There are some authors who, even when they are not at their best, are still better than most. Paul Doiron is one of them, and his Mike Bowditch series, read in order, is a great study of a game warden from his impetuous, early 20s to his current mid 30s maturity. Doiron writes beautifully of rural Maine, its people, fauna, and flora. His plots keep readers riveted, and his books are very, very hard to put down. The relationships he has developed over the series are engaging, bringing people the reader cares about to life.

That said, he can occasionally take a plot line a bit over the top, and that's what happened in this book. The action was nonstop from the first moment, and sometimes motivation got lost in the fast pace of Bowditch's experiences. If you've been following the series, then this one will appeal for its sense of Bowditch at a crossroads and, as always, the amazing writing about the dangers he encounters. If you haven't yet read one of the series, this might not be the best one to start with. I'd recommend going back to the start of the series (The Poacher's Son) and reading the books in order. By the time you reach this one, you will be ready for it and appreciate it all the better.

Having never read any of the previous books, I went in hoping I wouldn’t be missing out on any key details—and while I’m sure the experience would have been richer if I knew the background of everyone’s life, I still really enjoyed this 24 hour ride. The bouncing timelines kept me engaged the entire time and I really enjoyed it. I wished there had been more with Shadow and that the ending hadn’t wrapped up so quickly. It felt like I blinked and it was over!

The opening of this roller coaster you feel frozen in place. There are so many questions. Who is after Mike Bowditch, a Maine game warden who reluctantly was looking into what should have been a no drama case. He finds himself submerged in icy water , on the run, and close to his last reserves. It will have you breathing hard as it becomes increasingly clear these people want him gone. Great read.

Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch’s newest case is quite the ride. After his Jeep crashes into a frozen river, Bowditch must find a way to make it through the bitterly cold night. As if things weren’t difficult enough already, things take an even more challenging turn when whoever caused the crash comes looking for him and they want him dead! Told in alternating chapters of his current investigation and trying to survive the night of his accident, this book was a page turner from start to finish. The only question is who will come out on top!

Some book series are written so that you can come into them late and still enjoy the story. I did enjoy this one. While the action kept me on the edge of my seat at times, I don’t know if the story kept me guessing because of the way it was written or because of my lack of knowledge of the characters. I never felt I truly knew them. I always felt I may be missing something. I may have to go back in the series to really enjoy this one to the fullest.

In Dead by Dawn, Maine Warden Investigator, Mike Bowditch, is looking into a cold case. Did Professor Chamberlain accidentally drown during a solo duck hunt? Or was he bludgeoned to death and pushed from his boat?

Somehow, he riled up someone with his questions. On his way back from his dog/wolf’s vet appointment, the road is sabotaged. His truck breaks the river’s ice and sinks. Mike lets his animal, Shadow, out first and then somehow scrambles up the river’s far bank. He has 15 minutes to find shelter and heat before hypothermia sets in and he will collapse. Can he do it? Will Shadow help or hinder his chances for survival?

I loved this man vs. the elements (and a bunch of enemy trackers) story! Mike’s first-person survival tale was interspersed with the Professor’s story. I raced through the Professor’s chapters to find out what happened with Mike.

If you are a fan of Survivor, Alone, or Naked and Afraid, you will be entranced by Mike’s harrowing story. 5 stars for Dead by Dawn!

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Wow. This dual time line novel tells the story of one eventful (for sure) day in the life of Mike Bowditch and his wolf dog Shadow- before they crashed into the river and when they were on the run for their lives. Bowditch planned to take Shadow to the vet and then do followup on the drowning of Eben Chamberlain four years earlier. Not so easy. This starts when someone puts spikes across the road, his Jeep crashes. and then someone starts shooting. It goes back to walk through his day of increasingly menacing interview with Chamberlain's neighbors. What's with all the women whose names start with T up on Pill Hill? They all seem to have a grudge against him. I'm not sure which half of this book is more compelling- I was holding my breath as Bowditch struggled with hypothermia and being hunted and I puzzled along with him during the interviews. Doiron manages to keep the tension up on both sides, with multiple surprises along the way. I have only read a couple of the preceding books so I might have missed some nuance in his personal life (although this is hardly mentioned) or in the critical twist but that didn't matter one bit for my enjoyment - this was great as a standalone. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A terrific snowmobile ride of a thriller.

Shady, intense, and incredibly atmospheric!

In this adrenaline-pumping, twelfth instalment in the Mike Bowditch series, Dead by Dawn, Doiron has written a fast-paced, sinister thriller that finds Maine game warden Mike Bowditch in a race against time to save his life from the elements of a harsh, New England winter and a team of criminals determined to keep their illegal enterprises hidden when his reopening of a suspicious drowning case involving a local professor triggers a chain of events that end with himself and his unusual, wolf sidekick, Shadow plunging into the icy depths of the Androscoggin River.

The prose is crisp and rich. The characters are intelligent, relentless, and resourceful. And the plot, using a back-and-forth, past/present style, is a menacing tale of mischief, mayhem, corruption, manipulation, impulsivity, depravity, heinous violence, and murder.

Overall, Dead By Dawn is a gritty, engrossing, action-packed thrill ride by Dorion that is highly entertaining, a little disturbing, and the perfect choice for anyone who enjoys a really good survivalist tale.

Investigating Game Warden Mike Bowditch has made a number of enemies through the years, but he was not one to keep looking over his shoulder. This is a mistake when he finds himself being hunted through the Maine woods. It began with a letter from Marietta Chamberlain asking him to look into the death of her father-in-law. Four years earlier it had been ruled as an accidental drowning, but he never went into a boat without a flotation vest. She questions the witness who came forward and collected a reward and accuses her father-in-law’s friend who had fought with him over money shortly before his death. It is a closed investigation, but Bowditch is willing to interview the people in question and ask a few questions. Unfortunately, his enquiries lead to an attempt on his life. After his car plunges into the icy Androscoggin River, he manages to free himself and Shadow, a wolf that he was transporting. His biggest fear is hypothermia until the hunters arrive.

Paul Doiron alternates chapters between Bowditch’s investigation and the fight for his life. With no resources, he depends on his experience as a warden and advice that he recalls from his friends to survive. This is a true edge-of-your-seat story and I found myself unable to put this book down as he cheats death time after time. I had not read Doiron before but this book has made me an instant fan and I recommend Dead by Dawn for anyone looking for an exciting read. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin/Minotaur Books for providing this book for my review.

There is always something missing, in my opinion, when you jump into a book that's the 12th in the series. That's how I felt with this one. I started with high hopes because the synopsis sounded very intriguing. However I had to stop because I felt like this needs to be read knowing more about the background of the cast of characters.

I am intrigued by this series so I may need to look into starting from the beginning.

DEAD BY DAWN (GameWarden-Mike Bowditch-Maine-Contemp) – NR
Doiron, Paul – 12th in series
Minotaur Books, Jun 2021, 304 pp.

First Sentence: The hill is steep here, and there is no guardrail above the river.

I love books and take great care of them. I don't write in them, or bend down corners. Hardcovers I put in mylar archival covers as soon as they arrive, and I never break the spines on any book. But not this one. If I had a print, rather than an e-copy of this book, I would be ripping the pages out with abandon so I could read the damned thing in order.

You see, the author decided to write the story alternating between the present, and the very recent past; truly a gap of an hour, perhaps. The story is jumping back and forth like a f**king ball in the championship ping-pong tournament and it's driving me crazy.

I assume at some point, the past will with meetup with the present, but I honestly don't know that I'll wait that long as I am one-third of the way through the story and am screamingly frustrated. Perhaps if I had a paper copy, I'd skip to the end just to see how it comes out. Frankly, however, no reader should feel the need to do that.

For pity's sake, what happened to the idea of starting the story at the beginning and carrying it straight through to the end; no prologue, no flashing back and forth, no portents: just tell the bleeding story!

I have nearly concluded that I should not read any book written in 2020 as it seems the pandemic rendered too many authors incapable of editing, not rambling, including far more extraneous information than remotely needed, muddling the plot, including every character they can imagine, and falling prey to using devices that drive some readers mad with frustration. Sadly, this is one of those.

"Dead by Dawn" broke my heart. I have loved Paul Doiron's books with his great characters, information about Maine and being a game warden there. I dearly hope his next book returned to telling a cracking story in a straight timeline fashion.

Survival begins from within.........and only you can flip the switch fast enough.

Paul Doiron sets his main character of Mike Bowditch, Warden Investigator in Maine, on an electrically turbo-charged adventure this time. Nothing that we've seen in the past has ever dropped Mike down so deeply into the claws of no return. A one-way ticket with a lights out atmosphere.

A call comes in from Mariette Chamberlain, a Rhodesian originally from South Africa, who has been residing with her daughter, Bibi, in the woods of Maine. She wishes to re-open the case involving the death of her father-in-law, Professor Eben Chamberlain. It appears that the professor drowned from a boating accident some time back. Mariette believes otherwise. Mike listens carefully to the woman, but he's not too sure if revisiting the case will bring about other results. He promises to interview some of the individuals related to the case and kick up some dust. Dust, no. A hornets' nest.......oh, quite possibly.

Add to this buzzin' set of circumstances is what Mike has caged in the back of his Jeep. Shadow, Mike's wolf/dog, has been sedated by the nearby vet for his check-up. A few stops along the way shouldn't take too long. Or so Mike thinks. Or so the circumstances appear on the surface. For now anyway. Until........

Dead by Dawn is the 12th edition in this series. Not to worry. It reads with sharp overtones of a standalone any day of the week. You can always pick up a few priors here and there. But this one is like spotting a flare on the highway. Gets your attention from the get-go. (My favorite is One Last Lie #11) Doiron has created Mike Bowditch as a man that constantly tests the waters. He has a persistent nose that sniffs out anyone on the wrong foot in life. His doggedness has tried the patience of many a boss. Doesn't look like Bowditch will be turning over a new leaf any time soon.

But the chess board may be set up against Mike this time. The players are playing for keeps in Dead by Dawn. Doiron has honed some pretty hardcore characters in this one who will seriously take offense when Mike starts turning over rocks. And some of those rocks are hard-edged boulders that could easily take you out. These circumstances will push Mike to the brink where we've never seen him before. Stay tuned. Just stay tuned.......

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to St. Martin's Press and to the talented Paul Doiron for the opportunity.

Game Warden Mike Bowditch climbs Pill Hill in rural Maine interviewing various players, and then he goes down the hill only to encounter a trap that forces his Jeep off the road and into the frigid waters of a raging river. It makes for an interesting tale as we see what he learns going up is often what is bringing him down on the descent. People want to kill him. Those of us not wilderness inclined will learn a few things.
Does Bowditch die in the infernal circumstances thrust upon him? Does he ever figure out who wants him dead? The story has many twists, and they are not all interesting.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

The chapters alternated between past and present and intertwined storylines in an almost flawless manner. The wolf was (obviously) my favorite and the relationship between him and Mike added extra depth. This book is a Bear Grylls adventure meets The Most Dangerous Game. It’s a thrilling ride that will force you to flip the pages quickly and suspect everyone Mike comes in contact with. Definitely check it out if you are into survival thrillers.

This 12th in a stellar series starring Maine game warden Mike Bowditch brings the Maine wilderness to life around the reader.

It starts with a cliffhanger, followed by a heart-stopping saga of continuing threats and survival against all odds. Fortunately, Mike is not totally alone. Shadow, the wolf-dog that Mike rescued, is with him.

The story moves back and forth in time, revealing what led to this series of crises and how Mike deals with each barrier raised to prevent his surviving this terrible ordeal and seeking help.

I rate this grueling, gripping episode as the best yet in the series.

The latest in the series, and works fine as a stand-alone!

The story takes off like a runaway snowmobile! The setting is in Maine with icy curved roads, and dense wooded areas. As Mike Bowditch, an investigator with the game warden navigates the road in his jeep, some darn spiked objects in the road send him off- road and plunging beneath the frozen Androscoggin River. Someone wants him dead, but first he has to survive the hyperthermia thats already setting in.

Fast-paced action with a mix of mystery, interesting and colorful villains, cold case investigations, and high octane danger.

Recommend to those who enjoy lots of action and a likeable protaganist. Orphan X (by Gregg Hurwitz) and Jane Hawk series (by Dean Koontz) fans would enjoy this one too.

I tried but just couldn't get into the story. I only got a few chapters in before I gave up. Sorry. It was not for me, I guess.

Maine game warden Mike Bowditch is put to the ultimate test. He’s retrieved the lost, the injured and the dead from the state’s most remote woods and waters, now the person he must save is himself. He runs his Jeep off the road into the icy Androscoggin River after his tires are shredded by metal spikes intentionally left on the road. He’s lost his gun and any way to signal for help. Someone wants him dead; to save himself he has know to who’s hunting him and why.

Implementing a radically new structure, Doiron builds tension by alternating chapters between his present predicament, a battle to survive the elements and outwit his opponent, and the tense hours up to the accident where he was involved in the inquiry into a cold case. I loved this new structure as it gave my heartrate and adrenaline a chance to relax before the hair raising action began again. The plot spans 24 hours, features survival techniques, nail-biting action, and is a homage to Jack London and the Maine wilderness.

Although this is the 12th book in series I haven’t read and although I don’t have a single outdoorsy bone in my body, I loved this book.

Doiron masterfully balances richly layered characters and an intelligent plot. This riveting and intense survivalist thriller needs to be on your radar come June 29, 2021.

I was gifted this advance copy by Paul Doiron, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Paul Doiron's 12th Mike Bowditch, book does not disappoint. If you are not familiar with the series of books, and you like outdoors, mystery, and strong characterizations, I urge you to read these books! Without adding spoilers, this book's ending was a complete surprise to me. Of course, it would make a good movie!!

Normally, I wait as long as I can to read the newest Mike Bowditch Mystery, because I know when I finish, I'll be anxiously awaiting the next book. However, since I received an ARC from NetGalley, clearly I had a duty to read it in an expedient manner, and I'm not sorry I did. Paul Doiron and Mike Bowditch hit another home run with Dead by Dawn. This book finds Mike Bowditch reexamining a case thought to be long closed, but in typical Bowditch fashion, nothing is as it seems, nor is it easy. His reputation as a hard-nosed investigator makes him the perfect candidate for the case, and the complainant won't take no for an answer. Just another day in the life of Mike Bowditch, either the luckiest or unluckiest game warden you'll ever meet. The characters are well-developed and colorful, and no character feels minor. Doiron's writing makes his books seem like a movie and inspire me to visit Maine, though probably not in the winter. Another five-star read. I can't wait for the next one.