Reviews

Hatchet Island by Paul Doiron

annieb123's review against another edition

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5.0

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Hatchet Island is the 13th Mike Bowditch mystery by Paul Doiron. Released 28th June by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 320 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a wonderfully written series with an intelligent and honorable protagonist who works as an investigator for the Maine Warden Service (game warden). Although it has more thriller elements than my usual shopfront cozy selections, it's so well written, so redolent of the area and the outdoors, that it was an immersive and enjoyable read. Readers who are already fans of procedural thrillers will be right at home.

The plotting moves along at a good pace and the whole setup is so steeped in a pervasive sense of menace that the tension is ratcheted up continually til the first catastrophic crimes and it doesn't slow down after that. The examination and detection on the part of the protagonist and his colleagues (and girlfriend Stacey) is meticulously written and very cleverly constructed. The final climax, denouement, and resolution were tense and satisfying. Although the mystery is self contained, the entire series is highly recommended and would be a great candidate for a long weekend binge read.

Four and a half stars. This series will appeal very much to fans of Stabenow's Kate Shugak and Box's Joe Pickett mysteries.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

peregrinep's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5


highladyofthenightcourt21's review against another edition

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3.0

I picked this up as a "blind date with a book" at the library, otherwise probably wouldn't have been super interested.

The plot was interesting, I liked the characters a lot (that was probably my favorite aspect of the book), and the writing was good!

I really have no complaints other than it was a bit slower than I prefer, so wasn't all that thrilling.

sundaylou's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Another solid book in the Mike Bowditch series!

deh410's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

jennifercarew's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

eshamshak's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

amandaj6's review against another edition

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4.0

This was my first book I’ve read by Paul Doiron. I learned that it’s the 13th book in this series, which I was excited about because now I can read all the previous books. But you don’t need to have read them to read this. This was a great mystery and thriller, grisly but not horribly so. It’s written well and I liked how Mike and Stacy are together.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing this ARC to review. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise. ~

dluce's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

hollie313's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes

3.0