I have enjoyed this series since the beginning, and each new book is on my read immediately list. It can be read as a standalone, but why? There is a lot of character development that has happened with the last 12 books! Mike thought that he and his on again/off again love Stacey Stevens had a romantic kayak weekend planned with a stop to visit a Puffin refuge where Stacey was an intern years ago, Instead of the friendly place where she once worked, there is now a stressful environment, where the interns are threatened by unknown fishermen , one of the former interns has commited suicide, and now the director of the whole place is missing. As always, these books race at breakneck speed, with one danger after another, and each of the characters is more than they seem, with secrets galore. A famous photographer and his wife have a virtual commune on the next island, where everyone has signed a non disclosure agreement, and they mean it. Mike, of course, practically gets killed, as always, and the conclusion was oh-so-satisfying. .

An isolated island in Maine. An island where a dedicated team of ornithologists study the habits of sea birds. A study that is poorly funded, a study that the team leader, the legendary Maeve McLeary works tirelessly to fund. The last place you would think would be the site of violent crime.

But you’d be wrong. Game Warden Mike Bowditch and his girlfriend Stacey Stevens respond to a mysterious call for help from Stacey’s friend Kendra, part of the island team. While there, they speak to Kendra and the other birders, Hillary and Garrett. Boats that cruise slowly past the island, mysterious visitors and photographers, racist flags and the introduction of bird nest raiding weasels to the island are all mentioned. Something seems definitely off to Mike but it is not until later that night, while camping on a nearby island, that he and Stacey hear a gunshot. It is the start of a mystery that will involve neighbors with long kept secrets and nearly cost Mike his life.

Hatchet Island is a dark, multi-layered mystery full of characters who are not what they seem. The island locations, shrouded in damp, opaque fog, are eerie and add to the sense of mystery. The plot builds slowly and deliberately to the fast-paced final chapters. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Paul Doiron for this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. First – I loved it and loved the Mike Bowditch character. How did I not know that this series exists given there are more than a dozen titles that feature Mike Bowditch. I have since downloaded the first one and expect to now read all of them! My favorite books feature recurring characters with new plots. This will, I’m sure, turn out to be one of them.

The books opens up with Mike Bowditch being called to action by a former colleague to help with a situation that doesn’t make sense. Mike and his girlfriend Stacey Stevens set off on a sea kayaking trip to the Hatchett Island, an avian research station for endangered sea birds, off the coast of Maine. Stacey is very familiar with the island, as she interned on the island during the summer when she was young. As it turns out, something is very wrong. The biologists have been threatened by fishermen as well as a mysterious boater. The head of the research project has left the island under unknown circumstances (at the time) and is missing.

Although Mike and Stacey camped on a nearby island, they hear gunshots and decide to investigate. They are not prepared for what they find.

This book is my introduction to Mike and Stacey and while the story is a bit dark, both are well drawn out, affable characters who play off one another in talents, dialogue and complementary skill sets.

The book offers high suspense, surprises and twists. The ancillary characters in the book offer enough creepiness to make it even more interesting. Although this book is the latest in a series it can definitely stand alone if this is the first book you’ve read featuring the characters by Doiron.

What a great Father's Day gift I gave to myself...finishing Paul Doiron's latest Mike Bowditch Maine Mystery! Having previously thoroughly enjoyed the first two in this thrilling series plus a short story, I was not prepared for the intensity and pace of this story, which takes place on a fictitious island in Northern Maine. Mike and Stacey kayak out to Hatchet Island, where she had once been an intern at the.puffin protectorate, having been summoned by an old friend. Something was amiss, terribly amiss! Doiron's use of the island's flora and fauna adds some much to his stories!. Oftentimes in past mystery readings, I've tried to solve them. With Hatchet Island, I just let it happen...and HAPPEN IT DID! I wish I could tell you all about it, but I only review the stories. This has murder, well murders, intrigue, super rich, suspense, thrills!
I highly, highly recommend this outstanding mystery!

It's always great to discover a new author/series - and when it's book 13 (so I know I have 12 previous books to read), that's an added bonus. This book did fine for me as a stand alone mystery - there's certainly some backstory I don't know yet, but I never felt lost.

In this mystery, Mike and Stacey have a planned overnight camping trip on an island off the coast of Maine. On the way, they stop at a bird sanctuary, since Stacey was asked by her friend who works there to check up on things. When they hear a gunshot in the middle of the night, they immediately suspect something is seriously wrong on the sanctuary island.

I really liked the characters in this, especially Mike and Stacey. Both are competent, professional and smart. And it was an interesting mystery!

Thanks to Netgalley and the author and publisher for making me aware of and letting me read this book!

"Self-deception is a soul killer." I say this a lot about lots of authors, but I've been wanting to read Doiron's Mike Bowditch series for a long time. I finally scored an ARC from #Netgalley and I was not disappointed. For me, it was way better to read about camping on an island than it would be to actually do it! Oh the hiking and the bugs and hard mattress of the ground...no thanks. But Mr. Bowditch is made of very tough stuff, very tough. And Doiron creates an extremely sinister and creepy setting vis a vis Hatchet Island. And what's up with those puffins? I had no idea they were so ... monumental! Or that people would give up civilization to study them. At any rate, a really, really good read, highly recommend.

P.S. Thanks to #Netgalley for the ARC.

Paul Doiron brings suspense, danger, and intense moments to his atmospheric Hatchet Island , a gripping crime thriller and police procedural that is the thirteenth book in the Mike Bowditch series. If you like action-adventure, nature, mysteries, and danger; then this book is one to check out.

Maine game warden investigator Mike Bowditch and his girlfriend Stacey Stevens head to an island off the coast of Maine after Stacey receives a text from a former colleague asking for help. They decide to travel via sea kayak to the sanctuary for endangered birds and its research station that studies puffins, terns, and other birds. Upon arrival, they find the leader is missing and may have mental health problems. Additionally, the biologists are being threatened by local lobstermen and a boatman is harassing them. However, this is just the beginning of what Mike and Stacey find the next day. After camping on a nearby islet, Mike and Stacey return to the refuge only to find disaster has struck.

Mike and Stacey are likeable characters and work well together. Stacey was a bush pilot, biologist, emergency medical technician, photographer, and a kayaking guide. She can intimidate others because she is so talented. Mike is a great tracker and wants to believe the best of others, but he can be fiery and bold.

The prologue is dark and gritty, but it takes a while for readers to discover how it relates to the rest of the story. The setting is mainly on four islands off the coast of Maine as well as the sea kayak trip to get there. There are many nature references including birds, flowers, frogs, and shrubs, as well as weather details that make the reader feel as if they are in Maine with Mike and Stacey. The author captured the characters and lifestyles in a way that brings them to life.

This riveting crime thriller and police investigation keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. The novel builds suspense in a way that pulls readers into the lives of the characters. The plot is suspenseful, full of chasing down leads and interviewing suspects and witnesses as well as plenty of danger for those involved. I enjoyed how the author twisted the plot points and provided unpredictable moments in the story. The conflict moves the story forward at a rapid pace. Who can be trusted? How many people are telling lies? Who will survive? Will you see that ending coming? Themes include death, relationships, families, secrets, harassment, and much more.

Overall, this briskly paced novel was engaging and atmospheric with diverse characterization and great world-building details. Even though this is part of a series, it is a great stand-alone read too. I can’t wait to find out what is next for Mike and Stacey. I recommend this to those that like crime thrillers and police procedurals with relatable and likeable main characters.

St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books and Paul Doiron provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently expected to be June 28, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

Game Warden Mike Bowditch and his girlfriend Stacey Stevens take their kayaks for a romantic trip to one of the small islands off the coast of Maine. On the way they stop off at a bird refuge island at the request of a friend of Stacey’s. Her friend Kendra is concerned about the woman running the bird sanctuary as she feels she is becoming mentally off balance. After talking to Kendra about her concerns, the couple go on to their romantic trip. In the middle of the night they are awakened by a gunshot from the bird island. The next morning they find the two woman at the sanctuary dead the third person missing. While Mike is assisting the police in the investigation, he meets a famous photographer and his wife who live on the next island. And he learns more and more secrets, one involving the suicide of a former intern of the bird sanctuary. Mike is determined to find out the identity of the murder and see justice for Stacey’s friend.

Let me say that I am a big Paul Doiron fan and have read most of his books. I even recommend him to other mystery lovers. I could not how ever read this book. I tried several times and I just couldn't get into it. I don't think it was the subject matter so much as the pacing of the book. It was very slow reading and I had the feeling the author had just taken up kayaking and wanted to write about it. Good for him on that, but it was too much description and too slow a plot. I don't have the attention span right now to read about where they are going to dock their boats. I don't care that much about the long descriptions in the book about kayaking, and I guess I don't care that much about seagulls. I'll take the blame for not liking the book.

Bowditch is a favorite character of mine. In the last novel he faced bitter cold. This story has him in warmer weather, kayaking to islands off of the Maine coastline for a reconnecting camping trip with Stacey. A side trip to visit the island where Stacey spent a summer at a Puffin reserve opens them both to the politics of the enviromental topics. There had been issues between lobstermen and the nature reserve.

On a nearby island lives a reclusive renowned photographer who watches. What has he seen?

Bowditch follows his moral compass to uncover the underlying conflicts that led to murder.

Another fantastic book!

Maine Game Warden Investigator Mike Bowditch’s kayaking vacation with his girlfriend Stacey is interrupted when they stop at a remote island off the coast of Maine that serves as a puffin research site. Stacey used to be an intern on the island and wants to see how the researchers are doing. What they discover leaves Mike investigating a bizarre double homicide without any means of contacting authorities and Stacey kayaking to a nearby island to get help.
This mystery has lots of action, but I was drawn by the setting and the atmospheric way the author describes the islands, their remoteness and the strange birds and people who inhabit them.
This book is the thirteenth in the Mike Bowditch series, but it can be read as a stand alone novel. I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Solid, but not the best Mike Bowditch story I've read. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

This is the 13th book in Doiron’s crime series featuring former Maine game warden and now warden investigator, 32-year-old Mike Bowditch. (In Maine, game wardens are full law-enforcement officers, with all the powers of state troopers: “They are the ‘off-road police.’” A warden investigator, on the other hand, is “for all intents and purposes a plainclothes detective.”)

This book begins with Mike and Stacey Stevens, now back together again after two years apart, heading out in canoes for a camping trip. They decided to take a detour to Baker Island, a seabird research station off the coast, after Stacey received a call for help from Kendra, her college roommate and fellow intern on Baker Island. Coming ashore, they learned that not only the puffin population was in danger, but the biologists as well. They were being threatened by local lobstermen and harassed by unknown assailants. Moreover, the head of the facility, Maeve McLeary, seemed to be falling apart and had become quite unpredictable. She had taken off to parts unknown, and they were worried.

After talking to the biologists - Kendra along with Hillary and Garrett, they left to sleep on a nearby islet, but were awakened by gunshots. When they returned to Baker, they discovered the gruesome murders of two of the researchers, and the third one missing. Mike and Stacey begin an investigation, after also calling in the Marine Patrol and the state police. They not only unlock the secrets to what was happening on the island now, but what had happened in the past to lead to this awful moment.

Discussion: I love learning more about the biology of Maine from Doiron’s books. He excels at evoking the sights, sounds, and even smells of the area, as in these passages when Mike and Stacey set out on their canoes. No Maine tourism guide could be as compelling:

“The sea was a sheet of hammered platinum. Every stir of my paddle brought the fecund smell of the ocean into my nose and mouth. It was as if I could taste the teeming life in the depths: the phytoplankton and the zooplankton, the oyster beds, the shoals of mackerel, and the deep-diving seals. The sensory stimulation left me feeling intoxicated.”

“The sea was a chameleon; it changed color as the mist lifted. It had been a leaden gray when we’d pushed off from the boat launch. Now in the fullness of the sunlight, the water above the shoals was transmuted, as if by alchemy, from metal into turquoise. Out in the open ocean, it changed again, becoming as hard and blue as sapphire.”

On Baker Island: “Above the island, a living storm was raging. White shapes spiraled skyward like pieces of paper blown aloft, and from the cloud of seabirds came a cacophony of barks, shrieks, cackles, and screams. Half a dozen species giving voice to their alien, unknowable emotions.”

Evaluation: The crimes in Doiron’s books can be complicated, but they hold your attention. I always look forward to more stories in the series.

This is bk 13 in this series but can be read as a standalone. Which is what I did, I haven't read any of the other books in the series but since I enjoyed this one a lot I'll definitely be checking the other books out.

I loved the setting of Puffin Island and the coast of Maine. I loved the mystery, we get some strange happenings on the island, which bring Mike and Stacey there in the first place, then a mystery gunshot in the middle of the night, which leads to finding bodies. Now they will work together along with the police to figure out what happened. Following along with their investigation had me sucked in, and I had no idea the depths of the mystery until it was revealed.
I can't wait to go back to the beginning of the series and see how Mike and Stacey got to where they are today.

Ebook/Mystery:. This is book 13 in the Mike Bowditch series, but the first one I've read. A murder mystery in an isolated setting is one of my favorites. Even though the characters are already formed, I could still get a grasp of their ethics. Mike is a game warden with ethics and his girlfriend is the same.
So of course they are asked to come out to a secluded island...and please bring your gun. Bodies start hitting the ground, cell service is less than spotty, and there's fog. I loved it.
The book is written in first person, which is my favorite.

Just to clarify upfront, this is the 13th but my first book in this mystery series centered around Mike Bowditch, a game warden in Maine. I was able to catch on fairly quickly however.

Mike and his girlfriend Stacey are called by Stacey’s friend to visit her at a seabird sanctuary research facility off the coast. They’re being harassed and watched by locals and mysterious others. Mike and Stacey end up returning later the same day to investigate a violent double murder. Could it have been an irate local lobsterman, someone from nearby Ayers Island, the wealthy couple who donated heavily to the station? Is there a possible cover up and if so, of what?

There’s obviously violence here but also an abuse plot line that was especially disturbing to me. The writing was fine if a bit stilted at times. But I felt the story dragged in spots, and unfortunately I never really felt engaged with the characters (the Mike/Stacey relationship needed more of a comfortable, realistic feel). The denouement felt rushed and not fully tied up to me as well. The physical nature descriptions were wonderful, but in the end, this one just wasn’t for me.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing the free early arc of Hatchet Island for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

This is part of a series I haven't read , but would certainly go back and read the prior books. It drew my attention since birdwatching is a favorite hobby. I've always wanted to visit more of Maine, have only been there once and not to any of the many islands. It is a murder mystery set on Baker Island where the Maine Seabird Initiative is studying endangered puffins.
Mike and girlfriend, Stacey, are kayaking towards  Hatchet island for a relaxing weekend of camping. They detour at Baker Island for Stacey to visit her friend Kendra. Stacey used to be a summer intern here just as Kendra is now. Two other interns, Garrett and Hillary, are also on the island.
Kendra is frantic when they arrive saying that Maeve and her boat the Selkie have been missing several days. Maeve, an ornithologist, has headed up this project for many years. Not everyone is a fan of Maeve or the conservation efforts. There has been harassment from some local lobster fishermen.
Mike and Stacey kayak on to spend a rain soaked night camping. They pass Ayers Island where the famous photographer, Clay Markham and wife, have their mansion. Upon their return to Baker, to see if Maeve has come back, they make a horrific discovery. Kendra and Hillary have both been savagely murdered and Garrett is missing.
As an investigator with the Maine Warden Service, Mike immediately takes care to preserve the scene and attempt to notify other officials.  Before long the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, the Maine State Police, Marine Patrol and the Coast Guard will all converge.
Solving the crimes will take surprising twists and turns. The suspect list begins with Maeve, the very person trying to save the island and desperate to find additional project funding for the puffins.
It was a complex murder mystery filled with greed, class disparity, traditions and prejudice. Will Mike find answers and justice? It was a very interesting read and an author I enjoyed.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance digital copy of "Hatchet Island (Mike Bowditch, #13) by Paul Doiron and to Minotaur Books. These are my honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily.

Mike and his girlfriend Stacey, expect to be on a kayaking vacation to a puffin research station in Maine. They arrive on the island to find their leader is missing and at night they hear gun shots. Their vacation quickly becomes a murder investigation, and they are in the wilderness all by themselves.
There is lots of action and the author does a nice job with the setting. I could imagine expecting to enjoy a leisure trek on the river only to find it is not safe. I enjoyed the relationship between Mike and Stacey and their interaction with others connected to the island. Powerful people are involved and there are few who can be trusted. I appreciated receiving this book for an honest review.

I am never disappointed with Paul Doiron's books.. This one is right on track to be added to my favorites of his. If you like nature and wildlife, with a good mystery added, you will like Paul Doiron's novels.

I really wanted to love this book but it was so boring. I had real trouble connecting with the characters and they are named Mike (husbands name) and Stacey (my name) and that was the most exciting part of the whole thing.

The story wasn't interesting and didn't hold my attention. I had to force myself to finish.

2 stars