The Poacher's Son received two more great reviews over the past couple of weeks.
First there's this from the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
When Bowditch's father becomes the main suspect in a deputy's death, Bowditch puts his career on the line to hunt for the killer, a quest that takes him deep into the forests of Maine and the heart of his dad's darkness. Doiron knows well the lay of the landscape he's writing about. The subtle parallels he draws between the beasts of the forest and the beasts within us are compelling.
I like that line about the "beasts within us," I have to say. ("Heart of his dad's darkness" is pretty good, too.)
The Provo Daily Herald also liked the book:
Even more than the action—which is intense—character and setting define this book. Northern Maine in the summertime is a felt presence in Doiron's finely-wrought text: the mosquitoes bite, the humidity cloys, the pines perfume the air, and seeable stars spatter the sky. The resolution of Mike's quest is as surprising as it is fitting, making The Poacher's Son not only great summer reading, but simply great reading.
It's been encouraging to hear from readers around the country—especially those unfamiliar with my state—who talk about the way my book transported them to the Maine North Woods since one of my primary goals in writing the novel was to express my love for the place.