"Pitch Dark" by Paul Doiron is a compelling read that showcases the author's mastery in crafting atmospheric and intricate mystery novels. The book is a testament to Doiron's ability to weave together a rich tapestry of characters and plotlines, set against the hauntingly beautiful backdrop of the Maine wilderness.

One of the most striking features of "Pitch Dark" is its immersive setting. Doiron's vivid descriptions transport readers to the dense, shadowy forests and rugged landscapes, creating a sense of place that is both captivating and eerie. His deep understanding of the natural environment adds a layer of authenticity to the story, making the setting almost a character in its own right.

The protagonist, Mike Bowditch, continues to be a deeply complex and relatable character. His evolution throughout the series is evident, and "Pitch Dark" offers readers a deeper glimpse into his psyche. Bowditch's determination and resilience are inspiring, and his interactions with other characters are nuanced and engaging.

However, it's important to note that the pacing of "Pitch Dark" is on the slower side. This deliberate pacing allows for a deeper exploration of the characters and their motivations, but it may require some patience from the reader. Once you settle into the rhythm of the story, the slow build-up pays off, leading to a satisfying and thought-provoking conclusion.

Overall, "Pitch Dark" is a well-crafted mystery that will appeal to fans of atmospheric and character-driven stories. While it may take some time to get into, the payoff is worth it for those who appreciate a richly detailed narrative and a strong sense of place. Paul Doiron has once again delivered a novel that is both engaging and evocative, making "Pitch Dark" a worthy addition to any mystery lover's bookshelf.

This book was interesting to follow and the narrator did an excellent job of hooking you in. The ending was definitely a cliff hanger. I’d really like to read this one as an ebook or hard copy.

I have never read any other books by this author. I really liked the main character and found out this was #15 in the series. I will have to read more!

This book kept me hooked with the slow unraveling of each layer of secrets. The pacing kept a high intensity level through the entire novel and I’m interested in going back and reading earlier titles in the series.

Pitch Dark by Paul Doiron, masterfully narrated in the audiobook format, captivated me from start to finish. I devoured this gripping thriller in a mere day and a half, thanks in large part to the narrator who brought every tense moment to life with skill and nuance.

The story follows Game Warden Mike Bowditch as he navigates the treacherous North Maine Woods in pursuit of a cunning fugitive. The tension builds relentlessly, and just when I thought I had it figured out, the ending completely blew me away. Paul Doiron’s storytelling is undeniable, keeping me on the edge of my seat throughout.

However, I must note a sensitive aspect: the book contains a scene involving the attempted suicide of a little girl, which I believe warrants a trigger warning for sensitive readers.

The characters are vividly portrayed, especially Mark Redmond and his daughter Cady, whose mysterious background adds layers to the unfolding drama. Josie Jonson, the bush pilot, brings a refreshing dimension to the narrative with her own complexities.

The setting of the remote Maine wilderness is vividly described, becoming almost a character itself, adding to the tension in the atmosphere and sense of isolation that permeates the story.

Overall, I give it 4.5 stars. Pitch Dark is a thrilling ride that combines superb narration with a gripping plot. Paul Doiron has crafted a tale that kept me guessing until the very end. I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone who enjoys a heart-pounding mystery set against a rugged backdrop.

Game warden Mike Bowditch tracks a fugitive father and daughter through the Maine woods in this series installment. A trail of death awaits them around every corner.

This was an OK listen for me, as a standalone. I think reading earlier books in the series would have helped me understand the main series characters a bit better. It was an exciting story that unfolded from Maine to Canada, and I could never quite guess what was coming next. Henry Leyva's narration was excellent.

The open bush of Maine is not like that of many other locations. The isolation and ruggedness is desired by a certain few, and they make up a specific type of group of people. Mike Bowditch is the game warden for said "bush" in Maine, so he is quite familiar with the inhabitants of this specific type of living. So, when there is a concern for a missing tourist, he is the one to go out and attempt to look for this missing person. Along the way however, he comes across a new "contractor" who even for this isolated area in Maine, seems suspiciously "recluse" even to Mike and the Bushlands of Maine...

From the very beginning the book takes a fast-paced plot-line, with treks leading to shootouts, and injuries. Although this was not a completely original nor newly imaginative novel, I found it quite captivating, and kept me at the edge of my seat for the duration of the story. I liked the recluse setting, and the rugged characters. I also enjoyed the twist at the end, and although suspected it, was still happily surprised throughout the book. I would recommend this novel to anyone that is interested in mysteries and thrillers with a fast and action filled story-line.

I didn't know I need the Mike Bowditch series in my life up until this point, but it is obvious I do!
When I saw Pitch Dark (book #15 in the series) by Paul Dorion I knew I had been wanting to give it a try for a while and the book just works for me, it has all of the elements that I love in a thriller. I went out and bought the first book in the series Poacher's Son right after finishing Pitch Dark.
There's excitement, twists and turns and lots of nature elements, a strong sense of place at the Maine/Quebec border and I listened to it from end to end in just a day. I could not stop, and I'll be reading more of the Mike Bowditch series in the near future!
I loved Warden Mike Bowditch who knows his land and his training and tries to use those, to keep himself safe.
He's a quick thinker but the situation he enters deep in the Maine woods does not allow for easily recognizing who is hunter and who is prey what is clear is that a man and his daughter are hiding off grid in the woods and are about to be discovered, whether their lifestyle is legitimately chosen or they are hiding for nefarious reasons is unclear to Bowditch but he does know he needs to talk to them when the man looking for them goes missing. Suddenly it seems like a lot of people are looking for each other out in the woods...
The setting is almost a character itself. Maine at the beginning of May, after lots of rain, truly mud season.
The woods, the storms, the rain, the cold, the mud, the darkness! There are a lot of twists that I didn't see coming, and I loved it! The narration by Henry Leyva added to the atmosphere and enhanced my experience!
I highly recommend Pitch Dark - I loved it so much I went out and bought Poacher's Son, the first book in the Mike Bowditch series.

This was my first exposure to this series, and now I have Togo back and read all the older ones. I’m always happy to find a new author, and Paul Doiron is a doozy!

In this story (which I wa able to follow easily despite not having read the previous books) Mike Bowditch, his father-in-law Charley Stevens, and their expert pilot Josie Jonson are on a mission to protect Mark Redmond (Josie’s builder) and his daughter Cady. An armed man is known to be hunting for Redmond, but no one knows why. But Mark Redmond has a past he’s trying to hide, and the events that ensue after they reach him are more and more dangerous. The Redmonds are hiding from everyone and living off the grid for reasons they aren’t disclosing!


This one started with action from the beginning and was constantly ratcheting up more tension as the story unfolded. I feel like I know Mike Bowditch, at least a little, and I’m now a fan! I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator just kept the suspense building. He also was so good at pronouncing those French names 😊. Four sparkly stars for this one!

The cover drew me in and I'm happy to say that it didn't disappoint. I was happy to see that even though it's book #15 in the Mike Bowditch series, I was able to just dive in and begin the book and didn't feel lost. I really enjoyed how the story came together, following Warden Mike while he tracks down Redmond and a young teenager. The mystery surrounding Redmond was intriguing and the story kept me hooked. The reveal towards the end shocked me and I enjoyed every second of it! The narrator, Henry Leyva was great and I enjoyed the tones and inflections used. I could feel the emotions clearly throughout the book. I look forward to reading more by this author.

The story line was engaging with great details, characters and dialogue. The audiobook was extremely enjoyable to listen to. While this is #15 in the series, it was detailed enough to know enough about the main characters that one does not have to read all the previous novels as I have not. Paul Doiron is a new author for me and one that I will know continue to read and recommend.

3.5 ⭐️ for this listen.
Pitch dark was a quick paced thriller about Mike, a game warden, who gets called into investigate a man missing in the wilderness. He finds a suspicious man and his daughter instead, and from there the plot spirals. In a good way.
This was very entertaining, at times the dialogue was a bit cheesy, but for the most part I really enjoyed this mystery.
Thank you Netgalley for the AAC

This one had my heart going from start to finish! I had such a good time with this audiobook! I really loved that I didn't NEED to read the previous 14 books to understand this one. The bold characters and the pacing made this such a great experience and I think if you're a police procedural junkie like I am, this would be right up your alley!

I really loved the opportunity to get a chance to listen to this book. I absolutely love our huge national parks, and this particular book took us deep into the beauty of nature while exploring interrelationships of some interesting characters. There was more meat to this book--more to imagine beyond the pace of the plot--that really made this an enjoyable listen.

This intense murder chase is great for those who love the outdoors and enjoy being on the edge of their seat wondering what will happen or be revealed next. I enjoyed all the surprises and I didn’t feel it was cheesy or obvious on what was going to happen next. If you enjoy a chase to the finish, mantracker like book, this is for you! Being a fellow Canadian I enjoyed all the information shared about Canada and the province of Québec.

This audiobook is a solid 5-star. The reader was highly successful in orally interpreting the author's complex story. I became very invested in the outcome of the story and the safety of the leading character. The cherry on the top of this perfectly structured novel is that the author had a poet's sensibility with language. As a writer and a writing analyst, I thoroughly enjoyed his facility in choosing precise language to express each thought. Few prose writers take such care and are so economical in language use.

Pitch Dark (Mike Bowditch #15) by Paul Doiron was the first book in this series that I have read. It was both thrilling and suspenseful. I had no trouble reading the fifteenth book in this series as a stand-alone book but now that I have experienced the nonstop action, dangerous situations and tension filled scenes Game Warden, Mike Bowditch found himself in, I will most certainly not only look forward to continuing this series but will probably go back and read the first book to see how it all began. I enjoyed the atmospheric and vivid descriptions Paul Doiron provided of Maine’s unique and sometimes challenging terrain. Mike Bowditch was an investigator with the Maine Game Warden. His job was anything but dull. He lived in Maine with his wife who worked as an EMT. Her medical knowledge and experience in treating patients sometimes proved to be valuable to Mike when he was confronted with situations that called for medical interventions. I listened to the audiobook that was pleasantly narrated by Henry Leyva. This was my first time listening to this narrator but I thought that he did a fine job distinguishing between the many characters.

Mike Bowditch and his wife were enjoying a pleasant yet surprising conversation at their home in Maine when Mike received an unexpected and troublesome phone call. One of Mike’s more reliable sources informed him that an unknown man had been reported missing in the woods of Northern Maine. Before the man went missing he had been inquiring about the whereabouts of a father and his daughter who had recently taken up residence in a secluded cabin located in the woods. Mike was told that the father’s name was Mark Redmond. A close family friend of Mike’s wife’s father named Josie Johnson had commissioned this man, Mark Redmond, to build her a cabin near Prentiss Pond. Josie, a very talented pilot, had seen Mark’s work and had been very impressed with it. She hired him on the spot to build her a cabin. Mark Redmond had a twelve year old daughter named Cady. Josie took an instant liking to Cady and Cady pretty much adopted Josie as her surrogate grandmother. Cady appeared off in some ways and acted younger than most twelve year old girls. Josie definitely had a soft spot for Cady, though, and admired the skills Mark possessed.

Due to the remote location of where Mark Redmond and his daughter, Cady, resided, Mike decided that a plane was the best option to reach it. His wife suggested that Mike call her father, Charley, a retired Chief Warden Pilot, to help him with reaching his destination. When Mike got in touch with Charley, he filled his father-in-law in about the information he had received and asked his father-in-law for his help in the matter. Charley offered to accompany Mike to Northern Maine and suggested that they pay his friend Josie a visit. If anyone would know how to best reach the remote location it would be Josie. She might even know something about Mark Redmond and his daughter. Upon arriving at Josie’s home, Mike soon learned some pertinent information about Mark Redmond from Josie. She agreed that the only way to get to where Mark and Cady lived was by plane. Josie insisted on flying Mike and Charley in her plane. Mike was anxious to question Mark Redmond about the man who had been seen with a weapon in the woods of northern Maine and was now missing. When Mike started posing questions to Mark, Mark became quite guarded and the details that Mark provided didn’t add up. Mike realized very quickly that there was more to Mark Redmond’s story than he was revealing. He guessed that Mike Redmond and his daughter were not who they had made the locals believe they were. Before Mike had time to delve into their deceit, everything took a disastrous turn for the worse. It didn’t take Mike long to come to the conclusion that Mark Redmond and Cady were harboring secrets so sensitive in nature that they would not hesitate to kill anyone who tried to expose them. Would Mike be able to figure out what secrets father and daughter wanted so desperately to safeguard? What secret was so important that it would warrant killing to keep it hidden? Can Mike put the pieces of this puzzle together and also discover what happened to the missing armed man?

I am now officially hooked on this series! I enjoyed everything about it. It was fast paced, well plotted and I enjoyed the cast of characters that gave this book depth and intensity. The secluded atmospheric setting was perfect and only added to my enjoyment. I enjoyed experiencing Mike’s thought process and strategic planning throughout. There were lots of twists and turn throughout the book which only added to my wanting to see what was going to happen next. The conclusion was satisfying and thrilling at the same time. I am only sorry that it took me this long to discover this amazing series. I look forward to reading many more books in the Mike Bowditch series. I highly recommend Pitch Dark by Paul Doiron if you enjoy action packed thrillers.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of Pitch Dark (Mike Bowditch #15) through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Reading this book, I had no idea this was like the 15th or 16th book in a series. It can very easily be read and enjoyed as a standalone. Overall, I enjoyed this book. At first, it was a bit slow for me but the pacing really started to pick up towards the end and I was on the edge of my seat for a while. I knew kind of where this story was going but there were still some unexpected curveballs that I really enjoyed. Huge thank you to Netgalley and the publishers at SMP for the incredible opportunity to review an ARC of Pitch Dark.

A fast paced thriller with unexpected twists. This is my first listen of a Mike Bowditch Mystery and probably not my last. Having the ability to request early reads/listens to books has exposed me to genres I wouldn't choose on my own. No words were wasted in the telling of this story, it moved quickly in what felt like real time and kept me interested until the last word. The narrator is flows smoothly and is a good fit for the telling of the story.

I’m gonna be honest and say that I just could not get into this audiobook. By the middle of it, I couldn’t have cared less what happened. It just wasn’t for me.