A suspenseful thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat! I absolutely loved the rural setting in the woods and how I never knew what was going to happen next. This was the first book I read by this author so I read it as a standalone but I definitely want to read more from this author!

Pitch Dark is the 15th Mike Bowditch mystery by Paul Doiron. Released 25th June 2024 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback due out second quarter 2025 from the same publisher. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a wonderfully written series with an intelligent and honorable protagonist who works as an investigator for the Maine Warden Service (game warden). Although it has more thriller elements than the usual shopfront cozies, it's so well written, so redolent of the area and the outdoors, that it's an immersive and enjoyable read. Readers who are already fans of procedural thrillers will be right at home.

The plotting moves along at a good pace and the characters are relatable and well rendered. It's easy to believe their motivations and internal drives. The examination and detection on the part of the protagonist and his colleagues (and girlfriend Stacey) is meticulously written and very cleverly constructed. The final climax, denouement, and resolution were (as always) tense and satisfying. Although the mystery is self contained, the entire series is highly recommended and would be a great candidate for a long binge read.

It is self contained, and works well enough as a standalone, but if read out of order, there will be spoilers for character interrelationships and developments from earlier in the series.

Four and a half stars. This series will appeal very much to fans of Stabenow's Kate Shugak and Box's Joe Pickett mysteries.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

An action-packed adventure. As Mike Bowditch is experiencing a lot of firsts in his life, he goes out on a limb to check into some information regarding a missing person. When he asks his father-in-law for help, they head up into the remote wilderness of Maine, where things progressively get worse and more dire. Mike ends up on an unstoppable race against time, weather, and nature for the truth and revenge.

Pitch Dark is book 15 in the Mike Bowditch series. Though readers can pick up the series at any point, there are nuances that are lost with any long standing character. Mike Bowditch has not changed all that much throughout the series, as he has always been impulsive, fiercely loyal, with a strong moral compass. The books are pretty similar, with a formulaic plot. Mike gets involved in an incident, skirting the edge of his job description into territory that best be left to others. The troubles he faces are of a direct result of his curious nature. Pitch Dark is no different, though I do like the peripheral characters that float into the pages. I wish that author Paul Doiron would evolve Mike Bowditch and bring him back into the fold. I think there are more stories that can be told, but the lone ranger persona is becoming tired.

Personally, I have enjoyed following Mike Bowditch through the Maine landscape, as I much of my childhood was spent vacationing up in paper company territory. The descriptions of Maine, especially its unspoiled terrain, evoked memories. That being said, I hesitate to recommend Pitch Dark to other readers. The story itself was average, with not much to really change or evolve the character.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of Pitch Dark by NetGalley and the publisher. The decision to review this book was entirely my own.

A masterful addition to the Mike Bowditch series and delivers a gripping and atmospheric thriller. Bowditch’s determination, resourcefulness, and moral complexity add layers to the story, making his pursuit of justice all the more engaging.
Many thanks to St Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you are looking for a high octane, fast paced read, that does not let up. This is the book you are looking for. I loved the setting for this book, the characters, and the story hooked me from the first page. Paul Doiron brings you into the vastness of the northern Maine Wilderness. I mean you all know Maine is one of my favorite places in the world, so right there I was down for anything.

Mike Bowditch is relaxing at home with his wife and wolfdog, when he gets a phone call about a missing man. He has been asking around town about a father and young daughter that have been building cabins. Mike's interest is immediately piqued and calls his father-in-law to see if he wants to head north to a remote area of the state to kick some rocks and ask some questions. What awaits them is nothing that anyone could possibly imagine. As Mike tears through the trees, swamps, and rain looking for any clue that could lead him in the right direction and for some answers. This is one I do not want to give away too many details and give it all away.

The twists and turns had me hanging upside down, swinging from the trees. The freezing cold damp settling into my bones. Let me just tell you the final twist left me with my heart in my throat. This is my first Paul Doiron and it will not be the last. I have fourteen other books to read in this series and I cannot wait.

(Rounded up from 4.5 stars)

This was a very dark and atmospheric thriller. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and gosh, was I blown away by the final twist! Wow! I loved the setting, and the way that Canada was woven in. Mike Bowditch reminds me so much of Jack Reacher, except he is present law enforcement. Loved his relationship with his father-in-law and his sense of right and wrong over jurisdiction. I definitely want to read more of this series.

This was another good story featuring game warden Mike Bowditch. I liked it, although it would have been nice to have seen secondary characters a bit more. Mike is chasing a killer along the (porous?) Maine and Canadian border, hoping to stop him from crossing over. This time it's a very solitary adventure that Mike embarks on, so he is on his own for a good part of the book, relying on things at hand.

This was another fantastic book by this author. I love that he writes books that take place in my own state, as there aren’t many written in Maine! This story was fast paced and not a dull moment. Fantastic thriller

I'm going to address the elephant in the room now: appearances deceive in this set-up. Suspend your reflexive judgments.

Fifteenth in a procedural series I've read four of before this one. I'm glad to say I liked this one, too. I do now recall why I stopped reading them back when: There is not one likable woman except Mike's new wife, Stacey. It calls to my mind the series reads in the vein of Scot Horvath or Jack Reacher.

The set-up of this story, father and daughter living off the grid in the big fat middle of a chunk of Maine that even tracker-dude Bowditch says, "nah, gimme a plane ride," already has my spidey senses a-tingle. Add an armed stranger on the hunt for these two and, well, there's not much left to wonder is there?

Yes there is.

The twists and surprises kept me interested enough that I got snarled at about my reading lamp. I was expecting things thoroughly unpleasant to develop that didn't...whew...and not expecting things to develop that did, which was pleasantly surprising. I'm usually very averse to a child being put in jeopardy for amusement. I ws not really a fan here, but the issues surrounding the jeopardy are such that I felt less like this was a cheap ploy than a timely use of a horrifying reality.

By the end of the read, I was ready for the light to go off and sleep to come. It didn't for a half-hour (that's really long for me, I usually get to sleep in minutes) because I kept replaying some of the scenes in my mind. That is a good story! Keeps me up late, hard to do, then keeps me wakeful thinking about it.

Good work, Author Doiron. Recommended for procedural fans tired of the usual settings and attitudes based on arrogance and/or testosterone poisoning. Bowditch's 'tude is amply backed up, and earned, by his skills and his moral cdnter.

I hope he come looking for me after my kidnapping.

Thank you to Minotaur Publishing for the eARC of Pitch Dark! While this is the 15th book in the Mike Bowditch series, it felt like an excellent place to jump in with the Northern Maine game warden. I grew up visiting Portland, ME every summer, and particularly love the way Doiron evoked the sense of place throughout the book. There is an excellent balance of fast moving plot and character development throughout the story, and I couldn't put it down! I'll definitely be on the lookout for more in this series!

I enjoyed this book, but it started off a little slow, but once the drama started, it went full throttle. The game warden might get a call from a friend who is another game warden about a missing man. Mike’s wife knows someone who can fly a plane to help get them to the area that they need to question someone, who happens to be the contractor for this pilots house.

Pitch Dark
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Author: Paul Doiron

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Legendary bush pilot Josie Jonson can’t believe her luck when a skilled builder just happens to show up after she purchases land near Prentiss Pond. All Mark Redmond asks in return for building Josie’s dream cabin is that he be left alone to homeschool his 12-year-old daughter, Cady.

For Maine game warden investigator Mike Bowditch, the intensity of Redmond's secretiveness is troubling, especially in light of suspicious criminal activity being reported around the area―including rumors of an armed man offering large sums of money in exchange for the location of Redmond and Cady. Josie, though hesitant to violate the trust of her prized builder, eventually agrees to fly Mike and his father-in-law Charley Stevens to the secluded pond in an attempt to protect Redmond and Cady. But hours after landing, the trip takes a dark turn when they witness a horrific murder and are taken captive themselves.

Freeing himself, Mike is forced to set off through the impenetrable Maine forest towards Canada, alone and unarmed in pursuit of a mysterious fugitive. As he navigates a windblown landscape choked with deadfalls and blocked by swollen streams, he marvels at his enemy’s bush craft. The killer possesses skills surpassing his own, and Bowditch can't tell if he is the cat or the mouse in this dangerous game. Can Mike Bowditch stop his adversary in time to save the life of a young girl, or will he be forced to watch another innocent soul die?

My Thoughts: This is the fifteenth book in the Mike Bowditch series. Even though this is a series book, the author gives enough detail that it can be read as a standalone. Josie purchases some land and wants a cabin built on it, when Mark Redmond, skilled builder, offers to build the cabin in exchange to be left to homeschool his daughter, Josie agrees. Game Warden Mike Bowditch hears rumors that Redmond and his daughter may be in great danger. He convinces Josie to reveal their location so he can warn them. After Mike and Josie land, they witness a murder and are taken captive. When Mike manages to free them, he is forced to trudge through the forest to locate Redmond and his daughter before they face the same fate. In this atmospheric cat and mouse game, will Mike find the young girl and her father before it’s too late? Or will Mike himself be in grave danger? ‼️

Our main protagonist, Mike Bowditch is an interesting character, he is intense and bold. His humor is not always perceived well by others, his intuition makes him a good investigator, and sometimes he comes across gruff, not always likable. Mike is facing a skilled adversary, maybe the most adverse character yet. The characters were well developed with depth, mystery, were compelling, intriguing, and creatively curated. The supporting/side characters elevated the storyline. The author’s writing style was sharp, complex, convincing, twisty, suspenseful, and full of edge of your seat action. The author does an amazing job with the details. You really felt like you were there in Maine along with Mike running this investigation. The characters were built up in a slow burn manner, the plot was developed in twisty layers, and had an ending that brilliantly fantastic. The author does a stellar job at creating a tense atmosphere that pulls you in and keeps you invested from cover to cover.

I had both the digital and audio versions of the ARC. The narrator, Henry Leyva, did an amazing job with the narration. The voice variation with character distinction was excellent. The flow and pitch was perfection and I was able to listen at 2x with no issues keeping up. Doiron creates a masterful atmospheric thriller that is captivating, compelling, dark, disturbing, unpredictable, and will keep you on the edge of your seat. I recommend picking up today!

This was an exciting read that kept me turning the pages. Mike Bowditch investigates a mysterious builder in a remote location. This turns into a deadly chase, and it's so exciting! I really enjoyed the setup, and I like the character of Mike and the setting in Maine. I also liked that the decisions made by Mike and some of the other characters were not clear-cut. That seemed very real to me!

Although this is #15 in a series, it reads fine as a standalone.

I will give this one 3.5 stars. Mike gets a call about a potential missing tourist who was asking some odd questions about a father/daughter team in the area. He and his father-in-law set out with an old friend who had hired the father/daughter to check on them and end up enbroiled in an international man hunt.

The story is good, but heartbreaking in a couple of places. I like the characters in this series and have only read a couple, but you can read these alone without having read them all. That said, I'm not a fan of stories that take off and people end up stranded where everything that can go wrong does and it's hard to find help because everyone has an ulterior motive. While the ending wraps up the main plot, there's still some unanswered questions about Mike that now I'm guessing we must wait until the next book to know.

Overall though, a good read and I am intrigued by this series.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was so invested in this story - I couldn't put it down. This is the first book I've read from this author. This is book 15 in the Mike Bowditch series and you definitely don't have to read the first 14 to appreciate this one. The story was fast paced and the characters were well developed. The author did a great job ensuring the reader doesn't feel like they are missing bits of information about the main character from previous books.

Thank you so much for sending my an advanced copy of this book!

I’m not likely to ever camp or go hunting in the woods of Maine. I know nothing about out game wardens, but I do really enjoy this series. This was a great new entry and I really enjoyed the central story. I had lots of guessing at the twists and while I got close, I didn’t get all the way there, which is great. It’s also good to see Warden Bowditch growing and aging in each of the stories. Always looking forward to the next one!

The story takes you on a trip through the woods of Maine as game Warden Mike Bowditch is after a fugitive. When he checkers in on a man and his daughter in a far-out location who are building a cabin for a bush pilot the only thing he wants is to be left alone to raise his daughter his way. Once Mike begins investigating the story and hunt begins and you will not put this book down until you get to the end. An excellent adventure and full of suspense and mystery set in the forest. With an excellent cast of characters, this book is very much worth the read.

This is 15th in the outstanding series that showcases Maine game warden Mike Bowditch, as well as the spectacular wilderness which is his workplace.

Mike and his father-in law and mentor, Charley Stevens, fly out to visit Charley's friend, legendary bush pilot Josie Jonson, after Mike learns of an armed man offering bribes for the location of her isolated land near the Canadian border.

They head to that land together, but events quickly take an unexpected and violent turn.

Then Mike struggles through the wilderness to Canada, in pursuit of a murderer whose skills surpass his own.

As a game warden, Mike Bowditch often needs to rely on his Spidey sense when it comes to reading people. When his most recent trainee contacts him about a possible missing person, Mike decides to investigate and the more he finds the more he feels the situation is strange.
This book is action packed and the circumstances will leave your head spinning. It is a wonderful read and perfect for those who love nature and the back woods.