Kindle
$11.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$30.72
Paperback
$14.79
Buy new:
-22% $14.79
FREE delivery Saturday, May 11 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$14.79 with 22 percent savings
List Price: $19.00

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Saturday, May 11 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Friday, May 10. Order within 6 hrs 17 mins
In Stock
$$14.79 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$14.79
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$14.02
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
Gently read copy with no obvious marks of previous ownership. Binding tight; spine straight and smooth. Covers clean and crisp, with no creasing. Pages unbent & clean. Minimal signs of age, handling, or shelving. May include inscription or signature, light highlighting/underlining. 100% GUARANTEE! Gently read copy with no obvious marks of previous ownership. Binding tight; spine straight and smooth. Covers clean and crisp, with no creasing. Pages unbent & clean. Minimal signs of age, handling, or shelving. May include inscription or signature, light highlighting/underlining. 100% GUARANTEE! See less
FREE delivery Saturday, May 11 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 6 hrs 17 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$14.79 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$14.79
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Sold by LKMZ and Fulfilled by Amazon.
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Paul Doiron
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Widowmaker: A Novel (Mike Bowditch Mysteries, 7) Paperback – May 2, 2017

by Paul Doiron (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,217 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$14.79","priceAmount":14.79,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"14","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"79","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"H6NKEI5dPmkKoHu2aa0kCWmVdUTPPvdCvuf02T5EUBWS2OgWxSGcbWLOEYnOcMB6bRuxuJLXXE67qgizkaz5HUsjuSNLqWmMBIq1fyz8YsyhhtMhUjjpnuNhQNbqnzP4CgM6NQ73QNLZfN%2BprHzQtw%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$14.02","priceAmount":14.02,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"14","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"02","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"H6NKEI5dPmkKoHu2aa0kCWmVdUTPPvdCX7KnjRWAmkgoPg01bcC2FNP7nTlB2G%2BHoKmnKtHqx3u9oQSIA6uHtAUUjq5BM6dXl9YLQgk6a4OBEUMIAraJgo3vh7M62yC9QFcN9i0X8h1qHlm4YVRkTUl2YQ%2FgM5kwisPaUAxxc9jZr9k00TGkYltvz9kMVZoD","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

In Paul Doiron's riveting novel Widowmaker, Game Warden Mike Bowditch is on the trail of a ruthless vigilante amid the snow-covered mountains of Maine

When a mysterious woman in distress appears outside his home, Mike Bowditch has no clue she is about to blow his world apart. Amber Langstrom is beautiful, damaged, and hiding a secret with a link to his past. She claims her son Adam is a wrongfully convicted sex offender who has vanished from a brutal work camp in the high timber around the Widowmaker Ski Resort. She also claims that Adam is the illegitimate son of Jack Bowditch, Mike’s dead and diabolical father―and the half-brother Mike never knew he had.

After trying so hard to put his troubled past behind him, Mike is reluctant to revisit the wild country of his childhood and again confront his father’s history of violence. But Amber’s desperation and his own need to know the truth leads Mike on a desperate search for answers―one that takes him through a mountainous wilderness where the military guards a top-secret interrogation base, sexual predators live together in a backwoods colony, and self-styled vigilantes are willing to murder anyone they consider their enemies. Can Mike finally exorcise the demons of the past―or will the real-life demons of the present kill him first?

Previous page
  1. Book 7 of 15
    Mike Bowditch Mysteries
  2. Print length
    336 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    May 2, 2017
  5. Dimensions
    5.55 x 1.2 x 8.2 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1250130166
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1250130167
  8. See all details
Next page
Layla
"Layla" by Colleen Hoover for $7.19
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover comes a novel that explores life after tragedy and the enduring spirit of love. | Learn more

Frequently bought together

Widowmaker: A Novel (Mike Bowditch Mysteries, 7)
$14.79
Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Knife Creek: A Mike Bowditch Mystery (Mike Bowditch Mysteries, 8)
$13.19
Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
The Precipice: A Novel (Mike Bowditch Mysteries, 6)
$12.29
Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A violent, suspenseful, fast-paced tale written in Doiron's customary tight, vivid prose, with his keen eye for both idiosyncratic Maine characters and the beauty of the natural landscape.” ―Associated Press

“Breathless pacing, dark humor, wildlife, and vivid characters.” ―Boston Globe, Quintessential Summer Reading List

“Doiron continues to deliver vivid descriptions of rural Maine, a satisfying mystery (this one with tantalizing loose ends), and a conflicted main character. Those who relish outdoor mysteries, especially ones set in New England, will appreciate this latest entry.” ―Library Journal

“Paul Doiron is shaping up as the Tony Hillerman of the east. . . . presenting central characters who are brave and brainy but all too human and fallible. . . . [Doiron’s] storytelling is controlled and always enthralling. Just like Tony Hillerman’s.” ―Toronto Star on The Precipice

“Doiron brings his gift for making the Maine woods live and breathe to a taut whodunit in his stellar sixth novel featuring game warden Mike Bowditch. . . . Multidimensional characters and a high level of suspense help make this a winner.” ―Publishers Weekly (starred) on The Precipice

“Bad Little Falls is a jewel of a book. Doiron has gotten it all magnificently right: a hell of a good mystery, beautifully drawn landscape and characters so evocatively written they follow you off the page. Buy this. The guy can write.” ―Nevada Barr, New York Times bestselling author of Rope
“Doiron’s series keeps getting better and better...The Precipice will keep readers guessing―and biting their nails―right until the end. New readers can jump into the series here just fine, but be warned: You’ll be compelled to read the rest.”―RT Book Reviews (Top Pick)
“Doiron's third Bowditch entry is riveting and honest, with full-depth characters and a landscape that isn't cutting any slack. Readers of Nevada Barr and C. J. Box will enjoy this similar tale, with the added surprise of a refreshing hero whose youth and inexperience Doiron skillfully twists into an asset.” ―Booklist

“A high-stakes, high-tension yarn in which you keep wishing everything would turn out fine for the deeply flawed, deeply sympathetic hero.” ―Kirkus

“Excellent . . . a murder case with some truly wicked twists. Dorion matches strong characters with effective prose and subtle characterizations. Fans of Steve Hamilton's Alex McKnight series, likewise set in a remote region close to Canada, will find a lot to like.” ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

About the Author

A native of Maine, bestselling author PAUL DOIRON attended Yale University, where he graduated with a degree in English. The Poacher’s Son, the first book in the Mike Bowditch series, won the Barry award, the Strand award for best first novel, and has been nominated for the Edgar, Anthony, and Macavity awards in the same category. He is a Registered Maine Guide specializing in fly fishing and lives on a trout stream in coastal Maine with his wife, Kristen Lindquist.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Minotaur Books; Reprint edition (May 2, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250130166
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250130167
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.55 x 1.2 x 8.2 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,217 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Paul Doiron

Paul Doiron

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Paul Doiron is the best-selling author of the Mike Bowditch series of crime novels set in the Maine woods.

His first book, THE POACHER'S SON, won the Barry Award and the Strand Critics Award and was nominated for an Edgar for Best First Novel. PopMatters named it one of the best novels of the year. His second, TRESPASSER, won the 2012 Maine Literary Award. His novelette “Rabid” was a finalist for the 2019 Edgar in the Best Short Story category. Paul’s twelfth book, DEAD BY DAWN won the New England Society's 2022 Book Award for Fiction, as well as his second Maine Literary Award. It was also a finalist for the Barry Award.

Paul is the former chair of the Maine Humanities Council, Editor Emeritus of "Down East: The Magazine of Maine," and a Registered Maine Guide specializing in fly fishing. He lives on a trout stream on the Maine midcoast.

His novels have been translated into 11 languages: German, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Polish, Romanian, Slovenian, Hungarian, Czech, and Finnish.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
1,217 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Joe Corson
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2024
Verified Purchase
Good book. Paul Dorian is a favorite author.
Helpful
 Report
summerlover48
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting story and characters
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2016
Verified Purchase
I've read all of Paul Doiron's books. This was not my favorite but it certainly was well written with colorful characters. I sometimes read in bed and fall asleep over the book, in this case, I read in bits and pieces missing cohesiveness. If I had read larger portions at a time, I might have enjoyed it more. I do love reading about places I've been to in Maine. His characters are unique and not always likeable. The plot was well developed and came to a good final comic.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
J. B. Hoyos
5.0 out of 5 stars While Searching for His Missing Half-Brother, Mike Bowditch Enters the Bizarre World of the Sexual Predator!
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2016
Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )Verified Purchase
Paul Doiron’s “Widowmaker” is one of the most bizarre, provocative installments in the Mike Bowditch series. A beautiful, conniving woman, Amber Langstrom, convinces Mike that her young son, Adam, is his half-brother. Adam is a recently paroled convict, imprisoned for statutory rape, who is missing. Blood found on Amber’s stolen truck indicates that he could be dead. Mike’s search for Adam leads him to the Widowmaker, a ski resort with a tragic, unsavory past, and Don Foss Logging, a camp where sex offenders harvest timber under harsh, slave-like conditions.

The setting is incredible. Mike, a game warden for Maine, must endure bone-chilling temperatures and tall snowdrifts during his perilous search for Adam. It’s a cruel, frozen world of which I do not want to be a part. During his odyssey, Mike encounters a multitude of strange characters that include a transvestite; murderous drug dealers who own a hybrid wolf; and three elderly, influential men who call themselves “The Night Watchmen.” Mike’s already strained relationship with his biologist girlfriend, Stacey Stevens, is nearly severed by a horrific tragedy. In fact, tragedy abounds in “Widowmaker.

Mike’s heart is broken many times. He can’t escape the hideous shadow cast by his notorious, extremely abusive father, Jack Bowditch, a poacher, who killed two men. Everyone, especially Amber Langstrom, reminds him of how much he resembles Jack. Now that he has a half-brother, Adam, he will never be able to escape Jack. Adam will be a constant reminder. Mike’s heart yearns desperately for a family and this desperation convinces him to search for Adam. Mike is in a constant state of emotional turmoil. He believes Adam received a raw deal. He had sex with his juvenile girlfriend, Alexa Davidson, who was only a few years younger than him; her angry parents filed charges. Many readers may feel the same as Mike.

“Widowmaker” is extremely controversial and provocative. It begs the question: Do sex offenders deserve the harsh treatment that is inflicted upon them by the public? In the state of Maine, sex offenders can’t own a weapon. I didn’t think this was fair; I thought owning a weapon is a constitutional right. Does this mean that registered sex offenders don’t have the right to defend themselves, especially against certain members of society who would love to see them dead? One character, Logan Dyer, can’t sell his home because it is next to the logging camp where sex offenders work. Mike believes it must be like living next to a toxic waste dump.

“Widowmaker” is extremely engaging. Mike Bowditch experiences one tense moment after another. He narrowly escapes death several times. My favorite scenes involve him and the wolf hybrid, Shadow. This dog is nearly pure wolf; it is an extremely beautiful and intelligent creature. Mike develops a strong attraction towards it. He misses not having a pet. He also spends a few nights with District Warden, Gary Pulsifer, and his family, which includes two dogs that leap into his bed, helping to keep him warm at night. Mike begins formulating plans to further his relationship with Stacey and create a family.

I read Paul Doiron’s “Widowmaker” while listening to the audio version on eight CDs. Henry Leyva, an actor, gives a superb performance when reading “Widowmaker.” He has read many of Doiron’s other novels. In fact, he has quite a resume when it comes to reading the novels of best-selling mystery writers. I can clearly understand him and he provides each character with a unique voice and personality. He reads each word very carefully. I learned that Bowditch is pronounced Bo-Ditch (as in a gift bow), not Bow-Ditch (as in a ship’s bow). My only complaint is that not all the CDs stopped at the end of a chapter. Sometimes they stopped at the end of a paragraph within a chapter. I always take notes to keep from becoming lost.

Overall, “Widowmaker” is another awesome installment in Paul Doiron’s unique, highly engaging Mike Bowditch mystery series. His fans will not be disappointed. My only complaint is the lack of closure. Not all of the guilty parties are punished. Perhaps that will happen in a later installment. This often occurs in real life. Bowditch silently surmises: “The injustices of this world are why we so desperately dream of a better one yet to come.” I truly believe that a better world will follow this one. Until then, I will continue reading the Mike Bowditch mysteries.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Don Milleman
5.0 out of 5 stars Suspense in the Maine Woods
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2017
Verified Purchase
WIDOWMAKER, by Paul Doiron is another book featuring Maine State Game Warden Mike Bowditch and it does not disappoint. Their are a couple of main plots and several mini plots in this book that keep the reader glued to the pages. To start off, a woman seeks Mike out, says she knew his dad, and claims that her missing son is Mike's long lost brother. Somewhat reluctantly, Mike, who is on "sick leave" starts his own investigation which takes him to the Maine mountains in search of the truth. He goes through a many turns and snow covered mountains to seek out what is factual. Along the way and in the course of his job, he takes custody of a wolf, which is not a native species. It is interesting to note that the wolf may have actually been instrumental in saving his life as the next chapter in the life of Mike Bowditch opens. While searching for clues on his "brother", ten sex offenders are gunned down in cold blood at a state sponsored post release center in the Maine woods. It just so happens that Mike is instrumental in developing clues and ends up arresting the bad guy.

One of the other mini plots involve Mike's on going relationship with his girlfriend, Stacy, a biologist for State. It has some ups and downs and it will be interesting to see what happens in the next book. The author is quite descriptive in his writings of the Maine landscape and the reader feels he is looking into the scene from above. Bottom line: A well written and interesting book that could easily be fact, rather than fiction.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Janis Clark
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast shipping
Reviewed in Canada on March 18, 2024
Verified Purchase
Exactly what I wanted and the shipping was fast as stated.
Report
warmhearted
4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting read
Reviewed in Canada on September 4, 2017
Verified Purchase
Another good read by Mr. Doiron. He sure puts in a lot of miles in one day. It seems his books are only a week long before he gets to the finish line. There is a lot of sartorial comment; one way to dress up a page, I guess. Oops. However, he does solve the crime and there is usually a happy ending which is always nice. Now, for the next book.
Report
Syl
5.0 out of 5 stars Love that author
Reviewed in Canada on September 6, 2019
Verified Purchase
Good book, good author, always good a Paul Doiron book.
Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on May 16, 2017
Verified Purchase
Great read! Keep them coming!
Report
Amazon Customer
1.0 out of 5 stars Dull plot.
Reviewed in Canada on July 24, 2016
Verified Purchase
So disappointing! I didn`t finish reading it! Dull plot...just went on and on, blah, blah, blah. I loved the Poacher Son, so, thought I was buying another good one. :(
Report