A new Mike Bowditch tale is always something that peaks my interest, but what makes me even more excited is a tale based in the Bowditch mystery universe such as Blaze Orange featuring no mention of Mike with Charley Stevens and Kathy Frost taking center stage. Paul Doiron delivers a Maine woods mystery that packed a punch with minimal pages, adding to the lore of the Mike Bowditch stories.
When a local man is shot dead during deer season in 1990s Maine, all signs point to a heartbreaking mistake, as the victim was dressed head-to-toe in brown, and the shooter is a respected family man known for his gentleness. But as Charley and rookie warden Kathy Frost sift through the quiet tensions of a small community, two details refuse to add up. The victim knew better than to wear neutral colors during deer season. Why wasn’t he dressed in blaze orange? And something that should be at the scene simply isn’t.
To solve the case, Charley must dig into old grudges and buried motives—and Kathy turns to the most unlikely investigator of all.
The Mike Bowditch mysteries have become some of my favorite stories to read over the past couple years, most recently, Storm Tide. However, with Storm Tide we saw minimal of Charley Stevens, one of my favorite characters from the books, so when cracking open a short story focused mostly around Charley I was excited to get my fill. Not to mention an appearance from Kathy Frost and her K9 companion.
Blaze Orange is more than just a murder mystery, it gives backstory to Frost and her initial work as a Maine Game Warden and the early stages of K9 help in future stories. Seeing Kathy grow as a Game Warden even in the few short pages of this story was such a blessing to read. With the guidance of our friend Charley and help from her K9 companion, Kathy helps solve this mystery in only a few short moments.
The short story while featuring no Mike Bowditch has the feel of the other stories from this universe. We get a mystery to be solved in the Maine wilderness while also growth from two of our favorite characters outside Bowditch himself.
Blaze Orange is another fantastic mystery by Paul Doiron set within the Mike Bowditch mysteries, but featuring two fan favorites in Kathy Frost and Charley Stevens. The two Game Wardens, along with Frost’s K9 companion solve a mystery while setting the foundation for their future in these tales.
If you want a unique experience, trying listening to Henry Leyva narrate Blaze Orange on audiobook. Well to be honest, all of the Mike Bowditch stories. Leyva brings a quality of narration that is just simply amazing for these tales.
Blaze Orange drops on April 28, 2026 from Minotaur Books. The audiobook is available via Libro.fm!
