Doiron’s prose is first rate, his descriptions of the coastal islands and wildlife as vivid and vibrant as his past portrayals of the deep woods and wild rivers where most of the previous novels were set.” –Associated Press
“Doiron [delivers] brilliant characterizations, relentless action and suspense, and an intricately plotted narrative. The perfect vacation read.” –Booklist (starred)
“Exceptional…Doiron is writing at the top of his game.” –Publishers Weekly (starred)
“Worth the wait.” –Kirkus Reviews
“Doiron paints a complex portrait of coastal Maine…Fans of C.J. Box’s Joe Pickett mysteries, which also star an indomitable game warden, will particularly enjoy this gripping tale.” Bookpage
“The beauty and brutality of Maine's natural worldand humans' interferenceare front and center in the exquisitely plotted Hatchet Island… The tense plot works as an exciting locked-room mystery, while also giving insight into Mike's sense of justice, concern for Maine's fragile environment and deepening relationship with Stacey.” –Shelf Awareness
Praise for Dead by Dawn:
“A nail-biter in a nightlong fight for survival in the Maine wilderness....[Doiron proves] his mastery of pacing and suspense. Frostbite aside, this book sizzles.” –People Magazine
“Hungry for action, adventure and physical danger? Take a Jeep ride with 31-year-old Maine game warden Mike Bowditch...Dead By Dawn mixes Jack London-style peril with the DIY inventiveness of TV’s “MacGyver” and the thrill of Richard Connell’s classic pursuit story ‘The Most Dangerous Game.’” –Wall Street Journal
“The 12th novel in Paul Doiron's unwaveringly superb series about a courageous, battle-tested Maine game warden...a wilderness survival story as compelling Jack London’s classic short story, ‘To Build a Fire’....the prose is as sharp as an arrow and so lyrical that it sometimes borders on poetry.” –Associated Press
“Maine writer Paul Doiron has demonstrated he is a master at crafting compelling mysteries...unequivocally his best yet.”—Maine Sunday Telegram
“Brilliant characterizations and a compelling narrative…this series just keeps getting better.” –Booklist (starred)
“Nail-biting...the best yet in a superior series.” –Publishers Weekly (starred)
“Part survival story, part mystery-suspense, Doiron's narrative is fast-paced and engaging.” –Library Journal
"A tour de force." Kirkus Reviews
"Fans of Mike Bowditch mystery novels will not be disappointed." Boston.com
"[A] gripping thriller...relentless in pace and plotting." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Praise for One Last Lie:
"This novel is something of a departure for Doiron... the suspenseful, fast-paced plot has more twists and turns than usual." —Associated Press
"Before you read this book, clear your schedule. It’s the kind of story best read in one gulp...[Doiron] keeps getting better." —New York Journal of Books
“Edgar finalist Doiron artfully blends a whodunit plot with superior characterizations in his top-notch 11th mystery…vividly portrays the Maine woods setting while maintaining taut suspense.” —Publishers Weekly (starred)
“One Last Lie is a triumph for aficionados and newcomers alike. The secrets, old and new, are compelling, and Doiron's landscape imagery is perfectly balanced (as is the literary history)...Trust, friendship, love, faith and how the family we choose holds powerful sway is at the heart of this impressive series entry.” —Shelf Awareness
“Doiron’s masterful plotting pulls it all together, and the reader gets to meet an odd assortment of extraordinarily well-defined characters—good guys and bad—while learning more about both the natural and the political history of the Pine Tree State.” —Booklist
2022-03-30
A distress call takes Game Warden Mike Bowditch to a part of Maine he rarely sees: the tiny, rugged islands off the coast.
Kendra Ballard, project manager for the Maine Seabird Initiative, is seriously worried about the Initiative’s future. It’s come under pressure from local fishers whose attitude toward nature is unapologetically different from hers, and Kendra’s particularly worried about her boss, Dr. Maeve McLeary. So she asks her old college roommate, bush pilot/biologist/EMT/kayaking guide Stacey Stevens, if she’ll come out to visit and bring Mike, the lover with whom she’s recently been reunited after two years—and she also asks if Mike will please bring his gun. Mike and Stacey’s initial inquiries confirm Kendra’s suspicions that there’s trouble brewing in the place to which famed photographer Clay Markham has retired and that Maeve is indeed seriously disturbed. Apart from Kendra’s story about intern Evan Levandowski’s suicide and Mike’s unsettling confrontation with surly lobsterman Bear Goodale and his mate Chris Beckwith, however, it’s hard to put a finger on the source of the troubles. After an attack on a camp they’ve pitched on an island rumored to be littered with unexploded bombs leaves Kendra and one of her current interns dead and obscenely posed and the other intern missing, it’s no more clear who led the assault or why. Only the suicide of Maeve herself begins to bring the mystery into focus. Before it’s solved, Mike will have to call on every one of Stacey’s impressive list of skills and practice a couple he didn’t know he had himself.
Slow to get underway but the payoff is worth the wait.