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

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.

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.

The body ofElias Martin, an elderly man is found on the cape in Grand Bank, Nova Scotia. The first thought is heart attack or stroke, but the cause of death is poison. The RCMP officer is Winston Windflower, full blooded Cree Indian and his sidekick Eddie Tizzard are trying to find out who would do this and why. There are lots of people to suspect, because the old man was not well liked in the town

Elias Martin goes for a walk along the Cape and is found dead. Presumed to have had a stroke or a heart attack, or something related to old age, it seems like an open-and-shut case. However, autopsy reports show that he has actually been poisoned, and the case soon takes a grim turn. Instead of accidental death, it is now officially a murder investigation. But who would murder a seemingly harmless old man with not much of a happening life? And why?Sergeant Winston Windflower of the RCMP along with his sidekick Tizzard decide to investigate, uncovering a lot more about a small town than they had anticipated. It appears that such a small neighbourhood actually holds many more secrets than they could imagine, and there are some powerful folks who will go to any lengths to ensure that nothing changes.This is an intriguing book. It takes time to get used to the author's writing style. It is markedly different. But that's what keeps things more interesting. Overall, I like this book and the story is very engaging too.

I enjoyed this book very much, a great story line, great characters, easily kept my interest, hard to put down, just a great book. Would like to read more in this series... Thanks 🐕

It takes awhile to get into this series because the stories just sort of plod along. But the characters are likable and the plots have enough twists and turns to keep you turning the page. There’s a bit of Cree spirituality which I found interesting and inspiring. The setting, a small town on the coast of Newfoundland, is practically a character in itself.

This book was a free ebook from Amazon. It is a police procedural set in Newfoundland. The first few chapters were engaging. I am about 1/3 of the way through the book and the pace has slowed. I have put it down to read a Louise Penny novel that I just borrowed from my library. I may finish the ebook or I might not. There are some grammatical errors that need to be corrected.

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 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.)

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 really wanted to like this book, but as an editor, I can't give it a good review because while the story is good, the writing is terrible. The writer knows absolutely nothing about the rules of grammar and punctuation, which makes it hard to follow the story. I kept getting distracted, thinking "This sentence needs a comma," or "That word is misspelled." If it were possible to award half-stars, I would give it two and a half rather than three. The story deserves two-and-a -half stars while the writing deserves zero stars. I hope the author hires a good editor for future adventures of Sgt. Windflower.

I am enthralled with this series! As a Maritimer myself, and have visited NL many times, including the Burin Peninsula. The customs, the speech, habits, food descriptions, and the warmth (and scandals!) Of small community life are so familiar. These people are real, warm, and feel safe. (Sometimes they are not!)Mike Martin covers the Police work knowledgeably. I look fwd to the next 11 books to read ❤️