Welcome to the Maine Woods

As I was checking out the opening weekend of a new bookstore in town, there happened to be an author signing event to promote the work of a local Maine author. I recognized the name, but really didn’t think much of it until I found myself back in my classroom struggling to pick something to read. As I scanned the shelves, I came across a few titles that had that very same author’s name on them that had been donated to me earlier in the year. After a quick scan, I picked out the one that grabbed my attention the most and settled down to crack open the cover.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Paul Doiron’s book, “Almost Midnight,” but I can say that I was pleasantly surprised. Like a slow burn, I found myself getting more enthralled with every turn of the page. “Almost Midnight” follows a Maine Game Warden Investigator, Mike Bowditch, as he attempts to uncover a series of strange events involving officers inside the Maine State Prison and find the person responsible for shooting a released wolf-dog. While these two mysteries were unrelated, Mike found himself compelled to unravel both.

After receiving a call from Billy Cronk, one of his oldest friends, from inside the prison, Mike knew that there was something afoot. Billy asked him to do some digging on one of the correctional officers, but before much could be revealed there was a massive attack at the prison that left Billy, the officer, and a few others dead or seriously injured. As investigations into the attack deepened, Mike wasn't convinced that it was random. As he dug into the mystery, Mike found himself embroiled in a scandal that put his life, and the lives of Billy Cronk’s wife and children in grave danger.

While working his way through the mystery at the prison, Mike received word that the wolf-dog that he released into the wild had been shot by a crossbow. As Shadow, the massive, dark, wolf-dog fought for his life, Mike set out to apprehend the person who fired the arrow. Meeting a backwood moonshiner, an apprentice brewer, an amish family, and gun-toting woodsman is just another day on the job for Mike, but one of these people hold the information needed to find his elusive suspect.

With the help of of his girlfriend, some old friends, and some connections from the Maine Warden Service, Mike puts himself in harm’s way to protect those he loves and bring both of these mysteries to a close.

What I liked about this book was the fact that the two mysteries made it seem as though I was getting two stories wrapped up in one neat little package. Just as my attention started to waver with one, the focus would shift to the other, and I found myself re-energized by the narrative. I thought that Doiron did a great job at keeping the twists and turns with each mystery strong until the very end. My suspicions regarding the wolf-dog mystery turned out to be right, but I didn’t see the resolution of the Maine State Prison conspiracy until the very end.

I wasn’t aware, until I did a bit of research, that Doiron has an entire series of books featuring Mike and his adventures throughout Maine. Despite this being part of a series, I didn’t feel lost in the narrative or in the character development. I thought that I was able to learn about the characters and their relationships quickly and there was enough explicit recollection that any question I had was inadvertently answered anyway. With that said, I wouldn’t worry about picking up a book from the middle of the series.

If you are looking for adventure, mystery, and hearty Maine characters, I would strongly recommend any of Paul Doiron's Mike Bowditch series.

4 out of 5 stars.