Pitch Dark
by Paul Doiron
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 bushcraft. 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?
My Review
I don’t know how I’ve lived without this series in my life up until this point! Pitch Dark by Paul Dorion has all of the elements that I love in a thriller, and I read it from cover to cover in a day. I absolutely could not put it down, and I’ll be reading more of the Mike Bowditch series in the near future!
I love Warden Mike Bowditch because even when he’s in a chaotic situation, he keeps his cool. He has to make quick decisions and rely on his intuition. His intuition leads him deep into the Maine woods when he hears about a situation he finds a little off. Now, I know there are people who live off the grid and homeschool their kids, but the fact that a man was asking questions about them and is now missing leads Mike to action.
The action in this novel was almost non-stop! The way that the questions build up along with the suspense made it impossible to stop reading. I had to know what was going on. The setting is almost a character itself. The woods, the storms, the mud, the darkness! There are a lot of twists that I didn’t see coming, and I loved that!
I highly recommend Pitch Dark!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
About Paul Doiron:
His first book, The Poacher’s Son, won the Barry Award and the Strand Critics Award and was nominated for an Edgar for Best First Novel. His second, Trespasser, won the 2012 Maine Literary Award. His novelette “Rabid” was a finalist for the 2019 Edgar in the Best Short Story category. Paul’s twelfth book, Dead by Dawn won the New England Society’s 2022 Book Award for Fiction, as well as his second Maine Literary Award. It was also a finalist for the Barry Award. His books have been translated into 11 languages.
Paul is the former chair of the Maine Humanities Council, Editor Emeritus of Down East: The Magazine of Maine, and a Registered Maine Guide specializing in fly fishing.
- Instagram: @mikebowditch
- Twitter: @pauldoiron
- Facebook: @pauldoironbooks
- Website: pauldoiron.com
Leave a Reply