St. Martin's Press 2021
Awards
Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction
New England Book Society Fiction Book of the Year, 2021
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Dead By Dawn
Mike has been called to investigate the suspicious drowning of a wealthy professor. Despite the death being ruled an accident, the victim's elegant, eccentric daughter-in-law insists the man was murdered. She suspects his companion that day, a reclusive survivalist and conspiracy theorist who accompanied the professor on his fateful duck-hunting trip―but what exactly was the nature of their relationship? And was her own sharp-tongued daughter, who inherited the dead man’s fortune, as close to her grandfather as she claims? The accusations lead Mike to a sinister local family who claim to have information on the crime. But when his Jeep flies into the river and unknown armed assailants on snowmobiles chase him through the wilderness, the investigation turns into a fight for survival.
The Wall Street Journal: “Dead By Dawn” mixes Jack London-style peril with the DIY inventiveness of TV’s “MacGyver” and the thrill of Richard Connell’s classic pursuit story “The Most Dangerous Game.”
Booklist (starred review): Once again, Doiron provides brilliant characterizations and a compelling narrative as Maine game warden Mike Bowditch again struggles to stay alive and solve a mystery in his twelfth outing. This series just keeps getting better.
Publishers Weekly: Doiron builds tension by alternating between his lead’s battle to survive and the inquiry into Chamberlain’s death, which he effectively doles out in small segments. This entry stands as the best yet in a superior series.
Kirkus Reviews: A tour de force.
The Associated Press: Doiron draws on both meticulous research and his own wilderness experiences in Maine to give the struggle an unmistakable feeling of authenticity. And as always in a Bowditch novel, the prose is as sharp as an arrow and so lyrical that it sometimes borders on poetry.
Library Journal: Part survival story, part mystery-suspense, Doiron's narrative is fast-paced and engaging.
Criminal Element: Readers have learned not to bet against Mike’s tenacity and courage — Dead by Dawn is a brilliant mystery that will inspire a massive re-read of Paul Doiron’s mystery series, starting with The Poacher’s Son, an Edgar Award finalist.
The New York Journal of Books: Dead by Dawn gives all the action, danger, excruciating choices, high stakes, and original dilemmas you could ask for in a crime thriller. At the same time, you get the character insight and growth that make this one of the strongest series in the genre.
The Portland Press Herald: With his latest page-turner, “Dead by Dawn” Paul Doiron takes the Bowditch series to a whole new level...In each of his succeeding books, Doiron has sharpened his narrative edge. “Dead by Dawn” is unequivocally his best yet. Its keen edge is as sharp as Bowditch’s switch-blade – and his wits and will to survive. Doiron takes the threat of the hunt right to the bloody, horrific edge. Then...Bowditch gambles everything.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Maine game warden Mike Bowditch plummets into the frozen Androscoggin River in a breathtaking opening scene in this gripping thriller. The rest of the novel is just as relentless in pace and plotting.
Red Carpet Crash: This is the best novel yet in the series. All action from start to finish and the scenes in the woods and out in the cold with Mike are written really well and have the reader on the edge of their seats.
The Colorado Sun: Mike Bowditch returns in this jump-from-the-start frantic mystery. The latest novel in a great series by Paul Doiron, we are pushed along at high speed as the game warden fights for his life while trying to figure out multiple mysteries at once. The author brings a smart blend of suspense and mystery, well developed characters, and captures the essence of the Maine woodlands incredibly well. Be prepared to read this terrific book in one sitting!