerite , which belonged to one of the most notorious pirates of the 17th century and vanished without a trace--except for the ghost ship that old-timers say roams the water on fog-shrouded nights? Soon the island is swarming with marine archaeologists and treasure hunters. It's good news for Natalie--and for the Gray Whale Inn--until a body turns up floating near the wreck. Natalie finds herself immersed in the world of pirates and sunken treasure, both past and present. Will she solve the mystery and find the killer in time? Or will Natalie be the next to join the lost ship's crew, down in Davy Jones' locker?

When a lobsterman pulls up a 200-year-old anchor, Cranberry Island is abuzz with excitement. Is it from the elusive Santa Elena, a famous 18th century pirate ship? Soon the island is swarming with marine archaeologists, treasure seekers, and ghost-hunters. It's good news for Natalie—and the Gray Whale Inn—until one of her guests turns up dead. Will Natalie find the killer? Or will she be joining the lost ship's crew, down in Davy Jones' Locker?

Publishers Weekly

In Agatha-finalist MacInerney's enjoyable fourth Gray Whale Inn mystery (after 2008's Murder Most Maine), innkeeper Natalie Barnes's biggest concern is choosing the winner of the Cranberry Island annual cranberry bake-off, until a lobsterman hauls up a piece of an old sunken ship. The inn quickly goes from vacancies galore to a full house as University of Maine archeologists and members of a Florida-based treasure hunting group swoop in to vie for first claim on the discovery. Most vocal of the Cranberry Island residents is elderly Eleazar White, who insists that anything hauled from the ship belongs in Maine. Eleazar threatens treasure hunter Gerald McIntire with an antique cutlass only hours before Gerald's dead body is found floating at the wreck site. Natalie determines to prove Eleazar innocent of murder while planning her wedding and keeping peace among her feuding guests. The satisfying conclusion will whet the reader's appetite for Natalie's next adventure. (Nov.)

"When a lobsterman discovers a sunken ship, Cranberry Island is abuzz with excitement. Is the wreck the remains of the Myra Barton, the missing ship of island sea captain Jonah Selfridge? Or the elusive Black Marguerite, which belonged to one of the most notorious pirates of the 17th century and vanished without a trace-except for the ghost ship that old-timers say roams the water on fog-shrouded nights? Soon the island is swarming with marine archaeologists and treasure hunters. It's good news for Natalie-and for the Gray Whale Inn-until a body turns up floating near the wreck. Natalie finds herself immersed in the world of pirates and sunken treasure, both past and present. Will she find the killer in time? Or will Natalie be the next to join the lost ship's crew, down in Davy Jones' locker?"--P [4] of cover Cranberry Island is flooded with visitors when a two hundred-year-old anchor is pulled up by a local lobsterman, and Natalie is busying running the Gray Whale Inn, but when one of her guests is murdered, it is up to Natalie to find the killer before another guest is killed.