Skin and Bones

Mike Bowditch #12.5

by Paul Doiron

In this original short story in the bestselling Mike Bowditch series, the killing of a bald eagle unearths ties to a tragic case from mentor Charley Steven’s past.

When Maine game warden Mike Bowditch discovers a bullet-ridden bald eagle in the Maine woods, he is surprised by the memories it brings back for his mentor, retired warden pilot Charley Stevens. Decades earlier, Charley briefly teamed up with Mike’s father, the notorious poacher Jack Bowditch, on an unsettling case that has haunted Charley for years. The two enemies, both war veterans, found common cause over the senseless shooting of a magnificent eagle. But what started as a tentative alliance over a wildlife crime soon became something bigger and more terrifying: an investigation into a missing young man whose physically abusive brother might well have finally killed him. When an unspeakable discovery led to an impossible choice, Charley and Jack were forced to decide how far they would go to find justice when faced with inhumanity taken to its extreme.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Fiction, Audiobook, Novella, Mystery Thriller, Suspense

Audiobook

Published June 7, 2022

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

[Magdalena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skin and Bones is a short story from retired warden pilot Charley Stevens's past when he "worked" a case with Mike's father Jack Bowditch to catch the man who killed an eagle. I quite liked this story and for once, at least it feels like it didn't feel like the story was too short. I really liked getting a story from Charley's past concerning Jack Bowditch and hope for more stories like this one.

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars for Skin and Bones: Mike Bowditch, Book 12.5 (audiobook) Paul Doiron read by Henry Leyva.

This short story is my first glimpse into Mike Bowditch’s world. I really enjoy the perspective of the game warden stopping the poachers. And it was interesting to see back story of the earlier eagle kill that wade on him for years. I think I’m going to start this series from the beginning.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this novella #12.5 in Paul Doiron's "Mike Bowditch" series!

[Abibliofob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mike Bowditch is told a story from Charley Stevens past that is so brutal that he has a hard time accepting it. Skin and Bones from Paul Doiron is another masterpiece from this Maine author. The story is an example on why I hesitate visiting Maine but I'm sure to go ther some day. It would be worth the trip only to meet Doiron himself. He is really one of my favorite authors.

[Meghan Samberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story. Content was…yikes.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

SKIN AND BONES
Paul Doiron

A short story about the killing of a bald eagle tells the memories of the retired warden and mentor Charely Stevens about Mike's father.

I really enjoy this series about Maine game warden Mike Bowditch. His father was a notorious poacher of game, but Charley's story reminds Mike that even the worse have rules and ideologies. The flip of the story is that while it shows that the worse is not always bad all the time, the good is not always good either. I have a feeling that Mike was disappointed in his hero, Charley.

5 stars

Happy Reading!

[Cyndi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a big Paul Doiron fan and this was my first audiobook of his. The narrator was excellent and held my attention throughout. This is a novella, which I've also not read before. Despite it's short length, it packed a good punch and was very easy to follow. There wasn't a huge mystery, but that would've been difficult to pull off in a novella. I will recommend this to library patrons. It'd be an excellent audiobook to listen to on a short car ride.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio and Paul Doiron for my complimentary e-audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skin and Bones is another short story that is peripheral to Paul Doiron’s series about Maine Game Warden, Mike Bowditch. This story takes place when Mike is only a few years into his service as a Maine Game Warden. Like several other short stories in the series, it focuses more on Mike’s mentor, retired Maine Game Warden and pilot Charley Stevens. However, the story also involved Mike’s late father, who was a well-known poacher in the northern Maine woods.

Mike Bowditch pulls up to Charley’s house with a deceased bald eagle in the back of his truck. He’s angry about the bird being killed. It was still on the endangered species list at the time. He asks Charley if he’s ever seen anything like it in all his years as a Game Warden. Charley then regales him with a tale from his days on patrol.

On his way back to his house one evening, Charley is stopped in his truck by Jack Bowditch. Jack has the body of a dead bald eagle in the back of his truck, shot through the eye. Jack may be a poacher himself, but he is angry about the national symbol being so callously killed. He’s sure he knows who did it, a young poacher by the name of Tim Grindle. Charley appreciates the information and says he’ll follow it up. Jack wants to go along with him, but Charley tells him no.

When Charley shows up at the home of the two orphaned Grindle brothers, he’s attempting to discuss what happened with Tim’s older brother, Ed. Jack shows up in the middle of the conversation. Charley ends up running interference between the brothers as well as between Jack and Tim. Although not always a law-abiding citizen himself, Ed knows that killing an eagle crosses a line. In a fit of anger, Ed hurls a log at his brother, which strikes him in the chest. Tim then disappears into the wintry woods in bare feet and without a coat.

To read my complete review, please go to Skin and Bones by Paul Doiron – The Moral Code of Poachers

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mike Bowditch has been a game warden for three years. He’s found a dead eagle shot by some ne’er-do-well. He shows it to Charlie, the senior/retired game warden which prompts Charlie to bring up a dead eagle story involving Mike’s notorious poacher of a father. It’s dark and more of a confession by Charlie.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another strong short in this series. Doiron continues to round out his characters with these mini story installations. This one ranks high on the gruesome scale by the end.

[Jon Knepp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is gross

[Kris Zeller · Rating 5 out of 5]

When his protege, Mike Bowditch, finds a bullet-ridden Bald Eagle, Retired Warden Charley Stevens is reminded of a similarly distressing case from his past. In this story, set years prior to the current series, we follow a young Charley as he finds an unlikely ally in the form of Mike's Dad, infamous poacher Jack Bowditch and the two of them try to get to the bottom of the slain birds.

I loved everything about this. Charley is my favorite character in the current series (Sorry, Mike!) and I absolutely loved seeing him (and Ora!) as their younger selves.

The only note I have is that as much as I love Charley, I wouldn't burn an Audible credit on a Novella. I'd definitely prefer to buy it separately at a novella price.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I listen to the well narrated short story Skin and Bones, I can not help but wonder if author Paul Doiron is testing the waters of a prequel series. Charley Stevens has been prominently featured in the Mike Bowditch series, though there is a huge backstory that has yet to be told. This short story ties in Jack Bowditch, Mike's father, a poacher with his own skewed idea of a moral code.

The narration is good and I would recommend the format to those who like to listen instead of read. The voice actor gives the characters life and does a great job of expressing feelings and emotions. I would like to know more of the background of both Charley and Jack, so I hope that the author is planning on expanding out his idea.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Audio Copy of Skin and Bones by NetGalley and the publisher. The decision to listen to and review this book was entirely my own.

[Sally Ashe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kept secret memory with a terrible kicker

Great short story!
I just finished Hatchet Island today and longed for a bit more Bowditch so plunged into Charlie's memory, Of Skin and Bones.
Beautiful crafted tale, peppered with details that build the reader's knowledge of the characters.
I think it would work just as well, if this was the only piece read in this series, but having read the series, it felt like this was intimate time spent, learning backstory details about loved characters.
Gruesome end with an ethical dilemma, decided and lived with. So Doiron!

[Hayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am going to jump right into the short story for which this collection is titled, “Skin and Bones.” It all begins with an eagle that has been shot and killed and brought to Maine Game Warden, Mike Bowditch. Mike, in turn, shows the tragically shot majestic bird to his friend and mentor Charley Stevens, a retired Maine Game Warden. At this point, Charley regales Mike with a memory from his own experience as a young warden and another eagle that had been shot dead. Unfortunately for Mike, this story includes the character of Jack Bowditch, Mike’s father, who is a known poacher and criminal to the Maine Warden Service. As Charley’s story unfolds, it’s fast-paced, compelling, followed by shocking discoveries, and downright grisly! This story is by far some of the best writing by Paul Doiron!

While “Skin and Bones” was the major short story in this collection, there were some very interesting and informative other stories as well. In these stories, Doiron gives the reader an intriguing glimpse of the character development of Charley Stevens, retired Maine Game Warden. Doiron really peels back the layers that creates Charley, and he indicates how Charley has gained so much experience and wisdom in his years of service to the State of Maine.

Throughout the entire Bowditch series, Doiron takes the reader to a specific location in Maine during the different and ever-changing seasons. His description of the vast woodlands, rocky coastline, and most recently in the novel Pitch Dark, the Canadian border. The story “Sheep’s Clothing” takes place after Pitch Dark and shows Mike dealing with the consequences of his actions. With this little story one can only hope and possibly presume that Doiron is already composing his next Bowditch novel.

Many thanks for this ARC from NetGalley, Paul Doiron, and St. Martin’s Press. I leave an honest and voluntary review and rate this collection a high 5 out of 5 rating.

[Sandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mike Bowditch is a game warden in Maine, a surprising career move as his dad was a famous poacher in the area. Mike has found an eagle shot and on his weekly visit with his mentor, Charley Stevens, who is retired now. That brings back memories for Stevens of a time that he joined forces with Bowditch's father.

Jack Bowditch flagged down Stevens one day with a bald eagle in the back of his truck, outraged that someone had killed the nation's symbol. Both men had been in the armed forces but took different paths afterward. Bowditch insisted he knew who had done it, a young boy who was making his way after his parents were killed by living with his abusive older brother and making a little cash on the side by poaching and selling his catch. Stevens went to their house to check it out but Bowditch followed him and things escalated It ended with the abusive brother in jail that night and the younger one, having been beaten by the older, running off into the woods.

Bowditch comes back in a day or so saying now he really knows who did it, an Indian who is a cook in a notorious bar. But by then, the young boy has been missing for a few days. His girlfriend said he wanted them to run off but she hadn't heard anything else from him. Stevens puts the blame for whatever happens to the boy on Bowditch's shoulders due to his false accusation.

This novella tells a story that adds more information to the backstory of Mike Bowditch who is the hero of Paul Doiron's series. Mike has devoted his life to the Forestry Service and taken Stevens as his hero since his own father scoffed at the law and did whatever he wanted. It is an interesting story and fans of the series will enjoy it. This book is recommended for mystery readers, especially fans of the Mike Bowditch series.

[Terri (BooklyMatters) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of eight original short stories features Mike Bowditch and his colleague, retired game warden Charley Stevens, a duo made popular in a series of novels penned by this author, and the first this reader has come to experience. Reminiscent of Robert B Parker’s Jesse Stone, Mike Bowditch is a Maine Game Warden and investigator, whose brushes with crime involve colorful characters populating the isolated North Woods of Maine. Dripping with trailers and rifles, poverty and suspicion, these woods are not for the feint of heart, as Mike and his sometimes mentor root out evil with a nose for justice, and the aid of Shadow, Mike’s huge and mostly wild wolf-dog.

A rule breaker with a penchant for making simple investigations more complex, Mike is a wonderful character, rubbing shoulders with both the downtrodden and the criminal in a series of adventures that echo with the grisly primitive voice of “Deliverance”, melded seamlessly with our narrators - Charley, a sort of folksy uber-observant Sherlock Holmes who has seen it all; and Mike, young, already cynical, with a bull-in-a-china shop attitude to diving in and getting the job done.

A terrific bit of fun, I enjoyed each of these stories and find myself now eager to read the entire series.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publishers for an ARC of this book.
All thoughts presented are my own.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this audiobook. It is a very quick 2 hours of listening. This is a short story featuring Mike Bowditch, the protagonist in the terrific series of novels about the young game warden in Maine. This short story is a memory of a terrible crime back when Mike’s 70 year old mentor was a young game warden. Back then the young warden Charlie Stevens was approached by Mike’s father, an infamous poacher. Jack Bowditch has found a shot bald eagle. He blames a young boy he saw poaching in the woods. When he takes Charlie to confront the boy, the boy’s volatile older brother injures him badly and the boy runs away. Then Jack says he was wrong about who shot the endangered bird. But the injured boy is still missing. It is an emotional short story about a terrible crime uncovered by Charlie as he searches for the boy.

[HappyBookWorm2020 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of eight short stories featuring Mike Bowditch and Charlie Stephens. I am always surprised when reading one of his books that the people that the wardens encounter are frequently not vacationers, but people who live there year round, in a place where the depth of the snow may be measured in feet.

The short stories are fabulous, surprising me by the variety of the stories. The first story features a hermit who managed to stay hidden for decades, living by breaking into cabins and stealing food, propane, blankets, and other needed items. Other stories involve a rabid bat who may have infected a human, a hunter missing in a blizzard, a dead man with Mike's name, and more. I received an e-arc of this book from publisher St. Martin's Press, and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

[Janet Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Mike Bowditch discovers an the body of a bald eagle shot by an ice fisherman, he takes the carcass to his old mentor, Charley Stevens. Filled with outrage, Mike takes time to talk and Stevens relates a long ago and fairly grim story about Mike's father in a similar situation. Doiron has written a number of shorter works about his main character, each of which has revealed back story that hasn't fit into the longer novels. This novella is particularly tight and well plotted. As the action is set well before the series start, it can be plugged in anywhere as a free standing tale. Another excellent narration by Henry Leyva.

[Cary Griffith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reads like a throwback to an original novel that didn't make it into the Bowditch series because it technically wasn't about Mike Bowditch. It is, no giveaways intended, about his father. So for Bowditch lovers there's definitely something to savor. I love the story, the pace, the characters, the setting, and the plot. I was somewhat surprised by the ending, but it fit (sort of).

I'm thinking Doiron wrote this early on and it wasn't long enough of Mike Bowditch specific enough to make it into a full length novel. Nonetheless, an enjoyable read.

[Mary Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good short story, and Paul Doiron is a master storyteller. Skin and Bones is a collection of short stories that feature game warden, Mike Bowditch, who is also the main character in a book series. The first three stories reveal some of the backstory of bush pilot, Charley Stevens, and the rest are about Mike. I've read two other books in this series and enjoyed them both, but one does not need to have read any of the prior books in order to enjoy this short story collection. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC.

[Kasia Hubbard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skin and Bones is a collection of eight short stories that involve Warden Mike Bowditch. Whether he's telling the story, someone else is telling his story, or you're hearing a story about him to the next generation, one thing is crystal clear. Warden Mike Bowditch has had interesting interactions with individuals that rival the top true crime lists. Each story is captivating and quickly draws you in as you rush to the last page. Highly recommend and will be looking forward to more by this author!
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

[Donna Siebold · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mike Bowditch has discovered a dead bald eagle. He is furious with the person (not identified) who shot the bird and visits Charlie for some advice.

Charlie takes the opportunity to tell Mike of a similar incident from his past. This one involving Mikes father and another dead eagle.

This is a good story giving us a bit more background on Jack Bowditch and his moral code. It is a little lacking in developing Mike's storyline, but it is worth reading.

[Holly Ristau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this was a good one! This story is a Charley Stevens story from the past that included Mike's dad, Jack... a renowned poacher in his day. I definitely did not see this ending coming!

This was just a novella. On to the next book. I'm home with Covid now, so will probably finish the Mike Bowditch series in the next few days.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skin and Bones by @PaulDoiron
.
A short story that packs a punch. A past story from Charlie to Mike that involves Mikes dad Jack, a bald eagle and a dead body. Once upon a time Charlie and Jack found themself involved in a case of a dead Bald Eagle Jack was not pleased and thought he could take matters into his own hands. Not Charlies proudest moment and asks Mike for forgiveness.
.

[Rachel Reid]

SO disturbing--this is also a short story, but longer than his others--116 pages. Honestly glad he didn't make this one any longer--hated the resolution-though I don't disagree with Charley's actions I am a bit sad that it sullied his incorruptible moral code a bit. It was also interesting to hear more about Mike's dad.

[PeggySue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eek! Kind of gruesome but still a good addition to the Mike Bowditch featuring Charley Stevens and Jack Bowditch in the early part of Charley’s career.
Henry Leyva is the right narrator for this series.

[Pam Bales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad, sad story

Great addition to the series, but what an awful thing to have happened. If you enjoy the game warden, park and wildlife offices genre, add Paul Doiron to your love of C.J. Box. Books by these authors are hard to beat.

[BrkrDave · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not a fan of short stories because the characters and the relationship between just can't be adequately developed. I have read every one of Paul Doiron's books so I wasn't going to let this one go by. The plot was interesting and for what it was, it was enjoyable.