Murder Mystery in Maine Lakes

Dead Man’s Wake is the fourteenth installment in Paul Doiron's Mike Bowditch mystery series. The story is set in the picturesque Belgrade Lakes region of Maine, where Game Warden Investigator Mike Bowditch and his fiancée, Stacey Stevens, are celebrating their engagement. Their party is abruptly interrupted by the discovery of a severed arm in the lake, leading to the unearthing of a gruesome double murder. The victims are identified as Kipling Whitcomb and his younger lover, Gina Randazza. As Mike and Stacey delve deeper into the investigation, they face life-threatening dangers while trying to unveil the killer's identity.

Overall, Dead Man’s Wake is a masterfully crafted thriller that will appeal to fans of crime fiction and mystery. Paul Doiron's skillful storytelling and deep understanding of his setting make this a memorable addition to the Mike Bowditch series.

While this is the 14th book in the series, it is the first one that I read and I had no issues jumping right in. A twisty tale full of mystery and intrigue, I was fully invested. Well paced and full of well fleshed out characters, I definitely plan to read more from this series.

I had to stop myself from staying up all night to read this once I had it on my Kindle. It’s a good story and fun summer reading, particularly if you have vacationed on the lakes of Maine or New Hampshire. The characters are well-rounded and show growth as expected by the point in the series. The mystery kept me guessing right until the end. Solid offering and I can’t wait for Mike’s next adventure!

This is book 14 in the series and of course I’m coming in late but I had no problem reading as a standalone. It was a bit predictable which probably should not be unexpected at this point, but I really enjoyed it. The audiobook was well done and I enjoyed reading it this way. This is a fast paced read and I liked the twist on the procedural with the game warden instead of traditional police and would recommend this one.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the copies to review.

This is the 14th book in this series, and I kind of feel like I'm tiring of the main character, Mike Bowditch. In the beginning, he was such a great character and now he seems a little self-involved and stupid in decision making. It was a good mystery and I enjoyed the normal cast of characters. The narrator does a good job.

#DeadMansWake #PaulDoiron #HenryLeyva #MacmillanAudio #MinotaurBooks #NetGalley

Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch's engagement eve is interrupted by a grisly double murder on the lake. Mike and his fiancée Stacey, investigate the strange goings-on behind the speedboat hit-and-run that seemingly led to the murders. As they identify the man and the married woman he was found with, there are an abundance of suspects. Was it the biker husband who had a violent history? Could it be the realtor and his wife? What was it about the too-eager young constable? As Mike unravels the threads, he begins to realize that he is dealing with a very lethal sharpshooter whose malevolent intentions threaten their very existence.

Doiron's writing is very taut and suspenseful. Leyva's narration adds depth and excitement to the story.

This advance listening copy was very entertaining and fast-paced.

3 stars

Mike the Maine game warden ends up investigating some suspicious boating deaths that may or may not actually be in his jurisdiction. It’s a decent mystery, but has some unrealistic (imo) plot points.

[What I liked:]

•This is the second Mike Bowditch book I’ve read, I think the other one was #12. I liked this one slightly better since there were more character interactions. I did enjoy the rivalry between Mike & the bitter young sheriff’s deputy.

•The mystery does have some nice complexity to it, & kept the investigators busy until the very end. I for one didn’t figure out all of the twists, especially with such a large cast of potential villains.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•The very ending was a bit unbelievable. Definitely a creative ending, but unrealistic.

•Okay, also the plane sabotage part was a bit unrealistic.

CW: murder, terminal illness, racism, sexism, ableism, substance abuse, infidelity

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

This was a twisty, fast paced thriller that kept me on my toes! It’s about a boat warden that discovers a dead body while boating, off duty, with his family. He quickly becomes embroiled in the case. Everyone on the island is a suspect and there is no shortage of people hiding secrets!

I've seen Doiron's books go in and out of my library fairly regularly, so I was excited to try one. I'm not sure if it was the fact that I was jumping in late in the series, but small things felt off to me for that reason or if they were just off. The mystery was interesting and I did like Mike Bowditch as the main character, though I thought a couple of the other characters were a little too quirky and I wasn't fond of how the narrator read some of the characters, but that could totally be just a me thing. I would like to go back and start from the beginning of the series to get a better feel for the characters and see if that changes my feelings about this book, too. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the early listen in return for my honest opinion.

This audio archived before I was able to listen to it! I plan on still reading/listening and will update review at that time.

Paul Doiron and Mike Bowditch are always a treat, and while this is not my favorite of the series, it was strong and had many excellent moments that will be very pleasing to the fans. My quibble with this book is that the narrator's volume was all over the place—chapter by chapter, and character by character— and I found myself wincing and adjusting the volume repeatedly. I also thought his performance was over the top with the "conflict" characters, like the lake constable and the local detective. But I enjoyed it and know my listeners and readers will as well.

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 beneath the surface. As day breaks, the warden dive team recovers not one but two naked corpses: the 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. Alone among his fellow officers, Mike begins to sense the involvement of a trained professional, smarter and more dangerous than any enemy he has faced. As Mike and Stacey get closer to identifying the killer, their own lives are suddenly put on the line, leading to a confrontation designed to silence them forever.

Ever go on a Netgalley spree and request a book that you didn’t realize was book #14 in a series? Whoops! Great thing it read fine as a stand alone!

I read this one as an ebook as well as audio, although I listened to most of this on audio. There are several characters and I found it to be easier to listen and follow along.

This story begins quickly with Mike discovering the murder. There is a lot of information given about boats and about Mike’s job that lost me a little bit, but the story is filled with secrets and twists that kept it moving. It was fun to hear Mike’s POV while investigating this murder mystery and linking it all together. Enjoyed the action in the end!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for making this book available to me. When I saw this on the most requested list I crossed my fingers that I would be able to snag this book! Paul Doiron is very popular in my library, I knew it would be months before I could get my hands on it.

Paul Doiron did not disappoint. This is the 14th book in the Mike Bowditch series and we catch him at his step- father's house celebrating his engagement. Things do not go as planned. This book takes you on the ride of your life, in the air, on the water and through the woods- and with a nice ending to boot!

A solid investigative thriller with likable characters and an engaging plot!

This is my first foray into this world, and you would expect coming in at book 14 might be confusing, but the author did a great job of not letting that happen. While there were things I felt like I had missed that might have filled out the overarching story, all in all the story felt well contained and interesting.

I got a good sense of the MC and his character and enjoyed the mystery and action of the book. So much so I’d like to go back and read the rest of the series!

If you like slower paced thrillers with a hint of mystery with a law enforcement branch you may not have read about much - this is a series’s for you!


Note: Use of strong language and some violence.

My rating: 4.3*

——
Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for a gifted audio copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review!

Mike is celebrating his recent engagement when the party is interrupted by boaters on the lake. Mike and his fiancé witness a potential boating accident, and when they investigate further they find a severed arm that was beneath the surface of the water and two naked bodies. Mike starts his investigation and begins to realize that this might not have been a boating accident, but instead a calculated murder.
*
This is the 14th book in this series, however I have to start this by saying that you definitely don’t have to read the entire series to understand this book. I really enjoyed following along with this story and seeing how Mike’s brain works in order to solve the murder. It was such a fast paced book, which I also love because I felt like helped move the story along. i also have to say that I enjoyed the scenery of the book. I love it when the characters are set around water and the author does a good job with describing the scenery.

This is my first book that I’ve listened to that had been narrated by Henry Leyva and I really enjoyed it. His voice was easy to follow and definitely kept me engaged while listening to it. Would definitely recommend on audio.

Overall, definitely a book I would recommend and one that I would love to pick up more books from this series!

This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

Dead Man’s Wake is from a well established series. I have only read part of the series, so I may have missed something in the characters. At this point, though the case itself was interesting, I found the main character to be pretty flat. When the reveal happened at the end I found it to be a bit uninspired and uninteresting. I just didn’t feel that the case came to a satisfactory conclusion considering who did it and the background of the character. It was a quick read. I think that is partly because of the tone the writer created with the characters. There was not much that differentiated them or made them seem like fully fleshed out people.

I haven't read this entire series, but have enjoyed the ones I have.

Game Warden Mike Bowditch is attending his own engagement party when a body part is discovered in the water. Eventually the body is found.

At first it appears a simple boating accident. But Mike investigates and finds more.

I like Warden Bowditch and would love to continue on with this series. The scenary and seclusion adds to the mystery of the stories.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for both an ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

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.

I did not realize that this book was part of a series. I got through 40% and I still didn't understand the relationship between. The book started off with a very confusing engagement party with so many characters. I think perhaps this should not be read as a standalone.

I did additionally feel that there was a lot of description of the boats, the interaction between the sheriff and the ranger, everything was a bit confusing.

I did not feel like continuing, perhaps it's just not for me!

thank you

Dead Man's Wake by Paul Doiron
Narrated by Henry Leyva
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Expected Publication Date: June 27, 2023

Dead Man's Wake is the 14th book in the Mike Bowditch series by Paul Doiron. I have not read the previous books yet and I found this easy to read as a standalone mystery.

I thought this started a little slow, but after awhile I was hooked! I thought the story was great and I loved solving the murders! There were great twists and turns that made this fun! I was sad when I reached the end because I wasn't ready to leave Maine yet! I'll definitely be reading the other books in the series!

I thought the narration by Henry Leyva was spectacular! He did a great job with the accent!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.