Reviews

The Precipice by Paul Doiron

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laurenreadsmore's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-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

elisabeth1st's review against another edition

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3.0

These books are like eating a bag of chips. Not necessarily good for you but sometimes you just want to indulge. I needed a palate cleanser after the last book I read. This was good fun.

pbanditp's review against another edition

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5.0

This series still feels true to me. Lots of fun and adventure. The Precipice was special because of all the places Mike went to that I have been. It was a great trip down memory lane even if it was within the past 10 years for me. Hundred Mile Wilderness, Gulf Hagas, Greenville, Katahdin Iron Works, Allagash, Chase Rapids, Mount Kineo, check points into the North Woods.
Paul slips great nature facts into the story to create a scene that you can hear, smell, and practically touch.
This was a great story but I love the setting even more.

liralen's review against another edition

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3.0

I was in it for the Appalachian Trail and for the police procedural element, and this delivered on the second of those, anyway. Decent, quick read, if full of comments that amount to 'hey, remember that one time in book 4...?' (I didn't read books 1–5, so...nope. Oh well.) It does stand alone, though, so I can't be too fussed about that. I won't be reading further in the series (the AT really was the draw), but I can at least appreciate how much time they spend running around in the woods.

muddypuddle's review against another edition

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4.0

Excellent mystery, wonderful setting, with all sorts of well-written description. The Appalachian Trail has always fascinated me, and Steve and I used to take many Sunday or weekend drives to the areas near the setting - Monson, Greenville, Dover-Foxcroft. Love the area.

I'd forgotten how disconcerted I was last time I listened to one of these, because of the many mispronunciations the reader had. I can't believe that these aren't corrected/edited - either by a thoughtful editor doing their job, or even the author. Perhaps he's never listened to his works read aloud? I think he'd be really annoyed! Piscataquis, coyote, Bangor, Augusta, and even BOWDITCH are said wrong over and over and over again. So frustrating for a Mainer to hear, yuck! But, alas, not the author's fault, so I won't take ratings points off.

My only criticism about the story itself is that Stacy Stevens is so unlikable to me. Ordinarily it wouldn't be a problem, but Mike seems to be head over heals in love with her. Not my favorite part of the story. She's pushy, egotistical, moody, and not nice enough not only to others, but to Mike, too. He'll never see it, though.

therobrussell's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

At this point, it's clear that I enjoy the Mike Bowditch series from Paul Doiron. These aren't great works of literature - they're formulaic and suffer from a resolution involving a surprise character in every story: but they're a quick, entertaining read - which is exactly what I need right now.

The Precipice involves Bowditch as part of the search team for two missing hikers along the Appalachian Trail. The search for the hikers turns up a lot of other issues happening in this remote section of Maine.