Storm Tide

Unnerving and heart-pounding, this sixteenth book in Paul Doiron’s Storm Tide series recounts a year in the life of Maine game warden Mike Bowditch. And what a year it has been. It begins with the murder of well-off Brian Malloy, discovered—along with his wife—in a fire that destroyed their mansion. Bowditch tries, but fails, to save them; only their baby lives beyond the fire. Next in the murder line-up is Axl Deming. Once accused of a brutal rape, Axl is found on a frozen train track, severed in half. Are the two incidents somewhat related? Bowditch himself is worried about his small family. His wife, Stacey, is due to give birth in weeks, while finding herself being stalked by a giant with a white van. Bowditch is facing a disciplinary hearing that could destroy his career, while he is still occupied with covering frozen bays and remote reaches while in the line of duty. A deeply felt work of crime fiction that never shies away from discerning good from evil.—Brian Kenney