Maine Game
Warden Investigator Mike Bowditch had a plan for the day as Dead By Dawn:
A Novel by Paul Doiron begins. The plan is a vet visit for Shadow.
The hybrid wolf/dog needs a vet visit as he continues to recover from recent
events. Bowditch may also have to relocate Shadow from the acre and a half
enclosure on Bowditch’s property as the new neighbors are upset that Shadow lives
across the river from them. The new folks have a history of suing folks so
Bowditch may need to find a new safe place for Shadow.
While in the
area to see the vet, Investigator Bowditch can address a complaint from
Mariette Chamberlain. Four years ago, her father-in-law, Professor Eben
Chamberlin, died in the Androscoggin River. The investigators at the time,
including those of the Maine Game warden Service, put it down as accidental.
Mariette Chamberlain firmly believes the professor was murdered.
After seeing the
vet with Shadow, it is on to meeting with Marc Rivard who was in charge
of finding Eben Chamberlain. Rivard and Bowditch have a complicated history,
including the fact that Bowditch played a major role in his removal from the
service, so neither man is looking forward to the meeting. That meeting
foreshadows what is to come as Mike Bowditch starts investigating the
Chamberlain case and, within hours, injured and fighting to stay alive.
Dead by Dawn: A
Novel
is split between flashbacks and current time. Part of the tale is current as he
fights to stay alive after crashing into the frozen and ice-covered Androscoggin
River. A river that is lethal no matter what time of year. Not only is the
river and the aftereffects of water immersion a major threat there is a shooter
determined to finish the job.
The flashbacks
are in alternating chapters and detail how the day had been going until the
crash. Each flashback chapter is slightly forward in time as it details Bowditch’s
thoughts and actions as he dealt with personal matters and worked the case by
way of interviewing numerous people.
The result is a
tale that slowly goes forward as it spends far more time in the preceding hours
before he got himself in a life and death situation with few resources and no
backup. A predicament that Bowditch manages to escape deadly consequences again
and again by way of his training, inner fortitude, and with the occasional help
of Shadow.
Set a few days
before Christmas, the read is very much focused on Bowditch and his fight for
life. Because of this, there is very little presence of Charley, Orca, and the
numerous other folks who have always populated this every enjoyable series. They
are very much missed in a read that also serves as a possible turning point in
the series.
Dead By Dawn: A
Novel
is a suspense style read with some mystery present. There are a couple of
mysteries at work, professionally and personally, but this is a read that is primarily
a fight for survival. While a good book, it is not a great one. It also is a departure
from what the reader normally expects in this series. Instead, the read here has
much in common with the end of season television cliffhanger where the hero is
in danger and yet viewers know that the series was renewed months earlier so there
is no question that he will survive. Even when the situation is so dire a mere
mortal would not. The only question is how.
Dead by Dawn: A
Novel
Paul Doiron
Minotaur Books (Macmillan
Publishers)
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250235107
ISBN# 978-1-250-23510-7
Hardback
304 Pages
My reading copy
came from the Polk-Wisdom Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple
©2021
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2 comments:
Nice review. You always manage to include enough about a book so a reader can make an informed decision about buying. Kudos for that!
Thank you!
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