Reviews & Recs of books about Maine, set in Maine, and by Maine authors.
A Little Yuletide Murder
A death at Christmas time rocks Cabot Cove - even moreso because the victim, Brent, is the man who played the town’s Santa Claus. Jessica Fletcher is home for the holidays and she’s ready to start digging into the motives of the murderer and figure out who the murderer actually is.
Stowed Away
Stowed Away is the sixth book in the Maine Clambake Mysteries series by Barbara Ross. It’s a cozy mystery, set in fictional Busman’s Harbor on the coast of Maine and centered on the main character Julia who, along with her family, operates a lobster and clambake on the island off the coast. Her family has been in the area for generations and owns property including the abandoned mansion, Windsholme.
The Poacher’s Son
The Poacher’s Son is our introduction to Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch, now the protagonist of a dozen novels by Paul Doiron. Warden Bowditch had a tough upbringing - his father was an aggressive drunk, he and his mother escaped and moved to southern Maine where his mother remarried, but throughout the book we see that Bowditch has never really escaped that past.
Mystery In Longfellow Square
Long a classic read for local schoolkids, Mystery In Longfellow Square is a good story and a compelling read for older elementary students or younger middle school students. Though it might be a bit old-fashioned for today’s kids - what, these kids are allowed to play outside by themselves?
Dolores Claiborne
Let’s just start out by saying this is not your typical Stephen King supernatural horror story. There are hints of the supernatural - much of the book works toward the culminating event which takes place during an eclipse - but if you’re expecting vampires, zombie pets, or demons, this isn’t the book for you.
Town In A Lobster Stew
A stereotypical cozy mystery that hits all the notes of a cliche book set in coastal Maine, Town in a Lobster Stew is a quick read and an entertaining distraction from everyday life. Candy Holliday, amateur sleuth and local reporter, is put on the case of a missing recipe by Wilma Mae, an elderly woman in the town. The recipe is a guaranteed winner for the annual lobster stew contest, and so is considered highly valuable amongst the townspeople. Deaths begin to happen in the town, and Candy concludes that they are all related to the missing recipe.