Trespasser is the second novel by Paul Doiron, following The Poacher's Son, and the story from the first book echoes throughout the pages of Trespasser. Game warden Mike Bowditch stumbles upon a long-unsolved sex-crime murder by way of a new killing with the same modus operandi. Bowditch is still reeling from the revelations in the first novel, second-guessing his own motives and actions as much as his superior officers and teacher girlfriend (who has just moved back in with him) do. He walks into dangerous situations again and again, stubbornly searching for the truth behind the latest murder, at the same time trying to get his personal and professional lives back on track.
Trespasser is as much about place as it is about plot, set as it is against the early spring of backwoods Maine with cold air, unpredictable weather, alternately frozen and thawing rutted mud. The story lives within a specific locale, one that held this skeptical reader's interest through some of the more clichéd scenes and heavy-handed inner and outer dialogue. Along with the author's confident attention to the quirks of the supporting characters, these atmospheric details bring the story to life with a realism not often found in other books written in this style.
That's not to say that the plot has not been done before. While the skeleton outline will seem familiar to anyone who has read a contemporary murder mystery, the uniquely northeastern side characters and clever plot twists within the final third of the novel are sure to please even a more cynical connoisseur of the genre. While I dislike the term "page-turner," this book kept me interested enough to do just that. --Rob LeFebvre, freelance writer and editor