Knife Creek by Paul Doiron Book Review

Knife Creek by Paul Doiron Book Review

The lowdown from Goodreads

Publication Date June 13, 2017

When Maine game warden Mike Bowditch is tasked with shooting wild boars that are tearing up the forest and farms in his district, he makes a horrific discovery—the body of a baby buried in a shallow grave. Even more disturbing: DNA tests link the infant to a young woman who has been missing and presumed dead after she disappeared from a group rafting trip four years earlier.

As he assists the reopened investigation, Bowditch 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.

Knife Creek by Paul Doiron Book Review

A woman missing 4 years, game wardens who make a grisly discovery in the woods & deep-rooted secrets among Maine’s wilderness.

Mike Bowditch Series

Even though Knife Creek is Book #8 in Paul Doiron’s Mike Bowditch series, I followed the story just fine. Mike is a game warden working in Maine. At times, he is a difficult person to deal with. Repeatedly, he finds his own path rather than listening to others. Because of this, he finds himself in rough situations. But his fearless intuition is what makes him a special type of law enforcement official.

Steady & Stable Mystery

Paul Doiron writes in a definite & consistent manner. While some mysteries ebb & flow with setting the scene & then add bits and pieces of action, Knife Creek is a steady mystery. The story moves without dragging. This type of pace keeps my attention because I am continually investing in the now rather than what’s going to happen later.

THE VERDICT

I am Really Into This book! Knife Creek is a murder mystery with lots of twists. I also love the pivotal role of the setting. Paul Doiron adds so many details about Maine which perfectly into the mystery. Although initially skeptical to read a stand-alone book, I am glad I read Knife Creek. I really respect Mike Bowditch & his relentless focus & dedication to his profession.

Special thanks to Paul Doiron, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books & NetGalley for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

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About the Author: Paul Doiron

Paul Doiron is the author of the Mike Bowditch series of crime novels, including The Poacher’s Son, which won the the Barry Award and the Strand Critics Award for Best First Novel and was nominated for an Edgar Award, an Anthony Award, a Macavity Award, and a Thriller Award for Best First Novel, and the Maine Literary Award for “Best Fiction of 2010.” PopMatters named it to its Best Fiction of 2010 list.

His second book, Trespasser, won the Maine Literary Award, was an American Booksellers Association Indie Bestseller, and has been called a “masterpiece of high-octane narrative” by Booklist. The third novel, Bad Little Falls, was a Bookscan Bestseller and a nominee for the RT Reviewers Choice Award and the Maine Literary Award. Massacre Pond, the fourth in the series, was an Indie Next pick and an Indie Favorite, as well as Bookscan Bestseller, and Maine Literary Award finalist. The Bone Orchard received a Best of Maine award from Down East. The Precipice was a LibraryReads selection and a RT Top Pick. The seventh Mike Bowditch novel, Widowmaker, was also a LibraryReads selection and a #1 Maine Sunday Telegram bestseller.

Paul is Editor Emeritus of Down East: The Magazine of Maine, having served as Editor in Chief from 2005 to 2013, before stepping down to write full time. A native of Maine, he attended Yale University, where he graduated with a degree in English, and he holds an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College. He is a former member of the Maine Arts Commission and a current member of the Maine Humanities Council. He is also a Registered Maine Guide specializing in fly fishing and lives on a trout stream in coastal Maine with his wife Kristen Lindquist.