I love a good beach read and this one is a perfect to relax with. This book had me turning the pages so fast to see what would happen. You will definitely enjoy this twisty mystery. It is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone. Many thanks to the author, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

When I requested this one I didn't realize it was a part of a series. I didn't enjoy it at all and mark it as a DNF.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Published: 06/27/23

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for accepting my request to read and review Dead Man's Wake.

This was okay. This being #14 in a series that I had not previously read plays very little to my 2.5 (round up to 3 stars) rating. I liked the prospects of the story from a game warden. This is a new concept. I enjoyed the tidbits expressed. However, wow on the need for an address book with a connecting flow chart. So many people, property names, places, boats, equipment that it just became background noise. I skimmed to make the most of my reading time and keep my commitment to NetGalley. With that said, I will DNF a NetGalley book. DMW didn't meet my NetGalley DNF criteria. If this had been library book I wouldn't have finished.

I was bored early on with all the names, there were too many in multiple categories as I stated above. As I skimmed the relationship between the warden and his fiancee slowly played out, and I found myself liking them. And that really is where it ended. I didn't like after 300+ pages to be left with a question --should she or shouldn't she.

Of note: I tossed my notes, and can't specifically remember swearing.

This book was ok it took me a bit to get into it. But after I did it was ok. There are others out there who would love it though!

On the evening of their engagement party, Maine Game Warden Investigator Mike Bowditch and Stacey Stevens witness what seems to be a hit-and-run speedboat crash on a darkened lake. When they arrive at the scene, their spotlight reveals a gruesome sight: a severed arm floating just beneath the surface. As day breaks, the warden dive team recovers not one but two naked corpses: a dismembered man and the married woman with whom he was having an affair. Mike begins to suspect the swimmers' deaths were not a senseless accident but a coldly calculated murder.

This is book 14 in the Mike Bowditch series and while I have read a couple of the previous books I haven’t read them all and it does work as a standalone as well. I like these books because they take a lesser known or written about part of law enforcement while still making interesting mysteries/thrillers. Mike is a Warden and when he is having a dinner with family and hears a dangerous boat on the lake of course he has to investigate. One thing leads too another and it is clear that boat ran over a man when they find his arm floating in the lake. Mike knows his role is just what happened to that man and if he were alive or dead when he boat hit him, but he can’t help himself from asking questions and trying to piece the whole puzzle in time. These books are well written and definitely a fun series.

During their engagement party, Game Warden Mike Bowditch and his fiance Stacy, witness a speedboat crash. Although initially it looked like an accident, Mike suspects it might be ss murder and teams up with the local police to investigate it. They soon find a severed arm, and look for a body, which divers find to be a dead man.
This fast paced, well crafted police procedural kept me thoroughly engaged. I liked the short chapters, which allowed me to read just one more...and just one more...to finish the book in 2 days. The mystery had great characters who were fully developed and had believable backstories. The descriptions of the lake and the people who lived there were well integrated into the story.
When the obvious culprits had believable alibis, my sleuthing skills were offset with the red herrings and dead ends that the author incorporated into the story. I liked the way he built suspense and the story got even more exciting as Stacy and Mike found themselves in danger as they got closer to solving the murders.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and the opinions expressed are my own.

Another fabulous installment of the Mike Bowditch series! He kept me guessing until the end. I recommend the series to anyone who is interested in crime thrillers or wildlife crime. As someone who has worked in this field for nearly 20 years, I find Doirion's books to be reasonably realistic. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

This a new series for me. I came to Dead Man’s Wake with no history or background and was quickly brought up to speed thanks to Doiron’s research and information that infiltrated the early pages. I went into the balance of the book knowing that Maine game wardens have police powers and Mike Bowditch works in the Wildlife Crimes Investigation Division of the Maine Warden Service. On any given day he could be “busting poaching rings to solving hunting homicides to reconstructing boating accidents.” No surprise this book is going to deal with a boating accident, maybe.

Mike Bowditch is a likable sort of guy who speaks with a sometimes prosaic,sometimes juddering but an always decisive voice. He often acts quickly without considering the consequences. It’s a double edged sword of his greatest fault as well as his greatest strength. The supporting characters are well drawn. His fiancée Stacey Stevens can sometimes come across as “a three alarm firecracker” is perfectly suited, but her father, Charley really stood out with just a little bit of mischief mixed in with intelligence and experience. He kept popping up and validating the direction of the story.

The accident “which maybe isn’t” turns into an interesting investigation with too many people thrown into the mix. These peripheral characters run the gamut from a smarmy college kid looking to join the ranks of the Fortune 500 (I really disliked him - who wouldn’t?) to rough bikers to an “arrogant, insubordinate, self-pitying” sheriff’s deputy and oh wait, a hunky diver who I would love to meet.

This story is a little bit boating accident, murder mystery, but maybe not, but then definitely an attempted murder or something else. It definitely held my attention even if the writing was sometimes uneven. I am rounding up to four stars. Thanks to St Martin’s Press - Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a copy.

I didn't realize this was a book in a series, until I looked up the author. I liked the writing style and characters. Even though this is #14 in the series, I don't feel I lost anything from the previous stories. It can be read as a stand alone book. It starts off with 2 bodies being found and most of the book is about the police investigations into those deaths. I think Charley was my favorite character. He seems like he'd be fun to hang out with and could teach so many things to you. Mike Bowditch was a pretty cool character and determined to find answers. I'll have to go and read some of the other books in the series.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. I have not read others in this series and thought it did okay as a stand alone. Plot moved along quickly enough and the characters were believable and the setting interesting.

Date for the review, was read at a different time.

I had no idea that this was book 14 in a series, but I found that it can easily be read as a stand-alone.

Mike Bowditch is a Game Warden investigator. During his engagement party at his stepfather's lake house, he and his fiance witness a hit and run speedboat crash. They head out to the scene and end up finding two bodies in the water. Although this seems like an accident at first, Mike suspects it is murder and begins working on the investigation with the local police.

I loved that this book was set in Maine and thought it was fun that Mike's fiance had the same first and last name as mine! I really liked these characters, especially Mike and Stacey. The book was fast-paced and twisty.

I will probably go back at some point and read book one. Mike has a wolf dog, but he was only mentioned in this book. I would like to read about them going on some investigations together!

Thank you @netgalley, @minotaur_books, @stmartinspress and the author for the gifted e-arc of this book!

The 14th book in Mike Bowditch Series and it's still going strong. Bowditch is a Maine Game Warden. I enjoy these books because I always get mystery, adventure and most times edge of my seat thrills.

Mike Bowditch and Stacy are at his stepdad's house for their engagement party on Great Pond. Bowditch is off duty but soon there's an accident on the lake and a body. He soon is off investigating with his soon to be father-in-law, Charley.

I have read everyone of the Mike Bowditch books and somehow Doiron keeps coming up with new investigations for Bowditch to do. I have seen how Doiron has grown Bowditch's character, as well as the other characters that have a recurring place in the books. I'm never bored when reading one of his books.

If you like adventure and mystery books, you ought to give this series a try. I don't think you would be disappointed.

Published June 27, 2023

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for the E-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#netgalley
#stmartinspress
#minotaurbooks
#pauldoiron
#deadmanswake

.Dead Man's Wake is the fourteenth book in the Mike Bowditch series. It is the first one I have read. It is a standalone read, but I am sure that it is worth reading the whole series from the beginning.

This is a well written, police procedural story about Mike Bowditch, a Maine game warden.

The story begins with Mike and his fiancée, Stacey, at their engagement party dinner. Listening to the evening sounds of the Great Pond, they hear jet skis racing at night and then a crash on the lake. Deciding to investigate, they find a severed arm of a man, then his body and finally the body of a woman.

Mike's job is to work the case of the boating accident, but he is working with two homicide detectives, one of whom seems determined to pin the murders on the husband. Mike doesn't agree with the assessment of the accident, so he works the accident until he is able to report all of the facts.

This is a fast-paced story that is very intense and told from Mike's point of view. There are a lot of characters to keep straight but not too many that you can't keep them straight. The story is very descriptive and easy to follow. I really liked this one and am interested in reading more of the series.

This is the 14th book in the Mike Bowditch series. I feel this can be read as a standalone read.
Though the story starts out a bit slow, no worries because it picks up in a great way.
I really like the main character, Mike.
Overall, a solid investigative mystery thriller with lots of suspense thrown in!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

fast paced thriller that i couldn't put down

thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the copy for review

Dead Man’s Wake by Paul Doiron an entertaining “police” procedural although the protagonist is a game warden in Maine. Anymore, in many places, game wardens have many of the same responsibilities as the police do, just having authority in limited locales. They are at the lake, Mike and Stacey, visiting with his stepfather, Neil, and stepmother, Jubilee, as well as Charley and Ora, Stacey’s parents, when Mike heard a jet ski on the lake, but it was after dark when it was against the law. Reminded by Stacey that he was not working, he ignored it until shortly after when they heard a collision. Charley jumped to his feet as well, being a former game warden who had never quite gotten it out of his blood and he and Mike took off in Neil’s boat to investigate. What they found was disturbing: a severed human arm. Thus began the investigation which would end up with two murders, only one of which was in Mike’s purview.

I have never read this particular series before and I really liked it and then I discovered it was book 14! Mike is a good character, and well written. He is a dedicated lawman with few, but some, personal issues. Neil was his stepfather but Mike had never really accepted him. He had assumed Jubilee was a trophy wife, but she turned out to be so much more. Stacey was the ideal fiancee for a lawman and would make a wonderful wife, while still living her own life. This was a complicated mystery, primarily because much of the evidence was hidden under water. The obvious culprits had alibied out and there was much to do to solve the murders. I was a good book. Surprisingly involved and full of possible clues that led nowhere. I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Dead Man’s Wake by St Martin’s Press, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #PaulDoiron #DeadMansWake

I did not realize this was part of a series and although it's possible to read as a standalone, as the 14th book in the series some may find themselves needing to read the previous books. It was quite confusing initially with the characters but eventually I was able to catch along. Do I recommend reading the other books prior? Possibly considering you will get more of backstory. I did enjoy the suspense and thrill the story gave and the pace was great as it was pretty quick. The 2 stars I docked are simply because this is a part of series and I'm such an OCD of person that I would have preferred to read the previous books and the initial confusion I had. Had those 2 not have been factor, there is a high possibility that this would be a 5 star read for me.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the gifted ARC!

Intriguing and captivating story of a social visit that becomes a murder investigation. This was my first Paul Doiron book, but it won’t be my last. It was intelligent, fast-paced, and hard to put down!

Outlier.
DNF@25% Not for me.

I didn't realize this was part of a series when I had requested this on NetGalley. This can be read as a standalone, but probably best as a series.

I wasn't a fan of the writing style. It was a lot of telling and not enough showing. Also, the characters felt one-dimensional. Therefore, I wasn't able to immerse myself in the story.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Paul Doiron, and St. Martin's Press for graciously sending me the ARC to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.**

I will say first that I have not read any of the other books in this series. You can read this book without reading any of the prior books. This book was fast-paced. It takes place in less than 3 days. I found that it went too quick to be believable on solving this murder. The book wasn't a bad book but I most likely won't read anymore in this series.