Book Review: Pitch Dark by Paul Doiron (Mike Bowditch #15)
Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐
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.
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.
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