I’m new to this author & series, and it did not disappoint! The audiobook pulled me in immediately & I listened straight through until the end. Loved the characters (will definitely go back to the beginning of the series & catch up on what I’ve missed with their lives). The book was full of mystery, suspense, & intrigue. Just when you think you have things figured out, it throws you in an entirely different direction. Action packed from beginning to end, I have added a new must-read author to my list.

Special thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for granting me an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved the setting, plot and narrator. The unexpected twists were well timed and executed.

Book #15 in Paul Doiron’s Mike Bowditch series begins with our protagonist, an investigator with the Maine Warden Service being informed of an armed man inquiring into the whereabouts of a father and daughter residing in the area. Correctly guessing that the father-daughter in question is the reclusive Mark Redmond and his twelve-year-old daughter Cady, who is never seen in public, Mike begins to suspect that there is more to the situation than meets the eye. Mike and his father-in-law, retired chief warden pilot Charley Stevens, approach Josie, a friend of Charley’s, who recently hired Mark to build a cabin near Prentiss Pond, to help establish contact with Mark. Josie, who considers Mark a friend and is protective of Cady, reluctantly agrees to help and takes them to where Redmond and Cady are camped. In a shocking twist, their meeting with Mark and Cady takes a dark turn as it becomes evident that Mark is harboring secrets that he would kill to protect.

We follow Mike as he navigates the Maine wilderness, inclement weather and an adversary who would resort to any means to evade capture. Complicating matters further are a bounty hunter who is also in pursuit of Redmond and Cady and the fact that Redmond has sympathetic neighbors as well as contacts within law enforcement who are aiding him.

I thoroughly enjoyed Pitch Dark by Paul Doiron. The vivid, atmospheric setting and the fast-paced suspenseful narrative drew me in and kept me hooked until the very last page. Mike Bowditch is an interesting protagonist and this time he was up against an equally (if not more) skilled and experienced adversary which made for a tension-filled cat-and-mouse game with some shocking twists and surprises along the way. Sharp writing, convincing characters and superb character development, and plenty of action and adventure make for a thrilling read. My only complaint is that I would have liked for Stacey to have had a more active role in this installment.

Though this is #15 in the series, it would work well as a standalone. The author provides sufficient background information in his books, which allows for a satisfying reading experience even if you jump in mid-series. This is my second book in the series ( I started with #14, Dead Man's Wake) and haven’t had any problem following the narrative in either book. I look forward to exploring more books in this series.

I paired my reading with the audiobook narrated by Henry Leyva, which made for a riveting immersion reading experience.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the digital review copy and Macmillan Audio for ALC via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

While this mystery/thriller is the 15th book in a series, it is my first experience with Doiron. It works fine as a standalone.

The story's most positive feature to me is that main character Mike's relationship with his father-in-law and mentor, Charley, is warm. Mike is deferential to Charley's knowledge, wisdom, and philosophy. Another interesting aspect of the story is that Mike explains his investigative thought process as he pursues the fugitive and tries to solve the mystery.

Pretty much the entire book is devoted to the chase, with essentially constant violence—there is no relief. Content warnings include brainwashing, trauma of a child, and cutting and self-harm by a child.

Narrator Henry Leyva effectively uses different voices, including a range of ages and accents.

Devoted thriller readers may enjoy this book and series. This wasn't the book for me in this moment, but I may well be in the mood to try others in the series at another time.

3.33⭐

Pitch Dark is a solid installment in this long-running series that delivers exactly what fans would expect. Mike once again finds himself in a high stakes chase pitted against time, the harsh Maine wilderness, the dark, and a father/daughter duo that are remarkably capable of staying one step ahead of capture.

Most of this book takes place over a single day, so you can imagine that the action is intense. There's not a lot of room here for actual investigative work, but the plot is intriguing nonetheless. If you like the fast action, fight scenes, snap decision making, and high stakes that this series is known for, then I think you'll enjoy this one. If you're looking for a more character-driven experience, then maybe not so much. HOwever, there are some things in this one you'll want to read from a character perspective if you've been folling this series. Overall, this was a fun, quick read that was exactly what I hoped it would be.

Thanks to MacMillian Audio for gifted access. All opinions below are my own.

A game warden is tasked with chasing down a fugitive and his daughter. He’s not quite sure what the circumstances of their exodus are but tries to earn their trust before it all goes wrong.

This was a great cat and mouse cop story. The bleak forest between Maine and Canada made for a great backdrop. The author really captured the personalities of people living in these remote spaces well. What I liked most was the detective was completely plausible in all of his actions. There were lots of harrowing moments, but the real time play out seemed very realistic. Nothing crazy or unbelievable. Same for the twists, they were interesting, but nothing that came out of left field. Definitely lots of violence though so be ready for that.

Read this one if you liked These Silent Woods.

The premise of this sold me! Overall it was a good book that I'd recommend to others. From time to time, I found myself disengaging from the story which is probably just me. A great book that I will be recommending!

A game warden in the harsh North Woods of Maine stumbles upon a worrisome situation. He suspects that a man that recently came to the area might be up to no good. He goes searching for him to clear his suspicions and ends up getting much more than he was bargaining for. Now he needs to stay alive, get to safety, and try and save the life of a young girl who finds herself stuck in the middle of the chaos. I enjoyed this thriller/action book more than I anticipated. I topically don’t enjoy police thrillers but I really liked this one. The main character wasn’t too cocky and actually made mistakes. There was a huge twist I didn’t see coming and a lot of parts that made you wonder how you’d have handled it. I was so pleased with the ending and book as a whole. The narrator was great, had a clear voice and did great with the multiple characters voices. I didn’t realize this was part of a series but it didn’t seem to matter and I was able to read it as a standalone.

3.5 stars raised to 4

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an audiobook ARC.

Pitch Dark is the 15th book in the Mike Bowditch series, but it’s enough of a standalone that it wasn’t confusing.

Mike, a game warden in Maine, decides to investigate Josie Jonson's new builder and his daughter. Why? Some odd happenings are occurring in the area, and the builder seems surrounded by secrecy.

Though Josie believes in the builder, she agrees to fly Mike and his father-in-law Charley Stevens to her secluded home so they can investigate. They agree with Josie and feel the trip probably won't turn up anything, but they are proven wrong. It’s at this time the story begins. And that’s one of my concerns. I wanted to be more invested much earlier.

Once the plot picks up it becomes interesting. The story moves and I wanted to know more. It just took a quarter of the book to grab my interest. It wasn't always plausible, but I overlooked certain places and enjoyed the rest of the book.

🎧 I listened to the audiobook narrated by Henry Leyva. He did a very nice job of helping bring the story to life through various voices and emotions.

I have not read any of this authors books and now he is on my list to read more! Most engaging story. The characters were interesting, vivid, and concerning. I am always amazed at a parents relationship with their child and why they are products of their environment. The story continued quickly and I was interested the entire time. Can’t wait until another book comes out by Paul Doiron.

For #15 in a series that I have not explored, fantastic delivery. I did not feel like I was disconnected from Mike's past or day to day habits. I very much look forward to going to the beginning of the series and experiencing Doiron's novels!

Great pace, realistic character development... the writing was very vivid and allowed to visualize the scenes playing out. I very much enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook as well.

So, now that I finished,I came here to see if there’ll be another one to follow, and to my surprise, I see that this is book #15 in the series!! So, where have I been all this time? Going to have to read some more of these! BUT, that aside, you do NOT need to read the others to understand this one!

Mike is a Game Warden in Maine. He’s gotten word that someone is out looking for a guy and his young daughter, and is willing to pay big $$ to find them! As he begins investigating, he finds that his favorite bush pilot, Josie, has hired a guy who has a young daughter, to do some work for her. And the more he finds out, the more he wants to meet this guy…

So he, and his father in law (a cute, sweet, little old man that is TOUGH AS NAILS!!) set out to find him with Josie flying them in to meet him. But, upon meeting him, Mike is a bit perturbed. He doesn’t like the way things are panning out….and he has every right to feel this way!

This is a fast paced, nail-biter of a book that will keep you on edge for most of it! If you like this kind of action, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!!
Lots of twists. Lots of things I never saw coming. Plus, one or two that I did…

4 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me, rounded up to 5!

#PitchDark by #PaulDoiron and narrated beautifully by #HenryLeyva.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. THIS IS DUE OUT ON 6/25/24, so a few days from now!

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What a good audiobook. I really enjoyed the narrator, I really enjoyed the story and the plot and the writing. This was a must listen to book.

Pitch Dark (Mike Bowditch #15) by Paul Doiron
Narrated by Henry Leyva
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Expected Publication Date: June 25, 2024
Pitch Dark is the 15th book in the Mike Bowditch series by Paul Doiron. I have only read one the previous books yet and I found this easy to read as a standalone mystery.

I thought this started a little slow, but after a while 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.

Pitch Dark was the first book I read in this series. I thought I was going to feel confused and not enjoy the story, but the pace is so great I had no problem getting into it. I guess that means this book can be read as a standalone. Overall, it’s a fast paced novel with interesting characters and twists and turns that keep you engaged and also at the edge of your seat.

Believe it or not, this was my first time listening (reading) a book in this series. I could still follow along and still enjoyed it immensely. If you wanted a more rugged, outdoors Stone Barrington type of narrative, this will fit the bill. I am still sad about Stuart Woods and was looking for something escapist and this did it for me! I am going to go start the series at the beginning now. Very good -- give it a try!

Pitch Dark comes out next week on June 25, 2024 and you can purchase HERE.

A perfectly fine game warden mystery and adventure. This is book 15 with this main character. I have not read any of the previous books. Overall, this story works as a standalone; however, there are some side characters that likely are from other books that meant nothing to me. I enjoyed the chase…the mystery…but I wasn’t overly thrilled.

The audiobook read by Henry Leyva was great. He has very good French language skills and was easily understood at faster speeds.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and author Paul Doiron for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Pitch Dark is the 15th book in the Mike Bowditch series. I have only read the previous one Dead Man's Wake, and honestly they all do very well as standalones. I enjoyed this one, I thought the story was well paced, suspenseful, addictive with great twists and turns.

The characters are so great. Doiron really knows how to make it seem as if you've known them forever. They're so realistic, you'll truly feel as if you've encountered them previously. It's not an easy thing to do to jump into a series further down and be able to attach yourself to the characters but the author does a fantastic job with it.

I really thought this one was much better than the previous one and it really makes me excited to continue this series. The story was really well thought out and original. It unveiled little by little and it was perfect.

🎧 The narration by Henry Leyva was really good. He kept me hooked from the beginning. He had an easy voice to listen to. He portrayed the emotions well and played the characters perfectly.

✨️Thank you to @minotaur_books, @netgalley, @macmillanaudio & @pauldoiron for my gifted ARC & ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Maine game warden, Mike Bowditch expects a routine day when he is asked to help locate an out of towner who was asking questions about a man and his daughter who might be living in a remote location. Mike’s father in law recognizes that the father and daughter could be employees of his friend Josie who is a bush pilot. The action starts when Mike, his father in law, Charlie and Josie fly to the remote location where Josie is having a cabin built. From here, the action is nonstop with Mike barely making it out of the mess alive.
I listened to this audiobook and it was definitely entertaining and engaging. I didn’t see the twists coming and I enjoyed that aspect of the book. Readers who enjoy action-packed crime thrillers will enjoy this read but the unrealistic nature of this type of book is not for me. Although number 15 in this series, I think it could be read as a stand alone but lovers of this genre may want to read the books in order.

Mike Bowditch is a character I've come to love, despite his many, many flaws. Henry Leva is also a narrator worth listening to. For me, unfortunately, the pregnancy trope in this one was a miss. I thoroughly enjoyed the chase of this books' fugitives and the twist at the end.