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Mike Bowditch #9.5
Backtrack
Enjoy “Backtrack”—an original, brand new, short story from Edgar Award finalist Paul Doiron, author of the bestselling Mike Bowditch series.
When a visiting hunter goes missing in the middle of a snowstorm, a young Charley Stevens (later the mentor to game warden Mike Bowditch) sets off to rescue him—but begins to suspect the man may not want to be found.
When a visiting hunter goes missing in the middle of a snowstorm, a young Charley Stevens (later the mentor to game warden Mike Bowditch) sets off to rescue him—but begins to suspect the man may not want to be found.
57 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 25, 2019
247 people are currently reading
1021 people want to read
About the author
Paul Doiron
39 books2,313 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 57 reviews
January 29, 2024
3 stars
This was a good short story (reaaallly short, at only 20 pages). Short, but impactful.
This was a good short story (reaaallly short, at only 20 pages). Short, but impactful.
November 11, 2019
First Sentence: There were four doctors staying at the hunting camp.
Game Warden, Charley Stevens, is called to the winter hunting camp where four doctors are staying. However, one of them is missing. It's up to Charlie to find the missing man.
The first thing to know is that this story does not feature Game Warden Mike Bowditch, but focuses on Charlie Stevens, who had been Mike's mentor. The story is also told, very effectively, in retrospect.
A well-done short story truly is a work of art. Such is the case here. With a nicely done twist, Doiron takes the reader from suspense to something unexpected and poses an excellent question while dealing with the subject of regret.
The thing with a short story is that one can't say too much for fear of including a spoiler. What one can say is how much this story may make one think and question what one would do in the same situation. It may also make one want to read much more of Doiron's work. The good news is that there is an impressive backlist.
"Backtrack" is a perfect title for this excellent e-short. It really does take great skill to write a story this short which is this impactful.
BACKTRACK (ShortStory-Charley Stevens-Maine-Contemp) - Ex
Doiron, Paul – e-Short Story
Minotaur Books – Jun 2019
Game Warden, Charley Stevens, is called to the winter hunting camp where four doctors are staying. However, one of them is missing. It's up to Charlie to find the missing man.
The first thing to know is that this story does not feature Game Warden Mike Bowditch, but focuses on Charlie Stevens, who had been Mike's mentor. The story is also told, very effectively, in retrospect.
A well-done short story truly is a work of art. Such is the case here. With a nicely done twist, Doiron takes the reader from suspense to something unexpected and poses an excellent question while dealing with the subject of regret.
The thing with a short story is that one can't say too much for fear of including a spoiler. What one can say is how much this story may make one think and question what one would do in the same situation. It may also make one want to read much more of Doiron's work. The good news is that there is an impressive backlist.
"Backtrack" is a perfect title for this excellent e-short. It really does take great skill to write a story this short which is this impactful.
BACKTRACK (ShortStory-Charley Stevens-Maine-Contemp) - Ex
Doiron, Paul – e-Short Story
Minotaur Books – Jun 2019
September 6, 2020
In from the dark
A short story but somewhat dark.A game warden is sent out to track down a list man and must make life altering decision.
A short story but somewhat dark.A game warden is sent out to track down a list man and must make life altering decision.
November 24, 2019
When Charley Stevens gets the call, he is a 28 year old Maine Game Warden. Dr. Phillip Stoddard, one of four men staying at a hunting cabin has been missing for a few hours. A major snow storm is on the way. Soon Charley Steven is with the remaining hunters at their cabin and working to get the details such as Dr. Stoddard’s mental state, what supplies he has with him, and determining who saw him last and where. All of that is important as those details will help him find the missing hunter.
That search and the results are the main thrust of the short story, Backtrack by Paul Doiron. While it is being marked by Minotaur books on Amazon as A Mike Bowditch Short Mystery, the only truth is it is a short story and is not much of a mystery. I knew why he was missing in all likelihood before it became very clear that I was right. With my personal history, the reason why he is missing in the short story was not really something I wanted to read either. I can’t say more without flat blowing the read, but if you know what I have very publicly been through the last few years, you will understand why I am so sick and tired of seeing that used as a story element in books and television shows. God knows, I lived it and I get it. I read to escape my reality each day and I don’t need the fiction vehicles I use to escape to slap me in the face with that stuff.
More annoying is the fact that despite the fact that it is being marketed on Amazon that it is from the series, Mike Bowditch never once makes an appearance nor is he even mentioned. The fact that is was marked as a “Mike Bowditch” tale, was the sole reason I purchased to read and review. It was only later after I had finished it, I realized that the cover art made no mention or claim that this read was, in fact, from his series.
The marketing folks at Minotaur should be ashamed. They are blatantly lying to the reading public. In this day of “alternative facts” I guess that I should not be surprised that a publishing house does this sort of nonsense, but I am not pleased.
Ignoring the false marketing as well as my personal reaction to a story telling element in it, Backtrack by Paul Doiron is a solidly good story as written. Charley’s hunt for the missing Dr. Stoddard is very atmospheric and intense. If you know going in to the read that it is being falsely marketed by Minotaur/Amazon and know that it has nothing about Mike Bowditch as it is set decades earlier, it is a good read and well worth your time.
Backtrack
Paul Doiron
http://www.pauldoiron.com/
Minotaur Books
https://us.macmillan.com/minotaurbooks/
June 2019
ASIN: B07SVTDKBP
21 Pages
Back in September when the publisher made this a free read, I picked it up to read and review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2019
That search and the results are the main thrust of the short story, Backtrack by Paul Doiron. While it is being marked by Minotaur books on Amazon as A Mike Bowditch Short Mystery, the only truth is it is a short story and is not much of a mystery. I knew why he was missing in all likelihood before it became very clear that I was right. With my personal history, the reason why he is missing in the short story was not really something I wanted to read either. I can’t say more without flat blowing the read, but if you know what I have very publicly been through the last few years, you will understand why I am so sick and tired of seeing that used as a story element in books and television shows. God knows, I lived it and I get it. I read to escape my reality each day and I don’t need the fiction vehicles I use to escape to slap me in the face with that stuff.
More annoying is the fact that despite the fact that it is being marketed on Amazon that it is from the series, Mike Bowditch never once makes an appearance nor is he even mentioned. The fact that is was marked as a “Mike Bowditch” tale, was the sole reason I purchased to read and review. It was only later after I had finished it, I realized that the cover art made no mention or claim that this read was, in fact, from his series.
The marketing folks at Minotaur should be ashamed. They are blatantly lying to the reading public. In this day of “alternative facts” I guess that I should not be surprised that a publishing house does this sort of nonsense, but I am not pleased.
Ignoring the false marketing as well as my personal reaction to a story telling element in it, Backtrack by Paul Doiron is a solidly good story as written. Charley’s hunt for the missing Dr. Stoddard is very atmospheric and intense. If you know going in to the read that it is being falsely marketed by Minotaur/Amazon and know that it has nothing about Mike Bowditch as it is set decades earlier, it is a good read and well worth your time.
Backtrack
Paul Doiron
http://www.pauldoiron.com/
Minotaur Books
https://us.macmillan.com/minotaurbooks/
June 2019
ASIN: B07SVTDKBP
21 Pages
Back in September when the publisher made this a free read, I picked it up to read and review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2019
July 15, 2019
A nice little short story of Charley in his younger days. Sadly it is only a short story since I can't seem to get enough in this series.
December 17, 2022
Charley Stevens is looking for a missing 68 yo doctor from Boston who didn’t return to his hunting cabin. It’s snowing. It’s dark. Charley faces a moral dilemma.
Doiron should start another series about Charley.
Doiron should start another series about Charley.
May 4, 2022
It was interesting!
July 3, 2025
The best story teller!
Charley Stevens is my favorite, so I love that he gets his own spotlight. A perfect break between Mike Bowditch adventures.
Charley Stevens is my favorite, so I love that he gets his own spotlight. A perfect break between Mike Bowditch adventures.
August 29, 2019
A easy coffee time read but nothing special.
May 7, 2023
Interesting short read
This was a very interesting short read. I could definitely have carried in reading more about this story.
Mike is a game warden in Maine who receives a phonecall that someone has got lost out hunting, he goes to speak with the man’s friends who have come with him to find out a bit more about him. Mike prides himself on being one of the best trackers and sets out to find the lost man in the middle of the snow. I did spend the majority of this story hoping that Mike would find the poor man, and then feeling sorry for the man at the end. It did pose a little bit of an ethical dilemma about what I would do as well.
This was a very interesting short read. I could definitely have carried in reading more about this story.
Mike is a game warden in Maine who receives a phonecall that someone has got lost out hunting, he goes to speak with the man’s friends who have come with him to find out a bit more about him. Mike prides himself on being one of the best trackers and sets out to find the lost man in the middle of the snow. I did spend the majority of this story hoping that Mike would find the poor man, and then feeling sorry for the man at the end. It did pose a little bit of an ethical dilemma about what I would do as well.
January 26, 2021
It seems that all of these short stories focus heavily on either a story told by Charley Stevens or one involving Charley.
This one is no different. Charley as a young warden was called in to help find a missing hunter. He did and the hunter told him how much he wished Charley had been a day later. In the naviete of his youth Charley did not understand the man.
As an older man he relates the story to Mike and in doing so explains his new understanding of why the man would have preferred he died before Charley found him.
This one is no different. Charley as a young warden was called in to help find a missing hunter. He did and the hunter told him how much he wished Charley had been a day later. In the naviete of his youth Charley did not understand the man.
As an older man he relates the story to Mike and in doing so explains his new understanding of why the man would have preferred he died before Charley found him.
May 16, 2021
Short but filled with drama.
This is a very short read, about twenty minutes or so, but I was fully engrossed in it. A group of doctors are in the Maine woods deer hunting and one of their party fails to return to their cabin at the end of the day. Charley Stevens, in this prequel a young man, goes in search of the missing man. All is not quite as it seems, however. The outcome itself isn't a real mystery but the reason likely will be.
This would make a great book to read over lunch or while waiting for an appointment. It's short but sweet.
This is a very short read, about twenty minutes or so, but I was fully engrossed in it. A group of doctors are in the Maine woods deer hunting and one of their party fails to return to their cabin at the end of the day. Charley Stevens, in this prequel a young man, goes in search of the missing man. All is not quite as it seems, however. The outcome itself isn't a real mystery but the reason likely will be.
This would make a great book to read over lunch or while waiting for an appointment. It's short but sweet.
March 10, 2025
With history as a USA pilot and prisoner of war in Vietnam, Charley Stevens has become a Maine game warden and we continue with his time before Mike Bowditch entered his life. I feel like I should have been making a chart listing every character in Doiron’s books because so many reappear multiple times. Do I need to go back and list every slight, every statement that gives Charley (and then Mike) pause? Perhaps.
July 30, 2021
Thought Provoking
This is a quick read short story mystery about a Maine game warden who was called to search for a hunter who didn't return to the cabin he was sharing with three friends. What the game warden decided when he found the man haunted him the rest of his life. I recommend this as interesting and thought provoking.
This is a quick read short story mystery about a Maine game warden who was called to search for a hunter who didn't return to the cabin he was sharing with three friends. What the game warden decided when he found the man haunted him the rest of his life. I recommend this as interesting and thought provoking.
January 21, 2024
Of all the short stories I have read so far from the Mike Bowditch series, this one is good but seems plucked from an existing narrative - as if it was edited out of a larger novel-length story and simply labeled as a short story. It was interesting but the beginning is very abrupt and the end doesn’t close the loop like it seems it should.
May 8, 2024
Paul Doiron is one of my favorite authors, so I read this very short story, Backtrack. I have read all the Mike Bowditch books chronologically from one through nine. This story is very brief and only goes on for sixteen pages (and it is free). Nonetheless, it is very thought provoking regarding the process of dying, and where does one draw the line between respecting another's privacy compared to the responsibility of saving a life. Give it a read. It will only take an hour or two.
June 15, 2019
Good little short story that takes us back to Charley Stevens working as a game warden in his earlier days. Always enjoy Charlie and his stories, this one being about the size of a chapter in a full length novel.
May 22, 2020
I don't think there is another author writing today that can capture so much emotion and intimate characterization in so few pages as Paul Doiron. His writing, short or long, just leaves a lasting impact. It makes you think about things in your own life, and wonder about his characters and their lives long after they leave the pages.
October 20, 2020
I have read all of the Mike Bowditch books and rated each and every one of them with five stars, but this short story just didn't make me feel the same way. It left me feeling very sad. This doesn't mean that I have lost interest, but
April 30, 2021
In this short story, Mike Bowditch's mentor, Charlie, tells of making a life changing event that occurred in his younger years. Looking back, he wonders if he made the right decision. A very quick read.
July 18, 2021
Rush hour read… Nothing special
The first sentence and some of the developments look very promising but then it just … reaches the end of the story.
Nothing special about and I can’t find a purpose to the story.
The first sentence and some of the developments look very promising but then it just … reaches the end of the story.
Nothing special about and I can’t find a purpose to the story.
September 5, 2021
When a visiting hunter goes missing in the middle of a snowstorm, a young Charley Stevens (later the mentor to game warden Mike Bowditch) sets off to rescue him—but begins to suspect the man may not want to be found.
May 31, 2023
A unique short story from Charley's perspective about the clarity between the decisiveness of a young man versus the wisdom that comes with age.
I wish it had been a little bit longer to explore more between Charley and Ora, particularly her comment about his calling her "Boss."
I wish it had been a little bit longer to explore more between Charley and Ora, particularly her comment about his calling her "Boss."
December 21, 2025
A great story, told by Charley about the choices made and how those choices change as we age.
When he ran across a situation that in hindsight he should have treated with mercy, he upheld his righteousness which didn't change the outcome.
A principled tale.
When he ran across a situation that in hindsight he should have treated with mercy, he upheld his righteousness which didn't change the outcome.
A principled tale.
July 4, 2019
Too short of story
I know this is a short story, but it's too short for this genre. This short story have a chance to be a good one if seriously written.
I know this is a short story, but it's too short for this genre. This short story have a chance to be a good one if seriously written.
April 11, 2020
Super short Charley story. It's always a nice interlude to get a glimpse into Charley's backstory, but this was really a quick glimpse.
April 15, 2020
I can relate.
As an avid outdoors men that is the scenario I envision of choice of the situation ever presented itself to me.
As an avid outdoors men that is the scenario I envision of choice of the situation ever presented itself to me.
August 27, 2020
A well written short story. Definitely fits well into the world of Mike Bowditch and the Maine woods.
March 16, 2021
Creepy & sad. Kept looking for an outside source of evil, when it was within.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2021
Which came first ? Bowditch or Pickett ?
Which came first ? Bowditch or Pickett ?
Short short story.
Found this downloaded after reading another Bowditch shirt story.
Which came first ? Bowditch or Pickett ?
Short short story.
Found this downloaded after reading another Bowditch shirt story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews