Beneath the Surface

Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series, Book 3

By: Mike Martin

Narrated by: Francis G. Kearney

Beneath the Surface is the third book in the Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series set in Newfoundland on the East Coast of Canada.

Sgt. Windflower is back, and as usual, he’s loving life on the East Coast. He may be a long way from his home in Northern Alberta, but he has been adopted by the locals as almost one of their own.

He has a good life, good work with the RCMP, and a good woman that he has grown closer to in his years on the southeast coast of Newfoundland.

But trouble is brewing just beneath the surface of this calm and charm-filled existence.

©2014 Mike Martin (P)2020 Mike Martin

no mystery, lots of food.

I received a free copy of this audio book, at my request, and am voluntary leaving this unbiased review.

This is book 3 in the series but the first book in this series I've read/listened to, but as a Newfoundlander I had to pick it up when I saw it.

I liked this book, despite its shortcomings. Unfortunately it had many shortcomings. For starters, this is not a mystery. It's barely a police procedural story. It takes the death of a girl, which our main character is not trying to solve, and buries it in the minutia of the life of a police Sgt. However, the plot isn't about the police work either. The police work described is paper work and phone calls to other police, whom are actually doing work. There literally is no mystery, the only murder is essentially solved by other people, and relayed to the main character after the fact. The other crimes are solved before they know the crimes are even committed and questioning and charges are done by other police in other provinces.

So, what is this book? Well, its just a slow story of a guy, who happens to be a cop. His day to day life and his troubles at work. No mystery, no intrigue, no suspense, just a boring story which is more about Newfoundland food than police work.

Now, on that count, the book does well. The food and preparation is described in painstaking detail. In what I assume is a nod to the idea to make a "mystery" so much about food, the main character reads mysteries which food plays an important role. This was a nice touch. However, this kind of limits the books appeal to Newfoundlanders and people who have an interest in Newfoundland. Cause if one doesn't have an interest in Newfoundland (which there are some people out there), they will likely not enjoy a 10 hour advertisement for Newfoundland.

In the end, this is all this is. As I've previously mentioned, there is no mystery or police work. It is just a story of a police officer who works and lives in Newfoundland. Not being born there, he has fallen in love with the island and its people. He is awed by the things that Newfoundlanders take for granted.

The book also has some of the most unnatural and awkward dialog I've read. I've never met people who talk to one another the way these people do, and absolutely NEVER in Newfoundland. Part of the issue is the narrator, which I will address later. There is little "newfinese", and it is all explained, but there should have been much, much more. Especially where the story takes place. The accents and slang increase the closer you get to the coast.

The audio book was narrated by Francis G. Kearney. The audio quality was not great. There is a background static throughout the book. The narrator also has an odd style of almost shouting the whole thing. Everything. He also doesn't spend much time on differentiating voices and basically doesn't bother with trying to do a female voice. He has an upwards inflection on basically every sentence, which combined with his shout talking almost makes every line sound like its supposed to prove someone wrong. There is no tender moments, no ribbing with other characters, no warmth in his narration. This makes the already awkward dialog even worse, cringe worthy. He DOES, however, pronounce almost every newfie word correctly. There was a couple incidence where he didn't quite get it, but it was very rare.

The other thing with this book is the lack of world building. I get jumped into book 3 of a series, and I assume book 1 would have set up the setting. However, most series (and I've read a few) will take a couple lines in each book and bring the reader up to speed on important things, incase they are new or have forgotten, as there is usually a year or 2 between books and a lot of people don't read a series all at once. So, I was until the end of the book with no idea what year the book was set in. I still don't know specifically. There is a throw away line at the end of the book about a 2014 Jeep, so I assume the story is set around that time, but it is never actually established. It was almost half way through the book before someone mentions a cell phone and no one, not ever, sends a text or goes on social media, so I was more than a little confused.

The age of the characters is also never addressed. I assumed that the characters where older, maybe 40's or so, but it is never brought up. The girl friend, Shelia (excuse the spelling, audiobook), says she remembers a time before the Avalon Mall, the mall was built in 1967. Assuming she was 7 when she was in St. John's before the mall, that would make her mid 50's (assuming a 2014 story timeline). This would fit the character and fit the story, as I understood it. However, ***minor spoilers*** as the main character suddenly decides he wants kids, this could be a issue. It is never addressed how a mid 50's woman is going to have a child, or if the author got the info on the mall wrong and Sheila is supposed to be in her 30's, or anything.

I also want to point out that the 2 have just the most bizarre relationship. They don't live together, but often sleep in the same bed. However, at some ungodly time in the morning 1 the guest will wake up and leave without saying goodbye or sending a text or, well anything. So, basically night they go to sleep and the next morning one of them just wakes up alone. Like basically every day. That's just messed up. The common courtesy thing to do would be to give your partner a kiss and tell them you're heading out. It's like they are permanently having a one night stand.

The main character is Cree and a large part of the first half of the book explores his day to day connection with his beliefs and customs. It is also a story line which basically goes nowhere. While it does pay homage to a rich history of a proud people and does so with great respect and care, it doesn't really pay off in the plot. There are 2 dreams the main character has and tries so decipher. 1 leads to, well nothing related to the plot. The other to ***minor spoilers*** first being told he has to learn about the Beothuk, then when he learns a little about that, he's told that the same dream is actually telling him he should have kids. Then in the end, it suggests he should get married. Honestly, the whole dream part was not well done. It was inconsistent and really was meaningless, except to show off the native heritage of the main character. It should have either had some deeper meaning to the story, or have been replaced with something else. It almost seemed like there was 2 separate plots in the story, the dream stuff and everything else.

So, if all that's wrong with the book, why 3 stars? Well, cause I enjoyed it. The characters were fun. There was 0 stakes in the story, so I could just listen to some guy shout a story to me about my home province, with food I've eaten (some of which I still do), places I've been and the people I love. While this is an unbiased review of this book, regarding the author and narrator, I AM biased about Newfoundland. This is a book for people who love Newfoundland. If you want a story about Newfoundland and it's people, then this is a good book to go with. If you want a mystery or police procedural, then there are much better examples out there.

Another great read in the series

This is another great read in the series.
It's not fast paced but it is a really detailed and entertaining read.
A different type of hero.

Beneath the Surface

Beneath the Surface is the third installment from Mike Martin’s Sgt Windflower Mystery series. I have enjoyed the first two books in this series and this one does not disappoint. I was entertained from start to finish. I wanted to keep reading until the end to find out what would happen next.
I had the pleasure of listening to the audio version of Beneath the Surface. Like the other books in the series, Francis G. Kearney once again does a superb performance. He has the best voice on reading the story. I love hearing him.
I am Beneath the Surface giving four and a half stars. I recommend this book for readers who love to read a fun filled mystery. I am hoping there will be more coming to this series in the future.
I received the audio version of this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

Mounties!

The Newfoundland Mounties have returned and I’m so glad they have! Mike Martin’s series featuring Sgt. Winston Windflower, who is part First Nation, specifically Cree, as you can tell by his last name, has become one of my favorites over the past few years and I’m always happy to welcome Windflower back along with his girlfriend, Sheila Hillier, close friend Herb Stoodly, and colleagues Corporal Eddie Tizzard and Betsy Molloy.

Sidenote: Are Canadians as enamored with the Mounties as so many Americans are?

The suspicious death of a rower, a university student in St. Johns, doesn’t actively involve Windflower in his temporary Marystown post but his interest is piqued because she grew up in Grand Bank, Eddie’s territory. Sheila knew and liked Amy Parsons, another reason for Windflower to want to look into the incident but, before he can, he’s surprised to find his Uncle Frank ensconced in his house, unannounced but clearly settled in, even wearing Windflower’s own longjohns. This is a problem in all sorts of ways but takes a backseat to what Windflower begins to learn about Amy’s murder, especially a possible connection to human trafficking.

It was nice, as always, to learn a little about life in Newfoundland and Winston’s Cree background and everything was enhanced by Mr. Kearney’s performance. His narration has been growing on me with each audiobook and I particularly enjoy his accents, which sound authentic to me. Once again, an appealing story with engaging narration, just what I like.

Great Series!

This is the third book in the Sgt. Windflower Mysteries Series. I have listened to the second book in the Series, and I enjoyed it. The story is set in Grand Bank, Newfoundland, Canada. Windflower is a wonderful and fun character. Sheila, his beloved, is sweet and lovely. The investigation is well built, and intriguing. The storyline is slow paced, fun, and filled with twists and turns. The story isn't only centered on the mystery itself, but also on Windflower's personal life, which is great. The cast of supporting characters is impressive, and intriguing. I like the family bonds in this Series. Francis G. Kearney did a great job with the narration. He has the perfect voice for this Series, and he has a great range of voices. I enjoyed it. Looking forward for more in this Series.

I like this book!

It's definitely a "cozy" -- full of friendly chitchat among friends and colleagues. But it is NOT inane! - rather, the detail makes you feel you're there, part of the family and place. It's slow-moving in the sense that the plot is embedded in the characters just 'living' - walking to work in the rain, enjoying a delicious meal . . . but in this book it works. I'm not sure why. I guess it's bcz it's so descriptive of locale and weather and the culture of the place - white and native - also bcz of historical info and views into Native American thinking and ways bcz the main character is native. The dynamics of the story are in happy and challenging human relations and in crimes to be solved. I hope Martin writes more in this series.

Another well-written story from a very good author

Beneath the Surface (Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series Book 3), my second enjoyable read from author Mike Martin. Well-written with intriguing primary characters and a captivating storyline. I didn't do myself any favors by reading book 6 first but I didn't know I owned this one. Now I just went out & bought The Walker on the Cape Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series, Book 1 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).

Food glorious food

Man can Sargent Windflower pack away some food. I may be an Aussie reviewing this book but I am now intrigued by some of the dishes, just glad there was some healthy food in there.
Now onto the good stuff haha isn’t that the food. Sgt. Windflower is finally back in Grand Bank and his girlfriend Sheila is finally home from special care health facility. The story seems to be following several different cases but then a lead breaks and it is revealed that all is linked and it’s now just getting the right results for all involved and that could be harder than first thought, especially when the higher ups start trying to shut parts of the cases down. Anyway the book does have a good and happy ending. This was also my first book in this series so yes it can be read as a standalone story.
The narrator does try to inflict some different voices tones but he voice is to masculine for any successful female voices. But we always know who is talking. He does read a a comfortable pace to listen to.

Life of an RCMP Sergeant in Newfoundland

I received a free copy of this audiobook, at my request, and am now writing a voluntary review. What first piqued my interest in this book is that it's set in Newfoundland, Canada, about a sergeant with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Also of interest is that the main character is from an indigenous tribe of Canada. Both aspects offer the reader something a little different to explore.

This book is the 3rd of the series. I haven't read the previous two, but didn't feel I was missing too much of what occurred before this one. The story centers around the daily life of Sgt Winston Windflower of the RCMP. He becomes interested in the murder case of a young girl from the same town as him, although he is never actively investigating this case. He is assigned to look into human trafficking going on on the island. Maybe a spoiler: it all ties together at the end.

I thought this might be more of a police procedural than what it turns out to be. Windflower doesn't really do much investigating. Most of the leg-work is done by colleagues. The story is more about the daily life of an RMCP officer than any case they're working on. We see more of what Winflower eats on a daily basis than any investigative work. He has a solid, if odd, relationship with his girlfriend. The story ends up being a nice character study of a First Nations RCMP sergeant and the environment in which he lives and works.

The incorporation of native Cree rituals and customs and the history of the natives of Newfoundland are woven into the story. A subplot has Windflower seeking help with some recurring dreams he suddenly starts having. His uncle is a dreamweaver who assists in interpreting the drams. I enjoyed learning about this and other aspects of native peoples beliefs about life and nature.

Narration by Francis G Kearney was good. It did take a while to get used to the over-enthusiastic tone that was chosen for this book. I don't know, maybe a lot of Canadians speak in a loud and very dramatic fashion? I'm not Canadian, so cannot speak to that.

Very detailed depiction of every meal

That is my overriding impression. Whether it was omelettes for breakfast or fish and chips, we get a detailed account of each and every meal. Definitely not the book for dieters.

There is plot and change / growth in the main characters. But there is also a fair amount of moralistic rhetoric. Especially on feminism and aboriginal rights. That’s ok though, as it is much less distracting than the food!

In any case, this is a mystery where the detective doesn’t really drive an investigation as much as narrate it as it unfolds.

This book did deliver on the aspect I was most interested in: it is an absorbing and detailed account of life in Newfoundland— a little taste of home!


I received this audiobook for free in exchange for a review.