This is book 8 in the Game Warden series I really enjoy reading. All of these books are set in Maine, a state that I love to visit. I have read all of these Mike Bowditch, Game Warden books in order.
STORY SUMMARY
Mike Bowditch, Game Warden has a job to do. It's July and it's been a hot, humid one. He has to shoot some invasive feral pigs (boars) that are wreaking havoc in the forest in his district. As he heads out and begins this job, with his live-in girlfriend Stacey, a Wildlife biologist, they make a horrible discovery: A dead newborn baby is buried in a shallow grave and the pigs have eaten part of her!
But even more disturbing is that the evidence surrouding this infant, suggests that the baby is the child of a young woman who has been presumed dead for the last 4 years. She was a UNH college student when she disappeared from a group rafting trip. Now Bowditch is assisting in the reopened investigation.
He begins to suspect that some of his neighbors aren't who they seem to be. Violence strikes close to hom and he realizes that his unknown enemies will stop at nothing to keep their terrible secrets.
Mike goes out on limb and recklessly answers a call about a feral pig. And ends up in handcuffs, beaten, and put in a basement where his perpetrators claim they are going to kill him. Will he escape in time? And will he solve the mystery of the woman who vanished?
MY THOUGHTS
This wasn't not one of my fave books in the series. It was much too disturbing with some seriously dark themes.
I did like that Stacey and Mike's relationship began to take a turn that I was suspecting was going to happen. I also like that the author has set up a firmer friendship with another character...the state trooper Dani Tate and Mike. I like that the author brings in some characters that were established in previous books in the series, too and that we see what they are doing now.
The ending is a bit far fetched and just gruesome.
Some of the themes/subjects in the plot are: kidnapping/torture; drug addiction; murder; cult like activity; sexual slavery; revenge; justice.
I do love the description of the setting and the character development. I also liked that the author writes a fast-paced mystery but this one was just a tad bit too gruesome for me.
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 an 8.
2 comments:
Yeah, doesn't sound like a book for me. Thanks for the review. That sure cuts down on not finishing books I'm not liking when I know not to even start one because it won't be my cup of tea.
I almost gave up on it but then the plot did improve. sorta. I really just wanted to find out what was going to happen with Mike's gf because they both are the main characters in this series. Most of Doiron's Maine series is GREAT though. I guess all authors cannot always have a great one?
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