There's something about this time of year that can be quite depressing. Putting away the Christmas decorations so the house looks bare and miserable, coming home from work every day in the dark, trudging off to work in the cold (and the rain and the wind) ... Luckily, though, I have found the perfect antidote - tucking up under a blanket on the sofa with a good book. A good book guaranteed to put you in a good mood. Time to bring in Sgt Windflower !
The kind-hearted, family-loving Mountie is back in a new novel, which is, as usual, perfect for warming the cockles of your heart. That's not to say that all is well in Grand Bank though. The normally calm and near perfect region in Newfoundland is rocked by a series of murders of prominent figures - an RCMP staff sergeant in St John's (who was actually Winston's old supervisor) and a minister in Grand Bank. While this is already alarming, there are suggestions that national security may be under threat and linked to these crimes, plus there are weird things going on in town and in the church, with a suspicious and threatening character putting in an appearance that leaves Sgt Windflower with a whole lot of things to look into.
As always, and however serious the crimes that he is investigating, Sgt Windflower gives just as much time to his family and we see him moving back to his home town for the case, catching up with his friends, exploring his ancestral dreams and customs and chilling out with his beloved wife and daughters. (And dog. And cat, but I'm not quite sure the "beloved" thing works both ways, as far as the cat is concerned !)
Whatever is going on in his life, Sgt Windflower always seems content with his lot, especially if he's settling down for a slice of peanut butter cheesecake and a chat with his friends. In this book, however, he seems to be asking himself a lot of questions. Does he want to remain in the RCMP? Is he willing to risk being relocated and, if so, how would that work with his family? I'm looking forward to seeing how he works out these latest existential crises in the next book. Something I particularly liked in this book was the little nod towards COVID - a reminder to future generations (or even our future selves) of the little moment of world history that we are currently living through.
RRP : £12.26
- Publisher : Ottawa Press and Publishing Mystery (13 Oct. 2021)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 260 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1988437784
- ISBN-13 : 978-1988437781
- Dimensions : 15.24 x 1.65 x 22.86 cm
Disclosure : I received a review copy of the book in order to share my honest opinion.
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