The Appledore Garden

When antiquarian bookseller Marisol Brock-Whitebear receives a call from an estate-clearance professional working inside a historic Maine cottage, she expects an ordinary appraisal. Instead, she finds a locked nineteenth-century steamer trunk hidden beneath the eaves. Inside are a garden journal from Appledore Island, draft poems, and correspondence that may connect directly to Celia Thaxter and the literary circle that gathered on the Isles of Shoals. If authentic, the discovery could become one of the most significant archival finds on the Maine coast in generations. As historians, archivists, collectors, and institutions begin the painstaking work of authentication, Marisol must follow the evidence wherever it leads. Every document raises new questions about the people who preserved the archive—and why it remained hidden for so long. Set along the rugged coast of Maine, The Appledore Garden is a literary mystery about forgotten papers, historical legacy, scholarship, and the quiet thrill of discovery. Perfect for readers who love rare books, literary history, archives, and atmospheric coastal settings.