Big Money, Small Town: A Ryan Tapia Novel

Ryan Tapia #3

by Thomas E. Ricks

In this gripping and dynamic thriller, former FBI agent Ryan Tapia finds himself ensnared in the complex interplay of power, politics, environmental degradation, and resistance at a cobalt mine in Maine.

While building his career as a private investigator in the Maine countryside, Ryan Tapia takes the case of Dr. Ed Healey, a local physician suffering from an acute case of cobalt poisoning. A mine has recently opened in Pushaw county, extracting the valuable minerals needed for batteries in electronic devices and electric cars. But a deadly “Fan” of poison is seeping out . . .

But there are dark legacies in Pushaw that go back to the Salem witch trials and the community on nearby Witch Island, where the Thornfoot family is turning the tables and exploiting the vagaries of modern life for their own ends.

On the cusp of finding his personal happiness once more, Tapia is caught in the middle of this vortex of manipulation and money, desperation and deceit. Neighbors turn on one another and the people of Pushaw risk becoming as deadly to one another as the industrial poison simmering beneath the surface.

In Big Money, Small Town, Thomas Ricks has crafted a nuanced and enthralling novel that challenges our understandings of money and influence in every facet of modern life.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction

288 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 2, 2026

About the author

Thomas Edwin "Tom" Ricks (born September 25, 1955) is an American journalist who writes on defense topics. He is a Pulitzer Prize-winning former reporter for the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post. He writes a blog at ForeignPolicy.com and is a member of the Center for a New American Security, a defense policy think tank.

He lectures widely to the military and is a member of Harvard University's Senior Advisory Council on the Project on U.S. Civil-Military Relations. He has reported on military activities in Somalia, Haiti, Korea, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Kuwait, Turkey, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Ricks is author of five books: the bestselling Fiasco: The American Military Adventure In Iraq (2006), its follow-up The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008 (2009), The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today (2012), the novel A Soldier's Duty (2001), and Making the Corps (1997) (from wikipedia)

Reviews

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

A page turner for sure…politics, digging for minerals, cellphones, tumors, rash, death?and we find former FBI, Ryan Tapia, investigating these strange findings. A great movie plot in our search for those allusive minerals we all need in our devices…many interesting plots with some unsavory characters. Enjoy

[Peter T · Rating 5 out of 5]

For lovers of Maine, a warning

This third of Thomas Ricks’ novels featuring Ryan Tapia, once a FBI agent, still an investigator, paints a disturbing picture of the corrupting influence of corporate power on democracy in Maine, where Ricks resides much of the year on Deer Isle, in Penobscot Bay. My paternal grandfather was born on that island and since the 1940s I have spent summers there almost every year. Ricks captures the character of the state and its inhabitants in his writing. This novel is a page-turner, fast-paced and tense with politics and personal dramas. All the more fascinating as Ricks ’home is just sdow the road from my place.

[Sarah Dressler · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, this is written by a male author and I have read several novels in a row written by women recently. Let me tell you, I can absolutely see the differences between the way women describe situations and the way men do. Focusing on different details, using different language and terms to describe characters.

It should be a psychological study if it isn’t already. 🙂

The story is about digging underground in a beautiful, sleepy little Maine town…which begins poisoning the townspeople.

There are conflicting storylines, some of which I enjoyed more than others. I was saddened by the storyline of the townspeople dying as a result of the digging (for an element needed in cellphones no less).

There are some pretty unsavory characters, there’s some scheming, there’s the aftermath of poor decisions….the storylines go in many directions and diverge several times.

I almost stopped reading early on, but I am actually glad I stuck with it- the characters connected with me farther on into the story (the ones that weren’t unsavory).

[Robert Hargraves · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Strong Novel the Couldn't Resist Politics

I really enjoyed the premise, the small-town setting, and the intrigue. Thomas Ricks tells an entertaining story with memorable characters, and I was looking forward to seeing how it all unfolded.

Unfortunately, the novel is weighed down by what appears to be the author’s repeated insertion of his personal political views. References to oligarchs, Bernie Sanders, and disparaging comments about Republicans felt forced and added nothing to the plot. Rather than trusting the story to stand on its own, the political commentary repeatedly pulled me out of the narrative.

I’m an independent voter and don’t mind differing viewpoints, but I do mind when fiction becomes a vehicle for the author’s politics. Without that distraction, this would have been an excellent read. As it stands, it’s an average one.

[Thomas Remington · Rating 5 out of 5]

gripping, chilling, and all too realistic.

Another great story, full of Maine details and devastating glimpses of oligarchic power in America. Tom Ricks does it again.

[Donna M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Ryan Tapia book that feels bleak but truthful about our times.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another interesting book in this series. Addressing current political & moral dilemas our country is dealing with. At times stressful to read but important to face.

[Tony Sannicandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

😢 This book makes me sad about the state of our country.