Book Review: Hatchet Island by Paul Doiron

 

GOODREADS SUMMARY:

An eerie, windswept island off the coast of Maine becomes the site of a double murder and a disappearance in Hatchet Island, the next thriller in Paul Doiron's bestselling Mike Bowditch series.

A call for help from a former colleague leads Maine game warden investigator Mike Bowditch and his girlfriend Stacey Stevens on a sea kayaking trip to a research station far off the coast. Stacey spent summers interning on the island, a sanctuary for endangered seabirds, and they are shocked by what they hear when they come ashore. The biologists are being threatened by local fishermen and stalked by a mysterious boatman who seems intent on trespassing on the refuge. Even worse, their leader, whose mind is slowly unraveling after the unexplained suicide of a young intern, has now gone missing.

Camped on a nearby islet for the night, Mike and Stacey waken to the sound of a gunshot. When they return to the refuge at dawn, their darkest fears are confirmed: two of the three researchers have been brutally murdered and the third has disappeared, along with the island skiff. Mike’s quest to find the missing man reveals new suspects including a Marine Patrol officer with a history of violence and the sanctuary's enigmatic founder, who conveniently reappears after the killings. The search expands to a nearby island owned by a world-renowned photographer with a scandalous reputation. The artist and his equally brilliant wife wield a powerful hold over the inhabitants of their private kingdom, and Mike increasingly comes to believe that someone in the village knows more about the killings than they dare admit.

With no one to trust and miles from shore, Mike Bowditch must stop a ruthless murderer determined to make sure a terrifying secret never sees the light of day.

TEE'S THOUGHTS:

Hatchet Island by Paul Doiron is the 13th book about Maine game warden/investigator Mike Bowditch. This happens to be my first book in the series and boy have been missing out. 
Mike Bowditch and his girlfriend Stacey Stevens go to an island off the coast of Maine that Stacey had previously worked on after she receives a text from one of her former colleagues asking for her. The island is a research center and sanctuary for birds like Puffins and others, and they are being threatened.

Paul Doiron writes a great suspenseful story, full of dangerous situations and thrilling moments. As an animal and nature lover, this book spoke to me. I loved reading about the island and the bits and bobs about the different birds and foliage that was found there.

Both Mike and Stacey were likable and worked well together as a team. Both had characteristics in their personalities that enhanced what the other was missing. The supporting characters were also all interesting, with some very twisted people included.

Plenty of twists and turns in this story that starts off as a bit of a who done it and quickly moves into a police investigation. Full of tension and an even greater atmosphere with the setting of foggy landscapes and isolated islands.

This was a " hard to put down ", quick read with wonderful cohesive writing and a story that will keep you interested until the last page. Oh...and it is book 13, but you will not be lost, it is a great stand-alone, but if you are like me, you will probably go back to the beginning.