New England Intrigue: 5 Books of Mystery and Murder on the East Coast
By Grace Roberts
Between foggy mornings, dubiously acquired wealth, and a slew of sleepy towns where everyone knows the chief of police, New England is rife with mystery. Writers have described the charming, shining life of New Englanders for centuries, but they have also paid attention to the deep familial, environmental, and social scars that run deep here. Whether giving a nod to the sinister side of wealth or describing shake-shingle, shiplap houses with enough reverence to be Biblical, these five books will keep you guessing.
#1: Little Monsters by Adrienne Brodeur
Set in contemporary Cape Cod, this epic family drama is like a car crash you cannot look away from. Loosely based around the tale of Cain and Abel, this book is chock-full of secrets, mildly questionable family relationships, and as in all good dramas, things explode at an elaborate evening soiree. The descriptions of Cape Cod, from the houses and cottages to the gossipy locals, are incredibly readable, and ultimately make this a New England novel for the ages.
#2: The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
A girl gone missing and a family harboring a great loss, this debut novel by Peters is an important glimpse into Maine’s history. Following a Mi'kmaq family, Maine’s original indigenous habitants, whose youngest daughter suddenly goes middle while they do their seasonal work picking blueberries, this book moves follows the POV’s of Ruthie and Joe as they work through trauma, belonging, and what it means to be part of a family, whether chosen or not.
#3: The Truth About the Henry Quebert Affair by Joel Dickers
A sprawling, complex novel about a 33-year-old murder case which gets dug up — literally. The writing and plot-work are what make this novel a standout mystery, as characters and flashbacks become interconnected and the townspeople of Somerset, New Hampshire begin to put the pieces together. Originally written in French, this translation paints a sordid yet eerily cozy picture of the New Hampshire coast. With an unforgettable and nuanced cast of characters, this will keep you turning the pages if only because you need to know where on earth it’s going.
#4: Defending Jacob by William Landay
Set in a Boston suburb, this is one the greatest legal procedural novels of all time, with a twist ending you will never see coming. Gloomy, gray, and with a brilliant tense plotline whose stakes grow higher as the book progresses, this is another family drama that is devious. When Jacob Barber is accused of murdering his classmate at 16 years old, his family must work to clear his name as their hard-earned friendships in an upper-class town slowly begin to turn against them. The question is, do his parents even believe he’s really innocent?
#5: The Secret History by Donna Tartt
One of the most famous New England novels ever written, and for good reason, this New Hampshire mystery is tragic and shocking, filled with questionable characters who, despite their habits, have you considering joining an (almost) cult. Richard Papen is one of the 21st century’s greatest and most unreliable narrators, so when he and a band of other students, all brought together by a legendary professor’s Latin class, witness a terrible secret, things get complicated fast. Donna Tartt drew on her experiences at Bennington College (where she was contemporaries with authors like Brett Easton Ellis and Jonathan Lethem) to create a truly masterful portrait of private school in New England, from the wealth, elitism, and dark secrets that even daddy’s money can’t completely erase.