Beneath the Surface by Mike Martin

Mike Martin is a Canadian writer and sets his mystery series in the town of Grand Bank, Newfoundland.

Beneath the Surface is the 3^rd in the series starring Sgt Winston Windflower.  I was given this book to review and have not read either of the other books.  Sometimes that can be a detriment in reviewing a book that is part of a series but in this case there is enough background in the book that it was easy enough to pick up the flow of the story of Sgt. Windflower’s life. 

Beneath the Surface opens with the murder of a young woman from Grand Bank.   During the course of the investigation Winston will deal with the Russian mafia; human trafficking and corrupt officials.  The story is mostly a police procedural so the focus is on how the Detachments are solving the crimes that are involved.

Sgt. Windflower is a likeable and charming main character.   Among the threads of the story is one that involves Winston’s Cree background.   There is a lot of Aboriginal  history and religious practice woven throughout the story.  There is also a lot of history and storytelling about St. John and the Province of Newfoundland.  I found these threads to be interesting and well placed throughout the story.  Another thread is one of food.  Winston likes to eat and there is so much talk of local delicacies that I thought there might be recipes at the end of the book.  A romance rounds out the story making it truly a story that has a little bit of everything in it.

This was an easy and entertaining read and I recommend it especially if you like Canadian stories set in Canadian places.

The Zig Zag Path

 

Recently my mom found a notebook with some poems that my grandmother had collected.  My grandmother died of cancer when she was 50 so I never got to know her.  This collection of poems is a legacy that helps me get to know her better.  I thought I’d share a few of them starting with this one called, The Zig Zag Path (author unknown)

We climbed the height by the zig-zag path

And wondered why -- until

We  understood it was made zig-zag

To break the "force of the hill."

A road straight up would prove too steep

For the traveler's feet to tread;

The thought was kind in it's wise design

Of a zig-zag path instead. 

It is often so in our daily life;

We fail to understand

That the twisting way our feet must tread

By Love alone was planned. 

Then murmur not at the winding way,

It is our Father's will

To lead us Home by the zig-zag path

To break the force of the hill.

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