The Bone Orchard by Paul Doiron -A Review

Last month, I read and reviewed Massacre Pond  the fourth in Paul Doiron's  series about the Maine woods.  That was just in time to read my ARC of this newest one published last week.  Although I didn't need any real enticement, the publisher offered:

In the aftermath of a family tragedy, Mike Bowditch has left the Maine Warden Service and is working as a fishing guide in the North Woods. But when his mentor Sgt. Kathy Frost is forced to kill a troubled war veteran in an apparent case of "suicide by cop," he begins having second thoughts about his decision.

Now Kathy finds herself the target of a government inquiry and outrage from the dead soldier's platoon mates. Soon she finds herself in the sights of a sniper, as well. When the sergeant is shot outside her farmhouse, Mike joins the hunt to find the mysterious man responsible. To do so, the ex-warden must plunge into his friend's secret past—even as a beautiful woman from Mike's own past returns, throwing into jeopardy his tentative romance with wildlife biologist Stacey Stevens.

As Kathy Frost lies on the brink of death and a dangerous shooter stalks the blueberry barrens of central Maine, Bowditch is forced to confront the choices he has made and determine, once and for all, the kind of man he truly is.

I was once again lucky enough to meet Paul Doiron at the BOOKS IN BOOTHBAY fair earlier this month.  I told him how excited I was to see the series continuing and to see that Mike Bowditch is finally maturing. Indeed, the characters are well drawn, and becoming more familiar to us with each volume.  However, it's the glorious descriptions of Maine's varied landscapes from lakes to mountains, from forests teeming with trees to windswept rocky ocean beaches and the rich animal life (humans, insects, birds, bugs and four legged critters), that make the reader want to slow down and savor the flavor of the state, while at the same time wanting to rush to the next page to see who the bad guys are to solve the mystery.  They're a great introduction to the Pine Tree State and its people.

Let's hope there are more to come in this series.  Many thanks to Minotaur for making an e-galley available for early review.

Title: The Bone Orchard
Author: Paul Doiron
Publisher: Minotaur Books (2014), Hardcover, 320 pages
Genre: mystery, police procedural
Subject: murder
Setting: Maine woods, and various southern Maine venues
Series: Mike Bowditch
Source: E-galley from the publisher
Why did I read this book now?  I like the author, the series, and the publisher asked for a review.