Paul Doiron draws crowd for Brooklin book signing
The author’s newest book, Storm Tide, is the 16th in his Maine Game Warden mystery series
July 20, 2026
By Steele Hays
Paul Doiron signed books and chatted with readers during the event. Photo by Steele Hays.
Award-winning mystery writer Paul Doiron visited Brooklin’s Leaf & Anna gift shop on July 16 to sign copies of his newest book, Storm Tide. The novel is the 16th in the bestselling series featuring fictional Maine Game Warden Investigator Mike Bowditch
More than 20 fans were waiting in line when Doiron arrived, eager to have him sign their copies. Several had driven over an hour to the event to meet and have a few words with the author.
Shop owner Anne Dentino asked the waiting crowd how many had read all 15 of the previous books in the series. At least half raised their hands.
Storm Tide was just released in late June, but many fans had already read it.
“It was my favorite one,” said Sharon Kelley of Mount Desert Island. “I couldn’t put it down.”
Another customer told Doiron the same thing minutes later. “I’ve been hearing a lot of that,” Doiron said. “And it’s really gratifying.”
“This has been our biggest seller so far,” Dentino said. She stocks multiple copies of all the books in the series, and Doiron said Dentino’s shop “has the best collection of my books anywhere so I’m here because I just want to support her.”
Brooklin was the final stop on Doiron’s tour of Maine bookstores promoting his new novel. In the opening chapter of Storm Tide, there is an intense fire near Belfast, Maine, in which two people die. For some readers that has been emotionally difficult, reminding them of the May 15 fire at the Robbins Lumber Company mill in Searsmont, which resulted in two deaths and more than a dozen serious injuries, Doiron said.
The acclaimed author said Leaf & Anna has ‘has the best collection of my books anywhere.’ Photo by Steele Hays.
Doiron’s book was already at the printers when the Searsmont fire occurred, but he was struck by the event, he said.
“It’s not the first time something I’ve imagined ended up happening in real life,” he said. “It’s not just eerie, it makes me feel …. I suppose it’s a testament to my imagination. Many in Waldo County have said they couldn’t read the first chapter because of what has happened.”
Doiron, who lives in Camden and is a former top editor of Down East Magazine, said he has already completed the next book in the series, which will be released in 2027. He’s now starting on the book scheduled for release in 2028 and said it will be set at least partially on Mount Desert Island. All the Mike Bowditch books are set in Maine.
Several fans asked him whether he expected there to be a film made based on his books. There were potential plans for a TV series discussed last year, but they fell through, he said. There is a possibility of a feature film being made based on the first book in the series, Poacher’s Son, he added.