This is the first Mike Bowditch book I've read. It's not bad but I found it slow and the plotline a bit obvious. That being said, it is a book that most readers will enjoy. I always like books with lake resort settings. Boats and water please me.

I received a review copy of this book through NetGalley.com. ( )

I am more than a couple books behind in this series, but I was glad I dove in and read this when it arrived from the library. Being back in the gritty world of Maine game warden Mike Bowditch was immersive from the first page. Surrounded by a community of fantastic characters, Bowditch and his fiancée Stacey Stevens witness what at first glance is a hit and run boating accident on the lake that coincidentally purports to be the setting for On Golden Pond. Of course, the arm they find leads to more bodies, a closed camp and remote island getaway for a wealthy family. So good, recommended it to a coworker whose kids go to Colby and can't wait for the next one. ( )

I wasn't familiar with this series, so maybe I'm missing some of the context of this book. It's a solid mystery, if a bit predictable, and many of the characters are interesting and well-drawn. And the great love Doiron has for Maine and it's natural beauty comes through loud and clear.

What bothered me was some of the facile characterizations and stereotypes related to police, bikers and women to name a few. But I read an ARC so maybe some of this will be toned down after final exciting is done.

The last quarter redeems the book though - it was my favorite part.

It's a fun quick read first those times when you want an adventure that's entertaining and not too challenging.

Thank you to the publisher, Minotaur/St.Martin, and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review prior to publication. ( )

Dead Man’s Wake opens with a Game Warden Mike Bowditch and his fiancée Stacey Stevens celebrating their engagement with their families when their attention is drawn to a reckless speedboat. They hear it crash into something, circle back, and then disappear. They know something bad has happened. Heading out to check, they discover a severed arm and soon find the rest of the man on the lake bottom. The scene suggests there may be a second victim, a woman who is soon found.

To some it looks like the man murdered the woman and then drowned in his drunkeness, but Mike suspects there is more to the story. As they investigate, Mike is suspicious of one of his law enforcement colleagues, Galen Webb, a local police officer who failed to get hired as a game warden. In a rather stunning breach of professional conduct, Mike was told about this guy’s failure to impress, enough to make him distrustful.

Mike is responsible for solving the death of the man, or at least finding the boaters and determining if they killed him. As the investigation continues, Mike’s suspicion that there is more to the story is confirmed by an attempt to kill him, Stacey, and the lead investigator of the woman’s murder. There is definitely more to understand and there is no shortage of suspects.

Dead Man’s Wake is the fourteenth Mike Bowditch mystery, but the first for me. I was impressed by how well the author brought me up to speed without tediously filling in a mountain of backstory. I didn’t feel lost by the thirteen prior books I had not read. This is a great talent and few authors master it.

I was surprised by the lack of professionalism in the revelations about Galen Webb, the local cop. People are just not supposed to reveal why they didn’t hire someone and drop what is basically malicious gossip. Who knows how the investigation might have progressed if Mike were not distrustful and had not put Webb’s back up with his condescension? It’s important to the storyline that these two not share information, but I wish this had happened without such an egregious breach of professional ethics.

I am unsure whether the mystery meets the Detection Club’s standards for fairness, but it would be a spoiler to explain why I have some doubts. Let me just say, I can make an argument either way, depending on how one defines terms. Fair or not, it is engrossing and original. I also appreciated the finale where Mike did not do the usual thing detectives always do in mysteries. And it was a very good thing for him, too.

I received an e-galley of Dead Man’s Wake from the publisher through NetGalley

Dead Man’s Wake at Minotaur Books | St. Martin’s Press | Macmillan
Paul Doiron author site

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2023/11/18/dead-mans-wake-by-paul-do... ( )

Dead Man’s Wake by Paul Doiron is not what I expected. I did not realize it was the fourteenth book in the Mike Bowditch Mysteries. I wish it had been mentioned in the blurb. I found myself confused in the beginning. It takes time to get the characters straight (and there are so many of them). Dead Man’s Wake is a police procedural that focuses on game wardens in Maine (which seem to operate like police). There is a double murder for engaged couple Stacey Stevens and Mike Bowditch to investigate. There is too much arguing between the various investigators (petty arguing between the various agencies involved). It got on my nerves. It also did not endear the characters to me. Except for Stacey and Mike’s new stepmother, the female characters are unlikeable. The medical examiner could use an attitude adjustment. There is a significant amount of technical talk about boats. I can understand needing to get the jargon correct, but it was too much (overly technical which had me skimming over the information). Mike and Stacey do make a good team. She understands him especially when work gets in the way of their engagement party. The mystery was interesting and there is a good resolution. Most readers will be surprised by the identity of the guilty party. I wanted to like Dead Man’s Wake, but it was not my cup of tea. I was happy when I turned the last page. ( )