Norwegian author to speak at Rockland Public Library
Norwegian Author Harold Greene to Discuss New Political Thriller at Rockland Public Library
A talk and book signing featuring Maine-based author Harold Greene will be held Thursday, Aug. 13, at 6 p.m. at the Rockland Public Library, located at 80 Union St. The event is free and open to the public.
Greene, a Norwegian writer now living in Hallowell, will present his debut novel, "The Architects of Control: A Political Thriller." Books will be available for purchase and signing after the talk.
The author brings a distinctive background to his fiction writing. A former United Nations staffer with postings across four continents, Greene holds a master's degree from the London School of Economics. He currently works with rural leaders in Maine on community resilience initiatives, and his writing focuses on power and how it manifests in everyday life.
Set in the fictional town of New Denmark, the novel follows Deputy Robert Pures in Aroostook County, whose investigation of a hit-and-run leads him into the woods and to a remote fishing camp where five tech specialists have gathered. What he discovers there draws him into a conspiracy aimed at influencing elections long before voters reach the polls.
Rather than depicting election hacking in the traditional sense, the story explores what happens when artificial intelligence is used to shape voter behavior—influencing how people think and whether they participate in elections at all. The book arrives as the 2026 election cycle unfolds, a period marked by growing public attention to data centers, AI-generated content, deepfakes, and the role of algorithms in political processes.
Greene draws on the rhythms of small-town life in Aroostook County for his setting, incorporating town meetings, the long fall nights leading up to elections, and the close-knit character of rural Maine communities where residents know their neighbors.
The novel has drawn early praise from Kirkus Reviews, which described it as "a thrilling political tapestry that is equally topical and timeless" and predicted it would "excite and delight fans of political thrillers and tales of deep-seated corruption."
For more information about the event, interested readers can email Patricia King or contact the library at 207-594-0310.
