Pitch Dark

Starred review from May 15, 2024
While he waits to learn whether he's about to become a father, Maine Warden Service investigator Mike Bowditch goes on the hunt for another father-child pair who aren't exactly role models. Somebody calling himself Hammond Pratt has been nosing around the Seboomook Farm hunting lodge asking questions about Mark Redmond, a builder from Alaska, before vanishing, presumably on the trail of Redmond and Cady, his 12-year-old daughter. Since Redmond's latest client is bush pilot Josie Jonson, the unofficial godmother of Mike's maybe-pregnant wife, Stacey, Mike thinks it would be a good idea if he followed Pratt's trail himself. And he's right, but not for the reasons he thinks. Redmond, when Mike catches up with him, has little patience for his warnings, his questions, or his expressions of concern, and Cady, whose arms show signs of self-harm, is beyond Mike's power to reach. After a startlingly unexpected reversal of fortune, Mike heads off alone and unarmed into Maine's North Woods hoping to catch Redmond and Cady, or maybe Pratt, before they cross the border to Quebec. Along the way, he'll deal with the usual daunting natural obstacles, cross paths with several other people who are no more sure than he is whether they're his friends or foes, almost lose track of the rising body count, and commit so many crimes himself, from illegal border crossing to bringing guns (after he's managed to arm himself again) into Canada, that he wearily tells the cops who take him in after a bloody final showdown: "Just arrest me already." A perfect beach read that will make you hug yourself in pleasure and excitement and search for a little more warmth.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from June 1, 2024
In his fifteenth outing (after Dead Man's Wake, 2023) Maine game warden Mike Bowditch heads north with his father-in-law, retired warden Charley Stevens, when a man is reported missing. Hammond Pratt had been asking a lot of questions about reclusive Mark Redmond and his daughter, Cady, and offering cash for information. Redmond has been building a cabin way off the grid for the legendary bush pilot Josie Jonson, a longtime friend of Charley's. T here is no trace of Pratt, but after their first encounter with Redmond and his somewhat odd child, who are obviously hiding something, Mike, Charley and Josie find themselves drugged and tied to a tree while Redmond and the girl make their escape. Redmond's question, "You genuinely don't know who I am, do you?" propels Mike through the cold deep into the vast northern woods in dogged pursuit beyond his jurisdiction into Canada. T he resolution is absolutely stunning, and the narrative, as always, is compelling. Mike is a truly driven and principled man, fierce and resourceful. A genuine hero. Maine native Doiron is an outdoorsman, which adds a rare authenticity to the series. Recommend to fans of C. J. Box and Peter Heller.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 15, 2024
Doiron’s stirring 15th mystery for Mike Bowditch (after Dead Man’s Wake) finds the recently married Maine game warden probing a dangerous missing person case. North Woods hunting lodge operator Ivan Ivanov contacts the Warden Service about a suspicious guest named Hammond Pratt, who paid for his room in cash, then disappeared for two days after offering staff members $100 if they could point him toward “a man living with his young daughter in the woods.” Bowditch learns that the man in question is Mark Richmond, who’s in the region to build a cabin for bush pilot Josie Johnson. Troubled by Pratt’s dogged pursuit of Richmond and his 12-year-old daughter, Cady, Bowditch persuades Johnson to fly him and his father-in-law and occasional investigative partner, Charley, to the construction site. Shortly after they arrive, Bowditch witnesses a murder and gets taken hostage, forcing him to escape through the northern wilderness toward Canada. The resulting cat-and-mouse survival narrative features more breathless action than in past Bowditch adventures. Less surprising—but equally welcome—are Doiron’s always excellent characterizations and atmospheric descriptions of the rugged Northeastern setting. Series fans will love this.