I think I would like this series more if I had read more of the previous ones. It does have a good bit of action.. thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

A hit-and-run speedboat crash interrupts the engagement celebrations of Game Warden Investigator Mike Bowditch and his fiancée Stacey Stevens at Mike’s stepfather Neil’s home in the Belgrade Lakes region of Maine. Mike, who works for the Wildlife Crimes Investigation Division of the Maine Warden Service, rushes to the spot where he and his companions discover a severed arm floating in the water. Subsequently, two bodies are discovered – Kip Whitcomb whose arm was the husband of the owner of Mouse Island was severed, and Gina Randazza, the young wife of a biker with whom Kip was having an affair. What follows is a deep dive into the lives of the victims which points them to several suspects – the spouses of the respective victims, those who were driving the speedboat, a vacationer renting nearby who might have seen more than she claims. Mike has to coordinate his efforts with local law enforcement, careful not to step on too many toes, among whom is an eager young constable who himself might be involved. We follow Mike., Stacey, an emergency medical technician/bush pilot/ wildlife biologist among other things and Stacey's father retired Game Warden Charley try to identify the culprit and bring him/her to justice.

Fast-paced, well-written with great characters and a solid mystery at its core Dead Man’s Wake by Paul Doiron is an absorbing read. Twisty and atmospheric with an ending that I did not see coming, I thoroughly enjoyed this crime procedural. I loved the setting and the descriptions of the underwater search and crime scene processing procedures. I also enjoyed getting to know more about Mike and Stacey and their respective families. This is #14 in a series of which I have not read any of the previous installments, but now am eager to explore. This book works well as a standalone. The author does a great job of providing those new to this series sufficient information about the main characters.

I paired my reading with the audio narration by Henry Leyva who does a great job of bringing the story to life.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the digital review copy and the ALC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The MC’s in this book are so bad ass! Mike and Stacey are newly engaged, decide to spend a little weekend with their parents, and everything goes downhill when they witness a crash and dead bodies. The investigation as to who are these two people is wild, secrets get revealed, lives are changed, this book was just awesome. I loved the fact that we get a ton of character build up between Mike, and his stepdad, and also Stacey and her family. This is not the first book in the series, but I loved that as my first book by this author I felt I didn’t miss anything crucial, like most series are. The ending was so heartwarming though, LOVED it.

An engagement party for Game Warden Mike Bowditch and his fiancée Stacey Stevens is interrupted by the sound of a boat crash on the lake. He and Stacey’s father are quick to investigate and discover a dismembered body. The next day, the body of a young woman is found, strangled and drowned. The man’s wife owns the cabin on the island where they were staying. The woman’s husband is the leader of a motorcycle gang. The bodies are a puzzle. After a night of heavy drinking, did they drown while swimming? Were they killed by a jealous spouse? Or is there something darker behind the two deaths. As Mike becomes entangled in the investigation, he realizes that his own life is threatened.

This thriller, fourteenth in the series, is nearly impossible to put down. The setting, a Maine lake at the end of summer, is so well described that you can see the lakefront houses as Mike speeds by on his boat. There are many characters, some familiar from earlier books, but all are vividly portrayed, especially Galen. This series keeps getting bette. 5 stars.

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

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5 STARS

This is book 14 in a Mike Bodwitch mystery series. It can be read as a standalone. I have not read any of his others from the series and enjoyed it. They do reference characters and a few backstory items from the series, but it didn’t matter not having read any of the other books.

Synopsis:
Two bodies are found in a Maine lake where witnesses say a boat ran over one of the victims. Was it just an accident?

This book was fast paced with short chapters. The author did a lot of research on underwater police work and body recovery. It was very interesting and I loved learning about it. There are multiple suspects and red herrings that will keep you guessing until the end. I will definitely go back and read more from this series about a Maine game warden solving cases.

Thank you Minotaur Books and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC! 🚤

Maine Game Warden investigator Mike Bowditch is back with another engrossing case. It was supposed to be a weekend celebration for his engagement to Stacey Stevens with close family. As they relax by the lake, the sound of a boat crash has Mike and his stepfather out on the water to investigate. It was a hit and run and a severed arm leads to the discovery of two bodies, the husband of a nearby island’s owner and the wife of a local biker. While Mike is in charge of the investigation into the collision, the deaths are turned over to the police. It was Mike who dove into the lake to retrieve the first body so he has an interest in finding those responsible.

Mike’s search for the missing boat leads to encounters with Galen, a deputy trying to prove himself after failing to become a Warden. There is also a witness staying on the lake who is more involved than she lets on. While the collision was the start of the mystery, autopsies reveal a twist in the deaths that leads to an opponent that is well trained and who becomes a threat to Mike and Stacey. The author’s love of Maine comes through in his descriptions of the lake and surrounding forests. He also provides a number of twists that lead to a fiery ending, making him one of my favorite authors. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book for my review.

This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. Maine Game Warden Mike’s engagement part is interrupted by a loud noise that leads to the discover of 2 dead bodies. What follows is a gripping thriller that builds suspense at a fast pace. The atmosphere, strong sense of place and family dynamics at okay made this a very enjoyable read.

I am a huge fan of Joe Pickett, the main character in CJ Box novels. It was great to read about another game warden that’s also such a great character

***ARC received from Minotaur Books and NetGalley in exchange for honest review, opinions are all my own. Thank you!***

Dead Man’s Wake is the 14th book in the Mike Bowditch series but don’t let that its the 14th book in the series stop you from picking it up. Especially if like me you haven’t read the prior 13 books, like most procedural series its a stand alone story with references to prior books but its still enough of a stand alone that anyone can pick up.

Mike and his fiancee Stacey are staying with his stepparents for an engagement party that unfortunately ends with a hit and under the spirals into a double murder. I liked almost all the characters in the book, even the ones that are clearly meant to be on the side of the main lead but still antagonistic figures. Everyone adds something to the story, I really liked Stacey, she was smart, funny and well aware of the dangers that come along with Mike’s job. Even though there are a lot of characters, no one really gets lost in the story they all have a purpose and add something. The actual antagonist in the story isn’t really much in the story. Referenced to plenty of time but I thought from the description it would be more of a cat and mouse game with Mike and the killer but it didn’t really play out that way. I think if it had the end confrontation may have felt like it had more weight between the two characters.

The story is good, there are just enough hints that you can start to figure out who the real killer is but enough red herrings to keep you guessing. I found the book did a good job in explaining the motivation of the killer slowly over the course of the book, which was appreciated. Sometimes mystery books don’t really do that great of a job building up their killer and their motives but this one did a really good job.

I really enjoyed the writing, you can tell that the writing has a love for the outdoors and does a great job describing the area that the book is set. The scenes come alive as the author brings in all the small details to set the scene. My only real complain is that characters that don’t believe in a crime scene are just wandering around like its no big deal. Maybe things are a little lax in the outdoors but it removes some of the realism. You can certainly read this book alone, its a stand alone story but took get a better understand of all the characters and the referenced backstories it would be a strong reading experience to have enjoyed the previous books.

For not having read any of the prior books I found this a quick and enjoyable read. The settings are great and come alive and the story had enough misdirection to keep me guessing.

My opinion of this book in an apparently much beloved series is clearly an outlier. I don’t think this works as a standalone and I might have felt differently about it had I come to know and appreciate these characters over 13 previous books. I gave this 320 page novel about 70 pages and I’d rather pop my eyeballs out than read any more. The tone is patronizing and the author over-explains/mansplains nearly everything. It’s tedious and a little insulting.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for a copy of "Dead Man's Wake" in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is book #14 in the Mike Bowditch series but it can be read as a stand-alone book because it is wonderfully written and easy to follow, making the reader want to go back and catch up on previous books in the series.

Mike Bowditch is a Warden Service Investigator for Wildlife Crimes. While at his step-parents home with his fiancée Stacey for their engagement party he hears a collision on the lake possibly a boat or a jet-ski accident. Mike meets Galen Webb, the lake constable who has a huge chip on his shoulder for not being hired by the Warden Service. Does he help in the investigation or hinder it?

Mike and his soon to be father-in-law find a severed arm and later a body along with an empty house on Mouse Island. Soon they also find another body and while Mike is only supposed to investigate the boating accident, he is intrigued by the other aspects of the case.

This story will grab the reader from page one and you will find yourself turning the pages and wanting to know what will happen next. There are many clues along the way and stumbling blocks placed in Mike's way before the dramatic ending back on Mouse Island.

This was a good crime fiction novel!

I liked the characters, the pacing, and the game warden aspect. I feel like it’s tough to find a side of crime fiction and police procedurals that hasn’t been done and overdone, but having our investigator be primarily involved with boat accidents was different enough for me.

This is #14 in this series, but can be read as a standalone. I didn’t feel completely lost on any major part of the plot.

It was tense and fun to read and all the suspects kept me guessing as to what happened.

That said, I didn’t like the way the book ended. I thought it was too convenient. Some people may really like how everything wrapped up, but it was personally my least favorite part.

I received an eARC and a physical ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I am a little late to this series, this is the fourteenth book and the first one I have read, so I can say that if you are interested in reading this it can be read as a standalone. On the evening of Mike and Stacey's engagement party at a Maine lake, they hear what sounds like a boat impacting something. Mike is a game warden and he decides they should investigate, they soon find a severed arm, and not long after the body of a man it was attached to. After checking out the house where they think the man originated from, they think there may be another person that had been with him. They recover the body of a woman who was with the man, the couple were having an affair. The investigation into who had hit the man and who had killed the woman, leads Mike on a long trail around the lake and into neighboring states, each clue is like peeling back the layer of skin on an onion, but Mike is of the belief that one person is the culprit and stubbornly sticks to that belief until the bitter end. Who is culprit was came out of the blue, there was little mention of this person until the dramatic showdown at the end. There are a lot of red herrings in this book, not sure if that's normal for this author, but I did really enjoy this and would recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Minotaur Books for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

This is the 14th in the series of Game Warden Mike Bowditch stories and, although it works "okay" as a standalone, and the characters are fully explained, I think I missed not knowing at least some of the backstory.

Mike and Stacey are being hosted for an engagement dinner at the new home of Mike's step-father Neil, and his new wife Jubilee at their modernistic mansion on a lake nicknamed "Golden Pond" for it's supposed connection to a well-known movie. Also present are Stacey's parents, Charley and Ora. Charley is a retired Game Warden and has not yet settled down into retirement, but spends as much time as possible caring for his wife, who is confined to a wheelchair. Neil and Mike have drifted apart since Mike's mother died five years before and their offer to host the party has brought them back together.

As Mike and Stacey sit on the walk outside near the shore, they hear a Jet Ski being operated illegally after dark and then hear the sound a a larger boat racing through the darkness. But as they talk, they hear a collision on the lake. Unable to stop himself from investigating, they find an arm and Mike dives deep into the blackness to find the body from which it came.

Thus starts a long and winding investigation, spurred on by the discovery of yet another body. With few clues, Mike and Stacey, with the help of Charley, work to discover just what is going on around this quiet lake.

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
Why have I not heard of this author or this series sooner?! I absolutely LOVED this police procedural, although I have not read any of the previous books in the series. Although I would love to have gotten each character’s backstory, this can definitely be read as a stand alone. The author does a great job with building the suspense, the character development, and gripping the reader in straight away! I was pulled into the detailed setting in Maine-I could absolutely picture the scenes in my head while reading. I love the main character, Game Warden- Mike Bowditch, he is definitely a favorite and I am now compelled to go back and read the other books in this series because of his character-but this is #14! 😳 This is one that will keep your interest from start to finish and is action packed. I enjoyed the pacing and how the climatic ending all came together nicely leaving me feeling 100% satisfied and wanting to pick up the previous books in the series. This was an outstanding ‘who done it’ read that I really enjoyed!


𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞?
If you are a fan of mystery books or police procedurals I think that you should pick this one up as I am sure you will enjoy it!

𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫4.25/5

🛩Crime investigation of a different ilk: good, unpredictable plot🚤

4.5🌟stars
Dead Man's Wake had a fascinating murder to solve and the mystery expanded as the story continued. Maine Game Warden/Investigator Mike Bowditch, his family, fiancee and friends all get swept up in the case of a boating incident just off their lakeside retreat that turns up a grisly victim and a lot of questions over the Labor Day weekend. I don't recall having read a criminal procedural based on investigating such a nautical crime and I really liked the out-of-the-ordinary plot.

I had no clue who was responsible for the death and sabotage going on. I love a murder mystery that tests my own ability to pick out the perpetrator, even when the story is written so well that I guess wrong (and in this one, repeatedly!). And Bowditch's personal life, particularly his obviously close relationship with his fiancee's retired warden father Charlie and his growing connection with his stepfather Neil, provided a nice balance with the tension of the case. Plenty of action and danger, too, plus those red herrings that led me astray!

Great read! I definitely need to find more Paul Doiron mysteries.

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

A well done procedural that works as well as a standalone as it does as the latest in a long running series. It was meant to be a small family engagement party- and it was- but then Mike hears a boat hit something in the lake. Mike, his fiance Stacey, his father-in-law to be Charley, and his stepfather Neil find a severed arm and then the rest of the body. And once the rest of law enforcement arrives, they realize that a young woman is missing as well. Cheating spouses on a small island, sure, but how did they end up dead in the lake? HIs wife is housebound in Massachusetts and her husband, a biker, seems genuinely bereft. No spoilers from me on how this twisty mystery is resolved. There are some terrific atmospherics with a cadaver dog, on the dive boat, and in the air but best of all are the characters. Doiron does an especially nice job with Mike and his stepfather Neil (as well as Jubilee). Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I'm a fan and very much enjoyed this- highly recommend for a page turner of a read.

If you love police procedurals you will absolutely adore this book. Game Warden Mike Bowditch shines in this story. The characters created by the author are wonderful. They are in turns witty and funny. Readers will enjoy the page turning plot as they try to figure who is involved in the murders.

I have enjoyed all of Paul Doiron's books. The character of Mike Bowditch is well-developed, as this is book 14 in the series. A double murder in this installment for Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch to solve. A great thriller that kept me turning the pages quickly. Highly recommend.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC. All opinions are my own.

Dead Man's Wake was my introduction to the gripping series by Paul Doiron. It is the 14th book in the crime series featuring Main Game Warden Mike Bowditch. It worked just fine as a standalone mystery. I became interested in the previous books to learn more background of the main characters.

There is a vividly described sense of place. The location is a lake area in Main. Mike, his future wife, Stacey Stevens, and their families were compelling, richly developed, and likeable characters. In Main, a Game Warden has the same powers of arrest as the sheriff, deputies, and police officers in investigating crimes in and around the lake, along with the state police.

Mike's stepfather Neil and his wife are hosting an engagement party for Mike and Stacey. Her father, Charlie, and mother, Ora, are attending. Charley is a retired game warden and presently a pilot, friend, and mentor to Mike. Ora is in poor health.

Mike's fiance, Stacey, is a woman of many skills; a bush pilot, wildlife biologist, and emergency medical technician. She will be a great companion in his upcoming investigations.

During the dinner party, they hear a loud crash out on the lake that seems to be a collision. Taking his stepfather's boat with Charley and Stacey, a severed arm is recovered. The ship involved in the crash is gone.

State police, the lake constable, Main Warden Services, and the diving team assemble. The divers recovered two bodies from the lake. First, the man whose arm had been severed. He was known as the owner of Mouse Island and was rumoured to have had a series of affairs with women he brought to the island. The body of his latest woman was found in a different location and showed signs of being murdered and dumped in the water. The man's wife is in deteriorating health and no longer visits the lake area. The first theory was that the dead woman was killed by the man with whom she was having the affair. Then he went for a swim and drowned when the boat collided with him and injured him. It was learned the woman was married to a man from a criminal biker gang, and he became the police's prime suspect. Some believe he murdered her in rage for her infidelity.

The investigation finds many other suspects and witnesses who often lie. The story becomes an intense, puzzling, suspenseful crime procedural with well-placed clues. Mike discovers the drivers of the boat involved but does not consider them deliberate killers. He refuses to believe the guilty party is the woman's jealous biker husband. This leads to some tension with the police officers. A lake officer trying to prove his worth also falls under suspicion.

Readers with technical knowledge of small boats or seaplanes will be a step ahead of the casual reader. We learn a lot about the recovery of drowned victims, the preservation of underwater crime scenes, and the landing of a sabotaged seaplane. The role of the game wardens was interesting. Sometimes a minor character was identified by only their first or last name, which took some concentration to keep them straight in my mind.

Mike, Stacey and Charlie find their lives in Jeoprady, which leads Mike to suspect that the killings are the work of a well-organized, trained professional. The ending was pulse-pounding, intense, and charged with deadly action. The identity of the killer was unexpected.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of the book in return for an honest review. I recommend it to readers who enjoy a puzzling police procedural and pleasant main characters set in beautiful atmospheric Main. The publication is scheduled for June 27. 3.5 Stars raised to 4.

Suspense, murder, and danger are expected from Paul Doiron’s Mike Bowditch series. However, Dead Man’s Wake , the fourteenth book in the series, brings an extra intensity to the story mainly set in Belgrade, Maine and the surrounding lake area. During their engagement party, Maine Game Warden Investigator Mike Bowditch and Emergency Medical Technician Stacey Stevens hear and witness what seems to be a hit-an-run speedboat crash. Arriving at the sight via his stepfather’s boat, a severed arm is revealed in their spotlight. When two bodies are found, not one, Mike suspects there’s more going on than an accident. In Maine, game wardens have the same arrest powers as sheriffs, and he works the investigation along with the state police.

Mike and Stacey are likeable characters and work well together. Stacey has been a bush pilot, wildlife biologist, 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. He also has a somewhat perverse sense of humor that isn’t always appreciated by others. I enjoyed getting to know their families better in this novel. Mike’s stepfather Neil is kind and enthusiastic. Neil’s wife Jubilee is perceptive and funny. Stacey’s parents are Charley and Ora. Charley is a good friend of Mike’s and a retired game warden. Ora was the only one of the group who wasn’t as well-developed.

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 provided unpredictable moments in the story. The conflict moves the story forward at a rapid pace. Why are some of individuals obviously lying? Themes include death, relationships, family dynamics, secrets, health, friendship, police cooperation across jurisdictions, and much more. The one thing that I missed in this story was the nature references that were much more prevalent in the previous book. There are short discussions around common loons and bears as well as a few other references, but I didn’t feel immersed in it. However, weather and the lake both play important roles in the story and they were immersive.

Overall, this fast-paced novel was engaging, gripping, and atmospheric with good 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 All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently expected to be June 27, 2032. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.