Read These Local Books

By Maureen Boyle
In 1988, eleven women went missing in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Nine women, ranging in ages from nineteen to thirty-six, were later found dead along local highways surrounding the city. Throughout Shallow Graves, investigative reporter Maureen Boyle narrates the story she first broke, drawing on interviews with investigators and some of the families that were conducted during and after the unsolved killings.

By Ann Hood
When her twenty-five-year marriage ends and her two grown children are pursuing careers outside the country, Ava is thrust into a new chapter of her life. She joins a book club for the literature and companionship and is tasked with finding the book that means the most to her. Ava’s search is interrupted by the perils of her reality, from the resurfacing of difficult deaths to the disappearance of her daughter, Maggie. Rhode Island native Ann Hood’s novel is full of depth and compassion, secrets and suspense as it delves into the past and present.

By Paul La Farge
Psychiatrist Marina Willett is troubled by her husband, Charlie’s, obsession with horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. When Charlie uncovers scandal from the summer of 1934, during which Lovecraft mysteriously spent months living with a sixteen-year-old fan, her husband suddenly disappears. After the police deem it a suicide, Marina rejects their claim and embarks on an investigation of her own. She then travels around the continent, making a stop at Lovecraft’s native city of Providence, in a final attempt to discover the truth.

By Peter Andreas
Brown University professor Peter Andreas shares the dramatic and true story that was his childhood. Andreas faced instability and chaos from a young age. His mother was a radical feminist and Marxist revolutionary and after losing a bitter custody battle, she decided to kidnap Peter and live a life on the run. In a story that crosses international borders, Andreas's memoir documents an unconventional mother-son bond and the power of nonconformity.

By James Conroy
Aquidneck Island author James Conroy tells the story of Micah LaVeck, who lives alone in a cabin on Aquidneck Island, transcribing antique journals while living with a nerve and muscle disease. Because a large population of coyotes threatens the animals and birds of the island, the mayor decides to hire a professional coyote hunter, a Native American named Kodi Red Moon. Micah agrees to let the hunter stay on his property, and he finds himself strongly drawn to her. This passion is interrupted by a reporter, locals outraged at the hunt and an ex-girlfriend, building a climactic story that takes place close to home.

By Stephen Dobyns
Charlie Bradshaw is a regular senior citizen, but it hasn’t always been that way. When he finds the corpse of Saratoga Springs’s biggest nuisance on his sidewalk, his past of being a private investigator comes rushing back to him. The problem is that the cops revoked his private investigator’s license, so he could be prosecuted for going through with the work. Westerly resident Stephen Dobyns tells the tale of mystery, murder and risk in Saratoga Payback.