I just finished reading Mike Martin’s “Fire, Fog, and Water,” another in the Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series, although I view it as more of a passion play than a mystery.

Martin’s passions include infant care, marital devotion, doing the right thing, eating and drinking, and prayer at any given time. These are topics he regularly expounds on throughout his narrative, venturing sporadically into tough guys, crime, sleuthing and, yes, murder. He doesn’t spend a lot of time on the more gruesome aspects of police work during his novel, delving more into his true passions, as noted above.

But, don’t dismiss his work as bland or sissified because it does have elements of more gritty adventures. There’s enough action to keep readers engrossed as they search for answers to the many problems the author inserts, alongside his devotions. Sgt. Winston Windflower is a righteous hero that gets things done with the help of a dedicated crew, a devoted wife, and a bubbly little daughter that steals most of the show. He spends most of his time battling his cranky self, the frigid winter that seems to never end, and an abusive boss.

There’s no need to go further into the story. Rest assured it is a good one that will keep you reading. This award-winning author seems to know when to turn on the power and when to back off into fun and light reading, the actual intention of the series. Drugs and death might never have been presented in a lighter mode.

I received a ARC of Fire, Fog and Water from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

I have read several of Mike Martin's books and for me this one was the best by far, having said that I enjoyed all the others ones that I read also. This book was action packed, and full of all types of issues that we now see in our everyday lives. I love his interaction Windflower has with his dog, and the love he shows for his family and friends. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

The Newfoundland setting was sublime and the writer conjured a detailed picture of a small community. I felt comfortable with this novel from the start. I felt I knew the people – main characters being deftly drawn with few strokes.
Windflower was a breath of fresh air. It was nice to see an investigating officer with a sound family background, moral values and a sense of community. He also has strong ties to his heritage. He is no stereotype. A welcome change from the dysfunctional cops we often find in crime novels.
I loved the relationships within his family and those of the members of the community and his work colleagues. The whole thing had a real sense of place. Thoroughly enjoyable.

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.

Mounties and murder in Newfoundland!

March in Grand Bank, Newfoundland. Neither fish nor fowl. Sergeant Winston Windflower RCMP is angry, "he was sun-starved. And he knew he was angry."
"The rain, drizzle and fog didn’t help his mood either. It had been raining or drizzling or foggy every day that it hadn’t snowed."
Getting out of town and going for a run with his dog Lady always helped.
That was until Windflower slid down the greasy mountain trail, slapped into a boulder and found Lady digging up not a dead animal but, you've got it, a body!
Well things just became more complicated from then on. A hit and run adds a further layer.
All is not helped by the bullying acting Superintendent. Winston's second-in-command Corporal Eddie Tizzard runs into a nasty spot of trouble with said Super.
Windflower's background is Cree from Northern Alberta. That heritage comes to the fore in what I considered to be a high point that set Windflower apart. He a smudge practicing, Shakespeare quoting, classical music loving Mountie. Windflower's dream world, a visionary learning place is filled with surprises. His inner strength and beliefs, his attention to his rituals, his respect for his background add to that strength.
I'm also loving Windflower's relationship with his wife and daughter, and the people of the town in general.
The descriptions of dinners he shared with families and friends left me salivating.
Apart from being a great murder mystery this is a story of Newfoundland communities and relationships. Having spent a little time in Newfoundland, and loved it, this story really appealed to me. There's a multitude of layers happening,contributing to my enjoyment.

An Ottawa Press ARC via NetGalley

Apparently the 8th in the series featuring Sergeant Windflower, RCMP but the first that I've read. I've lost something by not reading the others I'm sure but it was not necessary for the story itself which is standalone. Windflower is a thoroughly nice man, happily married with a very young daughter and settled in his job in Grand Bank where life as a law enforcement officer generally seems fairly quiet. He's having trouble with winter, coping with what seems like endless dark, gloom and fog when he literally falls over a frozen body. This snowballs to more murders, drugs in the small town not to mention a thoroughly unpleasant bullying new boss. At least he has a supportive team and wife as well as more distant family. He's also spiritually aware with regular supernatural dreams and so on linking to what was an obvious (I think) Native Canadian ancestry (this is one area I probably missed out on by not having read earlier books in the series).. The murder story sits well with enough twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. Whilst I like his happy family life I did get rather bored with the long descriptions of taking dog for walks, playing with baby daughter, her bedtime activities and throwing food around the place - yes these happen and probably every day. I just don't need them that often in the story, they don't add anything. He is also an enthusiastic cook which makes a pleasant change from take-outs for most detectives. There are modern social mores too with gender bias and sexual harassment by the unpleasant boss leading to trouble for two of his team but, being supportive of each other, they come through this stronger and more resilient; and at least the more senior officers are supportive too. Other than the over emphasis on his family life I'd be pleased to read more in the series and even to return to some of the earlier books. They are well written and the characters well described. Thanks to NetGalley and Ottawa Press and Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

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!