The Walker on the Cape (Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series Book 1), my third enjoyable read from author Mike Martin. Well-written with intriguing primary characters and a captivating storyline. In particular Sgt. Windflower's character makes him the kind of person you'd love to associate with and that explains the budding relationship with Sheila I didn't do myself any favors by reading book 6, then book 3 first but that was what I owned. Now I have to price shop other books in the series to read next. “I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. Francis G. Kearney's narration with his hint of an accent is perfect for this book. I'll definitely be reading more from this author. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018). ( )

I stumbled across this book when looking for Canadian murder mystery options and the library had it so I figured I'd give it a shot. I almost set it down immediately because it's just not written in a very engaging fashion and I almost suffered eyesprain from the romance angle. It was a quick read though, but I don't think I'll be picking up any of the others. I mean, the main investigator just casually turns off a suspect's morphine in the hospital so he can interrogate him better and no one seems to think this could be an issue? Eek. ( )

This had a couple of elements that should have hooked me - Newfoundland setting, mystery, aboriginal detective - but it was not at all what I expected. It seemed written for middle-grade students - maybe if I'd known that going in . . . ( )

This was a quaint little murder mystery. I liked the setting (small town east coast Canada) and I liked the main character (Sargent Windflower). While the plot was a bit predictable in places, the story held that comfort food quality. It was like discovering an old friend again after many years separation. Windflower is a straight shooter and a wholesome character all around, so it’s very easy to root for him. The setting itself is full of small comforts from the well-loved local café to Windflower’s blossoming romance.

Initially, it looks like there’s several possible suspects in a suspicious death. The deceased certainly rubbed people the wrong way. However, Windflower’s superior isn’t convinced there is a murder so Windflower has to take the risky move of going around his chain of command. Luckily, he has his side kick Izzard to watch his back. Izzard certainly comes off as the eager but inexperienced young pup and Windflower does his best to keep him out of trouble. I like their dynamic and there’s room for Izzard to grow in this role.

The ending wraps up the questions about the murder but then leaves things in the hands of the prosecutors and lawyers. The story hints at what will most likely happen but doesn’t close that out. I did get invested in the story and I would have preferred a solid ending instead of this open-end. 4/5 stars.

The Narration: Francis G. Kearney made a good Windflower most of the time. His accents fluctuated and some of them were pretty rough (like the Quebec French accent for a certain suspect). His female voices were almost non-existent. On the other hand, he didn’t have any recording errors so the tech is good. 3/5 stars.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Mike Martin. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it. ( )

RCMP, law-enforcement, Canada, Newfoundland, murder-investigation, organized-crime, procedural, police-corruption

***** Excellent! Super mystery with lots of interesting characters and plot twists set in Newfoundland, CA. The main character is Sgt Windflower who originally hailed from Alberta, but has come to really enjoy the work and the people of the allegedly sleepy small town near the Atlantic Ocean. This is the first in series and sets the pace for the rest. I happened to start with number five so maybe I enjoyed this one a differently, but don't let that stop anyone else from beginning wherever they might. The publisher's blurb gives some good hints and there's no need for recap or spoilers. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! ( )