What do you think?
Rate this book
Mike Bowditch #8
Knife Creek
When Maine game warden Mike Bowditch is tasked with shooting invasive feral hogs that are tearing up the forest in his district, he makes a horrific discovery — a dead baby buried in a shallow grave.
Even more disturbing: evidence suggests the infant was the child of a young woman who was presumed to have died four years earlier after she disappeared from a group rafting trip.
As Bowditch assists the reopened investigation, he begins to suspect that some of his neighbors aren’t who they seem to be. When violence strikes close to home, he realizes that his unknown enemies will stop at nothing to keep their terrible secrets.
Mike Bowditch has bucked the odds his whole career, but this time the intrepid warden may have finally followed his hunches one step too far.
Even more disturbing: evidence suggests the infant was the child of a young woman who was presumed to have died four years earlier after she disappeared from a group rafting trip.
As Bowditch assists the reopened investigation, he begins to suspect that some of his neighbors aren’t who they seem to be. When violence strikes close to home, he realizes that his unknown enemies will stop at nothing to keep their terrible secrets.
Mike Bowditch has bucked the odds his whole career, but this time the intrepid warden may have finally followed his hunches one step too far.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 13, 2017
1050 people are currently reading
5276 people want to read
About the author
Paul Doiron
38 books2,295 followersPaul Doiron is the best-selling author of the Mike Bowditch series of crime novels set in the Maine woods.
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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 488 reviews
March 31, 2017
Strike the match......
'Cause this one is on fire.
Mike Bowditch is back as the Maine game warden with an explosive attitude. "My methods might have been unorthodox, but they yielded results." And the means to get to those controversial results have always had Mike pushing the boulder up the hill.
Feral hogs have been making their way across certain parts of the country with vastly destructive results in their wake. Mike and his girlfriend, Stacey, are crouched down on a trail near Knife Creek. Stacey is a biologist with the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. Both Mike and Stacey have taken safety precautions on this hog hunt. As they survey the area, their eyes come across a shallow grave with the remains of an infant wrapped in a pink shirt. Suddenly, this hunt has turned into a shocking crime scene.
And our guy Mike doesn't leave any stone unturned. He makes a point of knocking on doors in the locality. Someone must know something. When he enters a trashy cabin nearby, the two red-headed women inside seem suspicious. One of them resembles a University of New Hampshire girl who had gone missing from a canoe trip down the Saco River some time back. Could this be even remotely possible?
Mike has been told to back off as the state police take on the investigation of the baby. He's also been given orders not to pursue the missing girl. Mike has been burdened with a heightened sensitivity for all things curious and out of the ordinary. Makes for a good game warden, but will definitely elicit a sizzlin' charge of electricity from those in command.
Paul Doiron presents #8 in the Mike Bowditch series. This one may top his long line of successes. Doiron brings in timely issues in Knife Creek which seek attention in the headlines nowadays. Any in this series can be read as standalones because Doiron surrounds his characters with just enough backstory to propel the story forward. That's just how good the writing is. There seems to be more "wildlife" in the human species than meets the eye. Can't wait for the next, Doiron.
I received a copy of Knife Creek through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Minotaur Books and to Paul Doiron for the opportunity.
'Cause this one is on fire.
Mike Bowditch is back as the Maine game warden with an explosive attitude. "My methods might have been unorthodox, but they yielded results." And the means to get to those controversial results have always had Mike pushing the boulder up the hill.
Feral hogs have been making their way across certain parts of the country with vastly destructive results in their wake. Mike and his girlfriend, Stacey, are crouched down on a trail near Knife Creek. Stacey is a biologist with the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. Both Mike and Stacey have taken safety precautions on this hog hunt. As they survey the area, their eyes come across a shallow grave with the remains of an infant wrapped in a pink shirt. Suddenly, this hunt has turned into a shocking crime scene.
And our guy Mike doesn't leave any stone unturned. He makes a point of knocking on doors in the locality. Someone must know something. When he enters a trashy cabin nearby, the two red-headed women inside seem suspicious. One of them resembles a University of New Hampshire girl who had gone missing from a canoe trip down the Saco River some time back. Could this be even remotely possible?
Mike has been told to back off as the state police take on the investigation of the baby. He's also been given orders not to pursue the missing girl. Mike has been burdened with a heightened sensitivity for all things curious and out of the ordinary. Makes for a good game warden, but will definitely elicit a sizzlin' charge of electricity from those in command.
Paul Doiron presents #8 in the Mike Bowditch series. This one may top his long line of successes. Doiron brings in timely issues in Knife Creek which seek attention in the headlines nowadays. Any in this series can be read as standalones because Doiron surrounds his characters with just enough backstory to propel the story forward. That's just how good the writing is. There seems to be more "wildlife" in the human species than meets the eye. Can't wait for the next, Doiron.
I received a copy of Knife Creek through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Minotaur Books and to Paul Doiron for the opportunity.
January 16, 2022
Another solid installment in the Mike Bowditch series.
I've slowly been trying to read the books in the series that I have missed. This series never disappoints. In this book, Mike Bowditch finds the body of a baby while out shooting wild boars. DNA results link the baby to a young woman who went missing and was presumed dead four years earlier.
As he investigates, Mike does what Mike does best, he oversteps, steps in it all the while following his instincts to get to the bottom of this sad case. The state police have been called in but that won’t stop him. Once he gets his teeth into something he can't let go.
I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I thought the narrator of the audiobook did a great job. If you haven't read this series, I highly recommend it.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
I've slowly been trying to read the books in the series that I have missed. This series never disappoints. In this book, Mike Bowditch finds the body of a baby while out shooting wild boars. DNA results link the baby to a young woman who went missing and was presumed dead four years earlier.
As he investigates, Mike does what Mike does best, he oversteps, steps in it all the while following his instincts to get to the bottom of this sad case. The state police have been called in but that won’t stop him. Once he gets his teeth into something he can't let go.
I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I thought the narrator of the audiobook did a great job. If you haven't read this series, I highly recommend it.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
March 29, 2017
This was my first entry into the Mike Bowditch series, but it won't be the last. I've been a fan of C.J. Box Joe Pickett and William Kent Krueger Cork O'Connor series for several years, and I tend to read a lot of mysteries, so when I saw the cover of this book on netgalley, I initially assumed it was a new book in one of those series. I was very surprised when I saw that it was the 8th book in a series set in Maine that was totally new to me.
I thoroughly enjoyed Knife Creek. Mike Bowditch was an engaging character. I also really liked both of the secondary female characters, Dani & Stacey. I appreciated the fact that the author gave them competence and characteristics that were unrelated to their physical charms, even if Stacey is apparently intent upon being her own worst enemy. The mystery itself was interesting and well-done.
I have a huge weakness for series set in woodsy, northern locations, and this series hit all of those buttons. This book will appeal to fans of mystery, especially those who are fond of the woodsy/outdoorsy style of mystery like Joe Pickett. I plan to go back to the beginning of Mike Bowditch and work my way forward - Paul Doiron has acquired a new fan.
Thanks to Minotaur and Netgalley for providing me a free review copy of this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed Knife Creek. Mike Bowditch was an engaging character. I also really liked both of the secondary female characters, Dani & Stacey. I appreciated the fact that the author gave them competence and characteristics that were unrelated to their physical charms, even if Stacey is apparently intent upon being her own worst enemy. The mystery itself was interesting and well-done.
I have a huge weakness for series set in woodsy, northern locations, and this series hit all of those buttons. This book will appeal to fans of mystery, especially those who are fond of the woodsy/outdoorsy style of mystery like Joe Pickett. I plan to go back to the beginning of Mike Bowditch and work my way forward - Paul Doiron has acquired a new fan.
Thanks to Minotaur and Netgalley for providing me a free review copy of this book.
April 1, 2018
KNIFE CREEK is book eight in the Mike Bowditch series and together with his girlfriend Stacey, Mike is tasked with shooting some wild boars that are tearing up the forest and the farms. But, they make an awful discovery, the body of a baby has been buried in a shallow grave, left for the pigs to find and eat. If Mike and Stacey hadn't unearthed the grave nothing would have been left to find after the pigs had been done. It gets even stranger when the DNA links the baby to a young woman that disappeared four years earlier while rafting with some friends. Everyone now thinks she is dead, but apparently, she must have survived. What happened to her?
READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!
READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!
May 3, 2018
A really engaging book about a Maine game warden, Mike Bowditch and his girlfriend, Stacey, who is working on a scientific moose / biology project for the state. Both have had personal and work incidents that have marred them mentally (and physically in Mikes case). Mike has a reputation of acting out in his earlier days. Both are trying to overcome their past histories / reputation and become successful and healthy people who love their professions. It is hard sometimes, to forget past hurts and move on.
On a nuisance feral hog hunt in Maine, Mike and Stacey discover a pink T-shirt wrapped body of an infant, dead and buried in the mud and disturbed by the rampage of the hogs.
What follows is a really good, interesting story, told from Mike’s point of view. A sighting by Mike of a missing girl from the area of 4 years ago - so is she dead as originally declared, or is she actually alive?
Is it a case of mistaken identity? The wealthy golden boy who last was seen with her is still a suspect, but does he really have something to do with her disappearance or not? And again, what about the baby?
You have to read the book to find out these answers and so much more!
I liked all the characters - we were given pieces of their personal and professional lives, which made them appear real to me.
I never saw the unexpected twist in the ending, so that was a little of a shock.
I’ve never read this author, so now I’ve found someone new to read! I see I’ve got some reading homework to do as Paul Doirin has written other books with Mike Bowditch; they’re now checked off as TBRs! Yeah!
On a nuisance feral hog hunt in Maine, Mike and Stacey discover a pink T-shirt wrapped body of an infant, dead and buried in the mud and disturbed by the rampage of the hogs.
What follows is a really good, interesting story, told from Mike’s point of view. A sighting by Mike of a missing girl from the area of 4 years ago - so is she dead as originally declared, or is she actually alive?
Is it a case of mistaken identity? The wealthy golden boy who last was seen with her is still a suspect, but does he really have something to do with her disappearance or not? And again, what about the baby?
You have to read the book to find out these answers and so much more!
I liked all the characters - we were given pieces of their personal and professional lives, which made them appear real to me.
I never saw the unexpected twist in the ending, so that was a little of a shock.
I’ve never read this author, so now I’ve found someone new to read! I see I’ve got some reading homework to do as Paul Doirin has written other books with Mike Bowditch; they’re now checked off as TBRs! Yeah!
September 13, 2017
Tried this book based on favorable reviews on goodreads and I was in the mood to read about Maine, wildlife, nature, etc. I do like Maine.
This style of writing does not please my neurons, but disturbs them. I do not find reading details of kidnapping of a young woman, sexual torture with utilization of heroine injections and multiple murders by means of torture a pleasant visit to the wilds.
My memory of beautiful lakes and observing elk feed in the wild is at risk. Therefore, no more Mike Bowditch for me.
This style of writing does not please my neurons, but disturbs them. I do not find reading details of kidnapping of a young woman, sexual torture with utilization of heroine injections and multiple murders by means of torture a pleasant visit to the wilds.
My memory of beautiful lakes and observing elk feed in the wild is at risk. Therefore, no more Mike Bowditch for me.
May 5, 2019
This story starts out with a bang!!! and keeps the fast pace though out the book.
Mike Bowditch, the Maine Game Warden was into a thicket of criminal adventures, wild pigs, drug dealers, murders and missing persons.
Loved the book.
Mike Bowditch, the Maine Game Warden was into a thicket of criminal adventures, wild pigs, drug dealers, murders and missing persons.
Loved the book.
June 23, 2017
There are authors for each of us who, when we pick up their latest book, remind us what it is to read a truly well-written book. These authors don't force us to make trade-offs between characterization, plot, setting, etc. Instead, their books fully engage us on all levels. Paul Doiron is one of those authors for me, and "Knife Creek" is another one of those books.
In this 8th in the Mike Bowditch series, Bowditch and his girlfriend Stacey are hunting wild hogs in the area around Fryeburg, Maine, when they discover the newly buried body of a baby. The rest of the book has Bowditch working with other law enforcement agents to find the mother of the baby and the killer, who may or may not be the same person. It also follows Mike and Stacey's push and pull as Mike waits to hear about a possible promotion and Stacey struggles with whether to stay in Maine with him or start a new life. There is nuanced characterization of both the heroes and the villains, a setting that is nearly a character itself, and a plot that keeps the reader turning pages late into the night.
The only disappointing thing about this book is that upon reaching the last page, the reader will need to wait for the next book to reconnect with Mike Bowditch and the Maine woods.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.
In this 8th in the Mike Bowditch series, Bowditch and his girlfriend Stacey are hunting wild hogs in the area around Fryeburg, Maine, when they discover the newly buried body of a baby. The rest of the book has Bowditch working with other law enforcement agents to find the mother of the baby and the killer, who may or may not be the same person. It also follows Mike and Stacey's push and pull as Mike waits to hear about a possible promotion and Stacey struggles with whether to stay in Maine with him or start a new life. There is nuanced characterization of both the heroes and the villains, a setting that is nearly a character itself, and a plot that keeps the reader turning pages late into the night.
The only disappointing thing about this book is that upon reaching the last page, the reader will need to wait for the next book to reconnect with Mike Bowditch and the Maine woods.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.
June 19, 2017
4.5 stars. Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch and his fiancee Stacey are out shooting wild hogs in the woods when they find a newborn baby's body in a shallow grave. Although the investigation does not belong to Bowditch, that fact never stopped him before and he's out looking around when he stumbles upon a house that is supposed to be vacant. He sees two women and one looks vaguely familiar to him. When he returns and the house explodes, he works to compose a drawing of the women and recognizes the younger as a college girl missing and presumed dead from 4 years ago.
I always eagerly await the next book in this series. It reminds me of C.J.Box's game warden series. I love to read the author's descriptions of the outdoors. The beginning story with the wild hogs reminds me of the problems we have with them here in Texas.
Bowditch's fiancee continues to go through a hard time personally and I hope she's able to work through it. I like the new direction Bowditch is headed in professionally. I also like the character of Trooper Dani Tate and hope she continues to figure prominently in future books.
I always eagerly await the next book in this series. It reminds me of C.J.Box's game warden series. I love to read the author's descriptions of the outdoors. The beginning story with the wild hogs reminds me of the problems we have with them here in Texas.
Bowditch's fiancee continues to go through a hard time personally and I hope she's able to work through it. I like the new direction Bowditch is headed in professionally. I also like the character of Trooper Dani Tate and hope she continues to figure prominently in future books.
January 25, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this 8th book in Paul Doiron's "Mike Bowditch" series!
March 25, 2017
Mike Bowditch is back in another fantastic, amazing, marvelously written book. This one will draw you in and not let you go until you reach the end, and what an ending it is. Can't wait to see what is next for our favorite Maine game warden in the future.
Highly recommended!
Highly recommended!
April 1, 2017
This is definitely one of my favorites in the series. Great plot, characters, story development and place. Love.
August 4, 2018
I think he should be fired from the warden service. He gets results, but that's not his job. He's like people who always butt in and aren't even sorry when they have it wrong, they just keep butting in.
January 19, 2020
I sat down to read a chapter between chores and before I knew it I had read the entire book. It has been too long since I was unable to put a book down. Admittedly I am a sucker for a forest setting, but Mr. Doiron does a nice job invoking the rustic outdoors with out beating you over the head with it. Perhaps the MC Mike Bowditch has a dash of the arrogant superhero about him, but he is still enjoyable to be sucked into his world for the afternoon.
September 28, 2017
Another excellent entry in an excellent series. Mike Bowditch is a good guy doing a tough job well. He's so mature and sensible in this book that I barely recognize him.
November 22, 2017
This is the eighth book in Doiron’s crime series featuring Maine game warden Mike Bowditch. (In Maine, game wardens are full law-enforcement officers, with all the powers of state troopers: “They are the ‘off-road police.’”)
Mike is now 29, has been a game warden for six years, and has been dating Stacy Stevens for two years. Currently they are living together. Stacy is a wildlife biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, but her job, along with those of many other field biologists, is in jeopardy because of tax cuts. Stacy is thinking they should leave Maine, but Mike has applied for a promotion to warden investigator (i.e., a detective) and he loves Maine too much to want to leave.
Stacy, disaffected from her workplace, skips out to help Mike hunt feral swine near the Saco River. [In real life the swine are invading New Hampshire but not yet Maine.] They come upon the body of an infant not long dead. Further, it appears the body was left there on purpose so that the pigs would eat the evidence. It is so hard to imagine anyone would do such a thing, that it almost goes undetected. As Mike observes ruefully, “Good men, charged with protecting the public from harm, [have] been unable to bring themselves to believe that monsters walk among us in human form. . . . . the persistence of evil in the world is often made possible by failures of imagination.”
DNA connects the body to a girl, Casey Donaldson, who disappeared four years earlier and was presumed dead. As Mike starts asking questions, it seems like everyone in the area is keeping secrets, and more deaths follow. Mike becomes convinced Casey is still alive but was not complicit; rather she was being held captive [although I never quite understood how he came to that conclusion]. He is determined to find her, in spite of discouragement from the state troopers and resistance of the locals. Suspense builds into a terrifying denouement.
Evaluation: I like the series a lot for its vivid descriptions of the flora and fauna of Maine, and the detailed information on the Maine Warden Service. Both are central to a state characterized by a heavily forested interior, many waterways and inland fisheries, a plethora of wildlife resources, and the prominence of recreational outdoor sports. Doiron always manages to incorporate a lot of background on Maine into his stories. This one in particular has a great build-up of suspense.
Rating: 3.5/5
Mike is now 29, has been a game warden for six years, and has been dating Stacy Stevens for two years. Currently they are living together. Stacy is a wildlife biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, but her job, along with those of many other field biologists, is in jeopardy because of tax cuts. Stacy is thinking they should leave Maine, but Mike has applied for a promotion to warden investigator (i.e., a detective) and he loves Maine too much to want to leave.
Stacy, disaffected from her workplace, skips out to help Mike hunt feral swine near the Saco River. [In real life the swine are invading New Hampshire but not yet Maine.] They come upon the body of an infant not long dead. Further, it appears the body was left there on purpose so that the pigs would eat the evidence. It is so hard to imagine anyone would do such a thing, that it almost goes undetected. As Mike observes ruefully, “Good men, charged with protecting the public from harm, [have] been unable to bring themselves to believe that monsters walk among us in human form. . . . . the persistence of evil in the world is often made possible by failures of imagination.”
DNA connects the body to a girl, Casey Donaldson, who disappeared four years earlier and was presumed dead. As Mike starts asking questions, it seems like everyone in the area is keeping secrets, and more deaths follow. Mike becomes convinced Casey is still alive but was not complicit; rather she was being held captive [although I never quite understood how he came to that conclusion]. He is determined to find her, in spite of discouragement from the state troopers and resistance of the locals. Suspense builds into a terrifying denouement.
Evaluation: I like the series a lot for its vivid descriptions of the flora and fauna of Maine, and the detailed information on the Maine Warden Service. Both are central to a state characterized by a heavily forested interior, many waterways and inland fisheries, a plethora of wildlife resources, and the prominence of recreational outdoor sports. Doiron always manages to incorporate a lot of background on Maine into his stories. This one in particular has a great build-up of suspense.
Rating: 3.5/5
January 4, 2018
This is a basic police procedural. I found the storyline interesting enough but the book was MUCH too long - nothing much happens for about 200 pages in the middle - it could have been cut out and made better. It doesn't get overly exciting - nothing disturbing or shocking happens - very cut and dry. I find the 5 star reviews surprising. I will not likely read another book in this series.
February 18, 2021
Bowditch is once again walking the tightrope of what is his job and what should be a police matter. Book 8 of this series just didn’t seem to have much to it. There wasn’t any thing new or different. He has girl troubles, works too much, deals with uneducated people, and doesn’t listen when he is told to stand down.
July 8, 2017
#8 in the Mike Bowditch series. Author Doiron has provided a fine addition to this series featuring a Maine game warden. His romantic arc with girlfriend Stacy continues but does not intrude into the fast paced main plot. From eliminating feral hogs, to the discovery of a buried new born, kidnapped young women, a slum lord's conspiracy, and a retired state cop on a vendetta, action and plot twists come fast and furious in this exciting novel. Highly recommended.
Maine game warden Mike Bowditch and his girlfriend, state biologist Stacey Stevens, are in the woods of western Maine, where their job is to kill feral pigs that have migrated into the state and pose a serious environmental threat. To their horror, they discover that one pig has been eating buried human remains belonging to a weeks-old female infant. Mike and Stacey are even more unsettled when they realize that the corpse was likely buried in that specific location in a deliberate attempt to have it consumed by the pigs, eliminating any evidence of its existence. When Mike, who's hoping for a promotion to investigator, starts looking into who might be responsible for the burial and the possible infanticide, he encounters someone long believed dead and triggers a wave of violence.
Maine game warden Mike Bowditch and his girlfriend, state biologist Stacey Stevens, are in the woods of western Maine, where their job is to kill feral pigs that have migrated into the state and pose a serious environmental threat. To their horror, they discover that one pig has been eating buried human remains belonging to a weeks-old female infant. Mike and Stacey are even more unsettled when they realize that the corpse was likely buried in that specific location in a deliberate attempt to have it consumed by the pigs, eliminating any evidence of its existence. When Mike, who's hoping for a promotion to investigator, starts looking into who might be responsible for the burial and the possible infanticide, he encounters someone long believed dead and triggers a wave of violence.
March 3, 2019
4.5 stars. This author is one of my favorites for the way he weaves the Maine landscape and culture into his stories effortlessly. The main character, Mike Bowditch, is so real that I feel like I'd like to meet him as well as his friends, coworkers, and fiancé. One complaint: a map would help those of us who are directionally challenged to visualize where things happen in the story (though many are fictional locations).
This story does get a little grisly in that there's kidnapping, sexual abuse, and torture. I'm not sure it all was necessary but it definitely makes this book a little darker than others I've read in the series. There's a lot of action as well as emotion. The ending was satisfying and leaves the door open for more adventures in the Maine woods.
This story does get a little grisly in that there's kidnapping, sexual abuse, and torture. I'm not sure it all was necessary but it definitely makes this book a little darker than others I've read in the series. There's a lot of action as well as emotion. The ending was satisfying and leaves the door open for more adventures in the Maine woods.
August 24, 2019
Always good to slip back into a comfortable Mike Boditch book. Tough and possibly triggering subject this time, but it is law enforcement, so what do you want? The setting this time was close to my heart, near where I grew up and where I visit when I’m back in Maine. I’ll keep reading these as long as Paul keeps writing them!
July 15, 2017
Paul Doiron continues to offer a magic carpet from your current position to the wilds of Maine, or at least the wild people and events in Maine. I have read all of his books and have enjoyed following Mike Bowditch's career and adventures. I find it so exciting to sit down on my couch in Cincinnati, OH and be whisked off to an event that is well presented, adventurous, and an escape from my present mindset to an area in NE with which I have many connections. This story is a page turner, no doubt. The twists and turns always keep me thinking and trying to figure things out, often being led down a blind path only to be kicked from behind with a "have you thought about looking over here?" Always fun and a way to keep the readers' attention. Well done, Paul. But, I would expect nothing less from you. Cheers!
August 14, 2017
Here is the deal - I really like these books. I devour them in 1-2 sittings and enjoy the suspense and mystery. However this is the 8th book and I realize that author's probably don't read these reviews but the author needs to stop a few things or these books are going to get too repetitive and irritating.
The main character Mike get's injured or attacked in almost every encounter in every book. This is not sustainable and not believable. This book with him getting (spoiler alert ) kidnapped and beaten up was just too much for me. He has to wear more body armor because he is always getting attacked. Bombs, booby traps, kidnapping. The author needs to branch out to develop suspense without having Mike getting jumped all the time. I just went back and am reading Widowmaker (Book 7) which I somehow missed when it was released. Again Bowditch gets knifed in the back in the first couple of chapters. I'm really done with this angle to the books. With Mike's maturity as a character arc the violent encounters should be coming down. His rashness in the early books contributed to a lot of the scraps he got himself into. He is more thoughtful now but you still aren't seeing that in the actions (some in his thoughts).
I go up to Rangeley Maine and the areas he is talking about all the time. It's not THAT violent! Which comes to my next point of contention - these books make Maine seem like the wild west. I spend a lot of time up there and while I am sure I don't know the hunting/poaching side at all the violence is incongruent. I think proportionally in the books we are over the top. I am sure there are a lot of things that happen on a daily basis to anyone in law enforcement but again - I am just talking about proportionally in the novels it seems like Mike has more than a fair share in order to drive the action and plot. I think it can be pared down.
The author does good characters, great woods description, and I love Mike Bowditch. This is a great series - please find a realism to the violence levels. At Book 8 - if we go back and chronicle all of Mike's injuries and attacks it does not seem realistic. Also - Stacey's got to go. She's a real jerk. She's a great character but I'm not sure Mike's addiction to her was ever really described. There isn't much here to attract anyone.
The main character Mike get's injured or attacked in almost every encounter in every book. This is not sustainable and not believable. This book with him getting (spoiler alert ) kidnapped and beaten up was just too much for me. He has to wear more body armor because he is always getting attacked. Bombs, booby traps, kidnapping. The author needs to branch out to develop suspense without having Mike getting jumped all the time. I just went back and am reading Widowmaker (Book 7) which I somehow missed when it was released. Again Bowditch gets knifed in the back in the first couple of chapters. I'm really done with this angle to the books. With Mike's maturity as a character arc the violent encounters should be coming down. His rashness in the early books contributed to a lot of the scraps he got himself into. He is more thoughtful now but you still aren't seeing that in the actions (some in his thoughts).
I go up to Rangeley Maine and the areas he is talking about all the time. It's not THAT violent! Which comes to my next point of contention - these books make Maine seem like the wild west. I spend a lot of time up there and while I am sure I don't know the hunting/poaching side at all the violence is incongruent. I think proportionally in the books we are over the top. I am sure there are a lot of things that happen on a daily basis to anyone in law enforcement but again - I am just talking about proportionally in the novels it seems like Mike has more than a fair share in order to drive the action and plot. I think it can be pared down.
The author does good characters, great woods description, and I love Mike Bowditch. This is a great series - please find a realism to the violence levels. At Book 8 - if we go back and chronicle all of Mike's injuries and attacks it does not seem realistic. Also - Stacey's got to go. She's a real jerk. She's a great character but I'm not sure Mike's addiction to her was ever really described. There isn't much here to attract anyone.
August 17, 2017
An excellent series continues with this latest entry in the life, times, and growth of Mike Bowditch's personal and professional life. I'm a huge fan of Mike, a Maine game warden, and have enjoyed his often painful journey for acceptance and recognition of competence after a shaky start in his actual and professional life. Mike is a terrific hero--humble, self-deprecating, insightful, kind, and driven...and he needs all that in this heart-breaking story that begins with the discovery of a dead baby, buried and left for wild boars to savage. It doesn't get easier after that as Mike ferrets out leads by following his gut to find the baby's mother--which DNA results prove is a girl missing and assumed dead in a canoeing mishap 4 years earlier. At the same time, Mike struggles to comfort and deal with his fiancée, a young woman I've had misgivings about for many books now, as she struggles with survivor's guilt over the death of fellow bush pilots. And, as if that's not enough, he's waiting for results of his application for promotion to Warden Investigator--a position he is very qualified for, has earned after solving a dozen crimes, and absolutely deserves. BUT, he has stepped on toes in his career journey so he's worried. This one took me little time to read and I've become used to that because every one is well-written and thoroughly engrossing. Now, the wait for the next, because I've also gotten used to Doiron's little last chapter cliff-hangers, and this entry has a dandy.
July 9, 2017
"Knife Creek" by Paul Dorion is another in his series of crime Noel's featuring Maine Game Waren Mike Bowditch. I thought it pleasant, entertaining story. The primary character, Warden Bowditch, has the reputation as a warden who manages to be in the epicenter of some violent crime, and is likewise instrumental in bringing the criminal to justice.
The author brings out much of the local color and characters of rural Maine as he describes the beautiful forests that are his police beat.
If this description resembles the novels of C.J. Box's warden Joe Picket of Wyoming, it is no accident. Mr. Dorion novels are not quite that good, in my opinion. For one thing Box's hero is of a darker personality, is a bit older and more intuitive and altogether more interesting Box's stories are darker, the cast of subordinate characters more intriguing, I think.
Nevertheless, " Knife Creek" will deliver an evening or two of good reading.
Notes: no sex, minimum violence. Rating is centered on " good" .
The author brings out much of the local color and characters of rural Maine as he describes the beautiful forests that are his police beat.
If this description resembles the novels of C.J. Box's warden Joe Picket of Wyoming, it is no accident. Mr. Dorion novels are not quite that good, in my opinion. For one thing Box's hero is of a darker personality, is a bit older and more intuitive and altogether more interesting Box's stories are darker, the cast of subordinate characters more intriguing, I think.
Nevertheless, " Knife Creek" will deliver an evening or two of good reading.
Notes: no sex, minimum violence. Rating is centered on " good" .
September 29, 2017
Doiron fills his books with things I've never heard about. I've never been to Maine and really don't know much about it. Who knew the Saco river was like Panama City during spring break? This book made me google "partying on the Saco" and the videos are pretty ridiculous.
The book gets a little far fetched too. For a game warden? I'll still keep reading them though.
The book gets a little far fetched too. For a game warden? I'll still keep reading them though.
December 28, 2017
I really enjoyed this. Highly recommend!
August 17, 2017
Covering a second district while a new warden is found, Mike Bowditch and girlfriend Stacy hunt for feral pigs, a danger to people and destructive of habitat. They find the pigs and the body of a baby. After the forensic team left and Mike returns to finish with the pigs, he’s caught in a rainstorm. While waiting in his truck, he peruses an old trail map. He realizes that there is a hidden road equally close to the burial on the back side of this area.
As in the past, Mike is unable to let things lie. He explores the road and finds a house that is supposedly unoccupied, but showing lights. He discovers two women in the house, one assumed dead for the past 4 years. This is bad news: for Casey who has lived in an unimaginable hell for years, and for the police who gave up, assuming she was dead and undiscovered.
We catch up with characters from past novels, and see Mike acting less like a lone wolf. Mike’s investigation runs in parallel with the State Police, and Stacy’s career and their relationship also add to the novel’s suspense. New readers will find an intricate story with good guys and bad guys and will want to start at the beginning. The back woods of Maine is as present as any of the complex, quirky characters. Fans will be carried along with a fast moving thriller/mystery with challenges to life and limb. Highly recommended as another good installment in an excellent series.
Readalikes:
Nevada Barr; C.J. Box; William Kent Krueger; Peter Deutermann – The Cat Dancers; Meg Cabot – She Went All the Way; Jennifer McMahon – Burntown; James Patterson – Never Never; Erica Ferencik – The River at Night.
Pace: fast
Characters: Complex; brooding; likeable; large cast of characters
Story: intricately plotted; character-driven
Language: compelling; engaging
Tone: suspenseful; strong sense of place
Frame: Maine; contemporary
As in the past, Mike is unable to let things lie. He explores the road and finds a house that is supposedly unoccupied, but showing lights. He discovers two women in the house, one assumed dead for the past 4 years. This is bad news: for Casey who has lived in an unimaginable hell for years, and for the police who gave up, assuming she was dead and undiscovered.
We catch up with characters from past novels, and see Mike acting less like a lone wolf. Mike’s investigation runs in parallel with the State Police, and Stacy’s career and their relationship also add to the novel’s suspense. New readers will find an intricate story with good guys and bad guys and will want to start at the beginning. The back woods of Maine is as present as any of the complex, quirky characters. Fans will be carried along with a fast moving thriller/mystery with challenges to life and limb. Highly recommended as another good installment in an excellent series.
Readalikes:
Nevada Barr; C.J. Box; William Kent Krueger; Peter Deutermann – The Cat Dancers; Meg Cabot – She Went All the Way; Jennifer McMahon – Burntown; James Patterson – Never Never; Erica Ferencik – The River at Night.
Pace: fast
Characters: Complex; brooding; likeable; large cast of characters
Story: intricately plotted; character-driven
Language: compelling; engaging
Tone: suspenseful; strong sense of place
Frame: Maine; contemporary
August 11, 2018
So, it seems that someone didn’t finish their job years ago and now Mike and Stacey are dealing with the ramifications of it. Mike, a Maine game warden becomes more like police investigator in this novel, as he tries to uncover just what is happening in his jurisdiction.
While hunting wild boars with his girlfriend Stacey, they come across the remains of a baby, in a shallow grave, left for the boars to consume. When the child’s DNA is tested, is matches with a victim who has been missing and presumed dead for years. Oopps! Something went wrong somewhere.
Going back into the forest area, Mike does some investigating of his own, as these woodlands are his responsibility. He discovers an abandoned house which is now occupied with two women who look familiar and act strangely. It’s a good thing that Mike has a great memory because what he sees at the door will come in handy later.
I liked how Mike dug into the case himself and how he took responsibility for it even though, he wasn’t on the force. Mike kept digging for answers even when he wasn’t perfect in his investigation. The DNA matching and its implications on this current case kept my adrenaline flowing as I read. Even though this is #8 in the series, this was my first Mike Bowditch novel that I have read and I really enjoyed it. This novel can be read as I standalone. I would like to read more of this series and see what else I have been missing.
While hunting wild boars with his girlfriend Stacey, they come across the remains of a baby, in a shallow grave, left for the boars to consume. When the child’s DNA is tested, is matches with a victim who has been missing and presumed dead for years. Oopps! Something went wrong somewhere.
Going back into the forest area, Mike does some investigating of his own, as these woodlands are his responsibility. He discovers an abandoned house which is now occupied with two women who look familiar and act strangely. It’s a good thing that Mike has a great memory because what he sees at the door will come in handy later.
I liked how Mike dug into the case himself and how he took responsibility for it even though, he wasn’t on the force. Mike kept digging for answers even when he wasn’t perfect in his investigation. The DNA matching and its implications on this current case kept my adrenaline flowing as I read. Even though this is #8 in the series, this was my first Mike Bowditch novel that I have read and I really enjoyed it. This novel can be read as I standalone. I would like to read more of this series and see what else I have been missing.
September 30, 2022
Mike is out pig hunting with his girlfriend, Stacey, when they discover the remains of an infant. Mike figures the state police are not looking in the right places and finds an “abandoned” house with two suspicious women. He returns to the house the next day and is almost killed when it blows up. From the sketches done on an Identikit the younger woman appears to be a college girl who went missing four years ago and is presumed dead.
Thus ensues a rather thrilling story of Mike doing what he does best- investigating. Conflict with the former and now retired detective who became obsessed with the missing girl. He calls Mike a punk. Stress at home with Stacey and her employment situation. Lots of action with more kidnappings and murders. As usual the mastermind is hiding in plain sight and Mike comes close to losing it all as he finally achieves his career goal.
Thus ensues a rather thrilling story of Mike doing what he does best- investigating. Conflict with the former and now retired detective who became obsessed with the missing girl. He calls Mike a punk. Stress at home with Stacey and her employment situation. Lots of action with more kidnappings and murders. As usual the mastermind is hiding in plain sight and Mike comes close to losing it all as he finally achieves his career goal.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 488 reviews