LEAVING MAINE BEHIND
Almost a week ago, we left our idyllic Maine abode. Life there is quieter and slower-paced but punctuated and enlivened with visits from various family members. We made one final visit to the botanical garden, finally got to Camden, browsed once more in Sherman’s bookstore, and savored our last lobster rolls of the season at Cozy’s Dockside. The morning air was cool to cold, fewer people were out and about, and one sensed fall hovering close by. I took more photos, a few of which I ‘m sharing here.
RECENT READING: CRIME IN MAINE’S WOODS
Pitch Dark by Paul Doiron
A former editor of Down East magazine, Paul Doiron is the author of the Mike Bowditch Mysteries. Pitch Dark is the 15th book in the series featuring game warden investigator Bowditch. A few years ago, I read The Poacher’s Son, his first book. This title published in 2024 is gripping, intense, and had me enrapt.
Bowditch sets out with his father-in-law Charley, a bush pilot and a retired warden, for the northern Maine woods in search of a supposedly missing person. The missing man has been asking questions about a man and his young daughter staying in the area. Mike and Charley’s first stop is to see Josie, a bush pilot who lives by herself up there and is somewhat prickly. Josie knows the man Mark Redmond, a builder, and his 12-year-old girl, Cady, for whom she is akin to a grandmother. That stop ends in a murder, and these two men now have a new set of leads.
The woods are dark and deep, the clues are few, and Mike ends up going it alone in pursuit of his fugitive. He ranges near the Canadian border and that presents risks of its own if he crosses without authorization. Recommended for those who like suspense set in the wild.
VIEWING: COLD CRIME CASES
Unforgotten Season 6 (PBS Masterpiece)
Unforgotten is one of the best detective series around. Set in Britain, the writing is excellent, the characters complex. Add in a set of unrelated individuals, all with some connection to the crime.
Last season, Nicola Walker as DCI Cassie Stuart, a fan favorite, was replaced by Sinead Keenan, who plays DCI Jess James. Sanjeev Bhaskar as DC Sunny Khan continues as a warm-hearted, thoughtful guy. He and Jess are initially tentative partners, but gradually in this season, they open up to each other.
When a dismembered body washes up in a marsh, the immediate task is to identify the person. After establishing who it was, follow-up involves an autistic man who lives with his mother, a professor, a TV commentator, and a recent immigrant on the path to citizenship. Both Jess and Sunny have issues in their personal life and these enrich and add depth to the series.
Like past seasons, one crime and its solution unfold over the course of the six episodes. I figured out who was the guilty party but didn’t realize all the circumstances; each of the suspects had a likely motive. Unforgotten raises moral questions in this probing and very human portrayal of crime and its after effects. Highly recommended! (~JWFarrington)
Note: Header photo taken on Southport and other unattributed photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)
Stunning pictures. Inspiring blog – look forward to more reading and watching!