BOOK REVIEW: A spy novel in Maine where the spooks look familiar

By Michelle Beckwith

Suspended are the days of sticky bug spray, lobster boats hauling gear and long lines at Hannaford. Winter has arrived here on the coast and this cozy mystery set in a fictional small rural town—closely resembling our neck of the woods on the Blue Hill Peninsula—is an ideal snow day read.

Imagine my surprise when I first read this novel in the Blue Hill Library’s “Maine Room” and glanced up to see a shelf chock full of the author’s titles. With 30+ romantic thrillers, medical dramas and even a television-adapted crime series in her catalog, Camden-based author Tess Gerritsen is well versed in Maine narratives. 

First in an ongoing series (The Martini Club) The Spy Coast features Maggie Bird and a band of merry retired CIA operatives. Maggie’s quiet life on a chicken farm in Purity, Maine comes to an abrupt halt when a body turns up in her driveway, and an old vendetta from her time on the job resurfaces. Readers are sent on a wild ride, with scenes in Bangkok, Istanbul, Malta, and London, discovering heroes, villains and characters who blur the lines in this entertaining and fast-paced novel. The second book in the series, The Summer Guests, was published last spring, and number 3, The Shadow Friends hits shelves this August. Now might be the perfect time to dive in!

Within the pages you will definitely recognize some settings unique to our corner of the world, and if you have some friends who used to “work for the government,” you just may recognize some characters, too! 

“There’s nothing so sad as three old spies trying to prove they still have what it takes.”

—Michelle Beckwith reviews books of various genres and especially enjoys titles set in Maine. Her reviews from the past five years are posted on her Instagram page @bookshelfbybeckwith. She and her husband Jeff live in Blue Hill.