We Cant Save You, Thomas E. Ricks
We Cant Save You, Thomas E. Ricks
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We Can't Save You
A Tale of Politics, Murder, and Maine

Author: Thomas E. Ricks

Series: Ryan Tapia Novel

Narrator: Graham Rowat

Unabridged: 7 hr 46 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 06/03/2025


Synopsis

When a group of young Native Americans launches a series of protests against climate change and its effects on the waters and woods of Maine, veteran FBI 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. When the marchers begin making camps on the lawns of luxurious summer mansions along the Maine coast, they win national media attention—and the wrath of a reactionary president.

Tapia soon finds himself torn. He wants to do right by Soco and the protestors, but his bosses at the Bureau are eager to please the president. Growing increasingly sympathetic to the protestors and their cause, he tells them about a possible refuge—a secret CIA base hidden away in the depths of the Maine woods. Enraged, the White House sends a US Army unit to track down the protestors on their stealth march through the evergreen forests. Meanwhile, Tapia's bosses, vexed and embarrassed, fire him and threaten arrest. Undaunted, Tapia snowmobiles through the wilderness on a wintry night to warn the Indian protestors of the impending attack. Building to a dizzying climax, We Can't Save You establishes Ryan Tapia as one of the most compelling and nuanced investigators in crime fiction.

About Thomas E. Ricks

Thomas E. Ricks is the author of five New York Times bestsellers, including the # 1 bestseller Fiasco, a history of the beginning of the Iraq War. As a reporter at the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, he was a member of two teams that won the Pulitzer Prize. He worked in the Maine woods in his youth and trapped lobsters when living on an island in Penobscot Bay. He now divides his time between Texas and Maine.


Reviews

AudiobooksNow review by Jam on 2025-10-05 13:23:08

Very different from Ricks' previous fiction book featuring Ryan Tapia, here Tapia takes a back seat to Paul Saco and a new character, both of whom become Indigenous leaders in a protest movement against "earth burning" (i.e., climate change). With tension and tragedy laced with humor, Ricks reveals that asking provocative questions are more important to addressing life's biggest problems than plans and answers. Grounded in Maine culture, those concerned about climate change will be particularly intrigued in this book that is less of a mystery than it is a cry to save the planet.

Goodreads review by Mandy Webb on June 04, 2025

This was so much better than I anticipated! Easily 4-4.25 stars. I am going to do my best to give a light synopsis without giving any spoilers away because this is worth the read! A group of Native Americans starts protests against climate change and how it impacts the waters of Maine. Ryan Tapia is our......more