The Walker on the Cape (Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series Book 1)

I really enjoyed this book. The setting makes it different to all the European mystery thrillers. I did find the references to cooking recipes a little irritating, but that is just my reaction. I have now bought the rest of this series (except for no. 2 which I can't find except on kindle which is not for me.)

Walker on the Cape is the first of a series of books featuring Sgt. Winston Windflower of the RCMP. It introduces us to him, his team of colleagues, friends and neighbours, in a small coastal town of Grand Bank in Newfoundland. Well-written and a fast-paced read, opening with the unexplained death of a resident - widower 72yr-old Elias Martin. As the police investigation gets going, the author gradually develops the featured characters, and really paints for the reader the environment in which this all takes place. There is a complex plot with twists and turns everywhere, Elias Martin had secrets. With the addition of past love rivalries, dodgy policemen and businessmen, you have a recipe for a good murder-mystery. However this all takes place within the everyday duties of the RCMP detachment at Grand Bank and the ongoing lives and relationships in that community.I have read later books by Mike Martin in this series (see 'Darkest Before Dawn', Oct.2018 and 'A Tangled Web', Oct.2017), and they are all a delight to read.

In the quiet, laid-back fishing village of Grand Bank, southeast coast of Newfoundland, Canada, a foggy morning becomes more than just another day when Mavis Emberley's soup burnt on the stove.People along the coastline in Grand Bank could set their clocks by Elias Martin. Every morning, even when the fog floated in from Fortune, they saw his hunched figure climb and disappear in the mist that ran the shoreline like a rum runner. You could put a pot of soup on to boil when he set out and be sure that when he appeared again that the potatoes, carrots, and turnips would be soft and sweet.Mavis Emberly was one such soup-maker who relied on Elias Martin to set the pace for her weekly batch of pea soup.“There he goes,” she remarked to her husband, Francis, "Time to put the soup on”.An hour and a half later Francis Emberly muttered, “Something’s burning in that kitchen, maid.” Mrs. Emberly ran to the kitchen to turn off her black bottomed soup with a smattering of non-religious but surely immoral curses and immediately realized that something else was wrong besides her spoiled soup. Elias hadn't returned. "Or else I missed him," she decided.The point is: Seventy-two year old Elias Martin was dead.Every morning for the past eleven years Elias Martin had his breakfast of hot porridge and thick molasses bread smothered in partridgeberry jam. Then, rain or shine, he began his solitary walk from his small blue house on Elizabeth Avenue in Grand Bank, Newfoundland, down through the Cove, and until the winter snow made it impassable, up over the hills to the Cape.Two tourists found his body up on the hill. Heart attack, it was declared at first, and soon the town began to simmer with stories boiling over in Mug-Up Café, the restaurant of Sheila Hillier.The only one who knew for sure was Elias Martin and he sure wasn’t talking. Who would finally unravel the mystery of the Walker on the Cape?Thirty-two year old Sergeant Winston Windflower, of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, a full-blooded Cree from the Pink Lake Reserve in Northern Alberta, thought Elias's death was suspect and he planned to get to the bottom of the simmering, boiling pot. For once there was more to work on than the petty crimes and motor accidents in the village. And as an incomer, he still had to prove himself after being there for only one year. But what to do when there were always secrets to protect in a small community like this?He had his vice too, he did. Some men smoke, drink or chase women as their vice. Windflower's was peanut butter cheesecake.With the shocking death of Elias, more peas in the pot of Grand Bank got names:Marge and Harvey Brenton - affluent members of society; Harvey's pay roll included a few people from the justice and political systems, it seemed;Mayor Francis Tibbo; who wanted rules to be applied, excluding his own family;Roger Buffet - with a history still to be discovered;James Sheridan, and his mother Georgette who had more than just a sentimental bond with Grand Bank;Howard Stoodley, a retired Crown Attorney;Sheila Hillier - more than just an excellent cook in her café;Constable Eddie Tizzard - the everyday tornado, the gale-force wind around town;Dr. Vinjay Sanjay - Winston's chess and Scotch partner, coroner and medical doctor;Staff Sergeant William Ford; a new friend in the making;Inspector MacIntoch of Marystown - the boss;Kevin Arsenault - Acting inspector;And then there was the Poison of Kings and the King of Poisons, and some rotten fish in Newfoundland, and cops with dirty hands in the chain of command ... files disappear, investigations are mysteriously stopped, the plot thickens!This is a skillful, interesting, relaxing, as well as an entertaining first novel by Mike Martin. The endearing characters soon become the reader's friends as well, and the Canadian cuisine makes a splashing entreé into the p(l)ot. Never a dull meal for those readers living outside of Newfoundland, Canada!As the first book in the Sgt. Winston Windflower mystery series, the introduction to this fishing village is well-plotted and fast paced. It is not a mysterious read, but rather a day to day reflection on the inhabitants's lives as the plot unfolds in clear-cut prose.The presentation of Grand Bank and its inhabitants leaves the reader with just one mission, and that is to read the two other books as well.The Body On The TANDBeneath the Surface

Plodding and formulaic storytelling. Gave up around the 25% mark. Not a patch on Martin Walker's Death in the Dordogne series, which is comfort reading admittedly but manages to do it intelligently. Not for me.

I could almost taste the salt in the air and the smell of the bays. This tale is not burdened by wordiness, but sets the scenes perfectly. Bravo for a NFLD setting.

I am one of those readers who are drawn more into an author’s writing style than the actual story line, and on both scores this book delighted me. Mike Martin’s writing has a natural flow to it with a touch of light humor I found very attractive.Set in Newfoundland, it starts straight away with a nice touch, introducing us to Elias Martin who looks like he will feature as a main character in the book, only to be suddenly found dead while on one of his usual walks along the Cape.Sergeant Winston Windflower is called in to investigate the case, and I found him to be wonderful character. The author Martin provides glimpses into Windflower’s native past and customs (which I hope will be explored further in the series), but it is his calm and collective nature and succinct dialog I enjoyed so much. Like many detective novels, its great to also have a likeable investigative duo on the case, and in the young and energetic Constable Tizzard who partners with Windflower we have exactly that.The characters in the story are also well developed with great pieces of dialog, including Shiela, the owner of the local cafe whose dialog discussions with Windflower work so well, and where a warm relationship develops.I don’t consider it fair to give a revealing summary of the plot because that is not the core strength of this novel.It’s enough to say that Windflower and Tizzard have to work their way through a number of suspects, as they slowly begin to fit all the pieces together of what is really going on regarding this murder case. Harvey Brenton, Marge Brenton, Roger Buffet and Ginger Grandy’s parents are all potential suspects, and each is portrayed by Martin perfectly well through the discussions they share with Windflower.In summary, I enjoyed this read very much, having downloaded the audio version first and then the ebook. In fact, I strongly recommend the audio version, with excellent narration from Frank Kearney which gives it an added element.For those who like quality mysteries with great dialog and good characters, this is a must.I can well envision this booming a TV series and look forward to listening and reading others in the series.Touche, Mr. Martin - this one was a piece of magic.

Well laid out plot and professional police work. Also interesting characters; and I especially enjoyed the atmosphere of the Canadian location and its colloquialism.

Really enjoyed seeing Newfoundland through the eyes of Sergeant Winston Windflower of the Grand Bank RCMP. Mr. Martin really captures the essence of a coastal small town. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

I saw this book offered for Kindle, and it sounded interesting, set in a place--the eastern coast of Canada, Newfoundland--that I don't see used in books very often. It's the first in a series of at least 7 books, perhaps more. It starts when an elderly man is found dead on the Cape. At first it is assumed he died from a heart attack or stroke, but later it is found that he has been poisoned. Who would poison and old man and why? Sgt. Windflower of the RCMP soon finds that the old man has a past, and digging through the man's life soon leads to long-held grudges and some nasty secrets.Since a few of the books were offered for Kindle at a reduced price, I almost downloaded a few of them. But I've been terribly burned doing this previously, so I didn't, and I'm glad I only bought this one. It's not a bad book, and I assume (or at least I hope) that Martin's writing got better as the series progressed. The plot and police procedure was good, but the writing was just stilted with unnatural-sounding dialog. For instance: the main character says: "And I hope that chess and your finest scotch await us soon." One paragraph later "Your cars await you, Sarge," said Tizzard . . . Seriously, who talks like that? He uses 'await' or 'awaiting' often. There is some misuse of words and the like, but those errors aren't overwhelming. It is simply not well-written, and I can't recommend it.