Paul Do iron is a master story teller I highly recommend you read for yourself. Its one of the great. Mystery series in publication

Skin and Bones features a collection of eight gripping original short stories in the bestselling Mike Bowditch series—including one brand new, never-before-published story—from Edgar-award nominated author Paul Doiron.

There are eight stories, and I loved all of them! It's so rare for me to not be disappointed in at least 2-3 stories when reading this type of book, but that didn't happen with Skin and Bones. I was enthralled by all eight and I truly felt as though I were right there in Maine with Mike and Charley. (I was surprised by how hot it gets in Maine!)

One of my favorite things about Skin and Bones is the fact that the stories can be read without having read any of the full length novels.

I highly recommend Skin and Bones!

#PaulDoiron #ShortStories #Maine #GameWardens

A collection of 8 short stories from the best-selling "Mike Bowditch Mysteries" series by Paul Doiron.
It was my pleasure being in the backwoods and wilderness of Maine with game warden Mike Bowditch and, at times, his good friend Charlie Stevens.
Murder and mystery ensue in each of these unique and captivating stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This is a collection of short stories featuring Mike Bowditch and his associates. Mike is a Forest Ranger for the State of Maine. The book not only highlights the types of cases a forest ranger faces, but also the dangers and uncertainties that first responders meet in their everyday lives.

A delightful collection of 8 short stories featuring game warden Mike Bowditch & his predecessor & mentor Charley Stevens. The stories are more novella in length with the entire book at 370 pages. The book blurb says only 1 of these stories is new but they were all new to me. I've become a fan of Paul Doiron, his writing style & well put together plots are a joy to read. Each novella is a stand alone with plenty of backstory but it's not necessary to throw in too much. There is not a linear timeline, each story is in a different place in their careers. A few include both men. A treat was having a couple of stories with Mikes dad, Jack, in them. He was a scoundrel to say the least. This is my second book in the series and I hope to read more.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#NetGalley #SkinandBones #MikeBowditch #Mike Bowditch Mysteries #PaulDoiron #Minotaur Books #mystery #bookreview #contemporarymystery

Mike Bowditch series is a treat, this is collection of short stories, and icing on the cake is more stories that include Charley.
If you are a fan of the series, you will totally love this!

Extraordinary stories set in the North Maine Woods. Each is superbly plotted and written. Even as we are sitting on the porch of an old friend, listening to the voices relating these tales we know we are about to read something troubling and possible dangerous. The collection tends to be dark and I would love to read one that has a lighthearted tone. Nevertheless, it is a strong statement in support of the Maine Game Wardens and their important work.

Great writing. Great Stories. Many thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a copy.

Skin and Bones is less a collection of short stories and more a dissection of human frailty, set against the unforgiving backdrop of Maine’s wilderness. Doiron’s genius lies in how he uses the natural world, not as scenery, but as a force, a mirror, a predator. These stories are brutal, yes, but they’re also deeply psychological, peeling back the layers of Mike Bowditch’s world to reveal the raw, messy humanity underneath. The best stories to me were The Bear Trap, Skin and Bones, and Rabid, they're like existential puzzles disguised as crime fiction. They’re not just about solving mysteries; they’re about unraveling the characters themselves, peeling back layers of guilt and fear and self-delusion until all that’s left is this raw, pulsing thing that you can’t quite look at directly.

Skin and Bones And Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories by Paul Doiron is a collection of eight novellas and short stories within the Mike Bowditch series. Seven have been previously published as standalone stories, and Sheep’s Clothing is brand new to this series! I hadn’t read any of the short stories before so this was a nice treat!

I loved reading about Charley from his time as a game warden. The Bear Trap, Rabid, and Backtrack provided insights into Charley’s experiences, as well as revealing some character defining moments. I loved seeing young Ora’s involvement in Rabid.

I also enjoyed seeing Mike grow as a warden. Throughout each of these novellas, his experiences, both professional and personal, allow him to grow and sharpen his skills.

I highly recommend reading this collection if you are a fan of the Mike Bowditch series! You get a glimpse into the lives of those around Mike and see what happened in his and their lives to make them who they are today!

I loved the narration by Henry Leyva. He truly gives each character their own voice!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Skin and Bones And Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories by Paul Doiron
Publisher: St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books
Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Mystery & Thrillers
Published: May 13, 2025

I am not normally a fan of short stories, but Paul Doiron packs so much into his stories involving Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch that each of the eight tales were engaging and satisfying. From a young Ranger accompanied by his mentor and future father-in-law Charlie Stevens to a more experienced investigator, Bowditch tracks an imposter using his name, searches the source of rattlesnakes appearing on the trails and investigates a prowler victimizing a couple who are new to the area. Charlie relates some of his own experiences to help Bowditch grow into the character that Doiron’s readers have come to love. While most of these stories have been available in past publications, there is also a never before published story to complete the collection. Each story is surprising in its’ own way, with some surprising twists, and the stories cover a wide range of time. I have read each of the books in this series and each of these brief glimpses into Bowditch’s career were an entertaining reminder of why he is on my must read list. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur for providing this book.

Great collection of short stories featuring Maine game warden Mike Bowditch and his father in law Charlie. Each story is a quick and engaging mystery. I have not read all the Bowditch books, but these stories can be easily read and enjoyed without ever having read one.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

While I loved this book like others in the series I was a little disappointed. I was hoping for Mike Bowditch mystery with a side of Charley and other side characters. Don't get me wrong, these stories were excellent as always, and while I love Charley - half or more of the stories were about him. I'll try to wait patiently for the next book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Paul Doiron’s Skin and Bones: And Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories is a rugged, tightly packed collection that reads like a survivalist’s field journal—each entry a dispatch from the moral and physical wilderness of Maine’s North Woods.

For longtime fans of the series, this is a welcome deepening of the Bowditch mythos. The collection gathers eight stories, including the Edgar-nominated “Rabid” and the brand-new “Sheep’s Clothing,” each offering a different facet of Mike Bowditch: the hotheaded rookie, the dogged investigator, the man caught between duty and instinct. These aren’t just side quests—they’re emotional X-rays, revealing the fractures and scars that the full-length novels only hint at.
. Doiron’s prose is lean and muscular, but never cold. He writes the Maine woods like someone who’s walked every trail and knows which ones bite back.

What elevates this collection is its emotional continuity. Whether it’s a rabid bat, a missing hermit, or a long-buried family secret, each story circles the same thematic terrain: the tension between law and justice, isolation and connection, wildness and control. And through it all, Mike remains a compelling contradiction—reckless yet principled, wounded yet relentless.

Skin and Bones isn’t just a treat for series devotees—it’s a masterclass in short-form crime fiction. If the novels are the long hikes, these stories are the sudden storms that change everything.

I’ve enjoyed several books in the Mike Bowditch mystery series, so I was intrigued when I heard about this collection of short stories featuring Mike Bowditch, a Maine game warden, and his mentor Charley Stevens, a legendary woodsman and bush pilot. There are eight stories in this collection. I enjoyed learning about Charley’s past in the several stories that focused on the time when Charley was a young game warden. There are also several stories that center around unusual crimes that Mike must deal with. Paul Doiron, an award-winning author, is a very descriptive writer. His Maine backcountry is as much a character in these stories as are Mike and Charley. I would highly recommend this collection and the novels featuring Mike Bowditch to readers who enjoy the books by C.J. Box, Craig Johnson and Bruce Borgos, authors who all write about very human law men dealing with interesting and unusual mysteries in some of our country’s most beautiful and stunning landscapes. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press for an advanced reader’s copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have read a number of Doiron's full length novels featuring Maine game warden Mike Bowditch and enjoyed him. I enjoyed these short stories too. Some feature his mentor, retired warden Charley Stevens. Each of the stories is paced well and is a quick read. This collection is a good way for readers to get an idea of Doiron's writing style and plot development capabilities. Readers who like out door adventures with plenty of action will like this collection.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent review.

Skin and Bones includes 8 original short stories in the series starring Maine game warden Mike Bowditch, including one (Sheep's Clothing) published for the first time here.

In his Introduction, Doiron describes these tales 'as windows - some cracked, others tinted - into the wildness that is Maine.' The view is fascinating and I especially enjoyed seeing more of Mike's mentor (and eventually father-in-law) Charley Stevens as well as the series lead.

For lovers of Paul Dorian's great Mike Bowditch novels, this is a delightful addition. It is not a novel but rather a series of short stories. Though I normally do not choose a book of short stories, preferring the more in-depth presentation that a full length novel provides, I am glad that I chose this one. Each story is a treat in its own right, giving unique insights into Mike's character, style, and background.

I particularly liked the somewhat lengthier story, SKIN AND BONES, which gives the book its title. It is not, however, a story featuring Mike as the main character, but only as a presence to provide a frame tale about something that happened between Charley Stevens and Mike's father, Jack. The unique mystery involved the slaughter of protected wildlife and the search for the person who did it. I found it a lighthearted mystery involving wonderfully drawn yet a quirky group of suspects.

I heartily recommend this book to anyone who loves the Mike Bowditch stories as well as to all mystery fiction lovers. I appreciate NetGalley providing me with the opportunity to read this book and give it my honest review.

3.5 manly mystery stars, not rounded up

Skin and Bones is a collection of eight short stories in the Mike Bowditch series. Since I am not familiar with the series, and the stories were short, I felt like I didn’t know the game warden at all. Trigger warning - While I would not consider the book overly graphic or gory – it was grotesque or crude in a few places. The title story, Skin and Bones, ended up disgusting.

Paul Doiron is an experienced writer in that he can create complex stories with surprise in a shortened format. Occasionally bits of humor lighten the generally dark stories. The store’s “late-night business was based upon the four staple of rural life: gasoline, beer, cigarettes, and scratch tickets.”

Skin and Bones: And Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories by Paul Doiron was a very nice collection of short stories between major book releases. Although I had read any of them previously it was really nice to have them all in one place.

If you have been a reader of the series, you will note characters are just like they are in the major books, and very few new characters have been added.

I wish to thank NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

The book is available in all formats.

For me this was a 4 out of 5 star read

Skin and Bones by Paul Doiron is fast paced, quick to draw readers in, and the action doesn't stop until the end. Paul Doiron is an author I will look forward to reading again.