Bad Little Falls
A Novel
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4.1 • 157 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Anthony- and Edgar-award nominated author Paul Doiron delivers another "masterpiece of high-octane narrative" (Booklist) with his harrowing thriller about the hunt for a murderer at the height of a major snowstorm
Maine game warden Mike Bowditch has been sent into exile, transferred by his superiors to a remote outpost on the Canadian border. When a blizzard descends on the coast, Bowditch is called to the rustic cabin of a terrified couple. A raving and half-frozen man has appeared at their door, claiming his friend is lost in the storm. But what starts as a rescue mission in the wilderness soon becomes a baffling murder investigation. The dead man is a notorious drug dealer, and state police detectives suspect it was his own friend who killed him.
Bowditch isn't so sure, but his vow not to interfere in the case is tested when he finds himself powerfully attracted to a beautiful woman with a dark past and a troubled young son. The boy seems to know something about what really happened in the blizzard, but he is keeping his secrets locked in a cryptic notebook, and Mike fears for the safety of the strange child.
Meanwhile, an anonymous tormentor has decided to make the new warden's life a living hell. Alone and outgunned, Bowditch turns for assistance to his old friend, the legendary bush pilot Charley Stevens. But in this snowbound landscape—where smugglers wage blood feuds by night—help seems very far away indeed. If Bowditch is going to catch a killer, he must survive on his own wits and discover strength he never knew he possessed.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The excellent third novel from Edgar-finalist Dorion featuring game warden Mike Bowditch (after 2011's Trespasser) finds Bowditch in Maine's equivalent of Siberia, depressed Washington County, to which he was transferred after he became an embarrassment to the powers-that-be by shooting a murderer in self-defense. Bowditch's strict approach to enforcing licensing regulations soon earns him the enmity of some locals, one of whom affixes a coyote's pelt to his door as a warning. One winter night, while driving home through a blizzard, the warden receives a call from the man at whose house he just had dinner, veterinarian Doc Larrabee, who needs his help with a person suffering from a severe case of frostbite. Larrabee reports that the victim of the cold, who appeared at a neighbor's house, managed to communicate, despite his grave condition, that he had a companion. The search for that missing companion involves Bowditch in a murder case with some truly wicked twists. Dorion matches strong characters with effective prose and subtle characterizations. Fans of Steve Hamilton's Alex McKnight series, likewise set in a remote region close to Canada, will find a lot to like. Author tour.
Customer Reviews
Bad Little Falls
We enjoy these stories so much! Grew up in Massachusetts and Maine- graduated from the U of Maine and Maine is our favorite place to be!!!
Bad Little Falls. Paul Doiron
Maine game warden Mike Bowditch can sometimes be his own worst enemy and at other times absolutely brillant. He solved his last case, stepped on a few toes, and embarrassed quite a few senior investigators. He is now assigned to one of the most remote outposts near the Canadian border. He responds to a call of a delirious man suffering from severe frostbite and that his friend is lost in the severe storm ranging outside.His friend is located, dead in the snow He was a well known drug dealer.What unfolds is a tale of survival in this economically hard pressed area of Maine where unemploment rages and drug addiction spirals out of control. Mike meets a very beautiful young lady who is the manager of a local McDonalds restaurant. A recovering addict who has a young son named Lucas who seems to know all of the secrets of his mothers past lovers, one a notorious drug dealer.Lucas has tainted his stash of drugs with rat poison that led to the death of a young female college student. He keeps all of his secrets in cryptic notebooks that Mike has uncovered and the chain of events that has occurred. Mike now fears for the young man’s safety. Now Mike must survive on his own wits and courage to survive. Another stupendous read in this series!!!! Enjoyed immensely!!