The Precipice
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TL;DR: Suspenseful page-turner with compelling characters, setting, and story.
The sixth in Paul Doiron’s Maine Game Warden series, The Precipice is a suspenseful page turner that holds the reader’s attention with strong characters, a compelling setting, and a story that has twists, turns, ups, and downs.
Game Warden Mike Bowditch is called away from his vacation to help search for two missing Appalachian Trail hikers. Are the girls still alive? Have they been injured or killed by coyotes? A serial killer? A local or another hiker? As Bowditch and a cast of characters searches and investigates, they run up against a large local family, other hikers, and the difficult terrain of the Appalachian mountains.
Because the hikers aren’t confirmed dead until about halfway through the book, the mystery of who killed them is really only in the latter half. The book never lags, though. From the start, the reader is taken along in the action, fully immersed in the setting through descriptions of the environment and wildlife, as well as the humans’ interactions with the natural world. This is accomplished both through Bowditch’s experiences during the search and rescue operation, and the experience of others, such as infamous AT hiker Bob Nissen.
Warden Bowditch is more reasonable in this book than he has been in others in the series. However, him calling for back-up and making other rational decisions doesn’t take away from the book’s excitement. His girlfriend disappears as she seeks to solve the mystery on her own, putting Bowditch on the lookout for her as well as trying to find the hikers’ killer. The subplots intertwine nicely, keeping the reader on their toes without being overly convoluted.
The Precipice is a great read for the beach or camp. Just be ready to stay up late turning pages.