Beneath the Surface (Sgt. Windflower Mystery #3) by Mike Martin

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.

It begins with the discovery of a dead girl’s body in St. John’s, the capital city of Newfoundland and Labrador. The girl is from Grand Bank where Windflower has been stationed for the last few years. Sgt. Windflower and his associate Corporal Eddie Tizzard are pulled further and further into the case. The situation also grows to include a whole array of criminal activities from human trafficking and even the Russian Mafia.

Along the way Windflower not only has to deal with this crime wave operating all around the region, but with some challenges in his own life. He has to go back to his Aboriginal roots to find the answers to some very deep and disturbing questions. But nothing seems to bother his appetite and joy for life, especially his appetite. He continues to sample traditional Newfoundland dishes like fish and brewis but he also expands to include pan-fried sea trout and baked salmon, along with a range of desserts from blueberry buckle to his all-time favourite, peanut butter cheesecake.

His faith in the police force, that has become his life, is also threatened by a series of events that he becomes aware of that are certainly immoral if not even illegal. He is forced to face not only his own personal demons but those in real life that are lurking all around us. Sometime they are right in front of our face, but at other times they are hiding deep beneath the surface, waiting to be resolved.  (Summary via Amazon)


If you are a fan of Stuarts Woods and especially his Stone Barrington series, then you will love the Sgt Windflower Mystery series by Mike Martin.  Windflower is a strong, well-centered character that knows what he wants and does everything he can to get it....just like Stone Barrington would do.   Pretty much the only difference between Barrington and Windflower is that Barrington always has a lot of love interests and Windflower has one love, Sheila.  

Windflower works for the RCMP, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and has been on assignment in Marystown when we begin reading Beneath the Surface, the third book in this series.  But Windflower is ready to return home to Grand Bank and when his girlfriend, Sheila, who has been in a special care health facility since a car accident, is being released to go home, Windflower knows that it is time for him as well.

No matter where Windflower works, whether it is on assignment or back at his office in Grand Bank, he will do whatever he can to insure that justice is served....no matter how small the case is.  However in Beneath the Surface there are a few different cases that have his attention and one of them is right there in his office building !!  

There is so much to keep the readers attention in this series.  I love Windflower's strong beliefs and loved reading the dream interpretations.  I love his devotion to Sheila and his town.  His circle of friends and family are ones to long for and even his commitment to the food he eats is a joy to read about !!!

The Sgt. Windflower Mystery series has something for all readers to enjoy !!  The series will take the reader on a journey that will not soon be forgotten....this series stays with the reader .... in a very good way !!!  And with the way that Martin ended Beneath the Surface, I cannot wait to see what is in store for Windflower and Sheila in the future !!!


Review by Missi S.