Publication Day Review: Storm Tide: A Novel by Paul Doiron

 

In some sense what began in The Poacher’s Son long ago is about to come full circle. As Storm Tide: A Novel by Paul Doiron begins, Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch, who had a very problematic relationship with his own father, is about to be a father. His wife, Stacey, is just a few weeks away from giving birth. The clock is ticking on the arrival of their child in a world that has seen dad demoted back to patrol and about to lose his career with the Maine Warden Service.

 

On this October night others have lost far more. The roaring blaze in the shattered remains of the house means people have lost their lives. Somehow, a baby made it out, and a nearby neighbor has the child. Allegedly, the father brough the baby out and went back in for his wife. Bowditch had made it to the scene fast after the call came out and tried the same feat. The intense heat almost killed him as he entered and saw a man in flames collapsing to the floor. Bowditch managed to pull the man out of the raging inferno, but it was too late.

 

It is only in the aftermath with the arrival of Detective Sergeant Delphine Cruz of the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit that Bowditch realizes something is up. Originally from Boston, she has made it to the scene before the Arson Investigator. So too has her attitude as she doesn’t like Maine or, as she sees it, what Bowditch represents. Through her, while answering her questions, he learns this is the home of the Malloys.

 

Specifically, the home of the infamous Brian Malloy who has been in the news for over a year due to his infidelity, a child out of wedlock, and the disappearance of the child shortly after he was ordered to pay child support. Many in the area searched for the missing child that has yet to be found. The court of public opinion has found them both guilty as people think dad took and killed the child and his wife lied for him. Their alibis had proven unshakable. There is a lot of anger amongst the locals who believe the Malloys got away with it all.

 

Now, both are thought to be dead in what is left of their relatively new home. Bowditch is pretty sure that something is off about the fire and the situation, in general, but he isn’t an investigator anymore, and never has been one for arsons anyway. Nobody is going to listen to him on this. Especially with his record and the fact that he is about to lose his job due to his recent actions.

 

Then some really weird things start happening. Somebody is once again toying with Bowditch. To mess with him is one thing. But, now Stacy and the baby are at risk.

 

What follows is a complicated read full of twists, turns, and links to the past. If Maine Game Warden Mike Bowdicth does not figure it out fast, he and his family may not survive.

 

Storm Tide: A Novel by Paul Doiron is the latest outing in a strong series best read in order. It finds Bowditch contemplating faith, fatherhood, and family, while also trying to prove that he isn’t just a conspiracy nutcase with a badge and gun. Sometimes you aren’t paranoid if they really are trying to get you.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3Mia20a

 

 

My digital ARC reading copy came by way of the publisher, Minotaur Books, through NetGalley, in early November 2025, with no expectation of a positive review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

Short Story Wednesday Review: Blaze Orange: A Short Story by Paul Doiron

The latest novella, while billed on Amazon and elsewhere as part of the Mike Bowditch Mysteries, does not have a trace of him in the read. Blaze Orange: A Short Story by Paul Doiron is a prequel of sorts built around young Maine Game Warden Kathy Frost. With a year under her belt, the first and only woman in the Maine Warden Service has been transferred to a new district where she is still being ignored and treated like a rookie. Being the first woman in the service comes with a heavy burden and that is not the only thing she deals with on a daily basis.

 

Her new field training officer is Charley Stevens. Already a legend among all, he has quite a few years on her and, more importantly, an openness to her presence in the service. At attitude that is almost as rare as her status.

 

He shows up at her new home one Sunday morning seeking her company on a call. It is November and deer hunting season is well underway. Earlier today a man has been shot in the area of Wilton. He was shot and killed by a hunter.

 

The case should have been hers from the start, but nobody bothered to alert her. Instead, Charley Stevens has come by to collect her and take her to the scene. According to Charley, Douglas Ludwig is dead after being shot by Don Sands. Both the shooter and the victim await their arrival.

 

Charley Stevens takes her to the isolated scene being held down by a Maine State Trooper who is clearly less than thrilled to see the female game warned. The trooper has already decided it was clearly an accident.

 

Was it?

 

Or, was it murder?

 

That question is one that Charley Stevens and Kathy Frost work to answer as they investigate in this fast-moving read. During the course of this enjoyable novella, readers learn quite a lot about the background of Maine Game Warden Kathy Frost. The same figure that will play a large role in Mike Bowditch’s professional and personal life in the coming years.

 

Also included with the novella are the first three chapters of the upcoming book, Storm Tide. Having already read that book by way of the ARC by way of the publisher through NetGalley, I skipped the approximately 20 paged excerpt. My review of that book will appear here on the blog on the scheduled publication day of June 30^th.

 

As to this read, while I was very disappointed that Mike Bowditch was nowhere to be seen, I did enjoy the novella. Most of the background of the first female game warden  was already known to series readers, such as myself, so this tale just fleshed it out a little more. We also got to see Charley in action and that is always a treat. How successful this novella will be in attracting new readers to the series, since it does not have one whiff of the signature series character, I have no idea, but I did enjoy it.

  

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4nvqx7W

 

By the way, the image to the right is the only workable one I could find and it was posted to the author's Facebook account. Everywhere else, the image comes up as "webpage" and I have no idea how to make those work and only know how to use jpegs and card catalogs. My old Kindle does not look that good either. 

Because I thought the Dallas Public Library System was not getting it, I used a little bit of my funds in my Amazon Associate account to obtain this eBook. I should have waited as it is now listed in the Hoopla system through the library.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

Gravetapping: My Favorite Books Published in 2025

Gravetapping: My Favorite Books Published in 2025:   My Favorite Books Published in 2025   With the end of 2025 dangling on the horizon, it is time to look at the best of th...

Publication Day Review: Skin and Bones And Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories by Paul Doiron

  

Skin and Bones And Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories by Paul Doiron is an entertaining collection of eight short stories. Some of the tales here are actual short stories while others are novellas. Seven of the reads have been previously published and are collected here with the all-new tale, “Sheep’s Clothing.” If you have read the previously published tales before, doing so now once again is like visiting old friends. And, of course, there is that new short story, Sheep’s Clothing, and it is really good too.

 

The book opens with the short story, “Bear Trap.” Charley Stevens, retired Maine Game Warden, friend, mentor, father figure, and a lot more, and Mike Bowditch are in a canoe fishing for northern pike. Mike is in his first year as a game warden. They are on a lake that back in the day saw Charley on patrol a lot. Many things have changed here in the decades since. The subject of a local legend, a hermit of sorts, comes up and Charley tells the story.

 

Next up is “Backtrack.” When Charley Stevens gets the call, he is a 28-year-old Maine Game Warden. Dr. Phillip Stoddard, one of four men staying at a hunting cabin has been missing for a few hours. A major snow storm is on the way. Soon Charley Stevens is with the remaining hunters at their cabin and working to get the details such as Dr. Stoddard’s mental state, what supplies he has with him, and determining who saw him last and where. All of that is important as those details will help him find the missing hunter in this highly atmospheric tale. If so inclined, you can read my November 2019 full review of the story here.

 

“Rabid” comes next where, after a long day of riding with Mike Bowditch while he was on patrol, retired Maine Game Warden Charley Stevens is finally going to explain why he put a large brown package in the bed of the patrol truck that morning. The actual events that Charley tells and later 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. If you want to know more, you can read my full August 2018 review here.

 

Next is the “The Imposter” where Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch was new to “Down East Maine.” In those early days, he had a bit of a reputation and his new boss is less than friendly. As the short story opens, Bowditch is on the dock at Roque Harbor watching as a body is recovered from the water. The body has a driver’s license with the dead man’s name on it. Who he was claiming to be and what he was doing these past few weeks is the driving focus of this entertaining short story. The rest of my full review from May 2020 can be read here.

 

“Skin and Bones” from May 2022 is also set early in Mike Bowditch’s career. This time, Mike has been working for the warden service about three years and is in a very foul mood. He has come to his old friend, Charley Stevens, for advice. He brings the body of a deceased American Bald Eagle that was killed for no other reason that the guy could shoot it in a wing and leave it to die. While Bowditch wants to tear the fishing camp where he believes the suspect is hiding out apart with his bare hands and toss the guy into jail, Charley has a better way of getting the suspect into custody at minimal risk based on his own story from long ago that still haunts him to this day.

 

Next in the collection is the short story, “The Caretaker.” Warden Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch is sitting on the porch with Charley Stevens when Violet and Josiah Baker show up to ask for help. They recently bought an old cabin at nearby Quillpig Pond and started massive renovations. Things were going as expected until approximately two weeks ago when strange things started happening. Violet is sure their caretaker, Kevin Moran, is responsible. Charley and Mike are not so sure. While he is known to the Game Wardens as a loner and with a strange sense of humor, he isn't known for what Violet is reporting. The couple, especially Violet, are frustrated and want it stopped. If so inclined, you can read the rest of my June 2021 review here.

 

As “Snakebit” begins, a woman has called Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch to report that she saw a rattlesnake. She claims to have seen it during her hike on Black Cat Mountain. Without proof and with a bad attitude, Mike Bowditch doesn’t believe her. He soon has an opportunity to reconsider that thought when hours later he is awakened with news that a teenager has been bit while attending a keg party in the nearby woods. Something is going on and Bowditch is going to get to the bottom of it. My full May 2023 review can be read here.

 

“Sheep’s Clothing” is the all-new tale and brings the book to a close. Due to recent events that took Mike Bowditch to Canada, he has been busted back down to patrol. He is lucky to still have a job. He knows it and always liked patrol so he is happy. Though the Withams are not folks he likes to deal with as they are so problematic in many ways, they also haven’t been seen for some time now as the read begins. As the only representative of law enforcement in the area for many miles, it is up to him to go out to their place and do a welfare check.

 

As one always expects from this author, Skin and Bones And Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories, is highly entertaining. If you have read most of the works in the book before, like I had, the new tale is worth the price of admission. If you are new to this excellent series, this short story collection will give you a glimpse of what you have in store by way of his novels. CJ Box may own Wyoming, but Paul Doiron owns Maine.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3GaeStC

 

 

My digital ARC reading copy came from Minotaur Books, through NetGalley, and with no expectation of a review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

Dark City Underground: Review: "Skin and Bones and Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories" by Paul Doiron

 Dark City Underground: Review: "Skin and Bones and Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories" by Paul Doiron

Lesa's Book Critiques: A “DARK” GIVEAWAY

 Lesa's Book Critiques: A “DARK” GIVEAWAY

Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – PITCH DARK BY PAUL DOIRON

 Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – PITCH DARK BY PAUL DOIRON

Review: Pitch Dark: A Novel by Paul Doiron

 

Recently Maine Game Warden Investigator Mike Bowditch and Stacy Woodson were married. As Pitch Dark: A Novel by Paul Doiron begins, they are talking about the important changes to their lives when they are interrupted by a phone call. Game Warden Brandon Barstow is a young warden and unsure of himself, but thinks he might have a missing person’s case.

 

It is the first week of May and pouring rain, as it has for weeks now. Game Warden Barstow gradually explains that a man from Idaho, Hammond Pratt, is missing from his rented cabin at Seboomook Farm located up in the Rockwood District. Pratt rented an ATV from the property owner and left on it after asking questions about some guy and his young daughter that are supposed to be in the woods, somewhere nearby.

 

Game Warden Barstow knows that a guy by the name of Mark Redmond and his young daughter are in the area at Prentiss Pond building a cabin. The work site is very close to the Canadian Border. Apparently, they are the ones that Pratt was asking about before he left on the ATV.

 

Game Warden Barstow tells Bowditch other things that paint a seriously odd picture. It becomes clear that, regardless of the weather, he needs to get up there and assess the situation, in order to know what to do. He has to make a determination in order to start a search and rescue operation. At this point, Bowditch does not know enough to make that determination.

 

As it turns out, the horrible weather will be the least of his problems.

 

What follows is a page turning story that gets increasingly violent and convoluted. Much is happening in Pitch Dark: A Novel by Paul Doiron and all of it keeps the reader highly entertained. The situation is complicated. Bowditch is going to be lucky to have a career, let alone his life, when things are said and done. Highly recommended.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3VtpJmn

 

My digital reading copy came from Minotaur Books, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024

Review: Dead Man’s Wake: A Novel by Paul Doiron

Dead Man’s Wake: A Novel by Paul Doiron opens with an engagement party. Stacy Stevens and Mike Bowditch are being celebrated by Mike’s stepfather, Neil Turner and his new wife, Jubilee, as well as Stacy’s parents, Charley and Ora Stevens. They are at the stepdad’s lake house in central Maine. Great Pond was the inspiration for the play and subsequent movie, On Golden Pond, and is busy this Labor Day weekend evening. The roar of speedboats as well as the loud noise of occasional jet ski has been something all day and evening. The fact that it is dark has not slowed down those racing across the surface of the lake.

All too predictably with so many racing around after dark, the sounds of a crash are heard. It is clear to everyone in the group that a speedboat and a jet skier collided out in the waters somewhere around the nearby Moose Island. Mike sees a speedboat circle back and then the running lights are turned off. The person or persons on that boat know they hit somebody and are trying to hide in the dark night.

With limited resources, and as the only law enforcement around and available, Maine Game Warden Investigator Mike Bowditch has to go out to the general area of the crash and look for any injured survivors as well as anyone deceased. After some investigation, a detached human arm is found. Most likely, the person that lost the arm is dead.

What follows is a complicated read featuring a watery crime scene, a wealthy family and their legacy, and a past full of resentment and hate. As is benefits the long running series, the read is not one that focuses on character development as many here are long running characters that readers well know and love. Instead, the primary focus is on the case. Identifying the victims out in those lake waters, the suspects, and working the case. A complicated and entertaining read, the latest in the long running series, Dead Man’s Wake: A Novel is very much worth your time.

 

My reading copy was an ARC via NetGalley.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2023

Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – SNAKEBIT BY PAUL DOIRON

 Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – SNAKEBIT BY PAUL DOIRON

Short Story Wednesday Review: Snakebit: A Mike Bowditch Short Mystery by Paul Doiron

As Snakebit: A Mike Bowditch Short Mystery by Paul Doiron begins, a woman has called Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch to report that she saw a rattlesnake. She claims to have seen it during her hike on Black Cat Mountain. Considering there have not been any natural occurring rattlesnakes in Maine in decades as well as the fact she does have pictures and refused to give her name or any other information and got angry quickly, Mike Bowditch doesn’t believe her. He soon has an opportunity to reconsider that thought when hours later he is awakened with news of the fact that a teenager has been bit while attending a keg party in the nearby woods. Something is going on and Bowditch is going to get to the bottom of it in this novella.

The read also includes the first three chapters of the next book in the series, Dead Man’s Wake. Thanks to a NetGalley ARC, I have already read the book. My review will go live here on the publication date of June 27^th.

As to the novella, this is a solidly good read. Set in an earlier time of the series when Game Warden Mike Bowditch is only 27 years old (“..take place in the weeks before KNIFE CREEK…” per the author’s Facebook post of May 26th), the tale is complicated, and moves forward at a fairly rapid pace. For those of us long familiar with the series, it is an enjoyable read. For those new to these books, Snakebit: A Mike Bowditch Short Mystery is a good taste of why these reads are so good.

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3G66mf0

 

My eBook reading copy came by way of purchase using funds in my Amazon Associate account as it appeared the staff of the Dallas Public Library system had no intention of purchasing it for citizens. I have no way of knowing if they changed their mind as a city-wide ransomware attack took down all city systems back on May 3^rd and many are still down. That includes the library system so we still have no access to the catalog, our accounts, and no ability to return books and other materials, or get anything from our holds list. Mayor Johnson and the City of Dallas staff have done an exceedingly poor job of keeping folks updated as to the status of the situation. All we have been told is that it could be “weeks” before things might be fixed.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2023

Lesa's Book Critiques: WINNERS & AN ISLAND MYSTERY GIVEAWAY

 Lesa's Book Critiques: WINNERS & AN ISLAND MYSTERY GIVEAWAY

Review: Hatchet Island by Paul Doiron

While my review previously appeared here in early May, the book was published earlier this week, so I am reminding you of it today.

 

Stacy Stevens and Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch have planned a quiet getaway on Spruce Island as Hatchet Island by Paul Doiron begins. The plan was to paddle out on their kayaks and get away from everything. That was before Stacy got a concerning email from her old friend Kendra Ballard. As it happens, Kendra Ballard is on nearby Baker Island working as part of The Maine Sea Bird Initiative Project as Stacy did long ago. Kendra Ballard supervises the two interns and organizes everything from May to August. Her email was concerning and she specifically requested Mike to come with Stacy and bring his badge and gun.

 

Baker Island is in a dead zone so they have to go out there to learn what is going on at the island. Fortunately, the island which is home to numerous types of birds, is close by and not much of a detour on thus July morning. They make it out to the island in the fog, despite the near miss with a boat moving at far too high a speed for the weather conditions. Once they arrive at the island, they are met by an armed intern who clearly does not want them to land. The intern, Hillary Fitzgerald, is eventually persuaded to check in with Kendra who makes it clear she is in charge and she wants Stacy Stevens and Mike Bowditch to come ashore.

 

Maeve McLeary, the person in charge of everything overall, has gone missing and none of the researchers now where she or her boat is or why she is not on the island with them. In addition to that, some of the locals are harassing one of the interns. They claim it is all in good fun, but Bowditch knows it is racism and is disgusted. There are other strange things happening as well.

 

Within hours, all that will be eclipsed by the murders.

 

Stacy Stevens and Game Warden Mike Bowditch are soon in the thick of it and there are suspects galore. Hatchet Island is a complicated mystery filled read that shifts across several islands and puts Stevens and Bowditch in peril several times in the often violence filled read. Hatchet Island is another solidly good book in the long running series.

 

 

My reading copy was an ARC via NetGalley. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2022

Review: Hatchet Island by Paul Doiron

Stacy Stevens and Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch have planned a quiet getaway on Spruce Island as Hatchet Island by Paul Doiron begins. The plan was to paddle out on their kayaks and get away from everything. That was before Stacy got a concerning email from her old friend Kendra Ballard. As it happens, Kendra Ballard is on nearby Baker Island working as part of The Maine Sea Bird Initiative Project as Stacy did long ago. Kendra Ballard supervises the two interns and organizes everything from May to August. Her email was concerning and she specifically requested Mike to come with Stacy and bring his badge and gun.

 

Baker Island is in a dead zone so they have to go out there to learn what is going on at the island. Fortunately, the island which is home to numerous types of birds, is close by and not much of a detour on thus July morning. They make it out to the island in the fog, despite the near miss with a boat moving at far too high a speed for the weather conditions. Once they arrive at the island, they are met by an armed intern who clearly does not want them to land. The intern, Hillary Fitzgerald, is eventually persuaded to check in with Kendra who makes it clear she is in charge and she wants Stacy Stevens and Mike Bowditch to come ashore.

 

Maeve McLeary, the person in charge of everything overall, has gone missing and none of the researchers now where she or her boat is or why she is not on the island with them. In addition to that, some of the locals are harassing one of the interns. They claim it is all in good fun, but Bowditch knows it is racism and is disgusted. There are other strange things happening as well.

 

Within hours, all that will be eclipsed by the murders.

 

Stacy Stevens and Game Warden Mike Bowditch are soon in the thick of it and there are suspects galore. Hatchet Island is a complicated mystery filled read that shifts across several islands and puts Stevens and Bowditch in peril several times in the often violence filled read. Hatchet Island is another solidly good book in the long running series.

 

 

Hatchet Island is currently scheduled to be released on June 28, 2022. My reading copy was an ARC via NetGalley. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2022

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Dead by Dawn by Paul Doiron

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Dead by Dawn by Paul Doiron:  Kevin Tipple is an author, reviewer, and blogger.   Kevin's Corne r is his award winning news and review blog. Check it out!   Maine G...

Review: Dead By Dawn: A Novel by Paul Doiron

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

http://www.pauldoiron.com

Minotaur Books (Macmillan Publishers)

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250235107

ISBN# 978-1-250-23510-7

Hardback (available in audio and eBook formats)

304 Pages

 

 

My reading copy came from the Polk-Wisdom Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2021

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Caretaker: A Short Story by Paul Doiron

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: The Caretaker: A Short Story by Paul Doiron:   Welcome back  to Kevin Tipple who has graced us with his review of the new novel by the ever-popular John Sandford.  Kevin's own b...

Short Story Wednesday Review: The Caretaker: A Short Story by Paul Doiron

The Caretaker: A Short Story by Paul Doiron begins with Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch sitting on the porch with retired Game Warden and good friend, Charley Stevens. The quiet calm of Sixth Machias Lake is broken by Violet and Josiah Baker driving a brand new and now very dusty, Tesla. Sent by the local authorities, the high power couple need their help.

 

Recently, Violet and Josiah Baker bought an old cabin at nearby Quillpig Pond and started massive renovations. Things were going as expected until approximately two weeks strange 

Violet is sure their caretaker, Kevin Moran, is responsible. Charley and Mike are not so sure. While he is known to the Game Wardens as a loner and with a strange sense of humor, he isn't known for what Violet is reporting.things started happening in and around the cabin. What seemly started as a weird joke has now escalated into what appears to be a violent threat of some type. Then couple, especially Violet, are frustrated and want it stopped.

 

 

Still, the Game Wardens are interested and start trying to figure out what is going on. Things escalate quickly in the Caretaker: A Short Story by Paul Doiron.

 

A fast and fun read, the short story is a small taste of the very enjoyable series. Packaged with the short story is an excerpt from the next novel in the series, Dead by Dawn, which is coming out late this month.

 

  

The Caretaker: A Short Story

Paul Doiron

http://www.pauldoiron.com

Minotaur Books (Macmillan Books)

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250824547

ASIN: B08WL1S1HK

eBook

51 Pages 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4lvSZVG

 

I purchased my reading copy using funds in my Amazon Associate account last month.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2021

Short Story Wednesday Review: Rabid: A Story by Paul Doiron

From the archive....

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

http://www.pauldoiron.com

Minotaur Books

http://www.minotaurbooks.com

June 2018

ASIN: B07CWRHJ3W

eBook (also available in audio format)

62 Pages

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, 2021

AudioFile: Narrator Henry Leyva on Paul Doiron’s Maine Warden Mysteries

 Personal Note: This is an absolutely great series and one very well worth your time. 

AudioFile: Narrator Henry Leyva on Paul Doiron’s Maine Warden Mysteries