Pitch Dark

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. (June)