The Maine Sportsman has a review of Trespasser in its September issue, and I am delighted by what reviewer George Smith has to say:
Paul Doiron wrote a great first novel, superb really. Not only did he start right out of the novelist’s box with an unusual three-book contract, but his first novel was nominated for an Edgar Award, heady territory for any mystery writer.
I enjoyed Paul’s first novel and wrote a favorable review. But his second book, Trespasser (Minotaur Books, 2011), pleased me more. It was a “kept-me-up-late” mystery, compelling, suspenseful and true-to-life.
I know this is important to Paul because his primary character is a Maine game warden and Paul has spent a lot of time studying and riding with wardens. In his character Mike Bowditch, Paul has done a great job of accurately portraying a rookie warden.
Well, most rookie wardens wouldn’t get into the scrapes that Bowditch does, but that’s why they’re wardens and not characters in mystery novels.
Actually, everything rings true in this novel, from the warden chaplain to the wealthy summer residents. (Can it be that Doiron knows folks like this in Camden?)
A crucial incident that drives much of the plot, a car-deer collision, anchors the book in reality. After the woman hits the deer, someone murders her and the deer vanishes. Bowditch goes rogue, houses burn, ATVs crash and a convicted murderer may be innocent. I just could not stop reading.
I could see every bit of it happening in Maine. The conflict between game wardens and state troopers is another plot line familiar to me.
I love the way Doiron is moving forward with Bowditch’s relationship with his girlfriend. Certainly, relationships in law enforcement are difficult, and Doiron captures this in a very real way.
By way of full disclosure, I should note that George Smith is a blogger for Down East but also one of the most knowledgable mystery readers (and outdoorsmen) I've met and not one to soft-sell his criticism.
Scroll down to read the whole thing.