"A compelling and highly charged suspense thriller set in the backwoods of Maine!"
Reviewed by Audrey Lawrence
Posted September 14, 2014
Suspense
After making her fortune selling organic teas and herbal
supplements from herbs she learned about in her former
hippie days, Elizabeth (Betty) Morse decides to build a
majestic log mansion fronting on a lake in the woodlands
area of Maine. The area is famous for its beauty and its
game and the site of her new home had previously been an
historic sporting game. Yet Betty isn't interested in the
hunting as she has a different game in mind. After quietly
buying up local property, Betty Morse (aka Queen Elizabeth
by the locals) has amassed over 100,000 areas of land that
she now wants to donate to the federal government for a
national park. A generous gesture, yet one that is not
appreciated by many of the hunters and forestry workers who
worry about how this will affect their lives and their
ability to support their families.
This situation has created a lot of tension and hotly aired
feelings. Even the local game warden Mike Bowditch has
ambivalent feelings about it. So after being called by his
good buddy Billy Cronk to come to the Morse estate, Mike
isn't sure what to expect, but what he finds is evil indeed!
Bowditch is first on the scene in discovering the senseless
slaughter of a number of moose, but politics are now
affecting his role in the investigation. Who could possibly
have done this murderous crime? Could they get to the
bottom of it before more trouble arises?
MASSACRE POND is the fourth mystery story in the Mike
Bowditch series written by New York Times Bestselling
author Paul Dorion and, before you know it, you are
instantly whisked off to the Maine woods. There, you are
just as unsettled by the unusually warm October heat and the
shocking sights of the fly covered dead moose lying on the
ground as Mike is.
As a registered Maine Guide and the former Editor in Chief
of Down East: The Magazine of Maine, Dorion knows not only
the rugged beauty of his home state as well as knowing
exactly how to capture that beauty in his wonderful prose
that is as crisp and colourful as autumn leaves. Dorion is
definitely not afraid of controversy and, inspired by some
actual events that happened in Maine, he skillfully works in
a number of highly charged issues into the exciting
plotline. As MASSACRE POND is my first exposure to the
series, I know the story can be a terrific read as a stand-
alone book, yet I am sure it will be even more meaningful to
Dorion's many fans. After reading MASSACRE POND, I fully
intend to read the earlier books in this great series.
Dorion's skillful plotting and strong sense of place in
MASSACRE POND makes the story comes across in a very
authentic manner that should appeal to many readers. Having
been to Maine myself, I feel Dorion effectively captures
both the remote location as well its many varied
inhabitants. Being very familiar with and enjoying the works
of Craig Johnson (Longmire series) and C.J. Box (especially
his Joe Pickett series also featuring a game warden), I am
sure fans of those western authors would relish this
author's unique regional style as well.
I must admit that I am quite taken with Mike Bowditch as a
protagonist. Mike is a young man with personal integrity who
loves parts of his job as game warden, especially being
outdoors, but due to his tendencies to be outspoken and rash
in his actions, he frequently get negative fallout from his
political higher-ups. Mike is intelligent and very
inquisitive and ponders on his own personal dilemmas and
issues as well as searching out information to find who is
behind this massacre. I appreciate the way Dorion uses both
French and English names for his characters as that is
reflective of many people's heritage in the northeastern
states close to the Quebec border. Although some of his
lowlife characters tend to verge a little close to
stereotypes, Dorion's vivid descriptions instantly make all
the various characters spring to life which keeps the story
moving with interesting dialogue.
If you are looking for an intriguing and different read, you
will do well by picking up MASSACRE POND by the award
winning writer Paul Dorion! Not only is MASSACRE POND an
exciting and captivating read, but The Bone Orchard, the
next book in the series is also now available! Enjoy!
SUMMARY
Massacre Pond is Edgar finalist Paul Doiron's superb new
novel featuring Game Warden Mike Bowditch and a beautiful,
enigmatic woman whose mission to save the Maine wilderness
may have incited a murder On an unseasonably hot October morning, Bowditch is called
to the scene of a bizarre crime: the corpses of seven
moose
have been found senselessly butchered on the estate of
Elizabeth Morse, a wealthy animal rights activist who is
buying up huge parcels of timberland to create a new
national park. What at first seems like mindless slaughter—retribution by
locals for the job losses Morse's plan is already causing
in
the region—becomes far more sinister when a shocking
murder
is discovered and Mike's investigation becomes a hunt to
find a ruthless killer. In order to solve the
controversial
case, Bowditch risks losing everything he holds dear: his
best friends, his career as a law enforcement officer, and
the love of his life. The beauty and magnificence of the Maine woods is the
setting for a story of suspense and violence when one
powerful woman’s missionary zeal comes face to face with
ruthless cruelty.
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