Beneath The Surface is the third Sgt Windflower Mystery and the second that I have read, following on from The Body on the T. (Click through to read my review of that one.)
In the last book, Sgt Winston Windflower's girlfriend Sheila was in a coma in hospital after a serious road accident. In this book, she has recovered and is ready to come home, to carry on her romance with her charming Mountie.
Life in Grand Bank is just as sleepy and peaceful as ever and Winston spends his time looking forward to his next meal and sharing details of the vast wealth of Newfoundland local fayre (which is great for the #readcookeat challenge - I was spoilt for choice !). Despite the fog and rain which is never far away, Grand Bank sounds like a charming place to live and the relatively slow pace of the novel reflects the tranquility of life there.
However, as the title suggests, beneath the surface there are darker goings on and Winston has to deal with murder, a human traficking ring involving prostitution and also some serious sexual harrassment within the Mounted Police force. Despite all that, Winston manages to come out on top and it's charming to see his relationship unfolding with Sheila as they work towards a happy future together.
I still find Sgt Windflower's Cree heritage fascinating. In the review of the last book, I mentioned that I would have liked to uncover more about his traditions and beliefs that the odd mention of his daily smudging ritual and here, I got what I wanted in the strange dream sequences that he needs to interpret and act on, with the help of his uncle the dream-reader.
The books are a lovely breath of (foggy, cold) air and a great introduction to the Newfoundland area. I'll be cooking one of the recipes inspired by the book for the #readcookeat challenge so I'll link back to that as soon as the post is live.
star rating : 4/5
Paperback: 456 pages
- Publisher: Booklocker.com, Inc. (15 April 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 163263113X
- ISBN-13: 978-1632631138
Disclosure : I received a review copy of the book.
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Sounds an interesting book, thanks for the review and the rating. I love reading authors that are new to me. Not sure how but I missed your earlier reviews on this author. Catch up time.
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