herrings, relatives, small-business, small-town, consultant, drug-trafficking, indigenous-people, international-crime-and-mystery*****

Most important is that it is a very good read, like all the others in series. The characters are so very real, and the setting is full of fish to eat (we Norse love our King Cod).
Second is that this book signifies a major turn in the lives of the continuing characters and I, for one, am excited to move along to this next phase with Windflower having more time to enjoy life while Eddie Tizzard and whatever happens with the Grand Bank detachment continue to work for justice and safety. It's good to see that Tizzard is getting on with his calling as a Dream Weaver and continuing to move onward on his spiritual journey. This is an excellent read whether you know anything about Newfoundland, the law enforcement agencies in Canada, the belief system of many of the First Nations, or have read any of the others in series (but friends I have introduced to Windflower have gone on to binge read all the others in series).
I requested and received a free copy from BooksGoSocial via NetGalley. Thank you also to the author and Ottawa Press and Publishing! ( )

The past couple of years have seen a lot of changes for Sgt. Winston Windflower and his family. Change can be good or bad, planned or unexpected, permanent or temporary. Winston has been thinking about change for a while now and experienced some with his temporary job in St. John’s. It’s not that he is unsatisfied with his life, but he has reached a point where he is wondering if maybe there should be something more or different ahead. If he’s meant to be a Mountie forever. He and Sheila continue to talk, plan, make joint decisions and support each other, finding joy and joy and shared responsibility in their girls. Through his spiritual rituals Winston continues to seek understanding and guidance.

As Dangerous Waters opens, Winston’s temporary job in St. John’s is in the past and the recent crimes with national security implications have been solved. Winston, however, is in a little bit of limbo. He has resigned from the RCMP. No major cause, but the politics of the job have always irritated him and he just doesn’t feel it is his calling anymore, the job doesn’t fully satisfy. So we see a Winston we haven’t really seen before: stay-at-home-most-of-the-time Winston, helping around the house and with the girls, working on the B&B hoping to make that successful enough now that the pandemic is slowly receding. But if you’ve known Winston from the beginning you know that although he is usually calm, reflective and thoughtful, he is also a man who likes to be active, involved and making a difference and can get a little stir-crazy. Even though making a difference at home is certainly worthwhile, I don’t expect laid back Winston who takes naps in the afternoon to be around for long.

No worries there. Just when he starts to wonder how he’ll fill each day, a crisis occurs in Grand Bank and he is asked to come back, not as a Mountie again but on a contract basis. Eddie Tizzard is now the man in charge and the staff is stretched too thin so Windflower’s help is needed and appreciated, although there is a hint of worry from Eddie that Winston will be taking over. The case is complicated, dangerous and takes unexpected turns. Competent as always, Windflower starts to figure things out. But is he enjoying it enough to reconsider his resignation from the RCMP?

The politics Windflower has always tried to avoid suddenly loom large at the Grand Bank RCMP – budgets, staffing, reallocation of resources, refocus of objectives. Will the station be shut down? Will people be moved? How will the town react? Will the residents feel safe or will they feel abandoned? Will Winston or Sheila have a role in any of this? Do they want to?

Dangerous Waters is another compelling, satisfying entry in the Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series. Winston Windflower has taken quite a journey since that first book and it looks like that journey may just be getting started. As always, I loved everything about my latest visit to Grand Bank: the beautiful scenery, the fascinating people and circle of friends, family and co-workers surrounding the Windflower family, the mystery of Winston’s religious rituals, Sheila’s work and study, their support for each other and the warm family life they have made for their daughters Amelia Louise and Stella. Throw in a fast-moving, complex, contemporary plot full of suspense and just enough danger and you’ve got a perfect read. Thanks to author Mike Martin and Ottawa Press and Publishing for providing a copy via NetGalley. I thoroughly enjoyed the book (no surprise there), and recommend it without hesitation. Can’t wait to see what opportunities are around the corner for Sgt. Winston Windflower. All opinions are my own. ( )

RCMP, Windflower and small town upsets!

Dead bodies and smuggling shakeup Grand Bank, Newfoundland, and there’s a change of pace for Sergeant Winston Windflower. He’s resigning from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, but is currently on leave using up his accumulated overtime. Windflower, his wife Sheila (former mayor) and the girls have settled back into Grand Bank and have been busy getting their B&B into shape. The pandemic has put everything on hold.
As always beneath the cosy family times, the descriptive food preparations, the mixing with friends, and the dreams, there’s are pieces of home cooked wisdom about life, relationships, goals, and happiness.
Windflower is of Cree First Nations heritage and is a Dream Weaver from a family of master Dream Weavers. Interestingly it seems Acting Corporal Eddie Tizzard might be exhibiting something similar.
Eddie is stuck with a problem of three missing men, staffing problems, a snowstorm, complaints from the townsfolk about police response time, a bunch of stranded German tourists, and that’s just the beginning.
(I loved the references to Saint-Pierre a little piece of France tucked down south of Newfoundland, off from Fortune, the next major town along from Grand Bank. I’ve always wanted to go there. Shades of past histories.)
A recall seems on the horizon for Windflower but there a lot of factors to consider if that happens.
Once again I’m sold on this latest Windflower development.

A Books Go Social ARC via NetGalley ( )