STORY SUMMARY
It's October in northern Maine, and the weather has been unseasonably warm. Mike Bowditch, a game warden in his mid-20s, has been called to a scene that features a very bizarre crime: ten moose corpses have been found and they appear to have been senselessly buthered on the large estate owned by Elizabeth Morse. Betty is a wealthy animal rights activist, naturalist, and former hippie who has bought a large parcel of land and wants to keep it forever wild and have it turned into a new national park in northern Maine. Elizabeth has one daughter named Briar. Briar is in her early 20s.
At first, the slaughter of the ten moose appear to be retribution by locals for their job losses that Morse's plan has already caused in that region of the forests of Maine. But.....another shocking murder is discovered and Mike's investigation becomes a hunt to find the elusive killer. Bowditch risks losing everything he holds dear in order to solve this crime which is turning into a very controversial case.....he risks losing his very best friends, his career as a law enforcement officer, and the love of his life.
Will he solve the moose killings...and also as important....what will happen to his friends and love interest?
MY THOUGHTS
This book, unbeknownst to me, was set on a true crime of moose killings in northern Maine. The author makes is clear in his end notes that the story is indeed fiction but the real crime that took place was his inspiration for the plot.
I love the descriptions in this series of the Maine woods and the ocean and deep woods lakes....the descriptions are so spot on!
The characters that go from book to book are endearing and even the new characters in each story are so well developed. I really enjoyed the characters of Betty Morse, Leaf Woodwind, and Briar. I love the zeal for nature that Betty displays even though she is a bit of a wealthy snob.
I didn't correctly guess who the actual moose killer was so I was on the edge of my seat throughout this book that had many different twists. The ending, although a bit abrupt, was well executed.
Some of the main themes in this book are: animal welfare, nature/the environment, climate change, friendship, betrayal, child abuse, cancer diagnoses, mother-son relationship, poverty, alcohol abuse, wealth.
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 17 and older (due to mature content).
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 9.
1 comment:
This series sounds much like the books by C.J. Box I have read. His main character is also a game warden who ends up solving crimes. His books are set in Wyoming and I have really liked the two I have read. I need to get my brief book review post ready for the end of the month which is coming quickly! Have a good weekend.
Post a Comment