I never thought I would be this entrenched in reading a series, 16 books in. Paul Doiron somehow keeps this fresh and unique with the latest Mike Bowditch mystery, Storm Tide. It’s an uttering intense and exciting tale where Bowditch finds himself, once again, in a pickle fighting for his life and to protect his loved ones in the great State of Maine.
When the magnificent home of entrepreneur Brian Malloy mysteriously goes up in flames, Maine game warden Mike Bowditch tries to pull Malloy’s burning body from the fire but is too late. Malloy was suspected of murdering his young, illegitimate son. Now it looks like someone else has delivered a verdict.
Miles away, on a lonely stretch of icy railroad track, the body of Axl Deming, once accused of a brutal rape, is found literally cut in half. Though the two murders seem unrelated, a cryptic text from an unknown number draws Bowditch to the scene―and hints at a chilling connection. He believes someone is orchestrating the executions of criminals who escaped justice, and for reasons he can’t explain, his own name is on the list, but the state police aren’t convinced. His search for the truth takes him through frozen harbors, trackless forests, and remote islands, far from rescue.
Meanwhile, Bowditch is facing a disciplinary hearing that could end his career. His wife Stacey, just weeks from giving birth, is being stalked by a stranger in a white van. And when he realizes someone has also been watching their home, the case turns increasingly personal.
To protect his family, Bowditch must work alone to uncover who’s behind the killings―and stop them before he becomes their next victim.
Doiron seems to get Bowditch into a real jam over and over, but that is the crux of crafting a series of mystery novels. While some would feel like these issues could get tiring, Doiron does a fantastic job to make them each feel fresh, especially his latest novel Storm Tide. Bowditch deals with a real head scratcher for the span of a number of months which has us wondering who is at fault and what is going to happen with each page turn.
As we have seen Bowditch grow as a Maine Game Warden, we have also seen him make some questionable decisions. That does not change in Storm Tide. Over the past few stories, Mike has finally found a way to be with Stacey Stevens and starts off this latest novel expecting their first child. As a father, I loved how Doiron brings this into the story, but had some moments of questioning Mike’s decisions. Bowditch may have grown up over the 16 novels, but sometimes I just want to scream at him.
The benefit of his marriage to Stacey is that she can definitely handle herself, he doesn’t have to be the protector, although he doesn’t shy away from the moments he has to. While in the end things may work out for him, Bowditch does tend to take risks that would make anyone frustrated with him. This goes the same a few times in Storm Tide.
This novel was intense, a bit more so than a lot of the previous stories. Not only does Doiron toss us back a bit with an older interaction as a Game Warden, but also to the death of his mother. Showing us even as the tough officer of the law, he is also a broken man dealing with his own struggles. Paul also deals a bit with mental health and grief in Storm Tide and how it can affect us in many different ways, some more deadly than others.
With Storm Tide, Paul Doiron delivers another gripping, can’t-put-it-down thriller that shows this series is as strong as ever. Doiron crafts a tale putting us on the edge of our seat, while also watching Bowditch and his family grow.
After reading all the Mike Bowditch novels, and most of the short stories, I find myself surprised on how gripped I still am with each new tale. Doiron has a keen ability to craft a new and exciting story around our favorite Game Warden, while also showing his life growing both in maturity and size. I find myself already sad, knowing one of these days we are going to lose people we love from these books, and that Doiron will one day retire from writing about Bowditch and his adventures. But until then, keep them coming.
Storm Tide hits bookstores everywhere on June 30, 2026 from Minotaur Books. The audiobook, narrated by Henry Leyva, is available via Libro.fm!
