I decided to read something brand new and when I saw the name Hatchett Island and it was about an island off the coast of Maine. I was sold. What I didn’t expect were interesting characters with a zest for life and a curiosity that would kill a cat. Mike Bowditch is a Maine game warden investigator and the main character. He is determined and likes to figure out mysteries clearly.

In this particular book, Mike and his girlfriend Stacey were sea kayaking out to a remote island for camping. They were going by an island where Stacey did an internship on. The island was a protected space for birds, specifically Puffins. Stacey is concerned about a friend, who works on the island and everything doesn’t seem fine, but there is nothing that is clear.

That’s before all sorts of stuff goes down and as a reader you are totally confused by all the events happening, but you know the happenings are all related. Mike and Stacey end up being part of the investigation. There are some really interesting twists and turns. A lot of information about the islands, animals and how the climate is changing is woven into the story without being preachy. I enjoyed the story and found the ending fascinating.

Hatchet Island by Paul Doiron is an interesting read.

"Hatchet Island" was an enjoyable whodunit. The title is somewhat deceptive, as Hatchet Island does not really feature in the story until the end. Rather, the action focuses on Baker Island (site of a wild bird sanctuary and the murders around which the story revolves) and Ayers Island (the private fiefdom of eccentric photographer Clay Markham and his wife Alyce). A game warden as the main character was an interesting and unique choice. [The book is part of a series involving Maine game warden Mike Bowditch, but as I have not read the earlier books, it was a fresh concept for me.] There is plenty of action and intrigue, as well as amusing and colorful dialogue.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Special thanks to NetGalley, St. Martins Press and Minotaur Books for the e-arc of this novel.

The book was a very slow start for me, but it did end up being quite enjoyable. It's a bit creepy, good characters and good writing.

I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had realized it was #13 in a series and I've never read any of the others.

If you like this series, this is probably a most read. It was still enjoyable as a stand alone.

Hatchet Island is the 13th Mike Bowditch mystery by Paul Doiron. Released 28th June by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 320 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a wonderfully written series with an intelligent and honorable protagonist who works as an investigator for the Maine Warden Service (game warden). Although it has more thriller elements than my usual shopfront cozy selections, it's so well written, so redolent of the area and the outdoors, that it was an immersive and enjoyable read. Readers who are already fans of procedural thrillers will be right at home.

The plotting moves along at a good pace and the whole setup is so steeped in a pervasive sense of menace that the tension is ratcheted up continually til the first catastrophic crimes and it doesn't slow down after that. The examination and detection on the part of the protagonist and his colleagues (and girlfriend Stacey) is meticulously written and very cleverly constructed. The final climax, denouement, and resolution were tense and satisfying. Although the mystery is self contained, the entire series is highly recommended and would be a great candidate for a long weekend binge read.

Four and a half stars. This series will appeal very much to fans of Stabenow's Kate Shugak and Box's Joe Pickett mysteries.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Loved the setting of Hatchet Island by Paul Doiron - an island off the coast of Maine where puffins and other sea birds are being studies by environmentalists. This is the first Mike Bowditch novel I've read, so I am not sure if I can judge the character since I have no knowledge of any of his other mystery adventures. I found the book to be a quick, entertaining summer mystery. The ending was not shocking, but there are twists and turns.

3.5 star

✔️ overall, I enjoyed the story and the mystery
✔️ although this is book 13 in the series (!) it read quite well as a stand alone
🔘 the second half seemed to move a bit slower for me
🔘 there are a lot of characters !

I would definitely read more in this series

Hatchet Island – Paul Doiron

A handsome young man grabs his camera, and tells his Mom he’s going to find a boreal owl, a rarity in Maine, before driving to the Penobscot Narrows bridge and leaping to his death…

Maine game warden/investigator Mike Bowditch returns in a new novel, as he and girlfriend Stacey Stevens set out in their kayaks for Baker Island, a small, granite and sand island off the coast of Maine, where The Maine Seabird Initiative assists with seabird restorative efforts. A college friend of Stacey’s, Kendra Ballard, reached out to her old friend for assistance and requesting she bring Mike, after the programs director has seemingly gone missing, and due to some other strange happenings had started. As they paddle along in the early morning hours, they’re nearly swamped by a boat racing by at top speed – a boat that belongs to the missing director.

As they arrive on the island and meet up with Kendra, and interns Heather and Garrett, they learn of some troubling sabotage that’s been taking place. Maeve seems to be behaving erratically, someone has populated the island with weasels, which have decimated the bird populations nesting there, and boaters have been staying just offshore harassing the islands interns. After an encounter with once such boat, Mike sends them on their way. Intending to rejoin the trio in the morning, Stacey and Mike head to neighboring Spruce Island to camp for the night, where a gunshot awakens them in the pre-dawn hours – a gunshot that sounded like it came from Baker Island.

Upon their return to the island, they find evidence of sabotage, before discovering the bodies of Kendra and Heather. Garrett is nowhere to be found, and the small skiff that is usually present on islands edge is missing. As Mike does his best to secure the crime scene, Stacey heads to a neighboring island in her kayak in hopes of finding a cell signal, or other means to summon help.
Shortly thereafter, the cavalry descends on the little island with the Coast Guard, & the Maine State Police among the investigators.

As Mike and the crew investigate the murders, Stacey remains on a neighboring island, owned by an eccentric artist and his equally interesting wife. It’s not until Mike joins Stacey on the island that he spots something that puts it all together for him – and now he realizes he’s in a veritable den of snakes, any one of which may be a killer…

As a former Mainer – for a short while anyway – I was elated when I discovered this series a couple of years ago! I love reading about places I’ve been, and an investigative type series with a recurring main character – heaven! This is the newest installment of the Mike Bowditch series and, like others before it, it took off like a rocket and I could not put it down. Add in some birds for a bird nerd like me, and it was pretty darn near perfect! A great read from Paul Doiron!!

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

I received a complementarily electronic ARC (Advanced Readers Copy) of this environmental novel from Netgalley, author Paul Dolron, and publisher St. Martin's Press - Minotaur Books. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read Hatchet Island of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am happy to have found Paul Doiron - he writes a tale that pulls us into the roadblocks caused by climate change.

We are on the Atlantic Coastal areas of Maine between Kennebec River and Pemaquid Point, and our story is told in the first person by game warden investigator Mike Bowditch who is an avid birder. Having plans for a camping trip with his girlfriend Stacey Stevens for a week on Spice Island, they are fortunately already loaded up in their sea-going kayaks when Stacey gets an SOS email from a dear friend and former college roommate, Kendra Ballard. Kendra is working on the Baker Island sanctuary for puffins and terns, Dr. Maeve McLeary's project known as the Maine Seabird Initiative. Years ago, Stacey had spent time on the island as a volunteer for Dr. McLeary so she is quick to react. In her email, Kendra says Dr. McLeary is missing, weird things are happening, and for Mike to bring his badge and gun, please. They waste no time hitting the water. Baker Island is usually a dead zone for cell service - they can occasionally get texts or emails in and out in the dead of night but otherwise no service - and there is no response on the VHF radio. Maeve has a satellite phone, but it, too, must be missing or Kendra would have called.

It is a long and winding waterway to Baker Island, though they make good time. And they could not have imagined the mess they would find when they finally reached the island...

Hatchet Island is another atmospheric novel in the Mike Bowditch series. Doiron ones again takes us on a journey riddled with twists and turns. His latest endeavor has Bowditch a bit out of his element on water instead of his usual treks through the woods. When Bowditch and his girlfriend Stacey go out on a kayak overnighter, it turns much more deadly when they hear a gunshot and return to the island hosting a bird sanctuary that they had visited the day before. What they find is completely tragic. When authorities are called in the story quickly evolves into an edge of your seat police procedural. Set in the islands off the coast of Maine, this book is a great addition to the Mike Bowditch Game Warden Investigator series!

Did not realize that this book was part of a series, it was easy to follow, the characters were intriguing, the story plot kept me wanting to know more. It was a bit of a slow burn, but the anticipation was enough for me.

What starts a a relaxing kayaking vacation for game warden investigator Mike Bowditch and girlfriend Stacey turns into a murder investigation after they hear a gunshot early one morning on a nearby island to their camp.
I was drawn to this book by the beautiful cover and the description sounded mysterious and thrilling. I didn't realize that it was book 13 of a series, but I didn't feel like I was missing anything. The description of these beautiful islands off the coast of Maine was truly wonderful and added to the feeling of the story being isolated and cut off from the world as it was. Other readers of the series say they prefer earlier books where Mike is on dry land in the woods of Maine. I loved this book, so if the rest of the series is as good or better, I'm definitely adding it to my to read pile!
I received an advance reader copy of this book. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

On a kayaking trip, game warden Mike Bowditch and Stacy Stevens stop over on Baker Island. Stacy had received a request from her friend Kendra for help. Baker Island is the home of the Maine Seabird Initiative and their leader Maeve has been missing for two days. After letting Kendra know that they had seen Maeve’s boat earlier and taking a tour of the island they continue on to their campsite on a nearby island. A gunshot in the night has them returning to Baker Island at first light. There they find Kendra and a young intern have been murdered and another researcher is missing. The local authorities are called in to investigate, but Stacy has a connection to the victims and they become involved with the investigation.

Paul Doiron opens his story with the suicide of a young man and this death echoes throughout the story. He keeps the story moving with unexpected twists and actions throughout. He also sets his story in a fascinating setting, an island populated by puffins and a variety of other wildlife. Difficulties with the local fishermen, a stalker who photographs the researchers on the island and the wealthy owners of Ayer’s and Hatchet Islands who carry dark secrets all provide possible motives for the murders. A final showdown with the murderer has Bowditch considering his future with Stacy and will have Doiron’s fans looking forward to their next adventure. I would like to thank NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for providing this book for my review.

Doiron continues to write thrilling and informative stories of Maine through his character, Mike Bowditch, a Maine Game Warden. In Hatchet Island, we learn about the puffins and other sea birds inhabiting the coast of Maine. Add to this, a thrilling mystery that turns personal for Mike and his longtime girlfriend Stacy. Doiron keeps getting better and this is a series I often recommend to my customers.

Something is very wrong on Baker Island, a bird sanctuary off the coast of Maine. Mike Bowditch, a game warden, and his love Stacey kayak out there after Stacey gets a call from her old friend Kendra, who is doing research on the island. Things are odd yes but Stacey and Mike head off to another island for their planned camp but when they are awakened by a gun shot, they have to head back. What they find is shocking and sets them off into a twisted situation involving residents of other nearby islands, one of which is controlled by a famous photographer with a lot of money and an iffy history. This is a well done procedural that hits topical themes and takes unexpected turns. I've only read a few of the earlier books and this was a fine standalone. No spoilers from me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ArC. It's an excellent read.

There's nothing better for an avid reader than to find a new to them author who has a long running series. With Hatchet Island being my latest discovery I can't wait to start playing catchup. Part police procedural and part edge of the seat thriller it kept me turning the pages well past my bedtime.
Set on several islands off the coast of Maine it gave me a little bit of a locked room feel when the action was on the island. With great prose and a riveting mystery I was fully drawn into the case that Mike and his girlfriend, Stacy faced. The location and the birds were fantastic. Getting there by sea kayak - I'd want a much bigger craft, please.
My thanks to the publisher Minotaur and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Not my favorite Mike Bowditch book. Doiron took Bowditch out of his element, which if you read his books, you know are the woods. He usually is hunting the bad guys in the woods of Maine. This time Doiron has him on the water kayaking and on 3 different islands.

Bowditch and Stacie decide to go on a kayaking/camping trip but take a side trip to Baker Island bc she received a message from a biology friend there. The workers on the island of a bird sanctuary, can't figure out what happened to Meave, their boss and mentor. Bowditch and Stacie get involved, while camping on another island the next morning, after hearing gun shots coming from Baker Island. Bowditch is soon trying to keep Stacie safe, help investigate what happened, while being out of his element.

As I said not my favorite one in the series, but I still liked it. I just prefer Bowditch in the rugged woods of Maine. Solving a crime, rescue an animal, or flying somewhere with Charley Stevens.

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Doiron for the chance to read the 13th book in the Mike Bowditch Series. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Another ARC from a series that I have not read before, but now need to go back & rectify that fact! “Hatchet Island” is book # 13 in the Mike Bowditch series. The main character, Mike, is a Maine Fish & Wildlife warden who often finds himself involved in strange homicide cases in Maine. This one on the Maine Bird Initiative island was a great crime who-dunit. I loved the setting of small islands off the coast of Maine and the information about Puffin preservation. Also, Mike’s girlfriend, Stacey, is my new hero and I want to be like her when I grow up! Another bonus is that the cover of this book/audiobook is gorgeous!

Thank you @netgalley @macmillan.audio & @minotaur_booksfor allowing me to read this book & listen to this audiobook ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

For some reason, possibly because I'm a fan of Mike with Dani so I wasn't excited to see Stacey back., I had a really hard time with the beginning of this one. I ended up requesting the audio book and it was awesome Once I got past the first part it picked up relatively quickly and I ended up really enjoying it!

In this particular story, Stacey ropes Mike into checking in on her friends on a research island when thing go horribly wrong. Teaming up like in the earlier books, Mike and Stacey find themselves knee deep in a dangerous situation. Together, they work to find out who has been harassing the researchers before someone gets hurt.

This series is nothing if not consistent. Every book follows Mike Bowditch through a fun case involving wildlife or someone threatening it. You would think that after so many books it would be boring, but someone Paul Doiron manages to make each one unique and enthralling. As a person who lives in the suburbs, I absolutely love escaping into the world of rural Maine.

thought because Mike Bowditch was off his familiar turf, that is on a group of islands rather than on the mainland, this might not be as good as previous books. In other series books, I have found that changing the setting is not always a good thing. I also wasn’t sure about Mike being back with Stacey but I am satisfied on all counts.
There is a pretty gory murder scene and some very nasty characters but in all it was a great read and listen.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and ALC

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader and audiobook copy of Hatchet Island by Paul Doiron in exchange for an honest review. I listened to this book in less than 36 hours. I really enjoyed it and it would be so beautiful in a movie with the islands and birds. It made me think of an Anne Cleeves book and I really enjoyed the murder mystery. It kept me guessing until the end, a really good who-done-it.