Ephraim Hatch Book 1: Secrets of the Maine Coast by R.M. Briar In the busy harbor town of Searsport, Maine, twelve-year-old Ephraim Hatch sees patterns no one else notices. Raised by his sharp-tongued grandmother and accompanied by his loyal dog, Dupin, Ephraim spends his days inventing, observing, and asking questions polite society would rather ignore. When a strange symbol begins appearing along the waterfront, Ephraim and his fearless friend Avery Pendleton uncover a chain of hidden places stretching across the Maine coast — from forgotten wharves and buried tunnels to fogbound signal sheds and a silent farmhouse on Sears Island. The deeper they dig, the clearer it becomes: powerful adults have spent years protecting secrets tied to smuggling, old loyalties, and a past that refuses to stay buried. As danger grows and whispers turn into real threats, Ephraim must follow his one rule — never accuse without proof — even when the truth puts him and those he cares about at risk. Set against the rugged beauty of 1880s coastal Maine, Secrets of the Maine Coast is a sweeping middle-grade historical mystery about courage, legacy, and the quiet power of uncovering what others want forgotten. Some secrets are meant to stay hidden. Others are waiting for someone brave enough to find them.