Fire, Fog and Water is the latest book in the Sgt. Windflower Mystery series set in small communities on east coast of Canada.Sgt.Windflower has more than a few mysteries on his hands. He suspects that three recent cases might be connected, but how? In Fire, Fog and Water, Bony Blithe Award winner Mike Martin is true to form, retaining the light crime genre for which he is known while delving … delving into the most perplexing social issues of our time. Follow along as he tries to solve the cases and still find a way to enjoy friends, food and family in beautiful Grand Bank, Newfoundland.
“Be prepared to be charmed by Windflower, a food-loving sergeant who could possibly be Canada’s most polite Mountie.” – Halifax Chronicle-Journal
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I re-read this excellent Canadian Police Procedural on May 22, 2021. It was just as Meaningful, just as deep.
I received a free electronic copy of this Canadian Police Procedural on September 22, 2019, from Netgalley, Mike Martin, and Ottawa Press and Publishing. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this 8th in the series of Sgt. Windflower Mysteries of my own volition and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am very pleased to recommend this series to friends and family. This is my first exposure to Mike Martin, but I will read the first seven Windflowers I have missed, and he has other series and non-fiction as well.
I thoroughly enjoy works with a setting in the Atlantic coastal areas of Canada. This novel setting is specifically Grand Bank, Newfoundland. As in my own US desert southwest, the natural isolation of communities allows those little quirks and habits that make us all different and interesting to prosper and grow. There are no cookiecutter protagonists in this story. I enjoyed them all.
Sgt Windflower is an old hand at the cop shop, but a fairly new dad. His take on the whole marriage and fatherhood thing is encouraging to see in this fast-stepping world we inhabit today. We have a look at crime, of course, but also workplace politics, the opium invasion, and what makes friends special. What makes relationships with any and everyone in your life a plus factor. As the quotes pass back and forth among the protagonists, I could feel my spirits rising. Thank you, Netgalley and Mike Martin for introducing me to the Windflower friends and family.
pub date Oct 7, 2019
rec September 22, 2019
Ottawa Press and Publishing
Reviewed on October 8, 2019, on Goodreads, Netgalley. Several titles of Martin’s series are available on AmazonSmile, Kobo, and BookBub, this one was not, and I found none of his works on Barnes & Noble or GooglePlay
attempted-murder, murder, investigation, Canada, RCMP, illegal-drugs, family, friendship, supernatural, support-system
Sgt Winston Windflower is a skilled law enforcement officer of the RCMP working in the small town of Grand Bank, doting husband and father, reliable friend, and experiencing a restless unease near the end of a long bleak winter. Then he literally trips over a frozen body in the snow while out running with his dog. And things go downhill from there. His temporary superior in a self serving bully who alienates everyone and finally pushes Cpl Eddie Tizzard too far and brings down serious trouble for everyone, with Windflower in the middle trying to do the best for everyone. Then there’s an attempted murder of someone associated with the frozen body and evidence of the drug trade within the area. He gets help from some other superiors, support from older friends, and is pointed in the right direction for his own life by returning to the old ways.
The tale is intricate, the characters are good people who come to feel like old friends (not the bad guys), and it saddens to realize that the drug trade has infected even Newfoundland.
It bears noting that each book in the series stands alone on its own merit.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Ottawa Press and Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!
Fire, Fog, and Water by Mike Martin is an insightful look at the life of Sgt. Winston Windflower.
A Murder, a Fire and a grumpy Mountie
Sgt. Winston Windflower
Windflower is married with a baby daughter, a dog, and a cat. Throughout the story, Windflower is worried about his temper and his soul. He seems to have stopped doing the things that he needs to do to keep himself happy each day. Once he figures this out, he seems to able to handle finding the story behind the murders.
What I like about Winston is his marriage with Sheila. I also like the way that Winston copes with the stress. He is a family man and a good cook.
Some of the things that I liked:
Getting to see Grand Bank Newfoundland and some of their customs.
The way that Windflower respected his staff when they were going through some rough patches.
I liked Sheila; she was insightful at times.
The positive quotes were beautiful too.
Things that I didn’t like:
The movie review inside of the story.
There were so many references to food.
Three Stars
I enjoyed the story to a point, but some parts seemed drawn out, and some didn’t seem to have anything to do with moving the story forward. However, I did like the characters, and the setting was wonderful. I am recommending this to people who like the mystery but with a bit of police procedural included.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Fire, Fog, and Water by Mike Martin.
Anyways, until next time,
Karen the Baroness
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