An adventure through the Maine Woods in search for a missing person turns into a man hunt for Game Warden, Mike Bowditch.

A page turner throughout the book as the investigation unfolds and more twists are unraveled.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Pitch Dark is an edge of you seat, page-turning, up all night thriller. Mike Bowditch is a Maine game warden who stumbles on Canadian fugitives. He does not know who they are but the action starts immediately. This is the kind of book that you will not want to put down. As a reader I appreciate a book that keeps me guessing until it wraps up. I have never read a book by Paul Doiron but will now look for his books.
If you like thrillers this is a book for you. What a great read.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #PaulDoiron, and #MinotaurBooks for a copy of this book.
#PitchDark

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Again, another great book by Paul Doiron that keeps you up all night waiting to see what happens next. Game warden Mike Bowditch finds himself in a wild chase through the Maine wilderness in search of a killer. Several surprises, twists and turns keep the reader on edge as they wait to see what will happen next.
The author always holds me with his excellent descriptive writing that makes me feel as though I am experiencing the events myself. His characters are spot on and the story plot is always captivating. I look forward to the next book in this series.
Even though this is part of the Mike Bowditch series, it can easily be read as a standalone novel.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

The search for a "might be missing" person becomes a snowball rolling downhill, collecting trouble as it goes and grows. I can't decide if Mike Bowditch is the luckiest man alive or possibly the unluckiest. His devotion to duty puts him in harm's way multiple times in this exciting, twisty story.

Summary 📚📚📚 Maine game warden Mike Bowditch takes a call that an out of state visitor may have gone missing in the woods near the Canadian border. When he goes out to investigate, his day will take a dramatic turn and lead him on a chase.but who is the real enemy?

Review 📖📖📖 this was my first Mike Bowditch novel but it felt standalone and not at all like I was catching it 15 books in. Great detective character. This is less about who dun it, although there exists some surprises, but more about the adventure and chase. Very fast paced as it proceeds as a straight through action for action novel. I will absolutely be reading the first ones.

JJ’a last words. Fans of CJ Box will like this one.

While this is part of a series, this is also a great standalone which I love in big series. The story was compelling and easy to get into. I found the story well written and developed.

When a strange man starts asking questions and then disappears, Mike and his father-in-law are drawn into an investigation that starts out as a missing person search, then concern for an isolated teenage girl, then a phenomenally talented builder not being at all who he seemed to be, and it all going to chaos in a hostage situation and backwoods chase. A whole lotta excitement!
The plot just keeps shifting and Mike is in for a grueling and terrifying week. He remains true to character, as does his father-in-law, and the new characters are equally smart and original. Maybe even more smart. He has his work cut out for him. It's a wild ride, so far north there is even a very illegal foray into Canada. Highly recommended.

Pitch Dark is part of a long running series but this book could easily be read as a standalone. When a tourist that’s been asking too many questions goes missing, Mike sets out with his father-in-law and pilot Josie to investigate the man building a cabin for Josie. Things quickly spiral as Mike uncovers the builder and his young daughter are not who they claim to be. A wild, reckless chase through the untamed landscape has Mike breaking laws and risk his own neck to stop a killer. This is one of those books you pick up and the action doesn’t stop with twists and turns at a break neck speed until the climactic and satisfying conclusion leaves you wanting more. My voluntary, unbiased, and non mandatory review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

Pitch Dark is the 15th book in this Mike Bowditch series. Author Paul Doiron has protagonist Bowditch play a deadly game of Cat and mouse through the Maine wilderness, in the midst of some awful weather. Realism is not the goal in this thriller novel. Instead, Doiron takes readers through plenty of fast-paced action that would work well in an action film. Although Pitch Dark is part of a series, this novel functions well as a stand-alone novel.

For simple entertainment, Pitch Dark provides most of what readers will enjoy in a thriller--a protagonist who is repeatedly tested, an evil villain, murder, a missing person (my favorite character), and steady rainfall that bothered me more than it did Bowditch or the villain. The plotting moves along quickly and the characters will hold readers' attention.

Thank you to publisher, St Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing this ARC. The comments above are my honest review.

Pitch Dark by Paul Doiron is a captivating novel that is perfect for a day at the beach. The resolution is truly remarkable, and the narrative is consistently engaging. Doiron, a native of Maine, brings a unique authenticity to the series with his background as an outdoorsman.

This edge of the seat thriller is guaranteed to keep you up all night until you finish the last page. Once again, Paul Doiron doesn’t disappoint the reader. A fantastic addition to the Mike Bowditch Mystery series.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun, action-packed and adrenaline-fueled adventure! It was twisty and dark, heavier than I anticipated.

Mike's a bit of a prickly character who might not be for everyone, but I enjoyed my time with him. This was only my second read in the series (the other: Dead Man's Wake, which I must admit I enjoyed a skosh more than this one).

It seemed fine as a standalone; one doesn't need to read them from the beginning to get it, though it may help deepen one's understanding of Mike and have context from prior adventures.

I enjoyed this story! Even though it is the well into the series it can be read as a stand alone. I liked that it was a thriller with a unique perspective of a forest ranger.

Another book that I haven't read any of the previous books in the series, Pitch Dark is the 15th Mike Bowditch mystery. Mike is a Maine game warden investigator who (since this is the 15th book) manages to have a great deal to investigate.

In this case, he's curious about a man who has gone missing after inquiring about a reclusive builder in the north woods and his young daughter. Easy enough to get lost in the north woods of Maine, but something about the man's search for Redmond and his daughter bothers Mike.

Redmond is building a cabin for bush pilot Josie Johnson, a friend of his father-in-law, Charlie. Mike and Charlie decide to visit Josie and see if she will fly them to the location of her new cabin. Things go terribly wrong, and Mike ends up hunting Redmond and young Cady, afraid that she is in danger.

The novel works fine as a stand-alone, but I found Mike a little too full of himself, often seeming juvenile and, although brave and committed, not entirely likable. There is a twist that you may or may not suspect earlier in the book. There is a lot of suspense as Mike tracks Redmon and Cady up to the Canadian border and beyond.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this fast-paced adventure through the woods of Maine.

Suspense/Mystery. June 25th, 2024. Print length: 304 pages.

Paul Doiron's writing just keeps getting better and better. Mike Bowditch's latest adventure takes us to the Maine wilderness when a missing person is reported. Mike must survive both nature and human evilness. Doiron's character development is always excellent and I love reading about Bowditch's latest life journey. This had a mystery with a completely unexpected twist.

"Everybody has darkeness in them. It's just how much you let out." (Unknown)

Pitch Dark by Paul Doiron takes us to a far different level of thought than all the other books in this series. Doiron touches on the fragments of Evil that permeate into the souls of a multitude of individuals. We know it's there. But the game of life and its survival all changes drastically when we come face to face and are forced to stare it down.Just who walks away is almost non-negotiable.

Mike Bowditch is an investigator for the Maine Bureau of Warden Services. He's worked his way up from his knee-jerk response rookie days. Times have changed and hardened and so has Mike in response. A one word comment from Julia Roberts in regard to all the chaos in this world: "People".

Mike has been sent in search of a missing Hammond Pratt who has been staying at a hunting lodge owned by Russian Ivan Ivanov. Ivan states that Pratt was from Idaho but didn't seem to grasp the dangers of the Maine woods and terrain. It seems that Pratt was looking for Mark Redmond and his twelve year old daughter, Cady. Redmond, originally from Alaska, was building a log cabin for Josie Jonson, a renowned bush pilot who lives near Jackman, Maine.

Mike incorporateshis father-in-law, Charley Stevens, a former pilot for the Warden Service, to check out things with Josie Jonson. When they land, Redmond is not on site, but they meet Cady who seems to know her way around the rough terrain quite well. The building of the cabin is top-notch. Redmond wants no pictures taken and no publicity. Mike finds that odd as well as some of the behaviors surrounding Redmond. Mike has always been gifted with a sixth sense. And then the scenes begin to shift.......

Pitch Dark is #15 in this series. Don't panic at that. It reads perfectly as a standalone and may propel you into picking up this one and moving forward from here. We've had our share of bad dudes and dudettes in all the previous novels, but this takes on a much darker and deeper tone. Doiron pins Mike's back to the wall with a challenge never before seen in the others. Split second decisions have always guided Mike, but this one changes all the previous rules. There is more at stake in this one than he could ever have imagined. Paul Doiron, you have touched darkness in this one and it has left a quivering mindset behind. Indeed. Paul Doiron, just bravo.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Minotaur Books and to the talented Paul Doiron for the opportunity.

If you want a book you can't put down because you have to find out what happens right now, then this just might be what you're looking for. Paul Doiron’s here Mike Bowditch is a “warden investigator” for the state of Maine. Don't think “forest ranger” like the person who looks out for Bambi. Think game warden along the lines of Jack Reacher or Jason Bourne (although Bowditch is not hiding from anything or anyone).

Bowditch and his retired warden father-in-law Charlie are drawn into a missing person search against their will, or maybe their better judgment. They convince expert bush pilot Josie to fly them to a remote site to investigate a rumor that the builder of a cabin home for Josie might know the missing man. Of course, they get much more than they bargain for. The builder and his twelve-year-old daughter are not who they seem to be and they don't welcome the intrusion.

Its really hard to tell you much more about the plot without creating a spoiler (and I hate spoilers). I've read several other books in this series, and to use a cliché, this one does not disappoint. Just don't start it too close to bedtime. You know how people say, “I stayed up all night o finish this or that book.” Well, this is one of them. And if I wasn’t 75, I might have been one of “those people.” As it is, today is a holiday and I have no other goal than to finish Pitch Dark, even if I know that Senior Game Warden Mike Bowditch is not going away. I'm pretty sure Paul Doiron has more books to write.

This is a compelling read, but a little darker than I like. I am just not the right audience. When Mike receives a call about a missing man, it leads to him wanting to talk to a man and his daughter living remotely. What he ultimately discovers is not what he expects. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. I would not judge the book by my opinion. I have a low threshold for dark. When I realized the book's direction, I ended up skimming the ending. This is the first book that I have read by this author.

Pitch Dark by Paul Doiron, is the latest book about Mike Bowditch, a game warden in Northern Maine. When a tourist fails to return after renting an ATV, Mike and his father in law, Charlie, head into the north woods to try and get some answers. Quickly, things take a dangerous turn and Mike finds himself pursuing a skilled fugitive along with a bounty hunter toward the Canadian border.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC of PitchDark.

I hadn't read any of these books featuring Mike before but this one was a fascinating, fast-paced look at a game warden investigator as he searches for a missing man, Hammond Pratt and finds himself deeply involved in another plot involving a father and daughter who are on the run and have many secrets between the two of them! Fortunately Mike is stealthy and brilliant so even when he feels he may be defeated, he finds the strength within himself to carry on and solve the mysterious disappearance as well as capture an enemy he doesn't even realize was there! Will definitely read more of this series!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!