Description:

Game Warden Mike Bowditch must chase down a cunning and dangerous fugitive in the North Maine Woods in this nail-biter of a thriller from Edgar Award-nominated author Paul Doiron, Pitch Dark.

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?

Adele’s Review:

Game warden heroes in wilderness settings have become increasingly popular in the mystery genre. Pitch Dark is the first book I’ve read in the long-running Mike Bowditch series by Paul Doiron, but the novel works as a standalone. This reviewer was able to connect with game warden Bowditch inside the Maine wilderness in the first few pages. The plot is straightforward and remains in Bowditch’s POV, which I especially liked.

This game warden is tough, though he can be as easygoing or hardnosed as the situation warrants. In Pitch Dark we see the gentle love and respect he has for his family, followed by his furious determination to capture a murderer. Despite overwhelming odds, Bowditch moves through the wilderness alone and unrelenting in his quest to stop a criminal. The story tension ratchets higher with each mile Bowditch covers in the rain, the cold, and the muck to track the killer.

Pitch Dark is a crime novel with lots of action and adventure and enough twists and turns to keep readers engaged from the first chapter to the last. The characters are as unique as the setting, the suspense never lags, and the story is brought to a satisfying conclusion.

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6483706389

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CGRY7GCB?