MARION — Steve Dahill still remembers what his grandmother told him as a child growing up in Mattapoisett:

“If you don’t stop misbehaving…you are going to disappear like the crew of the Mary Celeste.”

At that point, Dahill had “no idea” about the Mary Celeste which was discovered abandoned in 1872 off the coast of the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean. 

Over the years, Dahill’s familiarity and interest in the mystery has grown exponentially. Now Dahill, a Marion resident, just released his first novel titled “Secrets of Mary Celeste.” 

“I thought ‘this is a great mystery and a great story.’ I know others have jumped into it but I’d like to give it a shot too,” said Dahill.

According to Dahill, the family of Mary Celeste Captain Benjamin Briggs is from Marion, and members of the Briggs family still reside in the Tri-Town today. “This is a local story that took on global ramifications,” said Dahill. 

“It still has a big presence in a lot of places because it is one of the world’s greatest unsolved mysteries,” he said. 

A lifelong sailor himself, Dahill said his knowledge of the sea helped him write this story and even debunk certain theories he has read about the disappearance of the crew. 

“With my personal connection to the story, living as I do during the sailing season in Marion, I felt I could do a good job bringing the mystery to life for modern readers,” he wrote in a statement.

“Secrets of Mary Celeste” is a fictional story that includes characters that Dahill has created. 

“I based my story on what we know about the actual event — a ghost ship found abandoned. Then I conducted additional research while creating a backstory,” wrote Dahill. “I wrapped the real event around unique characters, plumbing the depths of what might have happened to the people on the Mary Celeste as well as those who went to search for them.”

According to Dahill, the most prevalent themes in the story are family, perseverance and ingenuity. 

It is the first book published from Dahill’s planned trilogy titled “Age of Sail.” In early 2024, Dahill’s second novel “Clipper Wars,” a sequel to “Secrets of Mary Celeste” will be released to the public. 

Dahill said that while he was waiting for “Secrets of Mary Celeste” to be edited, he continued writing and has finished the trilogy. 

“I did so much research over about five years that I thought ‘I’ve got a ton of stuff to talk about.’ I kept on writing, I just never stopped,” said Dahill. 

“Secrets of Mary Celeste” can be purchased at Sippican Historical Society or at jumpmasterpress.com