Game Warden Mike Bowditch, seems to find trouble wherever he goes. The evening of his engagement party was no different. The party takes place at his stepfather’s home on “Golden Pond” the nickname of a Maine lake. Expecting a quiet weekend with his fiancé, Stacey, her parents and his stepfather and his new wife, things quickly change when Bowditch and Stacey hear a boat strike something in the water. Ever the game warden, Bowditch goes to investigate and finds more than he bargained for when he finds the body of a naked man, but no boat to speak of. Further investigation leads him to believe there’s also a woman, but is she dead or alive. A full fledged investigation ensues and the whole family is knee deep in it. What starts as a hit and run accident on the water soon turns into something more deadly and once again, Bowditch is fighting to save himself as well as his family. This is a brilliant series and oh so fun to read! Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

In this 14th installation of the series, Marine Game Warden Investgator Mike Bowitch's engagement party is interrupted by a hit and run boat accident. The preliminary investigation reveals there are two victims discovered in the waters of a lake in Maine. The marine police procedural that follows is well written and fast paced with a host of interesting and well developed characters. Dead Mans Wake can be read as a standalone, although it is somewhat of a challenge to remember all the characters, their relationships and history with Mike, and how they fit in the plot. The protagonist is a strong and determined character and his first person narration added substance and depth to the book. I enjoyed learning about the marine game warden responsibilities and the immersive story setting of Maine.
Thank you Netgalley and Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review Dead Man's Wake and Mike Bowitch series.

When i requested this I didn't realize it was in a series.This was my first book by this author and although it's part of a series, this can be read as a standalone. Will be looking into reading more of his books. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a review.

This is such a crime thriller that will be perfect to binge during your summer vacation. Dead Man's Wake is book 14 featuring game warden, Mike Bowditch, however, as someone who has not read any other books by Doiron, it works great as a standalone. There might have been times when I wished I knew more about the characters, but it certainly didn't take away from the story.

Dead Man's Wake is fast-paced and will have you guessing through the whole story. Not to mention, I loved the descriptions of the beautiful lakes in Maine and the locations in Massachusetts.

Whether you've read every Mike Bowditch book, or this is your first one like me, Dead Man's Wake is worth checking out.

Thank you Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

Dead Man's Wake is the fourteenth installment in the Mike Bowditch, Maine Game Warden series. I only discovered the series recently, thanks to NetGalley, so it is the third read for me, and one day I'm going to start at the beginning and catch up. Although each book is an easy standalone read, one of the things the author does best is continually evolve his characters. With Mike's relatives, and now fiancee Stacey, there are quite a few people in his life, but each book I learn new aspects of each of them, sort of like life!

Mike Bowditch and Stacey Stevens are at his stepfather's house for their engagement party when Mike thinks he hears a speedboat hit something in the dark. This happens literally on the first page or two, so the reader is immediately thrown into the action. Mike goes to investigate and eventually finds a body that has been hit by a speedboat, so local authorities are called in. But this investigation will turn out to be a bit more complex than just a boating accident. Mike is on the scene, so gets drawn into helping solve the crime.

I enjoy these mysteries set in Maine. It gives me a chance to learn about the geography and wildlife there, as well as be entertained by the stories. I used to enjoy the Anna Pigeon series by Nevada Barr, and this is somewhat in the same vein. Like all good series, Doiron makes his character's lives changeable and interesting, to keep the reader from getting bored. The mystery in this book definitely had it's twists and turns and kept me guessing. I'll be back for the next in the series!

It is a 4.5 * read for me!

Thank you to Paul Doiron, NetGalley, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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