While on patrol on foggy March evening, Mike Bowditch receives a call for help. A woman has reportedly struck a deer on a lonely coast road. When the game warden arrives on the scene, he finds blood in the road – but both the driver and deer have vanished. The details of the disappearance seem eerily familiar. Seven years earlier, a jury convicted Erland Jefferts of the rape and murder of a college student and sentenced him to a life in prison. But when the missing woman is found brutalized in a manner that suggests Jefferts may have been framed, Bowditch receives a warning from state prosecutors to stop asking questions.
For Bowditch, doing nothing is not an option. And as he closes in on his quarry, he suddenly discovers how dangerous his opponents are, and how far they will go to prevent him from bringing a killer to justice.
Praise for The Poacher’s Son:
An excellent debut – filled with murder, betrayal and a terrific sense of place. C.J. Box.
A stunning debut…At its heart this is a tale of bitter betrayal, lost hopes and broken dreams. The book has a tautness that is impossible to forget and which left me close to tears. It is also the first in a series. Its successor, Trespasser, also featuring Bowditch, is on the way. Grab him now. Daily Mail.
Stunning vistas…eye popping scenes – The New York Times Book Review.
This is a compelling, moving and utterly impressive debut – Andre Dubus III, author of House of Sand and Fog.
The Poacher’s Son is one of the best written debut novels I have read in years. This novel has it all – a great plot, a wonderful Maine woods setting and a truly remarkable and believable cast of characters. – Nelson de Mille.
For Bowditch, doing nothing is not an option. And as he closes in on his quarry, he suddenly discovers how dangerous his opponents are, and how far they will go to prevent him from bringing a killer to justice.
Praise for The Poacher’s Son:
An excellent debut – filled with murder, betrayal and a terrific sense of place. C.J. Box.
A stunning debut…At its heart this is a tale of bitter betrayal, lost hopes and broken dreams. The book has a tautness that is impossible to forget and which left me close to tears. It is also the first in a series. Its successor, Trespasser, also featuring Bowditch, is on the way. Grab him now. Daily Mail.
Stunning vistas…eye popping scenes – The New York Times Book Review.
This is a compelling, moving and utterly impressive debut – Andre Dubus III, author of House of Sand and Fog.
The Poacher’s Son is one of the best written debut novels I have read in years. This novel has it all – a great plot, a wonderful Maine woods setting and a truly remarkable and believable cast of characters. – Nelson de Mille.
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Reviews
Doiron's sense of place, and of the people of Maine, adds lush nuance to this suspense-filled read. Well-paced, with an interesting array of elegantly rounded characters, this effort more than lives up to the promise of Doiron's debut.
Doiron's plot is heart-pounding, filled with startling twists and turns. The main characters, some lovable and others despicable, are all multidimensional. And the stylish prose is pitch-perfect, especially in its evocative descriptions of the beauty, and occasionally the ugliness, of coastal Maine in early spring. The story's slam-bang ending leaves Mike's life in tatters, and the reader anxious to know what the author has in store for him next.
A complex, heartfelt, altogether impressive piece of work.