A Perfect Storm by Mike Martin

Release: September 17, 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Ottawa Press and Publishing
Source: Pump up your book
Find it at: Amazon, Kindle

Sgt. Windflower is back, untangling another swirling mystery, this one bringing the meth crisis and biker gangs to the quiet Newfoundland town of Grand Bank, feeling the sting of their deadly tentacles reaching all the way from the United States. He’s working with his familiar crew of RCMP characters — but wait, are some of the faces changing? There are new challenges for Jones, an unknown side of Smithson reveals itself, and what ever happened to Tizzard? Nevertheless he is in the midst of putting the pieces of the puzzle together,

Windflower and his beloved Sheila also find themselves navigating sorrows and surprises on the family front. As always, there’s still great food and even better friends in the beautiful and often fog-filled community of Grand Bank. Come back to Newfoundland and Labrador for A Perfect Storm, another excellent Windflower adventure.

About the Author:

Mike Martin was born in St. John’s, NL on the east coast of Canada and now lives and works in Ottawa, Ontario. He is a long-time freelance writer and his articles and essays have appeared in newspapers, magazines and online across Canada as well as in the United States and New Zealand. He is also the author of Change the Things You Can: Dealing with Difficult People and has written a number of short stories that have been published in various publications across North America.

Significantly, The Walker on the Cape was his first full fiction book and the premiere of the Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series. Other books in the series include The Body on the T, Beneath the Surface, A Twist of Fortune, and A Long Ways from Home, followed by A Tangled Web, which was shortlisted for the 2017 Bony Blithe Light Mystery Award as the best light mystery of the year, and Darkest Before the Dawn, which won the 2018 Bony Blithe Light Mystery Award. Fire, Fog and Water was the eighth in the series. He has also published Christmas in Newfoundland: Memories and Mysteries, a Sgt. Windflower Book of Christmas past and present.

He is Past Chair of the Board of Crime Writers of Canada, a national organization promoting Canadian crime and mystery writers and a member of the Newfoundland Writing Guild and Ottawa Independent Writers.

A Perfect Storm is the latest book in the Sgt. Windflower Mystery series.

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A Perfect Storm Review:

This was an interesting mystery with multiple sub plots that connected very well.

I also loved how the author describes Windflower’s life and his family. The way he communicates with his Aunt Marie in her dreams was just beautiful and profound. There is so much depth in their conversations and it really made the story stand out. I also liked his relationship with Sheila and how they deal with moving forward in their lives. Amelia Louise is just adorable. All the supporting characters like Betsy, Quigley, Evanchuk etc also add well to the supporting cast.

In terms of the plot, this is the first procedural type of novel I am reading and it was pretty interesting. Although I have not read the previous books in the series, I had no trouble following the characters. Initially the story felt a little out of context as each story felt disconnect and resolved quickly. For instance, when Windflower finds himself stuck in the mines, I thought it would be played out longer. However, it really picked up once you see how they are all inter-connected to the bigger storyline with the Aryan Warriors. The story touches on some serious topics like drug abuse and gang violence. The author fills the story with action packed scenes that makes the story so gripping.

The author beautifully balances the action with the family drama. Moreover, the author puts in philosophical quotations from famous people, and also adds snippets of cultures and cuisines in the dialogues that made this book memorable.

I would definitely like to pick out the first book and see how this all started. Overall, A Perfect Storm was a nice procedural mystery.