Note: Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and author Paul Doiron for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

Storm Tide is the sixteenth book in author Paul Doiron’s series centered around Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch. Mike has had trouble following the rules of his profession since day one, but this quality also makes him a good investigator. Once he gets his teeth in something, he doesn’t let it go, no matter the cost to him professionally. For this reason, after having been a Warden Investigator, this book finds him back patrolling the mid-coast region of Maine.

Mike is the nearest law enforcement officer when a structure fire is reported in his district. He arrives on the scene to find a woman holding a baby outside of the fully engulfed home. She tells Mike that the father handed the baby to her, then rushed back inside to try to save his wife. Mike then tries to enter the home and is met by flames and a figure that he pulls out. It’s too late, though. Brian Malloy, the homeowner, is dead. The name is a familiar one to locals, as Brian is the prime suspect in the disappearance of a child he had as a result of an affair. There are not too many people who will mourn his loss.

There are changes Mike is facing in his personal life as well. His wife, Stacey, is due to give birth to their first child very soon. The fallout from his previous behavior is still hanging over him, with an upcoming disciplinary hearing to determine whether he will get his warden investigator job back. When Stacey tells him she thinks she’s been followed by someone in a white van, Mike is concerned. He thinks he’s seen that same van around. He also begins receiving strange texts from spoofed numbers

When another man who was accused of a brutal rape is found dead, it seems like there may be a vigilante on the loose, looking to right society’s wrongs, and Mike Bowditch is on his radar.

Unlike other books in this series, which seem to take place over a few days, Storm Tide takes place over what seems to be a year in Mike’s life. It’s a year filled with changes for Mike, but one that also draws on the history of the series. I can’t say you have to have read all of the books prior to this one, but I think it would be best if the reader had more than a passing acquaintance with the characters. Charley and Ora are there, of course, as they happily become grandparents. Billy Cronk is around as Mike’s loyal friend who will protect him at all costs. Kathy Frost makes an appearance as well. Although Doiron does a great job with background information for new readers, it’s much better if these names are already familiar to you.

The setting throughout the year is just beautiful. I’ve driven through a great deal of Maine, and Doiron really captures the beauty of it. It’s a state with a lot of contrasts between the cities and the remote rural areas. There are blueberry barrens and potato farms, mountains and lakes. It’s a state where you can find yourself or lose yourself. He captures this with the descriptions of the scenery filtered through Mike’s observation at various points during the year.

Having it take place over a year made it harder to create the same suspense that Doiron is noted for when it comes to Mike. I’ve been critical in the past when he has characterized Mike as almost superhuman. Storm Tide is no different. It’s not just Mike, though, but others I thought Doiron was considering killing off, but then they survive. That’s not to say there are no casualties. There are a couple of characters from previous books who don’t have the nicest endings.

The suspense was there, despite the long period of time covered. The bad guy pops up here and there, lulling Mike into thinking he’s possibly given up, only to show up again. It keeps Mike and Stacey on edge without compressing it all into just a few days. The new characters Doiron created for this story are well-crafted as well. I could imagine how hard it is to be a social worker who day in and day out tries to do the right thing, only to end up frustrated. The development of this character and how it ties everything together is particularly well done.

If you’ve read the other book in the series, Storm Tide will please you. I don’t think this is the place to start the series, though. Go back to the beginning and at least try out a few of the earlier books before picking up this one. It’s a great read for those of us who have read the books prior.

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