Fortunately thus far in his career Mike has not had to regulate his father’s activities, though he hasn’t had contact with the man for many years. Thus returning home late at night to find a message from his dad on his answering machine makes Mike’s heart beat faster. The next day Mike discovers that the police are looking for his dad whom they believe might be involved in the murder of two men the night before, one of which is a local cop, highly regarded among the town’s residents.

Mike quickly learns the circumstances of the deaths. The cop was accompanying a spokesperson for a lumbering corporation back to the inn where he was spending the night. The lumber company had recently bought up, a big tract of land and had plans to develop the land for vacation homes. This plan was poorly received by the locals who owned homes on the land under an agreement from another lumber company for whom they worked. The change in ownership meant essentially that they would be forced to sell their properties at a greatly reduced price in addition to losing their livelihood as employees of the previous owner.

Mike knows his father would not be beyond killing another man but the circumstances under which that would happen would be a barroom brawl or over a woman. He cannot conceive that Jack would get involved a fight over land ownership or any political agenda. Though his supervisor and his boss are adamant that Mike stay out of the case, he can’t accept the police allegation that his father is guilty of this crime.

He decides to do a bit of investigation on his own with the blessing of his mother, who, though divorced from his father for many years agrees with Mike. She knows from personal experience that Jack is capable of violence, but this is nor Jack’s type of crime.

The plot itself should be enough to hook most mystery buffs, but author Doiron has created a story with much more depth to it. What the average person knows about the duties of a game warden is probably not much. The author does an excellent job of providing a remedy for this deficiency.

In addition, one learns a great deal about the geography, economy and climate of the state of Maine. While the state depends on the money that tourists and summer residents provide, many lifetime residents of the state do not appreciate the disregard for the land or the wildlife that this portion of the population seems to have.

Mike Bowditch is a character with whom readers can easily empathize. He is basically a good person who loses his temper with tourists or summer residents who show a decided disregard for boating regulations or laws concerning wildlife. He should take a course in dealing with the public but at present he has problems in his personal life that are taking much more of his attention. Although the people with whom he works are sympathetic to his problems, he is creating more problems than he is solving.

Doiron plays his cards close to his chest. He presents his case to his readers honestly but he has withheld enough information to produce a surprising ending. He does not withhold information, but he makes suggestions that most readers will believe only to be caught off guard as the story gradually unfolds.

The Poacher’s Son was originally published in 2010 and has received a great deal of richly deserved praise. It is tightly written and a memorable read.

--Andy Plonka