Almost Midnight

Author: Paul Doiron

Warden Investigator Mike Bowditch already has a troubling mystery on his hands: finding the archer who mortally wounded Maine’s only wild wolf. Then he learns his best friend, Billy Cronk, has been released from prison after heroically defending a female guard from a stabbing. Mike comes to believe the assault was orchestrated by a wider criminal conspiracy. When the conspirators pursue Billy’s wife and children to a “safe” cabin in the woods, Mike rushes to their defense only to find himself outnumbered, outgunned ― and maybe out of options.

Almost Midnight (Mike Bowditch, #10)

The Associated Press:

As usual in a Doiron novel, the characters are well drawn, the Maine landscape is vividly portrayed, and Bowditch pursues his passion to protect the innocent and bring evil doers to justice regardless personal cost.

The Portland Press-Herald:

Maine author Paul Doiron’s tenth novel in his Mike Bowditch mystery series is his best, with more twists, more zany characters and more action than ever before...The trail into the dark of each mystery is fraught, peopled by zealots and crazies who are among the most intriguing characters Doiron has yet set on the page. As readers have come to expect, Doiron’s storycraft is razor sharp. The extended saga he is building about a young idealist with zeal to always do what is right – not necessarily in accordance with his superiors’ wishes – is richly compelling. Character arcs, dialogue and scene setting are all finely done, and they add up to a terrific read.

The Globe and Mail:

Few writers can summon a place as well as Paul Doiron depicts rural Maine. Settle down with this book and find yourself foraging along mountain roads through stands of sugar maples, old-growth forest and newly planted pines. The backdrop is the sigh of wind on a lake or the ring of birdsong. He has Raymond Chandler's touch for the tiny detail that makes a place central to a story. And he does it all in great tight prose, not a wasted sentence in a slim 288 pages...Doiron, again, gives the reader a rare treat with a great story and wonderful settings.

The Sun-Sentinel:

Doiron pulls together an action-packed story in “Almost Midnight” that showcases the Maine landscape while keeping characters at the forefront. The lore of nature elevates the story but does not overwhelm the plot. Doiron writes with a fervor about his home state that he honed when he was editor of Maine’s “Down East” magazine.

Booklist:

Fans of outdoors procedurals, like those by William Kent Krueger or C. J. Box, will be delighted to make get to know the consistently strong Mike Bowditch series, now in its tenth installment.

The Globe and Mail:

Fans of outdoors procedurals, like those by William Kent Krueger or C. J. Box, will be delighted to get to know the consistently strong Mike Bowditch series, now in its tenth installment.

Library Journal:

In this tenth book featuring Bowditch (after Stay Hidden), Doiron takes disparate elements of his protagonist's past and weaves them in a tight line, ramping up the tension slowly until the story reaches can't-put-it-down velocity.

Publishers Weekly:

Doiron writes with eloquence, authority, and passion about Maine’s wilderness and its creatures. The twin story lines intrigue...The conclusion is an emotionally satisfying, adrenaline-fueled sprint. Fans of C.J. Box will find much to admire.

The New York Journal of Books:

When it’s all put together, we get a galloping good yarn peopled with realistic characters operating in an intimately evoked environment, perpetually dynamic. Such is the stuff that makes good stories and is extra impressive when an author can keep it going over the course of a long series.

The Real Book Spy:

From game warden to his recent promotion to warden investigator, Paul Doiron has brilliantly developed his protagonist over the course of nine previous books. Readers have followed Bowditch’s career path, romantic relationships, and plenty of family drama, but here, with his tenth book, Doiron puts his star character up against a danger unlike anything he’s ever encountered. The cherry on top is Doiron’s ability to continue mixing smart plots with vibrant descriptions that help transport readers into the Maine wilderness, where they’ll stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Mike, feeling every ounce of heart-thumping suspense along the way. Fast-paced and filled with a number of solid twists that’ll keep readers turning pages well into the night, Paul Doiron’s Almost Midnight is some of his best work to date, and his thrillers remain mandatory reading for fans of C.J. Box, William Kent Krueger, and Craig Johnson.

Reviewing the Evidence:

As always, Doiron writes masterfully of the land and people of rural Maine, taking readers on a trip to locales they might otherwise not get to visit. The roughness of the land helps support the rough characters in the book, providing a depth to their development. For those who have been reading the series, ALMOST MIDNIGHT brings new insights into Mike Bowditch's maturation.