St. Martin's Minotaur 2014
United Kingdom: Constable & Robinson
Awards
Named Best Summer Reading in Down East Magazine's July 2014 Best of Maine Issue
One of The News & Observers' Best Mysteries of July 2014
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The Bone Orchard
In the aftermath of a family tragedy, Mike Bowditch has left the Maine Warden Service and is working as a fishing guide in the North Woods. But when his mentor Sgt. Kathy Frost is forced to kill a troubled war veteran in an apparent case of "suicide by cop," he begins having second thoughts about his decision.
Now Kathy finds herself the target of a government inquiry and outrage from the dead soldier's platoon mates. Soon she finds herself in the sights of a sniper, as well. When the sergeant is shot outside her farmhouse, Mike joins the hunt to find the mysterious man responsible. To do so, the ex-warden must plunge into his friend's secret past—even as a beautiful woman from Mike's own past returns, throwing into jeopardy his tentative romance with wildlife biologist Stacey Stevens.
As Kathy Frost lies on the brink of death and a dangerous shooter stalks the blueberry barrens of central Maine, Bowditch is forced to confront the choices he has made and determine, once and for all, the kind of man he truly is, in The Bone Orchard by Paul Doiron.
Publishers Weekly (starred review):
Excellent…Thoughtful plotting and strong characters raise this above the crime novel pack.
Booklist:
Massacre Pond is a tough act to follow, but Doiron avoids series stagnancy by placing Bowditch outside of the law enforcement circle he once loved and treating readers to another round of top-notch outdoors-Maine description. Highly recommended for fans of C. J. Box and Craig Johnson.
Library Journal:
Doiron’s fifth Mike Bowditch novel continues to deliver vivid local characters and wild Maine landscapes, as well as a satisfying mystery to solve. Recommended for readers who appreciate maverick backwoods investigators like Steve Hamilton’s Alex McKnight.
Kirkus Reviews:
As Kathy [Frost] hovers in a coma between life and death, Mike gets down to business by doing what he does best: going head to head with everyone in sight.
Associated Press:
As always, Doiron describes his state so vividly that it becomes not just the setting but also a character in its own right. THE BONE ORCHARD [is] both a rich exploration of character and a satisfying mystery story.
Maine Sunday Telegram:
A satisfying shift in BONE ORCHARD as warden evolves.
THE BONE ORCHARD is one of Doiron's best stories, most skillfully plotted. It is also a slightly sly but satisfying retrospective of his earlier work, with Bowditch prompted at various points to reflect on his errant ways with women, family and colleagues.
The book's climax and ending are especially satisfying. For those who have read all of Doiron's novels, there’s pleasure in finding a particular story line that was introduced two books prior and toyed with in the last book finally come to fruition – almost. A thread of the story teasingly emerges in the last pages as something that will leave a Dorion fan eagerly awaiting his next book.
The Plain Dealer:
Doiron, with engaging style, vividly captures the beauty and danger of the Maine landscape, as well as the economic and moral impulses that drive its citizens.
The News and Observer:
Paul Doiron has created a character I keep coming back to, book after book.
San Jose Mercury News:
This excellent sequel to The Poacher's Son will keep readers turning pages. The author deftly juggles issues, from the treatment of veterans to the problems of an understaffed agency to the personal troubles of a talented investigator, while creating enough action to keep the reader eager for more.
Fresh Fiction:
Doiron uses all the best tools of the mystery genre to create a fantastic character, a plot that goes deeper than finding who was behind the shooting, and to create a setting that is integral to the plot...Mystery lovers will definitely find many reasons to keep coming back for more of Mike Bowditch.
Gloria Feit: IndieNext, Crimespree Magazine, and Spinetingler Magazine:
In a well-plotted tale, the author makes Mike a very human and conflicted protagonist, about whom the reader comes to feel great empathy...The novel is highly recommended.