Pitch Dark
A Novel
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4.8 • 5 Ratings
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
Game Warden Mike Bowditch must chase down a cunning and dangerous fugitive in the North Maine Woods in this nail-biter of a thriller from Edgar Award-nominated author Paul Doiron, Pitch Dark.
Legendary bush pilot Josie Jonson can’t believe her luck when a skilled builder just happens to show up after she purchases land near Prentiss Pond. All Mark Redmond asks in return for building Josie’s dream cabin is that he be left alone to homeschool his 12-year-old daughter, Cady.
For Maine game warden investigator Mike Bowditch, the intensity of Redmond's secretiveness is troubling, especially in light of suspicious criminal activity being reported around the area―including rumors of an armed man offering large sums of money in exchange for the location of Redmond and Cady. Josie, though hesitant to violate the trust of her prized builder, eventually agrees to fly Mike and his father-in-law Charley Stevens to the secluded pond in an attempt to protect Redmond and Cady. But hours after landing, the trip takes a dark turn when they witness a horrific murder and are taken captive themselves.
Freeing himself, Mike is forced to set off through the impenetrable Maine forest towards Canada, alone and unarmed in pursuit of a mysterious fugitive. As he navigates a windblown landscape choked with deadfalls and blocked by swollen streams, he marvels at his enemy’s bush craft. The killer possesses skills surpassing his own, and Bowditch can't tell if he is the cat or the mouse in this dangerous game. Can Mike Bowditch stop his adversary in time to save the life of a young girl, or will he be forced to watch another innocent soul die?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Doiron's stirring 15th mystery for Mike Bowditch (after Dead Man's Wake) finds the recently married Maine game warden probing a dangerous missing person case. North Woods hunting lodge operator Ivan Ivanov contacts the Warden Service about a suspicious guest named Hammond Pratt, who paid for his room in cash, then disappeared for two days after offering staff members $100 if they could point him toward "a man living with his young daughter in the woods." Bowditch learns that the man in question is Mark Richmond, who's in the region to build a cabin for bush pilot Josie Johnson. Troubled by Pratt's dogged pursuit of Richmond and his 12-year-old daughter, Cady, Bowditch persuades Johnson to fly him and his father-in-law and occasional investigative partner, Charley, to the construction site. Shortly after they arrive, Bowditch witnesses a murder and gets taken hostage, forcing him to escape through the northern wilderness toward Canada. The resulting cat-and-mouse survival narrative features more breathless action than in past Bowditch adventures. Less surprising—but equally welcome—are Doiron's always excellent characterizations and atmospheric descriptions of the rugged Northeastern setting. Series fans will love this.
