My Top 10 (Criminal) Influences

Taking a cue from my friend C.J. Box, here are the 10 crime novels that influenced me the most (in no particular order and probably not at all what you would have expected). 

• THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES by Arthur Conan Doyle
• DEVICES AND DESIRES by P.D. James
• THE BIG SLEEP by Raymond Chandler
• FACELESS KILLERS by Henning Mankell
• HEAVEN'S PRISONERS by James Lee Burke
• MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS by Agatha Christie
• A THIEF OF TIME by Tony Hillerman
• DEVIL WITH A BLUE DRESS by Walter Mosley
• THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE by Robert Louis Stevenson
• WINTER'S BONE by Daniel Woodrell

No doubt, I am forgetting something because I tend to do that.

"Booklist" RAVES ABOUT KNIFE CREEK

This is always such an itchy time for me, before a book comes out. The novel is done. There is nothing for me to do on my end except to help my excellent publicity and marketing teams plan the tour and promotional campaign. And, of course, to wait for the pre-publication reviews to begin coming in. Here's an excellent one from "Booklist." 

““Without the sense of smell and troubling appetite of Maine game-warden Mike Bowditch’s latest assigned scourge—invasive feral pigs newly spotted near Knife Creek—the barely buried corpse of an infant might never have been noticed. When it is, and state police begin a homicide investigation, Bowditch gets involved, like readers know he will. Under the guise of tracking the problematic pigs, he stumbles upon a hidden home near the crime scene and meets its unsettling residents: two women wearing matching cherry- red wigs. Bowditch soon believes one of them to be Casey Donaldson, a long-missing young woman presumed dead, but others are reluctant to endorse another one of his notorious hunches—especially when Casey’s alleged killer is about to be brought to justice. Meanwhile, Bowditch and his girlfriend, Stacey, tread rough relationship waters while they wait to hear if he’ll get the promotion he’s applied for. This solid eighth entry in the Mike Bowditch series, following WIDOWMAKER (2016), is full of strong characters, great dialogue, and Doiron’s signature command of the rugged and natural Maine setting.” ”

Thank you, Annie Bostrom, for the wonderful notice.

At the 2017 Edgar Awards

The Edgar Awards are presented each year by the Mystery Writers of America to honor the best creative works in our genre. (My debut, The Poacher's Son, was a finalist in the Best First Novel category in 2011.) As a judge in the Juvenile Fiction category, I had the privilege of co-presenting the Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery with my fellow panelist, the wonderful Hank Phillippi Ryan. Our committee selected OCDaniel by Wesley T. King as the winner, but all of the finalists were worthy of the prize. This was my third time serving as an Edgars judge, but my first time presenting. What an honor it was! 

PW on KNIFE CREEK: "Intelligent," "High Suspense," "Complicated."

"Publishers Weekly" is out with its advance review of KNIFE CREEK, and I couldn't be happier: 

“Edgar-finalist Doiron’s intelligent eighth mystery featuring Maine game warden Mike Bowditch (after 2016’s Widowmaker) finds Mike and his girlfriend, Stacey Stevens, 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. Doiron maintains a high level of suspense while adding new insights into the character of his complex lead. Agent: Ann Rittenberg, Ann Rittenberg Literary Agency. (June)”

— http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-250-10235-5

Stay tuned for more!

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As Facebook has grown, I have found it easier to publish updates — news and reviews — on my Paul Doiron Books page rather than keep this section of my website constantly updated too. I realize that not everyone has a Facebook account. (I admire your firm resistance) so I will do my best to publish important news here as well. But I would encourage those of you on Facebook to Like my page.