Book Review
Posted by: belfast
on Jul 21, 2010 
The Poacher’s Son
by Paul Doiron
Paul Doiron’s debut novel ‘The Poacher’s Son’ introduces us to Mike Bowditch, a twenty-four-year-old with less than a year on the job with the Maine Warden Service.
The plot ramps up rapidly after a spokesman for an unpopular north woods land developer and the Sheriff’s Deputy escorting him are ambushed and killed following a contentious public hearing. Mike’s ne’er-do-well father, Jack Bowditch, a troubled vet with a history of run-ins with the law is arrested in connection with the killings. After Jack escapes and goes to ground, Mike, unable to believe his father capable of murder, brashly risks his fledgling career and his frayed relationship with the woman he loves in order to clear his father’s name.
Doiron serves as editor in chief of Down East magazine, and ‘The Poacher’s Son’ richly evokes the natural beauty of Maine. The novel is populated by characters that will resonate with natives of the Pine Tree State as well as those ‘from away’. As the first of three (and hopefully more) novels featuring Mike Bowditch, fans of mysteries and thrillers should find‘The Poacher’s Son’ to be a compelling read, perfect for a day spent escaping the humidity and the black flies.
