Review: Almost Midnight by Paul Doiron

As Almost Midnight by Paul Doiron begins, Mike Bowditch is on vacation and fishing. He deserves it and needs it after being promoted to Warden Investigator and moving to his new area. He was enjoying his rare break until he got a phone call about Billy Cronk. Billy wants to see him and as always with Billy the matter is urgent and can’t be spoken about over the phone. Which makes sense since Billy Cronk is in prison as a result of the actions he took as he saved Mike Bowditch’s life.

The legal system saw Cronk’s actions as excessive and he is now serving a prison sentence. The fact that locking up a man who, at the best of times, wasn’t the most mentally stable weighs heavily on Mike as does his guilt over testifying as there was no around the truth of what Billy did that fateful day. By telling the unvarnished truth, which Bowditch felt he had to do; his testimony was a major point for Billy’s conviction.

Billy has been known to relate unhinged conspiracy theories before and Mike Bowditch has no idea if the latest situation is another one of those deals or not. On the face of it, maybe not. Billy explains that they have a new CO, Dawn Ritchie. She is a sergeant and a transfer in from another facility that was recently closed by the Governor. Billy wants Bowditch to investigate her and to do it fast, but quietly. Frustratingly, Billy absolutely refuses to say and then plays the trump card that Bowditch owes him.

Bowditch is very aware of that, but for him to stick his neck out, Billy has to give him a reason. The blowback he would get over an unauthorized investigation would be immense and with zero justification he just can’t do it. Bowditch refuses.

That is until with hours, chaos erupts at the prison with severe consequences for Billy, Richie, and others. What happened inside and later at the hospital is very complicated as are the background events that led up to the violence. As things escalate, Bowditch uses his vacation time to conduct his own unauthorized investigation into the case as well as deal with some other situations in two separate and meaningful secondary storylines.

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The result of all these complicated situations and characters makes Almost Midnight another very good read in the series. As always, the human dynamics of various characters are interwoven with the beauty, often a stark and potentially fatal beauty, of the Maine wilderness. The character of Bowditch, as well as his relationships with others, continues to evolve making it very important to read this series on order. Those already familiar with the books and short stories will find another compelling and enjoyable read in Almost Midnight: A Novel. 

Almost Midnight: A Novel

Paul Doiron

http://www.pauldoiron.com

Center Point Large Print

https://www.gale.com

ISBN# 978-1-64358-283-2

Hardback

455 Pages

$38.95

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

Kevin R. Tipple ©2019

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

http://www.pauldoiron.com

Center Point Large Print

http://www.centerpointlargeprint.com

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

Crime Watch: Review: STAY HIDDEN by Paul Doiron

Crime Watch: Review: STAY HIDDEN: STAY HIDDEN by Paul Doiron (Minotaur, 2018) Reviewed by Craig Sisterson A woman has been shot to death by a deer hunter on an island o...

Review: "Widowmaker" by Paul Doiron

The ghost of his father continues to haunt him in the latest in the Game Warden Mike Bowditch series, Widowmaker. So too does a training film he saw on his first day as a cadet of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. That message five years ago stuck in his mind and regularly appears in his nightmares.

He had just been thinking about the film and the message delivered by the instructor when a strange vehicle appeared at the road down by the end of his drive minutes after he had gotten home on this January evening. That vehicle is a concern and he puts his gun belt back on to deal with the situation. What had been planned as a quiet evening at home by himself as his wildlife biologist girlfriend, Stacy, is out of town, is now on the backburner due to the red Grand Cherokee parked with somebody inside smoking. The driver turns out to be a 48 year old woman named Amber Langstrom.

First, she says she pulled over on the narrow road to make a call. Then she says she needs to use a restroom. Finally, she says she was sitting at the drive trying to work up the courage to come talk to Mike about his father, Jack Bowditch. The man is dead and buried, but his criminal actions in Maine are legendary and that legacy has been a heavy burned on Mike Bowditch. After coming up to the house, Amber Langstrom drops a bombshell on Mike.

She claims that she had a relationship with Jack Bowditch many years ago. It was a sexual relationship. If she is to be believed, this happened right before Mike’s world turned upside down, as his parents divorced and he moved away with his Mom. Amber Langstrom goes on to allege that her son, Adam, is Jack’s son making him Mike’s half-brother. Adam is missing and she believes Mike should look for him. Adam was recently released from prison after serving two years time for a conviction for having a sexual relationship with a minor. He was 17, she was 14, and they were in love until her parents found out. Adam’s life was forever changed and Mom is very angry as to what happened. Classified and registered as a sex offender, Adam has been out for three months and been following all the rules according to his mom. He has been working and living at a logging camp that serves as a halfway house for registered sex offenders with nowhere else to go. She is desperate for Mike’s help to find her missing son.

After some preliminary checking by phone and a lot of thought, Bowditch eventually makes the journey to the Widowmaker Ski Resort to start looking for Adam. The woods surrounding the resort may be lovely, dark, and deep, but they also hide many secrets. Secrets of a variety with lots of players determined to settle scores and keep things hidden in the snows of Maine.

Widowmmaker is the latest in the series that began with the Edgar award nominated The Poacher’s Son. Six books later, the central character Mike Bowditch continues to evolve and change as he gains wisdom and maturity. The mysteries and complexities of daily life, person al relationships, and other issues continue to be a background staple in this long running and very good mystery series. 

Widowmaker

Paul Doiron

http://www.pauldoiron.com

Minotaur Books

http://www.minotaurbooks.com

June 2016

ISBN# 978-1-250-06370-0

Hardback (available in eBook and audio formats)

310 Pages

$25.99

Material supplied for me to read and review by the good folks of the Plano Public Library System. 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2016

Review: "The Precipice: A Novel" by Paul Doiron

The area known as the “Hundred Mile Wilderness” is some of the most remote land, not just in Maine, but along the entire Appalachian Trail system. Two young women, recent graduates from Pentecost University, who were hiking the entire trail have failed to check in with their families as expected. Hikers that have been hiking the entire system in a trek up from Georgia and were

experienced by this point on the trail as well as known to check in on a regular basis. It is September and it has been over ten days since they last checked in with their families who finally alerted law enforcement to the problem.

Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch is on a romantic weekend with Wildlife Biologist Stacy Stevens. Called back to duty to help with the search and rescue operation, Bowditch is troubled by Stacy’s reaction to the news. He gets the sense that something really bad to her years ago when she hiked another part of the trail. He also knows what can happen on the trail by way of nature as well as mankind and does not hold out much hope that either of the young women are still alive.

As Bowditch expected the bodies of the hikers are eventually found. The recovery quickly turns into a media circus thanks to the remote possibility that a pack of rampaging wolves caused the deaths of the hikers. While there is not any question that Bowditch saw a wolf behaving strangely when he was on the search, the idea that wolves could be at fault is something Stacy does not want to hear or accept. Instead, she blames a human killer and launches her own private investigation and further distances herself from Bowditch.

The Precipice is the sixth in the series that began with The Poacher’s Son. While this one could be read first, earlier events in the series are mentioned briefly in the backstory. The hallmarks of this series are once again evident --- multilayered characters, a complex mystery, and a love for the Maine woods. The result is another engrossing and very satisfying mystery from the very talented Paul Doiron. 

The Precipice: A Novel

Paul Doiron

http://www.pauldoiron.com

Minotaur Books (St. Martin’s Press)

http://www.minotaurbooks.com

June 2015

ISBN# 978-1-250-06369-4

Hardback (audio and e-book available)

333 Pages

$25.99

Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano Texas Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2015