Author: Matt McFarland

Podcast with Mike Rowe

Posted on by Matt McFarland

Tim Cotton has been a cop for 33 years, looking out for the good people of Bangor, Maine. He’s also written a very funny best-selling book called The Detective in the Dooryard, and now, he’s releasing another one called Got Warrants? Which begs the question, is Tim Cotton a cop who writes, or a writer…

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NewsCenter Maine

Posted on by Matt McFarland

In 2014, after years as a patrol officer and then a detective, Tim Cotton took a different job at the Bangor Police Department and became its public information officer. Among his new responsibilities was maintaining the department’s Facebook page, about which he couldn’t have been less enthusiastic.

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Portland Speaks

Posted on by Matt McFarland

Tim Cotton is a Lieutenant at the Bangor Police Department in Bangor, Maine. He’s best known for his creation of the Duck of Justice and his Facebook essays, which are written in an everyman’s voice and do a lot to advance humor and kindness in the lives of any fortunate enough to read them. He…

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From the Wood Shed

Posted on by Matt McFarland

From the Woodshed is a candid conversation with Chase Morrill and Ryan Eldridge from the Kennebec Cabin Company, the team that inspired the hit TV show Maine Cabin Masters. Topics range from the joys of Maine living to useful construction tips, while giving fans a behind-the-scenes flavor of their hit show.

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NPR, MPBN

Posted on by Matt McFarland

OK, this is a different kind of story about Facebook. It involves today’s holiday. Let’s remember, fireworks are illegal in many parts of this country; case in point, firing off a Roman candle even in the name of patriotism could get you slapped with a fine or maybe even worse if you’re in Bangor, Maine.

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The Drive

Posted on by Matt McFarland

When you think of a social media powerhouse, we doubt the Bangor Police Department is up there with the Huffington Post and Buzzfeed. Still, the Maine force has over 90,000 Facebook followers, and its most recent Facebook post regarding Winter Storm Jonas has been shared over 17,000 times. Wicked powerful words. And although Maine will not get…

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The Epoch Times

Posted on by Matt McFarland

Happening upon “The Detective in the Dooryard: Reflections of a Maine Cop” by Timothy Cotton is like discovering a nice little treasure chest. Open this delightful book and you will find a whole bunch of different gems that will enrich you. Popular TV host Mike Rowe finds it “a very funny book.” He said he’d assumed that…

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Maine Voices Live with Tim Cotton

Posted on by Matt McFarland

In the span of three years, with a little help from the Duck of Justice, Cotton has grown the department’s following from 10,000 to (almost) 275,000—more than eight times the population of Bangor. He’s now the Criminal Investigations Commander within the department, but he still makes plenty of time for social media. Tim Cotton was…

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Boston Globe

Posted on by Matt McFarland

For someone who claims to know nothing about social media, Tim Cotton sure has a lot of Facebook fans. When he took over Bangor Maine Police Department Facebook page in 2014, it had less than 10,000 followers. Since then, the page has racked up nearly 173,000 “likes,” which is more than five times the population of Bangor. Cotton’s posts,…

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Reader Reviews

TIM COTTON WRITES

Reader Reviews

Coffee & Chocolate

Barnes & Noble
This is one of the best books I have read in years. It has tenderness and warm, gentle humor - and several laugh out loud spots. Give yourself a gift and read this. You will better about life.

Amazon Customer October 9, 2020

Amazon
I loved every bit of this book. I’ve been following the Bangor Police page and then Tim Cotton’s page on Facebook for years now. I think of it as a tiny little piece of my day that I can count on to make me feel something – usually something good, comforting in some way, occasionally a wee bit of sadness, but sad in that wistful way that a person appreciates. This man writes the way I often find myself thinking in my own head. He points out all the commonalities that we have as people, rather than the differences. The differences he writes about are the superficial ones, and the ones that make us interesting. I stretched this book out for quite a long time, reading a chapter or two in between other books. It’s a great place to turn when a person wants to occupy their minds with something peaceful that helps us to understand the world and our place in it just a little more.

Unhappy July 1, 2020

Amazon
I’ve enjoyed Tim Cotton’s stories and ramblings on Facebook (or The Book of Faces, as he calls it) for a while now. And having a whole book of his musings is the reading equivalent of binge watching Netflix (something I’ve only recently learned about during the lockdown). Cotton talks about the little things and he tells it like it is. But it would be a mistake to say he has ‘no filter’ – he most definitely has a filter and it’s a filter of kindness and compassion. I liked Chapter 5 ‘The Cop’ best. It’s more fictional than the rest, and I hope it’s a hint of a novel to come?

Wrenn December 30, 2020

Amazon
I have read this book 4 times now; the first 2 times I read it slowly, trying not to let it end too soon. I decided to read a few other things after that – Hamlet, Great Expectations, A Time to Kill, A Time for Mercy, Little Women. The entire time I was reading those books I longed to go back and read The Detective in the Dooryard again. When I picked it up for the third time, I felt like I was sitting down with an old friend I hadn’t seen in years, the kind you know so well you can pick right back up where you left off. The Detective in the Dooryard is a collection of stories, some about Tim Cotton’s experiences as a Bangor, Maine police officer and Detective; some are about memories of things that shape us all into who we are today. Tim often references music, mostly from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Just the mention of a song’s title makes me remember growing up and coming of age during those years, and I am immediately taken back to people, places and events in my past – some good, some bad, but always just as clear as if I were there. Tim’s writing is so descriptive you feel as if you are there inside each story as well; some of his writing actually takes my breath away. There is a lot of humor, wry sarcasm, wit, and deft handling of sometimes difficult subjects. This book is the touch of your Mother’s hand on your forehead when you’re sick, your favorite treat as a child; it’s coming home. Can’t wait for the next one

Hannah January 6, 2021

Amazon
This book is like a warm hug. I honestly don’t want to put it down, but I also don’t want it to end. The struggle is real. It is not a mystery that you think you can figure out and refuse to put it down to prove to yourself you’re smarter than the author, but it feels so good and real you want to read more. Maybe I’m biased because I grew up in Maine and Tim Cotton’s lyric writings immediately put me back in the Maine woods and setting sun as I try to get every bit of light to take in the last bit of beauty from the day. It really is poetic, and funny, and relatable. You don’t have to be a big old sentimental Mainer like me to thoroughly enjoy this book, you just have to be a human living in a chaotic world looking for a happy release. Would I recommend this book; YES, SIR! Will I be giving up my copy any time soon, probably not. I know I’ll pick this book up whenever I need a warm hug, a feeling that I’m home in Maine snuggled up on my gram’s homemade quilt, and a moment of happy calm. Pick this up and enjoy! You’re welcome!
 
5
Excellent