I loved these, but, full disclosure, I love the author in general. I think the short story is the perfect delivery for Mike Bowditch's stories, and I loved the several offerings from Charley's viewpoint. Bowditch is a great character, human, flawed but moral, and I always enjoy his adventures. The stories make me miss New England, where we lived for 35+ years :(

Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

C.J. Box, favorite author. Crisp concise sparse paragraphs. This collection of short stories certainly hits the mark for page turner and interesting stories. Really enjoyed reading adventures of Joe Picket and his mentor Charley. The stories take place in no particular timeline. Always original, Mr. Box does a really good job of punching in a good story. Great read for snowed in couple of days.

These stories were a pleasant surprise for me. I have read every one of Doiron's Bowditch mysteries. As the series moves along I find the writing more and more bogged down in histrionics, mawkish romanticism/sentimentalism and extreme violence aka James Lee Burke-Dave Robicheaux. In short, Doiron has become somewhat bogged down in fabulism.
However, these stories, for the most part were devoid of that stuff and were rather straight forward. They gave some good incite into poor people in Maine and into the landscape. While not rising to the level of Mavis Gallant, Alice Munro or Flannery O'Connor I think they do add weight to the Bowditch saga. I am sure that most fans of Doiron/Bowditch will enjoy these stories. It seemed to me that the story "Imposter" could be part of a new book.

This is a very enjoyable book about Mike and Charlie. Each is cram-packed with incites about them and the adventures they went through. Well worth reading. Highly recommended, as are all Paul Doiron's books.

Skin and Bones: And Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories by Paul Doiron, published by St. Martin's Press/ Minotaur Books, is a collection of short stories - Mike Bowditch 4.5, 8.5, 9.5, 10.5, 11.5, 12.5
Including The Bear Trap; Rabid; The Imposter; The Caretaker; Skin & Bones; Snakebit and Sheep's Clothing.
A wonderful goosflesh giving collection That I greatly enjoyed reading.
I recommend the book, 5 stars.

Skin and Bones is a collection of eight short stories set deep in the Maine woods, written by seasoned outdoorsman Paul Doiron. These stories continue the life of Mike Bowditch, a game warden and the central character in Doiron’s long-standing series. However, you don’t need to be familiar with the series to get invested—each story stands alone. I hadn’t read Doiron’s previous work before picking up Skin and Bones, but I’ve started a few novels in the series and I like the atmosphere.
The stories often unfold as characters reminisce about their careers as game wardens, reflecting on the most pivotal moments. One of the most intriguing figures is Charley, Mike’s older mentor and father figure. A bush pilot and former prisoner of war in Vietnam, Charley has escaped the torment with a strong moral compass. Yet, there’s an undercurrent to these stories of trying to do the right thing during difficult or nebulous circumstances- it’s not always clear how they will uphold a sense of justice.
What sets Skin and Bones apart is Doiron’s masterful ability to craft a moody, somber atmosphere against the backdrop of Maine’s pristine forests. He reveals a side of Maine that challenges the state’s "Vacationland" image. No idyllic beach cottages here— Mike’s policing the gritty, tangled Maine wilderness, and he runs into some harrowing circumstances. Of course Mike’s confronted with plenty of game warden-y ecological issues like poaching, rabies and hikers stranded in the snow. There’s also (a surprising) amount of macabre crimes and grisly deaths that take place in a rugged, fiercely beautiful, authentic Mainescape
This was my first NetGalley review! I’m so happy to receive the ARC from my fellow Mainer Mike Doiron.

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

From warnings for newly-minted game warden Mike Bowditch to rabid bats to a hunter missing in a snowstorm to a dead man . . . with Mike’s driver’s license.

From sinister prowlers to a missing man with a physically abusive brother to rattlesnakes to a gruesome murder-suicide . . . these are Mike Bowditch's stories.

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In this captivating book readers will find eight short stories, each featuring Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch and retired game warden Charley Stevens, all mysteries providing tidbits of background information for the characters while keeping the reader engrossed in the telling of these tales. Here are the characters readers have come to know and love; the strong setting anchors the stories while the intriguing plots keep those pages turning as fast as possible.

While this unputdownable book works well as a standalone, readers who have followed Mike Bowditch’s adventures are sure to find much to appreciate here as will readers new to the series.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books and NetGalley
#SkinandBones #NetGalley

We venture deep into the rugged Maine wilderness once more with Edgar Award-nominated author Paul Doiron in Skin and Bones: And Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories. This collection showcases the adventures and mysteries featuring Mike Bowditch, Charley Stevens, and more.

For the first time in print, Skin and Bones: And Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories features a collection of eight gripping original short stories in the bestselling Mike Bowditch series―including one brand new, never-before-published story. The stories include The Bear Trap, Rabid, Backtrack, The Imposter, The Caretaker, Skin and Bones, Snakebit, and Sheep's Clothing.

Paul Doiron takes us back to familiar stomping grounds—the majestic yet often unforgiving terrain of Maine in Skin and Bones: And Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories. This collection is an anthology of tales that draws deeply on the landscape and wildlife's raw beauty to shape stories filled with mystery. Each tale is crafted with the hallmark Doiron attention to detail, painting vivid scenes that are easy to slip into for dedicated Mike Bowditch readers, Mainers, and newcomers alike. The Maine setting becomes more than a backdrop, but a character in its own right, influencing events and shaping outcomes.

Tales in this book that standout in my mind are The Caretaker and the collections namesake Skin and Bones. This stories immediately ensnared me with its edge-of-the-seat tension and mystery. In the former, Bowditch tracks down a sinister prowler turning a couple's dream vacation home into a nightmare while the latter sees the killing of a bald eagle unearthing ties to a tragic case from Mike's mentor Charley Steven's past.

Each story has their own feel while also cohesively adding depth to the overall Mike Bowditch lore. These tales are great to add context or bits to Doiron's other Bowditch stories, but can also standalone. This especially goes for Sheep's Clothing which offers insights into the aftermath of previous events from Pitch Dark, creating continuity within this universe while introducing fresh tensions that kept me guessing until the very end. These narrative threads cleverly bind past novels with present tales without alienating those who might be new to Doiron’s work.

A nice touch in Skin and Bones: And Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories is the stories where Charley Stevens takes center stage. This provides us fans of the series an intriguing shift from our usual protagonist-centric narratives focused entirely on Mike Bowditch. Stevens' presence adds depth to these tales; his seasoned wisdom contrasts beautifully against Bowditch’s youthful vigor seen elsewhere in the series.

It wouldn't be right if I didn't mention how much I love these tales as they take place in my backyard. Maine is a beautiful and wonderful state with a ton of wildlife, adventure, and mystery. Doiron's love for the state shines on every page of a Bowditch tale and this goes for this collection of short stories.

Skin and Bones: And Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories by Paul Doiron is an enthralling reading experience that's both satisfying for longtime fans waiting for another full-length installment and enticing enough for those new to Mike Bowditch to get a glimpse into the universe. Doiron takes several previous published tales and combine them into one great collection featuring a brand new story with ease.

I'm a big fan of Paul Doiron and his fallible but compelling lead character, Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch. Having read the entire series, I've thoroughly enjoyed Doiron's evolution as a writer. I eagerly wait for each new release, and find myself impatient for the next installment. This collection of short stories is a perfect addition to the series—it fills in the gaps, deepens our connection to the already well-drawn characters, and expands Bowditch’s world. Reading it feels like slipping into a well-worn, comfortable slipper—you just want to curl up in a cozy spot and savor the experience.

I'm a longtime fan of Paul Doiron's Mike Bowditch series, and this was my favorite one yet. Doiron has a gift for telling stories in a descriptive, cinematic manner. Every time I finish one of his books, I'm anxiously awaiting the next in the series.

Eight short stories from the Mike Bowditch series. If you're not familiar with the series, the main character is a Maine game warden with a wide range of adventures and an excellent supporting cast of characters. The stories give a glimpse into the pressures the wardens face while trying to enforce the laws of Maine and keep the peace in an area concentrated with individuals living their lives off grid and outside civilized conventions. As in any book of stories, some are better than others, but all of them are 5 star reads. If you love CJ Box's Joe Pickett, you will definitely want to read the entire Poacher's Son/ Mike Bowditch series.

Skin and Bones by Paul Doiron fills in the gaps of the longer novels with short stories about Charley Stevens and Mike Bowditch, Game Wardens in Maine. These are intriguing tales as they cover many years of their personal and professional lives together.

This one wasn’t for me . I love Paul Dorion but I’m not for short stories . This one was a no for me
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

Captivating stories in the dark woods!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the eight short stories in Paul Doiron's Skin and Bones collection. I had read many of them before, but they are so well-written that re-reading them is a pleasure. The interactions between Mike Bowditch and retired game warden Charley Stevens are so entertaining. From “The Bear Trap” in which Stevens tackles a woods legend with sinister results, to “Snakebit”, they all have surprising twists.
In the new story “Sheep’s Clothing”, we discover the consequences for Mike of the events in Pitch Dark. Mike's wellness check on a dirt-poor family in the Maine backwoods turns up two bodies. Mike’s habit of finding trouble finds him again. He can’t help investigating even though his superiors have told him to stay away.

These stories are like sitting around a campfire and having a favourite uncle telling tales. Some are scary, some intriguing, but all are captivating. I like visiting with old friends: Mike and his wife Stacey, Charlie and his wife Ora and Mike’s wolf-dog Shadow. This collection read alone but I highly recommend the whole Mike Bowditch series.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a digital ARC.

Wow! Fantastic read. A great compilation of short stories with some of my favorite characters. I'd read a few but most were new to me and I very much enjoyed the stories and how they filled in a few things and also kept me engaged in the storylines. One of the stories ended rather abruptly but it didn't detract from the overall story. I truly look forward to any new stories with Mike Bowditch and can't wait for the next installment. Many thanks to the Author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a strong collection of short stories, it had that concept that I was hoping for and thought worked well with the genre. Paul Doiron was able to weave strong stories in this collection and was glad I got to read this.

I am nor a fan of short stories but am a fan of the series. The stories were entertaining and built on the series characters

Another great read by Paul Doiron, a compilation of short stories. Easy h one was suspenseful and action packed. I highly recommend!

I was delighted to receive an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley. Paul Dorion is one of my favorite authors. He is an amazing writer and his Maine game warden Mike Bowditch is a very interesting character. This book is a series of short stories that provide additional background for Mike and the other characters in the novels. While some of these stories had been previously released as stand alones, it was fun to read them again and I greatly enjoyed the new ones. Hopefully, this taste of Doiron’s great writing will make you want to read all his books. It will be a fun journey! While I have NetGalley to thank, this opinion is my own.

I was a little disappointed to see Paul Doiron's 2025 release be a collection of short stories. Don't get me wrong -- I love Paul Doiron. His Mike Bowditch series has become of one my favorites series ever. From the location to the characters, it sticks out to me as something special. So much so that I read everything he writes as soon as he publishes it. So, that being said, I'd already read 80% of this book before. The stories range from good to great (with the better ones for me starring Mike himself, although I love Charley as a character). The best news about this collection, though, was the last story. It's brand new and picks up right where the last book left out. If I had one complaint about it, it's just that it's too short (though it's absolutely better than him not being around at all for a year). I want to spend more time with Mike and company. Every year I miss him being around. But that's not Paul's fault. He just needs to learn to write faster.