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Mike Bowditch #2
Trespasser
In Paul Doiron’s riveting follow-up to his Edgar Award–nominated novel, The Poacher's Son, Maine game warden Mike Bowditch’s quest to find a missing woman leads him through a forest of lies in search of a killer who may have gotten away with murder once before.
While on patrol one foggy March evening, Bowditch receives a call for help. A woman has reportedly struck a deer on a lonely coast road. When the game warden arrives on the scene, he finds blood in the road—but both the driver and the deer have vanished. And the state trooper assigned to the accident appears strangely unconcerned.
The details of the disappearance seem eerily familiar. Seven years earlier, a jury convicted lobsterman Erland Jefferts of the rape and murder of a wealthy college student and sentenced him to life in prison. For all but his most fanatical defenders, justice was served. But when the missing woman is found brutalized in a manner that suggests Jefferts may have been framed, Bowditch receives an ominous warning from state prosecutors to stop asking questions.
For Bowditch, whose own life was recently shattered by a horrific act of violence, doing nothing is not an option. His clandestine investigation reopens old wounds between Maine locals and rich summer residents and puts both his own life and that of the woman he loves in jeopardy. As he closes in on his quarry, he suddenly discovers how dangerous his opponents are, and how far they will go to prevent him from bringing a killer to justice.
While on patrol one foggy March evening, Bowditch receives a call for help. A woman has reportedly struck a deer on a lonely coast road. When the game warden arrives on the scene, he finds blood in the road—but both the driver and the deer have vanished. And the state trooper assigned to the accident appears strangely unconcerned.
The details of the disappearance seem eerily familiar. Seven years earlier, a jury convicted lobsterman Erland Jefferts of the rape and murder of a wealthy college student and sentenced him to life in prison. For all but his most fanatical defenders, justice was served. But when the missing woman is found brutalized in a manner that suggests Jefferts may have been framed, Bowditch receives an ominous warning from state prosecutors to stop asking questions.
For Bowditch, whose own life was recently shattered by a horrific act of violence, doing nothing is not an option. His clandestine investigation reopens old wounds between Maine locals and rich summer residents and puts both his own life and that of the woman he loves in jeopardy. As he closes in on his quarry, he suddenly discovers how dangerous his opponents are, and how far they will go to prevent him from bringing a killer to justice.
310 pages, Hardcover
First published June 21, 2011
569 people are currently reading
4333 people want to read
About the author
Paul Doiron
38 books2,280 followersPaul Doiron is the best-selling author of the Mike Bowditch series of crime novels set in the Maine woods.
His first book, The Poacher’s Son, won the Barry Award and the Strand Critics Award and was nominated for an Edgar for Best First Novel. His second, Trespasser, won the 2012 Maine Literary Award. His novelette “Rabid” was a finalist for the 2019 Edgar in the Best Short Story category. Paul’s twelfth book, Dead by Dawn won the New England Society’s 2022 Book Award for Fiction, as well as his second Maine Literary Award. It was also a finalist for the Barry Award. His books have been translated into 11 languages.
Paul is the former chair of the Maine Humanities Council, Editor Emeritus of Down East: The Magazine of Maine, and a Registered Maine Guide specializing in fly fishing.
His first book, The Poacher’s Son, won the Barry Award and the Strand Critics Award and was nominated for an Edgar for Best First Novel. His second, Trespasser, won the 2012 Maine Literary Award. His novelette “Rabid” was a finalist for the 2019 Edgar in the Best Short Story category. Paul’s twelfth book, Dead by Dawn won the New England Society’s 2022 Book Award for Fiction, as well as his second Maine Literary Award. It was also a finalist for the Barry Award. His books have been translated into 11 languages.
Paul is the former chair of the Maine Humanities Council, Editor Emeritus of Down East: The Magazine of Maine, and a Registered Maine Guide specializing in fly fishing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 722 reviews
April 27, 2011
I'm obviously biased!
October 4, 2022
Maine game warden Mike Bowditch is back and while trying to find a missing woman, stumbles upon a killer who may have gotten away with murder in the past!
Mike got a call about a woman who hit a deer on a coast road but when he arrived both the woman and deer were missing. Mike is not one to let things go especially when the state trooper assigned to the case doesn't seem to be concerned. In true Mike Bowditch fashion, he plows ahead determined to catch a killer. For me, Mike is like a bull seeing red, when he decides to go after something he is entirely focused on his goal which can affect other areas of his life. He also has a knack for stepping on toes and not listening to authority. He is a little bit of a badass one could say.
I have been reading this series for some time and love it but have not read the earlier books as I started this series toward the middle. I will slowly be reading the books I missed. It is interesting to read where things started as I know where things are now. Plus it is always nice to see the supporting cast of characters.
I listed to the audiobook and loved the narrator. I thought he did a fantastic job. Soon, I hope to start book #3 in the series!
Mike got a call about a woman who hit a deer on a coast road but when he arrived both the woman and deer were missing. Mike is not one to let things go especially when the state trooper assigned to the case doesn't seem to be concerned. In true Mike Bowditch fashion, he plows ahead determined to catch a killer. For me, Mike is like a bull seeing red, when he decides to go after something he is entirely focused on his goal which can affect other areas of his life. He also has a knack for stepping on toes and not listening to authority. He is a little bit of a badass one could say.
I have been reading this series for some time and love it but have not read the earlier books as I started this series toward the middle. I will slowly be reading the books I missed. It is interesting to read where things started as I know where things are now. Plus it is always nice to see the supporting cast of characters.
I listed to the audiobook and loved the narrator. I thought he did a fantastic job. Soon, I hope to start book #3 in the series!
September 24, 2011
First, let me admit that I started skipping pages about 2/3 through through book. I simply couldn't take the main character's idiocy any longer. The game warden consistently made the worst decision any time he was faced with an option. Often, Doiron would include Bowditch's thoughts, which included the agreement that it was a bad decision. His drinking, his stupidity, his denial...I finally reached the point where I couldn't stand it and just had to get through the ending. Bottom line: It was okay. If no other books are available, read it. If you are faced with this and an old, battered physics text book, read this. Otherwise, choose something else.
September 4, 2022
Trespasser by Paul Doiron is the second book in the Mike Bowditch series and I enjoyed it even more than the first! In this installment, we start off with a pretty grisly murder and Bowditch finds himself even more wrapped up in a mystery than he was in The Poacher's Son. Although he isn't a detective, this book had more of a detective fiction vibe thanks to all of the investigating he ends up doing, and I really liked that the author's note told us that Doiron drew inspiration from a real case that happened in Maine. The plotline of Trespasser had less of a focus on Bowditch's career as a game warden but Doiron still brought the Maine setting to life, and I loved the interaction between Bowditch and the other characters (especially Sarah).
As with the first installment, the narrator for the audiobook was Henry Leyva, and once again I loved his narration. He really is the perfect person to be the voice of Mike Bowditch, and I have 0 complaints about the way the audio was executed. I highly recommend listening to this series if you enjoy audiobooks, and I promise that you will not be disappointed! There is a lot going on in Trespasser and I love that it was crammed full of action, so it was never boring. The twists surprised me, and I don't think I would have ever guessed the whodunnit, or how certain things and people would tie together. There was even an emotional moment in the book that brought a hint of tears to my eyes, and this was not an unwelcome surprise. You definitely don't have to be a man to enjoy this book, and I highly recommend it if you like mysteries that are dark without being overly descriptive.
As with the first installment, the narrator for the audiobook was Henry Leyva, and once again I loved his narration. He really is the perfect person to be the voice of Mike Bowditch, and I have 0 complaints about the way the audio was executed. I highly recommend listening to this series if you enjoy audiobooks, and I promise that you will not be disappointed! There is a lot going on in Trespasser and I love that it was crammed full of action, so it was never boring. The twists surprised me, and I don't think I would have ever guessed the whodunnit, or how certain things and people would tie together. There was even an emotional moment in the book that brought a hint of tears to my eyes, and this was not an unwelcome surprise. You definitely don't have to be a man to enjoy this book, and I highly recommend it if you like mysteries that are dark without being overly descriptive.
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August 18, 2018The Hook - Felt a hankering to visit Maine but wish it had been in warmer weather in this second book of The Mike Bowditch, Game Warden series.
The Line - ”Son, you should always buy a woman flowers.“
The Sinker - Going to keep this quick and dirty, well, quick and clean.
Trespasser was a nice diversion from these soggy days of August and the genealogy books I'm reading. I'm getting to know a bit about Mike Bowditch and his duties as Game Warden in the environs of Maine. It was an easy read, lots of action, mysteries to solve, killers to bring to justice. I got what I expected and not unhappy about that. I'm not certain if I care about Mike yet but think Book 3 will make it to my hands one day.
The Line - ”Son, you should always buy a woman flowers.“
The Sinker - Going to keep this quick and dirty, well, quick and clean.
Trespasser was a nice diversion from these soggy days of August and the genealogy books I'm reading. I'm getting to know a bit about Mike Bowditch and his duties as Game Warden in the environs of Maine. It was an easy read, lots of action, mysteries to solve, killers to bring to justice. I got what I expected and not unhappy about that. I'm not certain if I care about Mike yet but think Book 3 will make it to my hands one day.
October 11, 2021
Entertaining for sure. And maybe Bowditch is going to start growing up. There is hope. If he keeps making bad decisions he isn’t going to live very long so I imagine he is going to start to grow up sooner than later. Despite the chip on his shoulder, Bowditch is a good investigator. He cares about the truth and much like Walt Longmire, he is a dog with a bone. I also enjoy the Maine setting since I lived there for a while when I was growing up.
February 23, 2025
Our Maine Game Warden investigates a car-deer collision which leads him to murder case, involving probable rape and possible wrongful conviction.
October 30, 2022
3.75 stars
This book features game warden Mike Bowditch who reluctantly responds to an accident involving the collision of a car and a deer. When Mike arrives on the scene, both the driver and the deer are absent. As Mike is trying to gather more specifics about the call from the driver, the sheriff’s deputy who was supposed to take the call arrives on scene and assures Mike he will follow up on the driver, a woman named Ashley Kim. Of course, the deputy does no such follow up. A day later, Mike revisits the accident scene again with Charley, a retired law enforcement officer. Mike believes Ashley was in Maine to visit a college professor who has a home in Seal Cove. When Charley and Mike decide to pay Ashley a visit, they stumble into a crime scene where the find the body of Ashley bound and devoid of life. Unfortunately for Mike, his superiors want to know how he was able to stumble upon the whereabouts of Ashley and contaminate the crime scene. Mike is advised to leave the investigation to his superiors, or else!
But Mike isn’t able to take himself out of the investigation, particularly after he learns that there are elements about Ashley’s murder that bear a similarity to the murder of a barmaid seven years earlier. It can’t be the work of the same killer - he’s behind bars. Risking his career and his life, Mike continues to investigate the crime, placing his relationship with live-in girlfriend Sarah in jeopardy. Then, the body of the college professor is found (by Mike), further confounding law enforcement officials.
One of the things that struck me as I was reading this book is the comment about “crushing poverty” and hidden despair so evident in the backwaters of Maine. I have read virtually identical comments by authors John Verdon and Lisa Lutz. The loss of blue collar jobs have left a path of destruction in their wake, so evident to these authors.
This book features game warden Mike Bowditch who reluctantly responds to an accident involving the collision of a car and a deer. When Mike arrives on the scene, both the driver and the deer are absent. As Mike is trying to gather more specifics about the call from the driver, the sheriff’s deputy who was supposed to take the call arrives on scene and assures Mike he will follow up on the driver, a woman named Ashley Kim. Of course, the deputy does no such follow up. A day later, Mike revisits the accident scene again with Charley, a retired law enforcement officer. Mike believes Ashley was in Maine to visit a college professor who has a home in Seal Cove. When Charley and Mike decide to pay Ashley a visit, they stumble into a crime scene where the find the body of Ashley bound and devoid of life. Unfortunately for Mike, his superiors want to know how he was able to stumble upon the whereabouts of Ashley and contaminate the crime scene. Mike is advised to leave the investigation to his superiors, or else!
But Mike isn’t able to take himself out of the investigation, particularly after he learns that there are elements about Ashley’s murder that bear a similarity to the murder of a barmaid seven years earlier. It can’t be the work of the same killer - he’s behind bars. Risking his career and his life, Mike continues to investigate the crime, placing his relationship with live-in girlfriend Sarah in jeopardy. Then, the body of the college professor is found (by Mike), further confounding law enforcement officials.
One of the things that struck me as I was reading this book is the comment about “crushing poverty” and hidden despair so evident in the backwaters of Maine. I have read virtually identical comments by authors John Verdon and Lisa Lutz. The loss of blue collar jobs have left a path of destruction in their wake, so evident to these authors.
May 21, 2011
I haven't read the Poacher's Son so this was my first book by Doiron and it was an excellent read! I did not feel like I was jumping into the middle of a series so it can be a stand-alone novel.
Doiron's writing style is quite easy to slip into. You jump into the story and race to the end. I loved the suspense and was actually so involved in different aspects of the story that I didn't solve the case until the author tied it together for me. That's rare for me, an avid reader.
I loved the secondary characters. I really could see these people from Maine. While many of the situations are quite funny and provide a rich backdrop to the storyline, Doiron also shows you an impoverished side of Maine most of us don't usually think about.
I definitely recommend Trespasser and will read more by this author. I loved the freshness of Doiron's writing, characters, and storyline.
Thank you for the Firstreads giveaway!
Doiron's writing style is quite easy to slip into. You jump into the story and race to the end. I loved the suspense and was actually so involved in different aspects of the story that I didn't solve the case until the author tied it together for me. That's rare for me, an avid reader.
I loved the secondary characters. I really could see these people from Maine. While many of the situations are quite funny and provide a rich backdrop to the storyline, Doiron also shows you an impoverished side of Maine most of us don't usually think about.
I definitely recommend Trespasser and will read more by this author. I loved the freshness of Doiron's writing, characters, and storyline.
Thank you for the Firstreads giveaway!
August 29, 2018
Deep in the Maine woods the dead body of a young woman is found, horribly brutalized. A charming young man is convicted and sentenced for the murder.
Seven years later our hero finds a young woman murdered the same way. Is it a copy cat or did they imprison the wrong guy?
While trying to catch poachers our hero is searching for a killer.
Good book!
Seven years later our hero finds a young woman murdered the same way. Is it a copy cat or did they imprison the wrong guy?
While trying to catch poachers our hero is searching for a killer.
Good book!
November 26, 2020
I really enjoyed this 2nd book in Paul Doiron's "Mike Bowditch" series!
February 22, 2019
Mike Bowditch, Maine game warden, presents an interesting and unusual local and profession as protagonist. The second in Doiron’s series is every bit as good as the first. Bowditch doesn’t use good sense often which makes for good reading as he tries to dig out the truth of a current case and an old case. Not such a happy ending for Mike, but I still look forward to the next book.
April 9, 2020
Time for another Doiron ... while Tristram Shandy languishes half-read on my reading table. Been that way a while too. Someday soon ... Meanwhile, this one starts off quite nicely as Mr. D seems to have taken lessons at the foot of the master of geographic location mystery, Tony Hillerman. One of the blurb on the book's jacket makes that point. Having lived in my own patch of the Maine woods since 1982 I salute his prose "tributes" to Maine in mud season(March-April). Spot on ... Also well described are the folks of the underclass who inhabit beaten up/worn down "houses" in those woods. At least half of those places are trailers. In this vein the author's prose is akin to the writing of Carolyn Chute, but without the fancy prose-work. At the back of the book the author says a few things about the Dennis Dechaine case, a BIG news story a couple of decades ago. I always have an interest in such references because I had a sort of inside window into the doings of that sordid "man murders young girl" story. A co-worker of mine was key prosecution witness, though he died before the trial began. I guess I can see the general similarities so far. A few minor issues ...
- "peacoat" s.b. two words "pea coat"
- There's already a bit of product placement here, as in "Maglite" instead of "flashlight" - I kind of get what he was doing there. I have a couple of those big black bastards myself.
- Amen as to the ATV damage in the woods. No matter where they are ridden those things are destructive. In Arizona they destroy decent jeep trails. Same thing in Maine.
- Questionable geography ... Colby College, along with almost everything else in this state, is southern Maine, not central Maine. Culturally, however, Waterville(home of Colby), IS in central Maine.
- "switched on my laptop computer" s.b. "switched on my computer(or laptop)", but not both.
- "New England Patriots t-shirt" s.b. just "Patriots t-shirt."
- Again ... "my Gore-Tex parka" should just be "my parka."
- Flagstaff is a fictional Maine town, though there is a Flagstaff Lake(man-made) at the northern foot of the Bigelow Range opposite Sugarloaf. The lake covers up some of the route that Benedict Arnold and his ill-fated army of would-be Quebec invaders attempted back in the early days of the Revolutionary War. Didn't work out so well.
- And now a word about domestic felicity. Mike's live-in gal-pal is a pain in the butt. She KNOWS who and what Bowditch is ... RIGHT? So either accept it and stay or take a hike girlie. Enough with the mope-a-dope routine.
Finished up last night with a satisfyingly violent and tense conclusion. Real-world problems crop up too and anchor this story in something approximating reality. However ... an awful lot of dysfunction and mayhem sees to be occurring in this under-populated Maine burg. The name-dropping of products continued unabated and there was a "steaming mug" in there at the end as well. Sigh ... More of the Dennis Dechaine thing is suggested but PD at least doesn't over do it. The word "trespasser" does apply to the Dechaine case, but I don't see how it comes to bear on the murder mystery here. It does apply to another part of the plot, however.
- "in Augusta, the state capitol, ... " - pick one or the other. To use both is redundant.
- Why??? in a description of a woman does her big breasts need to be a part of it?
- 3.5* rounds down to the standard 2* rating for a decent and diverting genre effort.
- "peacoat" s.b. two words "pea coat"
- There's already a bit of product placement here, as in "Maglite" instead of "flashlight" - I kind of get what he was doing there. I have a couple of those big black bastards myself.
- Amen as to the ATV damage in the woods. No matter where they are ridden those things are destructive. In Arizona they destroy decent jeep trails. Same thing in Maine.
- Questionable geography ... Colby College, along with almost everything else in this state, is southern Maine, not central Maine. Culturally, however, Waterville(home of Colby), IS in central Maine.
- "switched on my laptop computer" s.b. "switched on my computer(or laptop)", but not both.
- "New England Patriots t-shirt" s.b. just "Patriots t-shirt."
- Again ... "my Gore-Tex parka" should just be "my parka."
- Flagstaff is a fictional Maine town, though there is a Flagstaff Lake(man-made) at the northern foot of the Bigelow Range opposite Sugarloaf. The lake covers up some of the route that Benedict Arnold and his ill-fated army of would-be Quebec invaders attempted back in the early days of the Revolutionary War. Didn't work out so well.
- And now a word about domestic felicity. Mike's live-in gal-pal is a pain in the butt. She KNOWS who and what Bowditch is ... RIGHT? So either accept it and stay or take a hike girlie. Enough with the mope-a-dope routine.
Finished up last night with a satisfyingly violent and tense conclusion. Real-world problems crop up too and anchor this story in something approximating reality. However ... an awful lot of dysfunction and mayhem sees to be occurring in this under-populated Maine burg. The name-dropping of products continued unabated and there was a "steaming mug" in there at the end as well. Sigh ... More of the Dennis Dechaine thing is suggested but PD at least doesn't over do it. The word "trespasser" does apply to the Dechaine case, but I don't see how it comes to bear on the murder mystery here. It does apply to another part of the plot, however.
- "in Augusta, the state capitol, ... " - pick one or the other. To use both is redundant.
- Why??? in a description of a woman does her big breasts need to be a part of it?
- 3.5* rounds down to the standard 2* rating for a decent and diverting genre effort.
August 16, 2020
In "Trespasser," Paul Doiron reprises Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch, who is the "Down East" version of C.J. Box's Joe Pickett...Enjoyed "Poacher's Son," so I enthusiastically picked "Trespasser" off the library shelves...Like Pickett, Doiron creates wonderful characters and plotting that's like a Le Mans start that races to the denouement...Years earlier, the dead body of a young woman is found, horribly brutalized and a local young man is convicted and sentenced for the murder in what seems to be a rush to judgment...In the present, our Game Warden finds a young woman murdered the same way...Mike Bowditch is torn, despite being off case, is drive to answer the question...Is this new murder a copy, cat or did they imprison the wrong guy...good, solid page-turner!!!
April 24, 2019
Game Warden Mike Bowditch is called out to a car accident, where it is believed someone hit a deer. Unfortunately, a person was hit instead. Rather than go looking for the missing person, the authorities just go through the motions, until finally, a dead woman is found , apparently the victim of a maniac.
Mike Bowditch tries to find the killer, and also to do his job, and have a family life besides.
Part of the flap of game warden detective novels currently going on. Probably as good as those by CJ Box, just set in Maine instead of Wyoming.
Mike Bowditch tries to find the killer, and also to do his job, and have a family life besides.
Part of the flap of game warden detective novels currently going on. Probably as good as those by CJ Box, just set in Maine instead of Wyoming.
December 19, 2011
Mike Bowditch is not a happy camper. We learned in "The Poacher's Son" that sadness is a "perpetual condition." Bowditch doesn't de-gloom in "Trespasser." There's a "gnawing uncertainty" to his world. But he understands his job: "Ultimately, my job wasn't about animals at all. It was about people--and the cruelties they will commit when no one is watching."
Much of "Trespasser" revolves around a years-old murder investigation in Maine and this allows Bowditch to dive back through an old case--with few looking over his shoulder--and look for similarities and conflicts with the central crime. Bowditch plunges through the trial transcript of the old case and picks up a trail of inconsistencies and then goes back to the scene where the earlier "culprit" was apprehended to find the two cases do, indeed, overlap.
It turns out the years-old crime has a passionate cult of followers who believe the wrong guy is in prison. This troupe includes some surprising characters and they play a critical role in keeping Bowditch on track and fired-up, making for some good twists at the end.
I wish I felt more compelled to get in his corner and root for Bowditch. I stopped caring because Bowditch didn't seem like he wanted to help himself. Next time out, I wouldn't mind if Bowditch found a way to dump the dark clouds and bear down on human cruelties, no brooding involved.
Much of "Trespasser" revolves around a years-old murder investigation in Maine and this allows Bowditch to dive back through an old case--with few looking over his shoulder--and look for similarities and conflicts with the central crime. Bowditch plunges through the trial transcript of the old case and picks up a trail of inconsistencies and then goes back to the scene where the earlier "culprit" was apprehended to find the two cases do, indeed, overlap.
It turns out the years-old crime has a passionate cult of followers who believe the wrong guy is in prison. This troupe includes some surprising characters and they play a critical role in keeping Bowditch on track and fired-up, making for some good twists at the end.
I wish I felt more compelled to get in his corner and root for Bowditch. I stopped caring because Bowditch didn't seem like he wanted to help himself. Next time out, I wouldn't mind if Bowditch found a way to dump the dark clouds and bear down on human cruelties, no brooding involved.
September 21, 2021
This book was painful to get through. Slow pacing, no logical progression to the mystery and pages of descriptions of mud (I live in Maine- it's accurate but come on). The main character is toxic, selfish and somehow still lives in a world where men are immature brutes and women are delicate worrying fretting angels that you come home to after you've lied about where you've been all day. I may finish the last 50 pages of this book....or I may just try to forget I read this much of it.
September 26, 2017
Mike Bowditch is a terrible cop: impulsive, judgmental, hot-headed, irresponsible, and one who chose to drive under the influence of prescription drugs. I'm not sure why he still has a job. I've read books about other cops who make bad decisions (Harry Bosch, for one), but I like the characters and the stories enough to root for them. I found this guy unlikeable and irritating.
May 28, 2018
No sophomore slump here, for Mr. Doiron's second Bowditch tale. A well plotted mystery, with secondary characters, you could meet anywhere, in any small town. This is a great outdoor mystery series.
July 30, 2018
I am really liking this series.
March 5, 2021
Trespasser is the second book by Paul Doiron about Maine Game Wardern Mike Bosditch. I gave the first book in the series, The Poacher's Son, a 4 star rating in part for the potential I saw in the character and writing. This second book proved that potential.
Trespasser begins about a missing young woman. Dispatch calls Warden Bowditch about a woman who was in a car-deer accident. Since he is in the midst of another situation requiring his attention, the call is transferred to the State Patrol, only later to find out that the Patrol officer didn't make the call. By the time Bowditch arrives at the scene, the young woman is gone and so is the deer. A tow truck arrives and reports the woman indicated she already had a ride from the scene.
Later, when Bowditch becomes uneasy with the progress being made in locating the woman, he learns she was meeting a Harvard professor who has a mansion in the area. It is only then that he discovers the woman murdered. The case takes an immediate ugly turn when there are similarities between this case and a case from 7 years ago ... a case that put a man away for life.
The investigation, much of it with Bowditch stumbling upon clues and information ahead of the police, takes several turns and presents a wealth of possible suspects, as well an uncomfortable reconsideration of the old case. Could the wrong man have been found guilty before?
Maine is a state I am unfamiliar with except its woods and lakes are reminiscent of Northern Minnesota which I am very familiar with, though this is set along the coast of Maine. The combination of nature and mystery is appealing to me and Paul Doiron is doing a good job with it.
Trespasser begins about a missing young woman. Dispatch calls Warden Bowditch about a woman who was in a car-deer accident. Since he is in the midst of another situation requiring his attention, the call is transferred to the State Patrol, only later to find out that the Patrol officer didn't make the call. By the time Bowditch arrives at the scene, the young woman is gone and so is the deer. A tow truck arrives and reports the woman indicated she already had a ride from the scene.
Later, when Bowditch becomes uneasy with the progress being made in locating the woman, he learns she was meeting a Harvard professor who has a mansion in the area. It is only then that he discovers the woman murdered. The case takes an immediate ugly turn when there are similarities between this case and a case from 7 years ago ... a case that put a man away for life.
The investigation, much of it with Bowditch stumbling upon clues and information ahead of the police, takes several turns and presents a wealth of possible suspects, as well an uncomfortable reconsideration of the old case. Could the wrong man have been found guilty before?
Maine is a state I am unfamiliar with except its woods and lakes are reminiscent of Northern Minnesota which I am very familiar with, though this is set along the coast of Maine. The combination of nature and mystery is appealing to me and Paul Doiron is doing a good job with it.
August 18, 2024
This was a backwards move on my part. I had to go back in the series as everything I have read is newer so it was good to "fill in the blanks" I had in the series.
I now understand the break up between Mike and Sara and how Stacy is coming into the picture. I still love Charlie and all the action. This book makes me long to return to Maine.... only I have NEVEr been.
4 stars
Happy Reading!
I now understand the break up between Mike and Sara and how Stacy is coming into the picture. I still love Charlie and all the action. This book makes me long to return to Maine.... only I have NEVEr been.
4 stars
Happy Reading!
February 14, 2022
I’m rounding up in this case.
May 8, 2022
Another one in this series that was a nice, quick read. It’s a little redundant though. I’m probably done with the series
November 4, 2012
I liked this a lot, but maybe I am biased from being a Maine resident, so I'll put out a cautious 3 star rating. This is the second of three mysteries featuring game warden Mike Bowditch. It’s alluring to me to have an opportunity to explore a new writer who portrays the Maine environment and its odd mix of poor hardscrabble natives and wealthy people from away. The Maine way of life, geography, and seasonal changes become a character in this this tale.
Called to a deer collision at a remote site, Mike finds nothing but an abandoned car. His conscientiousness leads him to pursue both the missing person and missing deer, leading to conflicts with sloppy law enforcement officers and redneck trailer trash clans. His investigations uncover a vicious rape/murder, which has similarities to another case almost a decade before, closed by conviction of a local man all his friends claim was a travesty of justice. Like C.J. Box’s game warden hero, Joe Pickett, Bowditch is sensitive and not much of a warrior, yet is courageous in stubbornly working on solving a mystery despite all the dangerous characters he stirs up and authorities pissed off from his meddling.
Time will tell if I come to like Doiron’s work as much as Box’s. The wry, self-deprecating humor of his hero is almost as good, but missing for me is a focus on revealing the forces of destructive greed among individuals and corporations that exploit environmental resources.
Called to a deer collision at a remote site, Mike finds nothing but an abandoned car. His conscientiousness leads him to pursue both the missing person and missing deer, leading to conflicts with sloppy law enforcement officers and redneck trailer trash clans. His investigations uncover a vicious rape/murder, which has similarities to another case almost a decade before, closed by conviction of a local man all his friends claim was a travesty of justice. Like C.J. Box’s game warden hero, Joe Pickett, Bowditch is sensitive and not much of a warrior, yet is courageous in stubbornly working on solving a mystery despite all the dangerous characters he stirs up and authorities pissed off from his meddling.
Time will tell if I come to like Doiron’s work as much as Box’s. The wry, self-deprecating humor of his hero is almost as good, but missing for me is a focus on revealing the forces of destructive greed among individuals and corporations that exploit environmental resources.
July 7, 2011
I have been waiting with great anticipation for the latest installment of the Warden Mike Bowditch series from author Paul Doiron. His debut novel, The Poacher's Son, which was released last year was a fabulous thriller. Trespasser is just as good if not better. I love the character Mike Bowditch. He stumbles through life, a bit of a rebel, not really sure how to handle his relationship with his girl, but with a great need to do his job properly. His instincts are always dead on...he knew he should have tried harder to find the missing driver in the opening pages.
This fast paced adventure thriller keeps you turning the pages! Doiron portrays the real Maine...the poverty of many of the citizens along side of the ocean-side summer homes of the wealthy. The obsession with ATVs that has gripped rural America and the new problems they've created. The characters in Doiron's Maine are realistic portrayals of its people. You don't have to have read The Poacher's Son to follow the story in Trespasser but a smart reader would read it first and would read it because it is an excellent book!
Trespasser is highly recommended by this blogger!
This fast paced adventure thriller keeps you turning the pages! Doiron portrays the real Maine...the poverty of many of the citizens along side of the ocean-side summer homes of the wealthy. The obsession with ATVs that has gripped rural America and the new problems they've created. The characters in Doiron's Maine are realistic portrayals of its people. You don't have to have read The Poacher's Son to follow the story in Trespasser but a smart reader would read it first and would read it because it is an excellent book!
Trespasser is highly recommended by this blogger!
March 24, 2018
I love, love, love this series! I've got one more book to read and then I will have completed the entire series. In this novel, Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch responds to a trespassing call involving ATVs when the dispatcher sends him to a report of an accident involving a deer. When Bowditch arrives at the scene, he finds blood in the middle of the road and an abandoned vehicle. No deer, no driver. Bowditch is curious but turns the scene over to the state trooper who arrives. The next evening, Bowditch finds the body of the driver and feels guilt that he should have tried harder to find her immediately.
As usual for Bowditch, he can't let it be. His moral compass drives him. He must stick his nose where it doesn't belong. Bowditch is one reason I love this series so much. The books are so descriptive of the outdoors and in this particular book, there's lots of mud!
As usual for Bowditch, he can't let it be. His moral compass drives him. He must stick his nose where it doesn't belong. Bowditch is one reason I love this series so much. The books are so descriptive of the outdoors and in this particular book, there's lots of mud!
September 1, 2011
This was my first book from this writer. I felt it was a struggle to get through this. The plot of the story was good enough but I felt the author's style of writing was just blah. It was choppy and yes the story takes place in Maine but I thought he explained too much in detail about things that didn't pertain in this story regarding the state of Maine.
Story is about a Game Warden that receives a call to check out an accident regarding someone hitting a deer on the road. When he arrives at the scene there is no deer and no driver. The storyline wasn't too bad but I felt it was just poorly written.
Story is about a Game Warden that receives a call to check out an accident regarding someone hitting a deer on the road. When he arrives at the scene there is no deer and no driver. The storyline wasn't too bad but I felt it was just poorly written.
February 17, 2018
This is the second book in the series and better than the first in my opinion. Great story that has ties to a real life Maine mystery. You only find this out in the note after reading the book. Well written as the 1st in the series and keep you in suspense until the last few pages...and leaves you wondering about Warden Bowditch's future. That's all you'll get from me, you'll have to read it yourself!
February 4, 2025
4.5/5! This is the first book I’ve read by Paul Doiron. I really enjoyed his writing style. I may be a bit naive because I truly had no idea how it would end. I had so many suspicions. I enjoyed the mc Mike Bowditch as
well. I couldn’t put this one down. I wish the story had went differently for Mike and Sarah but tbh I wanted to know wtf was going on too Mike!!
well. I couldn’t put this one down. I wish the story had went differently for Mike and Sarah but tbh I wanted to know wtf was going on too Mike!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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