With the arrival of crispness in the air and the slowly turning leaves, it’s hard not to want to get into the spirit of fall. Some do it by consuming all things pumpkin spice, others by listening to moody music or decorating for Halloween. And for some, hunkering down with a seasonally appropriate book is the way to go: a murder mystery, ghost story or other spooky tale.
Here are five books that are either written by Maine authors or are set in Maine — or both — that scratch that autumnal itch. They’re all recently published or are about to come out, so check your local bookstore or wherever you buy books for availability.
“Dead Man’s Wake” by Paul Doiron
No list of Maine mysteries would be complete without Paul Doiron, the prolific author who has written a novel about his crime-solving Maine game warden Mike Bowditch every year since 2010. This year is no exception, with “Dead Man’s Wake” released in June. In the book, Bowditch is celebrating his engagement to his longtime love, Stacey, when the party is cut short by a gruesome boating accident — something Bowditch begins to realize was not an accident after all. If you polish this one off quickly, worry not: the next Bowditch novel, “Pitch Dark,” comes out right on time in 2024.
“The Midcoast” by Adam White
This national bestseller crime novel came out last year, the debut work of Damariscotta native Adam White, who set the book in his hometown. In “The Midcoast,” the lobstering Thatch family begins a slow descent into crime, with the family patriarch running drugs even as his wife becomes town manager and his son becomes a cop. It’s a quick, engrossing read that is clearly written by someone who knows and loves rural, coastal Maine. It was released in paperback this spring.
“Let the Woods Keep Our Bodies” by E.M. Roy
In another debut novel by a Maine author, Portland-based E.M. Roy spins a tale that’s equal parts mystery and horror with “Let the Woods Keep Our Bodies,” set to be published on Oct. 10 by horror imprint Ghoulish Books. Leo Bates, a young woman in the fictional Maine town of Eston, is wrongfully accused in the disappearance of Tate Mulder, and she must confront not just her own demons but also whatever supernatural thing is lurking in the woods where Tate was last seen.
“A Haunting on the Hill” by Elizabeth Hand
Award-winning author Elizabeth Hand lives in coastal Maine, but her novels are set all over the world — and in fantastical places beyond the earthly realm. Her latest, “A Haunting on the Hill,” is set in the world of Shirley Jackson’s classic “The Haunting of Hill House,” and places its protagonist, playwright Holly Baldwin, her girlfriend and a group of theater actors in the titular house. If you know Jackson’s original 1959 novel, you know that they’re not alone. “A Haunting on the Hill” is out on Oct. 3.
“Looking Glass Sound” by Catriona Ward
Catriona Ward doesn’t live in Maine, but her newest horror novel, “Looking Glass Sound,” is set in the fictional vacation town of Whistler’s Bay. A novelist is holed up in a cottage on the shore, writing a new book, when he begins to experience strange things — pages appearing that he hasn’t written, notes left around the house. Is the cause paranormal, or is he going mad?
