Trespasser A Novel

When a woman vanishes on a fog-shrouded coastal road, Maine game warden Mike Bowditch stumbles into something far more sinister than a routine deer strike. Blood stains the pavement, but there’s no driver, no deer—only a state trooper who seems oddly eager to close the case.

In this Edgar Award–nominated author Paul Doiron’s gripping follow-up to The Poacher’s Son, Bowditch finds himself drawn into a seven-year-old murder case that sent lobsterman Erland Jefferts to prison for life. But when the missing woman turns up brutalized in a way that mirrors that earlier crime, everything Bowditch thought he knew begins to unravel. Was justice truly served, or has a killer been walking free all along?

Despite warnings from state prosecutors to back off, Bowditch can’t let it go—not when his own life has been recently torn apart by violence. His unauthorized investigation reopens bitter wounds between year-round Mainers and wealthy summer people, the kind of divisions that run deep in coastal communities. As he digs deeper, he discovers his opponents are willing to do anything to keep their secrets buried.

Perfect for readers who crave atmospheric mysteries with authentic Maine settings, Trespasser delivers a taut thriller where the fog never quite lifts and danger lurks behind every pine tree. Doiron’s intimate knowledge of Maine’s wilderness and the complex dynamics of its communities creates a story that feels lived-in and real—the kind of book that keeps you turning pages long after you should have turned off the light.

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