The Caretaker

Mike Bowditch #11.5

by Paul Doiron

In "The Caretaker," an original short story from bestselling author Paul Doiron, Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch tracks down a sinister prowler turning a couple's dream vacation home into a nightmare.New owners of a dream cottage on a remote Maine lake find themselves taunted, then menaced by an unknown figure. When the local authorities refuse to help, they turn to retired Maine game warden Charley Stevens and his young protege Mike Bowditch for protection. But Charley begins to suspect there is more to the mystery than the couple is letting on--and if he and Mike don’t act fast, the situation will explode into violence.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Fiction, Audiobook, Thriller, Adult, Adventure

51 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 4, 2021

About the author

Paul 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.

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Caretaker is a 50 page short story that introduces a crime-solving retired game warden and the young man who is to follow in his steps. 50 pages is really not enough to do a full mystery story but it does show promise. It is offered as a free e book. I enjoyed the two main characters who are to be in the full length novels by this author. Set in forested, remote Maine.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable read. The characters of Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch and Charley Steven's have great chemistry. The mystery itself was good as well. This is book 11.5 in the series, but you don't need to read it from the beginning to enjoy this short tale.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this novella (#11.5) in Paul Doiron's "Mike Bowditch" series.

[Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Caretaker by Paul Doiron is a good short story. Charley Stevens is a great character and I loved how he figured out the truth. Still, I always find short stories like this one good and also frustrating. They are too short. I liked the mystery in this book, but it was over way too soon. Still, I love reading them because I love the Mike Bowditch series.

[Lisa Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another brief story where Charlie takes the lead.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, short story that leads into another book.. it was great as a stand-alone, but was also a great book.

Always lots of action, adventure, and thrills with this series.

5 stars

Happy Reading!

[Cory St. Esprit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a pleasure

Anything Doiron writes is gold in my book. I love the short store teasers to get us through to the next installment in the series.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story. A game warden and a retired game warden match wits with a woman out for revenge in the remote, rural woods of Maine. They aren’t the rubes she believes them to be but she still prevails. Definitely going to start at the beginning of this series. I’m a sucker for game warden tales.

[Abibliofob · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Caretaker by Paul Doiron is a neat little short story about Charley Stevens and Mike Bowditch. It's all about some strange happenings at a couples cottage. Who is breaking in without a trace and is it dangerous by the lake? This is as usual a well written story from a great author.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast, enjoyable read.

[Paul Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fun to be back with Mike and Charlie.

[Sheldon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mike Bowditch is a superb character but when his mentor Charley Ward gets involved you have a gem of a mystery. I do not like short stories but this short shot is an absolute winner.

[Kevintipple · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Caretaker: A Short Story by Paul Doiron begins with Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch sitting on the porch with retired Game Warden and good friend, Charley Stevens. The quiet calm of Sixth Machias Lake is broken by Violet and Josiah Baker driving a brand new and now very dusty, Tesla. Sent by the local authorities, the high power couple need their help.

Recently, Violet and Josiah Baker bought an old cabin at nearby Quillpig Pond and started massive renovations. Things were going as expected until approximately two weeks strange things started happening in and around the cabin. What seemly started as a weird joke has now escalated into what appears to be a violent threat of some type. Then couple, especially Violet, are frustrated and want it stopped.

Violet is sure their caretaker, Kevin Moran, is responsible. Charley and Mike are not so sure. While he is known to the Game Wardens as a loner and with a strange sense of humor, he isn't known for what Violet is reporting.

Still, the Game Wardens are interested and start trying to figure out what is going on. Things escalate quickly in the Caretaker: A Short Story by Paul Doiron.

A fast and fun read, the short story is a small taste of the very enjoyable series. Packaged with the short story is an excerpt from the next novel in the series, Dead by Dawn, which is coming out late this month.



The Caretaker: A Short Story
Paul Doiron
http://www.pauldoiron.com
Minotaur Books (Macmillan Books)
https://us.macmillan.com/books/978125...
ASIN: B08WL1S1HK
eBook
51 Pages


I purchased my reading copy a few weeks ago from Amazon.


Kevin R. Tipple ©2021

[Donna Siebold · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always at their best when Charley is part of the story, this novelette tells the tale of a couple who purchased a "cabin" on a pond. They are now reporting strange occurrences and threatening actions. They came looking for Charley and he was with Mike.

Charley knew something was off when he and Mike visited the cabin. He hoped to be able to avoid any dangerous incidents but later than night he and Mike headed back to the cabin based on Charley's sense that something was awry.

This is a story of long-awaited revenge and over-do justice.

[Troy Sloyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve read almost every book in this series. Had to jump back to this one as it wasn’t available when I’ve tried to get it in the past. I’ve enjoyed the books and rated most all 4 or 5. This one left me feeling like the entire ending was speculation. The events were very usual for law enforcement officers to get involved with unofficially. The lecture and one sided gun data that went on for way too long felt like a political slogan! Shortly there after Mike is told “make sure you bring your gun”? Sorry this one was a huge disappointment for me.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is common for authors, who write book series, to intersperse the main novels with a short story. I have never read any of these, though several authors I follow write them. I decided to try this one featuring Mike Bowditch. It was quite good. It’s amazing how an accomplished author can develop several new characters and a plot that draws the reader in without writing an entire book. I don’t really like short stories, however because if they are good, they end too soon!

[Zanthine Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun short!

I genuinely enjoy these short stories that Paul Doiron has taken to publishing. This one is an earlier episode in Warden Mike & his mentor Charley’s lives. A couple of out of towners ask Charley and Mike for help with a stalker. But are things really what they seem? Charlie’s sharp observations see beneath the surface to the real story.

[Josh Landers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Who wrote this?

This is one my favorite mystery series but this short story was a departure from the original books in that Mike Bowditch comes off as a petulant idiot while Charley is portrayed as Sherlock Holmes. The language and tone seemed to be written by a British author(?) and not Paul Doiron. "Bloody" this and that. Please read and enjoy the other books in this series.

[Dan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A novella

New owners of a dream cottage on a remote Maine lake find themselves taunted, then menaced by an unknown figure. When the local authorities refuse to help, they turn to retired Maine game warden Charley Stevens and his young protege Mike Bowditch for protection. But Charley begins to suspect there is more to the mystery than the couple is letting on

[Marlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love short stories, especially those like this one where the whole plot is told and yet you want more. When Mike and his friend, Charlie find themselves approached by a city couple with a problem; they decide to look into it. Little do they know, they are being drawn into a game with deadly consequences.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Game Warden Mike Bowditch is sitting on Charley Steven's porch just passing time when a very dusty Tesla breaks the silence. The inhabitants, Violet and Josia Baker have been given the address to report strange goings on and threats at their old cabin at Quillpig Pond. They're in the process of a huge renovation and are having issues with their caretaker, Kevin Moran.

While Mike and Charley have no reason to believe that Kevin is responsible, they are duty bound to investigate.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wanted more...but that’s the premise of a short story..lol. Best mystery series for me since Boyer’s Doc Adams. I think Mike Bowditch and Doc Adams need to pair up and solve one together on the Eastern Seaboard.

[Carolyn Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this short story (49 pages) by mistake. I was trying to find Gabriel Bergmoser's latest entry into Outback Noir with the same book title. I never found it, but I remembered that I had read and enjoyed a book featuring author Paul Doiron's Game Warden Mike Bowditch. The stories take place in the Maine wilderness and have a great sense of place. This involves a complicated plan, revenge, murder, and a killer avoiding justice.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never read short stories because I just get wrapped up in the story and it ends…this is one of my favorites, Mike bowditch, so that’s why I read it and also my requests for books are seriously slow to get to me….I am desperate for books to be available at both libraries I use….

[Lis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick adventure with Mike and Charlie that will leave you wondering how it was even possible. I love these quick reads that Paul Doiron has added to the series. It gives just enough to make me love the characters even more.

[Pam Bales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little nugget to add to the series. Always good to have a reminder of what attracted me to the series in the first place. Ready to get back in and read more.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This mans writing always pulls you in after one page. I just wish the short stories were longer, guess they wouldn’t be short stories. Very good yarn.

[Jeannine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoy short mysteries but I found this one to be anticlimactic with a resolution that seemed too contrived for my taste

[Arianna Mclaughlin (arianna.reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well- written short story that will appeal to fans of the series and gives a good taste of the environment and characters.

[Danny Townsend · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting Story

I enjoyed this story very much , to me it was very realistic and it kept me turning page after page.