Author Moe Claire discusses first book in Downeast Maine mystery series

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) - Moe Claire joined WABI to talk about “A Fickle Tide,” the first book the the Pyke Island Mystery Series.

It’s a series of modern mysteries set on the fictional Pyke Island in Downeast Maine.

Summary:

“Two crimes. One frozen island. A tide of secrets waiting to surface.

“The winter quiet on Pyke Island, Maine, is shattered one cold January night. A man desperate to flee the island kidnaps Del Corriveau, leaving her unconscious in a shuttered summer cottage. That same night, a Hollywood producer vanishes from his waterfront estate—Black Ledges—in a burst of unexplained violence.

“How are the two incidents connected? And what secrets are hidden behind the walls of Black Ledges?

“Drawn into the heart of the police investigation, Del’s life is upended by a blizzard of suspicion, veiled threats, buried lies, and painful regrets. To uncover the truth, she’ll have to rely on her sharp instincts, unorthodox skills, and a past she thought she’d left behind.

“Like tracking shoeprints in the snow, evidence is unearthed, criminals are hunted down—leading to a confrontation and a heart-stopping rescue. These are the bones and muscle that move the story, but the heart of the A Fickle Tide is how everyone is changed by it."

Claire says there are currently four titles in different stages of publication. The second book, “Granite and Bones,” will be available this fall. The next titles will be available in spring 2026 and summer 2026.

She has also published short stories and plays as her alter-writing ego, Moe Moeller.

Her short story, “Shadowlight” was published in the anthology “North Woods at Night.” It was awarded Best in Fiction during the 2024 Bangor Authors’ Book Fair & Literary Festival.

Her short play “Remembering June” was selected for performance by the 2025 Maine Playwrights Festival on the Portland Stage.

Another short story, “The Last Stone from the House of Usher,” recently was selected by the Crime Spell editors for the Best New England Crime Stories anthology, Snakeberry, coming in November 2025.

You can find more short fiction on her Substack “Moe Moeller is Bookish.”

Claire is from Downeast Maine and retired from a career in information technology after working for over 10 years at Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor.

For more information, visit www.moeclairemystery.com or 12willowspress.com.

You can buy “A Fickle Tide” from independent booksellers in Maine, including Shermans and BAM, as well as from Amazon.

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