Tag: Paul Doiron

ECONOGAL > Paul Doiron

Pitch Dark Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

Mike Bowditch Series

I spotted Paul Doiron’s Pitch Dark on the new release table at the library. This latest in the Mike Bowditch series offers intense action through the Maine woods adjacent to the Canadian Border. Bowditch is a game warden with topnotch investigative skills.

Doiron overlaps story lines between the protagonist’s home and work life. The opening scene foreshadows the key dilemma of the book, protecting one’s family at all costs. Yet, the story goes even deeper. What determines personalities? Nurture or nature, or something else?

Plot of Pitch Dark

Bowditch responds to a missing person call. “Hammond Pratt” disappeared in the muddy backwoods after asking many questions about a father and daughter temporarily living off grid while building a cabin. Online searches of both parties return zero, adding to the mystery.

Before Pratt can be found, Bowditch crosses paths with Mark Redmond and his daughter, Cady. Things go downhill quickly as the pair are living under assumed names. Then, murder and mayhem strike. This leads to a chase through the dense forest at pitch dark night with multiple side characters creating difficulties for the investigator.

Moral Quandary

Pitch Dark is full of hard decisions for the characters. As in real life, options can be limited to poor, bad, and worse. Doiron is a master at highlighting gray areas. Pursuing the wrong path may result in good but have long term repercussions.

Recommendation for Pitch Dark

The Mike Bowditch series is a favorite because Doiron combines action with moral dilemma. Sometimes his characters can be categorized as good or evil. But that is not the case in Pitch Dark. The layers of the many characters are unpeeled, allowing the reader to see the flaws of the individuals. Yes, no one is perfect. This is an overarching theme of the series.

Pitch Dark is great for those loving complex mysteries. I highly recommend for individuals as well as book clubs.

 

September 2024 Wrap-Up

Posted on by Econogal

Fall is Here

The September 2024 calendar was filled with travelling, canning, reading and writing. Warm daytime temperatures and cool nights make this one of my favorite months. Add in the beauty of the turning leaves and the ripening of vine fruits and you have just about everything one could ask for.

Unfortunately for those not living on the High Plains and within driving distance of the Rockies, the weather may not have been as pleasant. Plus, my heart goes out to those residing in the Southeast part of the country. Hurricane season is not to be taken lightly.

Travel in September 2024

The mountains of Central Colorado are at peak fall color. So, I tagged along on a business trip to Vail Valley. In addition to Vail, I spent time in Silverthorne with a dear friend. We had a delicious lunch at Enza’s Delicatessen and Market, sitting outside along the creek.

Dinner in Vail the first night was also along a creek-Gore Creek at Mountain Standard. The restaurant hosts a hearty menu of various meats. We try to eat here every time we are in Vail.

The second night we wandered through the village for an hour before finding a pizza place. Pazzo’s Pizza had the Thursday Night football game on. Now that these games are streamed for pay, it was nice to find a spot with a subscription. On top of that, our pizza earned Pazzo’s a rank among the top in pizzeria’s west of the Mississippi.

Fall Colors

Aspens in Background ski lift in foreground
Vail Mountain

Gore Creek

Stream flowing

Silverthorne

Aspens turning blue sky with two stray clouds

In the Garden September 2024

The abundance of tomatoes and cantaloupe continues in this year’s garden. The green beans are now producing as well. I am watching the calendar closely. The sweet potatoes need to be dug just after the first light frost. This helps cure them for storage. Also, it is time to plant the garlic for next season. So, work in the garden is not quite finished.

In the Library

This month I zipped through the Sunshine Vicram trilogy by Darynda Jones. Each was enjoyable. September 2024 also marked a return to a favorite series.  Paul Doiron’s Mike Bowditch appears in Pitch Dark. Once again, a master author weaves action-adventure with thought provoking plots. Full of twists and turns, look for a review soon.

Final Thoughts

Social media continues to baffle me. Searching for first-hand accounts of Hurricane Helene yields bitter political discourse. Also, there are a variety of conspiracy theories regarding the weather. No common sense and very little compassion and understanding.

Fortunately, in-person conversations continue to uplift. One recent encounter at a C-Store on an interstate provided much joy. Little Daisy Mae in her side car is a service dog with excellent training and great behavior. Her owner was tickled with recent awards at a car show in Goodland, Kansas. Our conversation ended because vehicles were waiting for their turn at the pump. I need more of this in my life! Real people and real experiences.

Daisy Mae

Australian Shepard riding in a side car of an Indian Brand Motorcycle

One Last Lie Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

To be honest, the cover artwork for One Last Lie grabbed my attention the last time I was in a bricks and mortar bookstore. Stars are twinkling above a canoeist as the last filtered light from the setting sun gives off just a bit of light on the water. The font for the author’s name, Paul Doiron, was smaller than that of the title-but not by much. I had heard of neither the book nor the author. But at the very bottom were titles of two previous books and one sounded familiar, so I added the book to my pile. I am so glad I did.

Setting for One Last Lie

The opening pages of One Last Lie depicts the protagonist performing an in-person background check on an applicant for the Maine Warden Service. The investigation takes place in South Florida. The description of the climate, topography and current wildlife concerns were on target. Furthermore, the narrative captures ones interest quickly.

Then, Doiron makes a swift and successful transition from the swamps of Florida to the backwoods of Maine where the remainder of the story takes place. This reader is not as familiar with Maine but trusts the author does not repeat the one (possible) small background error made with respect to Florida. An error only SEC fans or little ones living in Gainesville learning Gator chants on bus rides to school may pick up on. Unless Vaneese’s question re: Gainesville was a non-sequitur, in which case I erred.

Mike Bowditch

The protagonist in One Last Lie is Mike Bowditch. An entire series has been built around this character and with reason. He is one of the good guys. But someone you would not want to cross. Determination exudes from this complex human.

Much credit is given to Doiron for creating such a compelling leading character. Furthermore, the secondary characters add more interest without stereotyping. Native Americans are integral in both the Florida and Maine settings. Competing love interests are also part of the narrative. So, while One Last Lie is great as a stand-alone novel, I hope my local library possesses the earlier books in the series.

Paul Doiron

Readers can develop an affinity for a particular writer. Examples are Janet Evanovich, James Peterson, or for horror fans Stephen King. Once a reader latches on to a writing style and/or a particular fictional character demand is created for more. I think Paul Doiron falls into this category.

The descriptive settings transport the reader to the locale. One easily forms a connection with lead character Bowditch. The action is exciting with limited gore. Perfect for readers who differentiate between mystery and mayhem.

I doubt my path has ever crossed with Doiron’s although the possibility exists. Yet I feel such a strong connection. Successful writer’s truly have this relationship with their readers. I envy the gift. One Last Lie is a 2020 release. It makes my list of books to give this Christmas.