Maine-ly Mysteries Public Library: Home

Welcome to Maine-ly Mysteries, a public library where every corner hides a story, and every book is a new adventure. Whether you’re a lifelong fan of thrillers or a newcomer to the world of mysteries, our library offers a unique experience designed for people of all ages.

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Mission Statement

At Maine-ly Mysteries, our mission is to foster a love of reading while bringing the excitement of mystery novels to the heart of our community. Our public library specializes in a diverse collection of thrillers, detective stories, and suspenseful tales that inspire curiosity and critical thinking. By offering a welcoming space for discovery, discussion, and connection, we aim to spark imaginations, promote lifelong learning, and provide a sense of adventure for readers of all ages.

Our Values

✦ Commitment to Curiosity
✦ Community Connection
✦ Accessibility to All
✦ Encouraging Diverse Perspectives
✦ Building a Community of Storytellers

The Dog Across the Lake

Holly Miller is looking forward to finally taking a few days to relax. Enjoying an early morning on her terrace, she spots an unfamiliar reddish-gold pooch across the lake. She's intrigued, but never expects to find the very same dog smiling at her in bed when she wakes up the next morning! Trixie and Twinkletoes appear to accept this cute stranger, but Holly doesn't know to whom he belongs. Oma thinks the dog looks familiar, and it turns out the wayward pooch belongs to Holly's cousin Josh. Holly knew her cousin well as a child, but she hasn't seen him in over a decade. He's camping with his girlfriend across the lake. Holly returns the cute dog to Josh's campsite twice, but the second time, Josh and his girlfriend are nowhere to be found. Instead, a guest of the Sugar Maple Inn is dead in their tent. Now it's up to Holly and Trixie to suss out a sneaky killer.

Shady Hollow

The first book in the Shady Hollow series, in which we are introduced to the village of Shady Hollow, a place where woodland creatures live together in harmony--until a curmudgeonly toad turns up dead and the local reporter has to solve the case. Reporter Vera Vixen is a relative newcomer to Shady Hollow. The fox has a nose for news, so when she catches wind that the death might be a murder, she resolves to get to the bottom of the case, no matter where it leads. As she stirs up still waters, the fox exposes more than one mystery, and discovers that additional lives are in jeopardy.   Vera finds more to this town than she ever suspected. It seems someone in the Hollow will do anything to keep her from solving the murder, and soon it will take all of Vera's cunning and quickness to crack the case.

Dirk Bones and the Mystery of the Missing Books

In the town of Ghostly, where everything is spooky, something really strange is going on: Books are disappearing! And not just any books--only those written by the famous author Edgar Bleek. Luckily ace reporter Dirk Bones is on the case. As Dirk tracks down information about the only clue--a weird spotted leaf--the mystery gets even more bizarre. What is happening in Ghostly? Expect the unexpected in this second Dirk Bones mystery about a fearless reporter in a town full of silly, creepy creatures.

How to Write a Damn Good Mystery

Edgar award nominee James N. Frey, author of the internationally best-selling books on the craft of writing, How to Write a Damn Good Novel, How to Write a Damn Good Novel II: Advanced Techniques, and The Key: How to Write Damn Good Fiction Using the Power of Myth, has now written what is certain to become the standard "how to" book for mystery writing, How to Write a Damn Good Mystery. Frey urges writers to aim high-not to try to write a good-enough-to-get-published mystery, but a damn good mystery. A damn good mystery is first a dramatic novel, Frey insists-a dramatic novel with living, breathing characters-and he shows his readers how to create a living, breathing, believable character who will be clever and resourceful, willful and resolute, and will be what Frey calls "the author of the plot behind the plot." Frey then shows, in his well-known, entertaining, and accessible (and often humorous) style , how the characters-the entire ensemble, including the murderer, the detective, the authorities, the victims, the suspects, the witnesses and the bystanders-create a complete and coherent world. Exploring both the on-stage action and the behind-the-scenes intrigue, Frey shows prospective writers how to build a fleshed-out, believable, and logical world. He shows them exactly which parts of that world show up in the pages of a damn good mystery-and which parts are held back just long enough to keep the reader guessing. This is an indispensable step-by-step guide for anyone who's ever dreamed of writing a damn good mystery.

The Turn of the Screw and Other Short Novels

By turns chilling, funny, tragic, and profound, this collection of six Henry James short novels allows readers to experience the full range of his skills and vision. The title story, “The Turn of the Screw,” is a chilling masterpiece of psychological terror that mixes the phantoms of the mind with those of the supernatural. “Daisy Miller,” the tale of a provincial American girl in Rome that established James’s literary reputation, and “An International Episode” are superb examples of his focus on the clash between American and European values. And in “The Aspern Papers,” “The Alter of the Dead,” and “The Beast in the Jungle,” the author’s remarkable sense of irony, his love of plot twists, and his view of male-female relationships find exquisite expression.