Tom Ricks' trained lens offers unusual historical perspective of Maine

Join Deer Isle author's talk July 15 at Southwest Harbor Library

SOUTHWEST HARBOR, JULY 8, 2025 - Tom Ricks took a detour in the second of his books on FBI agent Ryan Tapia, whose first assignment to solve a murder in Maine was fraught because of his unfamiliarity with the state and his own personal baggage. That book was appropriately entitled, “Everyone Knows But You.”

In Ricks’ sequel, “We Can’t Save you,” Tapia is no longer the central figure. Instead, a much more layered story unfolds, challenging the reader’s own assumptions of how a crime novel should play out.

Ricks said at a public reading June 8 at the Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C. his publisher thanked him for his second book but added, “Couldn’t you show a little deference for the genre?”

I can understand the poke.

But I also understand the natural tendency of a journalist who has reported from around the world and won two Pulitzer Prizes while at it to share the broad reach of his gifted knowledge.

I started reading Ricks when I was researching and publishing an article about books with a strong Maine connection.

In April, I wrote “Books about Maine: Doiron, Ricks, Barr? What's on your summer reading list?” I had become a reliable follower of the adventures of game warden Mike Bowditch who can’t seem to avoid dead bodies in every one of Paul Doirin’s books.

Of course we suspend measures of reality when we watch detective TV series and when we read crime novels. We know that most law enforcement officers never fire their service revolvers in a lifetime of duty.

Still, we bend to the catnip.

Now along comes Tom Ricks to challenge that sensibility.

It ‘s not easy to pigeonhole Ricks, who has published 10 books, mostly military histories.

His personal favorite was Waging a Good War: A Military History of the Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1968.

Ricks said he learned from reading Stephen’s King’s “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft” to ask the question “what if?”

"What if a farmer murdered his wife?" or "What if vampires invaded a small town?" This initial question establishes the core conflict and sets the stage for character development and plot.

The main characters in Rick’s second crime novel are two indigenous Maine natives who lead a civil rights march through the state to highlight the white man’s penchant for burning up the earth. I have always been curious about Maine’s unique relationship with Indians and Ricks gave me plenty to chew on.

Agent Ryan Tapia is assigned to monitor the movement. The protestors, who become determined to split away from American society, are led by “Peeled Paul” Soco, a Malpense hermit who played a key role in one of Tapia's previous investigations.

Then there was this: Enraged by the protestors' actions, the White House sends a National Guard unit unit to track down the protestors on their stealth march through the evergreen forests.

Sound familiar?

I am looking forward to asking Ricks how he came to develop this plot about a year ago, long before Janet Mills and Donald Trump had their clash in February 2025 and certainly before Trump sent in the National Guard into Los Angeles.

Join me as I host a discussion with Ricks July 15 at 5:30 p.m. at the Southwest Harbor Public Library. I highly recommend reading both Ryan Tapia books beforehand. Ricks will be present to sign them.

When asked at his June reading what inspires him the most when he chooses a topic, he said, “Something that pisses me off.”

He’s already working on his next two books, on how oligarchs take over a Maine town after precious metals are discovered there and on how the FBI essentially waged an illegal war on Black Panthers.

I feel Ricks’ searing indignation as the words are launched off the pages like live ordnances and am grateful that I am not the only one who is “pissed off.”

His insight into the role of the military in the current consolidation of power of the executive branch will be welcoming. Come with your questions.

Library’s celebration of its 130th birthday

Photo of three figures in front of the library taken by George Arthur Neal in 1896

As part of a year-long celebration of 130 years of service to the community, the Library is planning a mid-summer series of anniversary events for all ages. Happening July 21-27, activities will include a kick-off party, historical displays, children’s activities, and an evening with Pulitzer Prize winning author Richard Russo. The culminating event will be a festive pig roast with live music.

The anniversary celebration recognizes the construction and opening of the library’s brick building at 338 Main Street, built to house a growing collection that began in 1884 when resident Annie Sawyer Downs gathered cast-off books from the summer hotels and placed them on a shelf in a local drug store. Funded by donations from year-round and summer residents, the building was constructed over the summer of 1895 and was officially dedicated on October 31.

I wrote this tribute to the library in 2023. Here are ways to give to the library.

Music on Cranberry Island