Bad Little Falls by Paul Doiron, a Mysterious Review.

Review: Defying authority and breaking the rules, even for all the right reasons, eventually gets one severely reprimanded or even fired. But for Maine game warden Mike Bowditch, it gets him sent to the remote outpost of Whitney on the border with Canada, where his superiors hope that "out of sight, out of mind" equates to "out of trouble". But trouble seems to find Mike in Bad Little Falls, the third mystery in this series by Paul Doiron.

It's February, the temperature is well below zero, and there is a blizzard on the horizon when Mike is called by a veterinarian, Doc Larrabee, to assist him with a zebra, which has frozen to death on a local game ranch. A loophole in Maine's law allows for exotic animals to be kept as livestock, and not under the jurisdiction of Mike's department, Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. While attending to the animal, they receive a frantic call from the home of a couple, who say that a severely frostbitten man has turned up on their doorstep pleading for their help. His friend is lost somewhere in the snow. But what starts out as a rescue mission turns into a murder investigation. Though clearly well outside his authority, Mike steps in to help, meeting a young boy, who he is convinced may have witnessed something related to the murder but cannot — or will not — tell him.

Bad Little Falls is a satisfyingly complex mystery. The remote environment and the stormy weather provide a strong backdrop to the story. Mike Bowditch is an engaging character, a well developed investigator with a nicely rounded personality, a little aloof at times but always approachable. The young boy's coded messages that seem to be the key to Mike's puzzle keep the reader guessing too.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Bad Little Falls.

Acknowledgment: Minotaur Books provided a copy of Bad Little Falls for this review.

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Minotaur Books (Hardcover), June 2011
ISBN-13: 9780312558475; ISBN-10: 0312558473

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Minotaur Books (Hardcover), July 2013
ISBN-13: 9781250033932; ISBN-10: 1250033934

Bad Little Falls

A Mike Bowditch Mystery by Paul Doiron