Showing posts with label Mike Bowditch Mysteries series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mike Bowditch Mysteries series. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 04, 2018
Crime Watch: Lobster boats and postmodern mysteries: an intervi...
Crime Watch: Lobster boats and postmodern mysteries: an intervi...: Kia ora and haere mai, welcome to the 30th instalment of 9mm for 2018, and the 202nd overall edition of our long-running author interview ...
Friday, August 31, 2018
FFB Review: Bad Little Falls: A Novel by Paul Doiron
After
reminding you of The
Poacher’s Son and Trespasser
in recent weeks, I remind you today of the third book in the series, Bad Little Falls. Like any good series,
or at least the ones I like, this series shows the passage of time and
character development for Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch. The series also does
something else for me as a person who has never been to Maine and can’t get
around very well. Because of the author’s ability to bring the outdoors angle
to his books alive for the reader, when Mike is going places and doing things I
feel like I am right there with him. That talent shines through in the books as
well as the recently published novella, Rabid:
A Story.
For
the rest of the reading suggestions today make sure you head over to Patti Abbott’s blog.
When you annoy the bosses once too many times and
you work as a game warden for the State of Maine, you get sent to their version
of Siberia. In this case, Warden Mike Bowditch has been sent to Washington
County. The eastern most county in Maine is well known for poaching, drug
abuse, high unemployment, and a host of other social ills. Not to mention the
brutal winter working conditions. Bowditch is being punished and he knows it. Just
about everything Bowditch has to deal with in his new assignment is made worse
because his considerable reputation precedes him.
The biggest place in the county population wise is the
county seat of Machias. The town barely has two thousand people. The small town,
as well as the surrounding county, is a place where everyone knows everyone
else, looks the other way, and pretends to know nothing. That includes ignoring
the actions of a local drug dealer. A drug dealer that soon winds up dead with
his friend severely injured by frost bite.
While others believe the friend killed the drug
dealer during a snowstorm, Bowditch doesn’t think so. Any shred of credibility
he had coming in was shot by his involvement in the case (never get
romantically involved with a suspect is rule one no matter what agency you work
for), so he is forced to go it alone to get to the truth. It isn’t the first time and won’t be the
last.
The series that began with The Poacher’s Son and
continued with Trespasser just keeps getting better and better. This is a very
complicated novel that continues to build on an excellent foundation while
bringing further nuance and depth to the Bowditch character. Those efforts do
not get in the way of the multiple storylines at work in this complex and multi-layered
novel. Bad Little Falls by Maine
author Paul Doiron is very good and well worth your time.
Bad
Little Falls: A Novel
Paul
Doiron
Minotaur
Books (St. Martin’s Press)
August
2012
ISBN#
978-0-312-55848-2
Hardback
(also available in e-book)
310
Pages
$24.99
Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano,
Texas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2012, 2018
Friday, August 24, 2018
FFB Review: Trespasser: A Novel by Paul Doiron
Good Friday to you and yours…..I have long been a
fan of the work of Paul Doiron. His mystery series involving Maine Game Warden
Mike Bowditch is simply some of the best reading I have ever enjoyed. Earlier
this week, I read and reviewed his very intense novella, Rabid:
A Story which can easily be enjoyed by longtime fans and newcomers
alike. Back in 2012, in another FFB post, I told you again just how good the
first in the series, The
Poacher’s Son is and encouraged you to read it. It seemed only
fitting after reading the novella this week and including the link to the first
book in that review, that I remind you today of just how good the second book, Trespasser
is and encourage you to get it as well. For the rest of the reading suggestions
today, head over to Patti's blog where you can not only read the other recomendations you can also read the wonderful news regarding her husband, Phil.
 |
| Large Print Cover |
For Game Warden Mike Bowditch it has already been a
very long day when he was told by dispatch about the possible car accident. Dispatcher
Lori Williams says a deer was killed in the impact but the driver was not
injured. He isn’t sure why he would be needed and with Mr. Varnum yelling at
him he is very focused on the immediate problem at hand. Bowditch is on what is
supposed to be his last call of the day out at Hank Varnum’s place where
all-terrain vehicle riders have been causing an escalating problem. Mr. Varnum
was already mad about the damage on his land by the big wheels of the ATV’s and
that was before somebody cut down two old oak trees. Varnum is sure some less
than desirable nearby neighbors who ride ATV’s are the folks responsible, but
can’t prove it.
Once finished with Mr. Varnum and with no sign of
State Police response, Warden Mike Bowditch responds to the car crash. He finds
a red sedan with a crushed hood, blood on the road presumably from a deer, and
no sign of the driver. With blood and chunks of hair in the blood pool on the
road and caught under the fender it is pretty clear the driver hit a deer. A
deer that is long gone as no doubt somebody came along and took it. That does
not explain where the driver is. According to the driver of the wrecker
dispatched to help, the driver said she didn’t need a ride.
The State Police finally arrive in the form of
Trooper Curt Hutchins. While Warden Bowditch is a bit concerned that the driver
can’t be found, Trooper Hutchins is sure she found a ride and is somewhere
sobering up. Hutchins makes it clear that Warden Bowditch can go on his merry
way as he has no use for him. The fact that he is Jack Bowditch’s son continues
to cause issues and this is one of those cases. An exhausted Warden Bowditch
leaves and will come to deeply regret that decision in the coming days.
In this strong and very good sequel to The
Poacher’s Son author Paul Doiron has created another top flight
mystery. While continuing to explore the very complicated character of Mike
Bowditch, Game Warden and son of Maine’s most notorious criminal in the eyes of
some, there are two very complicated mystery treads at work in the novel. Eventually
pieces of each merge together as the cases become intertwined while a deep
conflict between those who live year around and those that summer guests erupts
again. Warden Bowditch isn’t the only one in Maine who can’t escape the mud of
his notorious past.
This is a series that definitely should be read in
order. If you have not had the pleasure of reading The Poacher’s Son you
should. The third book in the series, BAD LITTLE FALLS is out now.
Trespasser:
A Novel
Paul
Doiron
Center
Point Large Print
2011
ISBN#
978-1-61173-100-2
Hardback
$35.95
440
pages
Material supplied by the good folks
of the Plano Texas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2012, 2018
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Review: Rabid: A Story by Paul Doiron
As Rabid: A Story by Paul Doiron begins;
retired Game Warden Charles Stevens is riding with Game Warden Mike Bowditch as
he has done most of this June day. It is now early evening and finally the old
game warden is going to explain why he put a large brown package in the bed of
the patrol truck that morning. Mike Bowditch never asked him about the package
as he knew that when his longtime friend would talk about it when he was ready.
While this particular story takes place several
years ago when Mike Bowditch was stationed “Down East” the actual events
that Charlie tells and later is explained in further depth by Charlie’s wife,
Ora, happened decades ago. It is a situation that has long haunted both Charlie
and his wife and one that is very hard for them to talk about even today.
Author Paul Doiron has incredible story telling skills as
first showcased in The
Poacher’s Son which begun the Mike Bowditch Mysteries series. He is at his peak performance in this intense
and captivating short story. A tale that is incredibly intense and weighty
despite is length as it has the impact of a novel. There is quite a lot packed
into the sixty-two page read. Rabid: A Story is one of those reads
that can be savored by those of us who have been onboard since the beginning as
well as by readers who know nothing about this great series. Paul Doiron is one
of those talented authors who, for whatever reason, do not get the national
recognition he so richly deserves. Rabid : A Story is a very good read
and one that is worthy of your time and your attention.
Rabid: A Story
Paul Doiron
Minotaur Books
June 2018
ASIN: B07CWRHJ3W
eBook (also available in audio format)
62 Pages
$1.99
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4ii9v8Z
While awaiting
the next novel by way of the Dallas Library, I saw this come up on an ad and
picked it up using funds in my Amazon Associate account.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2018
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