KNIFE CREEK has arrived on shelves, and it’s already been called “the best yet in [Paul Doiron’s] impressive Mike Bowditch Mystery series.” Read more below:
The Portland Press Herald goes on to call KNIFE CREEK “taut, disturbing and consummately told…a gripping, well-plotted tale,” and hails Paul Doiron as “among the best crime writers working today.”
The Washington Post praises Doiron’s character development: “As always with a Doiron novel, the characters are so well-drawn you can almost reach out and shake their hands, and the rural landscape is so vividly portrayed that the reader can smell wildflowers, marvel at the swarms of fireflies and feel the sting of the blood-thirsty insects. But the author’s finest achievement is the evolution of Mike Bowditch himself. Doiron’s hero has come a long way since “The Poacher’s Son,” when he was introduced as a hot-headed, insubordinate rookie game warden struggling to keep his personal demons in check. As the series has progressed, Bowditch has gradually matured, coming to terms with his troubled past, finding love and finally earning the respect of supervisors who once longed to be rid of him.”
The Bangor Daily News adds the Mike Bowditch series to the ranks of Maine summertime traditions: “To the list of June treats that Mainers have become accustomed to — alongside the first s’mores of the year and the first tolerably warm dip in the lake — add this: Paul Doiron’s annual installment in the Mike Bowditch thriller series.” And they praise KNIFE CREEK specifically: “The typical Doiron sensibilities are still in place, with attention given to the setting, allowing the reader to gain a real sense of place; the sucking mud on the river bottom is tangible, and the Saco River itself comes to life through Doiron’s description. And his characters are well-rounded and imperfect, showing their vulnerabilities in ways that help define them. Bowditch is still the hero, but still has plenty of room for improvement. An assortment of other colorful characters crop up, as always, making the identification of the villains — if there are any — a good challenge.”
Criminal Element also praises Doiron’s evocation of the Maine woods: “Paul Doiron has written an extremely atmospheric thriller. You can hear the water dripping off the branches and feel the heat causing steam to rise off the roads as summer closes in and the net tightens on the perpetrator of past and present crimes…Doiron has an ability to draw you in to the story with an atmospheric prose and well-rounded characters who work well together. Retribution and justice is eventually served, and to more people than expect it. You won’t see the ending looming in this fine and well-balanced thriller.”
Readers agree – check out these glowing reviews from Goodreads:
