Tim Cotton, a career police officer & now retired lieutenant in Maine, turned out to be a very capable & entertaining writer. Dawn in the Dooryard is a series of short stories, all of which are true & spring from Tim Cotton's personal experiences. I suggest the stories will entertain you, both for the content & Tim's excellent use of the language. There is humor, sorrow, & nearly everything between.If you don't own this book I suggest that you buy it! While you are at it you should also buy copies of his two previous books: The Detective in the Dooryard & Got Warrants?. Equally as nonfictional as his latest, the first "Detective", with stories derived from his career plus some from has every day somewhat rural life, the second "Warrants" pulled from reports of the Bangor Maine Police Department where he worked for more than 30 years. The only things fictional in any of the books are names that have been changed or obscured for obvious reasons of privacy. Quite a number of the stories reminded me of some of my own experiences growing up in Maine. You will chuckle, even laugh aloud. You may even shed a tear,