Library Journal is out with the first prepublication review of STORM TIDE, and I couldn’t be more grateful to reviewer Tina Panik. For mystery writers, there’s no more important audience than librarians — they are the great matchmakers of readers and books, and they’ve been champions of Mike Bowditch from the very beginning. The verdict: “Doiron’s fantastic procedural series continues to hit a satisfying stride.” STORM TIDE arrives June 30. If your library doesn’t have it on order yet, now might be a good time to ask.
Relentless Justice
If you’ve ever been curious about the Mike Bowditch series but weren’t sure where to start, this site has done something pretty impressive.
The reviewers at Capes & Tights have read and reviewed every single Mike Bowditch novel, and they’ve gathered those pieces into one long overview of the entire series—from THE POACHER’S SON through the most recent books.
It’s opinionated (as good reviews should be), but it’s also a thoughtful and thorough look at Mike’s journey over the years.
New readers might find it a helpful guide to the series, and longtime fans may enjoy seeing how someone else experienced the ride.
https://capesandtights.com/the-mike-bowditch-series-review/
"The Autobiography of a Maine Game Warden"
Early on in the Mike Bowditch novels, I realized I was writing an unconventional mystery series. The books weren’t episodes in Mike’s crime-solving career so much as steps forward—and sometimes backward—in his personal and professional development as a hero. I often say that I’m writing the autobiography of a Maine game warden.
Seen that way, I’ve been moving toward STORM TIDE from the beginning. This novel spans four seasons in Mike’s life, as a criminal case slowly and ominously takes shape just as he is turning thirty-four and on the brink of becoming a father himself. He is no longer the troubled, impetuous young man he was in THE POACHER’S SON—and yet, at the start of the book, he finds himself where he began, back on patrol in the Maine woods, with the accumulated weight of everything that has come before.
STORM TIDE is a story about consequences—about what happens when cases are closed, but questions remain. The novel is built around a series of violent deaths that force Mike to confront decisions from earlier in his career, moments when the law produced an outcome, but not necessarily justice. As those unresolved choices resurface, the consequences begin to accumulate, unfolding over the course of a year in which everything else in his life is also changing. The investigation asks whether it’s possible to move forward without first accounting for what was left unfinished, and what it costs to believe that time alone can settle moral debt.
I wrote this book slowly, with an awareness that Mike was no longer the young man he once was—and that neither, in some ways, was I. That perspective shaped every choice I made on the page. My hope is that readers who have followed Mike's journey will recognize how far he's come—and how far he has to go—and that new readers will discover a character worth getting to know.
Meet Me on My Skin and Bones Book Tour
I’m pleased to announce the dates of my official tour for Skin and Bones and Other Mike Bowditch Stories. I’ll be adding library appearances and other special events through the spring, summer, and fall so keep checking my events page: https://www.pauldoiron.com/events
Meet Me on the Pitch Dark Book Tour
I get that many authors are introverts. I am too. But writing can be lonely work! That is why I always look forward to my annual summer book tour. Meeting my readers is what keeps me going and inspires me to create new Mike Bowditch adventures. If I happen to be visiting a bookstore in your neck of the woods while I'm promoting Pitch Dark, I would very much enjoy meeting you. Please introduce yourself!
You can find a constantly updated list of my events at my website. And note: I will be adding additional stops and dates for the late summer in the coming weeks.
