Too Close For Comfort

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review "Too Close For Comfort" by Mike Martin.

My triumvirate of much loved characters: Bruno Courrege (Martin Walker), Armand Gamache (Louise Penny) and Sgt. Winston Windflower (Mike Martin). Those are, to quote, “Sum Good, B’y”. This review is for the newest book in the Winston Windflower series, “Too Close For Comfort”. And it’s sum good, b’y.

Once again we’re back in Grand Bank, Newfoundland and Labrador with Sgt. (currently acting Inspector) Winston Windflower, now into his one-year assignment, covering not only Grand Bank but the whole region, including Marystown where the RCMP is headquartered in the area.

Someone is setting vacant houses on fire in the community and the residents are not happy, but happily laying blame on their much disliked neighbours from nearby St. Pierre. Needless to say, Windflower’s main task is to find and arrest the perpetrator(s).

But when a body is found in the latest burned out husk of a house, everything changes. And when that body is of someone involved in organized crime and a recent, much-publicized gold heist, the stakes are incrementally higher.

Through dint of his dogged investigation, with the able assistance of Eddie Tizzard (a proud new father), the assistance of a new Constable, Samir ‘Sam’ Gupta - on secondment due to the maternity leave of Eddie’s partner Carrie, also an RCMP officer - as well as the back up from headquarters in the person of Superintendent Ron Quigley and the input of the Fire Chief, they come to the conclusion the the perpetrator is a member of their community. But, as with every other investigation that Windflower undertakes, this one is handled with the utmost care for his community and the family involved.

With the solution of the arsons in hand, the team now turn their investigation to the dead body and the man’s possible ties to the huge gold heist. It seems that the dead man had accomplices, one of whom is a desperately wanted man who will stop at nothing - including the attempted murder of an officer and the kidnapping of another.

In true Sgt. Windflower fashion, he brings all facets of the investigation together - at one point even liaising with forces outside the province and the country - with the view to a positive outcome with minimum danger.

I have been reading this series for a number of years now, and I always relish the opportunity to go back to Grand Bank for another adventure. Mike Martin always anchors his stories in the bedrock of Winston’s society: family, friends, community, spirituality, and love. (He never forgets to say, I love you, to his wife, his daughters, his family…) In fact, I see many parallels between Winston and Louise Penny’s Armand Gamache. Both are fiercely protective of their family, their neighbours, their homes and the people with whom they work to protect them. At one point, Winston’s wife, Sheila, is reading “A World Of Curiosities”, which he attempts to swipe.

And of course, all of the quotes: from Mark Twain (and Richard Tizzard) to Tagore and Shakespeare. Sometimes I think he could write an entire adventure in quotes alone. It seems that every character has a favourite to quote from, depending on the situation.

For anyone who wants to read a good mystery, set in a real place and featuring realistic characters, this series is for you. I hesitate to call this a ‘cozy’ mystery, but it does leave the reader with a sense of contentment.

Opening up a new Sgt. Windflower book is like settling in with an old friend, and with Too Close for Comfort, author Mike Martin once again delivers an engaging mystery infused with equal measures of warmth and suspense.
This time around the good Sargeant is in charge of not one, not two, but three mysteries that shake him to his core. Windflower finds himself investigating an arson case turned murder, and a gold heist that is taken straight from Canadian news reels. As he narrows down suspects, the different crimes intertwine with disturbing overtones. The finale is wrought with tension and suspense, taking the reader right to the very end of the book.
Throughout it all, Windflower’s core beliefs help him to deal with the emotions brought forth by the cases, providing a profound contrast to the chaos in which he finds himself. Once again, the look into native Canadian culture is sensitively handled and an important part of the book.
Thank you to the author and #NetGalley for the ARC of #TooCloseForComfort!

This is book 15 in Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series. One I have not read before but it is really nice to see Canada featured in mystery novels, especially outside of the major cities. I don’t find Windflower as compelling as Louise Penny’s Armand Gamache but maybe that is because I have read more of the Gamache books too. I do however appreciate the respectful addition of Indigenous culture in the books. So many authors including indigenous characters tend to do so from the victim side and focus on the issues within native populations rather than the cultural side.

The story starts with a fire – and not the first suspicious one this year – as residents worry about a serial arsonist. The mystery deepens as a body is found in the fire and that body is linked to biker gangs as well as major crime. For small town Grand Bank with just a single RCMP Inspector and a new officer joining him, Windflower needs all the help he can get from his team in the nearest city/town.

I really enjoyed the story itself but the book is written almost like a diary or a documentary following Windflower’s every move. It feels like some of the day to day stuff could have been left behind and more of the first person stuff from the the more action scenes included, like the boat scene. We follow him from waking to when he goes to bed, choosing whether to drive or walk, all his meals etc. It feels like a lot making you understand the character more but also distracts from the story a bit.

Windflower also seems like a great dad so it annoyed me to see him escort a prisoner (as the second car in fairness) with his children in the car. There was a chance of payback from the other criminals involved but it didn’t seem to come up. Then he just drops his kids off at dance classes and goes to do police stuff not knowing how long it will take? It just felt a bit detached from the character that takes a break from solving crime to meet his girls from the school bus. Maybe it is the city life in me but it seems like something that would be a major issue for the RCMP.

Overall, an easy read with a good mystery story behind it.

Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the Advance Reader Copy to review.

It is always a welcome treat when I read another Sgt. Winston Windflower book. Too Close for Comfort is the 15th book in the series, and once again, it’s the perfect balance of falling into the familiar while trying to solve another new, suspenseful, well-plotted mystery.

Windflower has had quite the interesting career so far with the RCMP: climbing through the ranks, going on temporary assignment and moving the family for a year or so, leaving the RCMP and becoming a community officer in Grand Bank, and now back on active duty, this time as Acting Inspector. He’s glad to be back; he’s a family man through and through and enjoys peace and quiet, but he doesn’t like to be idle, and it’s become apparent to him that he would rather be back with the RCMP than acting as a consultant. He welcomes the challenge of solving cases and is dedicated to ensuring the peace and safety of the residents under his jurisdiction.

While we are still treated to the Winston Windflower who loves cooking for friends and family, spending time with his girls and his wife, walking the dog and sparring with the cat, interacting with his friends, whether always having a quote at the ready or listening to more classical music recommended by Herb, and smudging and analyzing his dreams, in Too Close for Comfort we are also presented with the most intense Windflower we have seen yet. He has always been strong, competent, and capable, but this Sgt. Winston Windflower, Acting Inspector, is brave, determined, and unwavering in vowing to solve the crimes and mysteries and ensure nothing bad happens to Eddie Tizzard or anyone else Winston cares about.

I always say the latest book is the best one, and it’s always true. The best thing about this series is almost always hearing the story from Windflower’s point of view and having the pleasure of seeing the whole man. Over the years he’s grown and matured, cared for his family, and solidified his value to the community. He always steps up and does whatever is necessary, but this time he steps ahead, with caution but no apparent fear, and reveals himself as a mature, true leader. His wife Sheila has stepped up and grown stronger as well, accepting – although of course not liking – the danger that comes with being a law enforcement officer’s wife. They are a team and have always supported each other, but now she seems to be at peace with herself about it and gives her strength to him when he needs it.

Grand Bank, Newfoundland is a small town with all the small-town closeness and comforts, but it and the much larger nearby town of Marystown still have their share of crime. Smuggling, murder, arson, drugs, domestic abuse and other crimes have occurred; being small doesn’t make a town exempt, and Windflower has dealt with it all. Now a series or fires resulting in deaths seem to be related to a major gold heist on the mainland. Dangerous characters show up, people thought to be trustworthy may have ulterior motives, and – perhaps most unsettling of all – Windflower’s dream visits from his aunt and uncle point to serious danger for Eddie Tizzard. The story moves smoothly along at a fast pace, full of action, full of danger and not enough obvious clues for Windflower to fix things quickly. The suspense and worry about Eddie will keep you on edge.

As mentioned above, Too Close for Comfort is full of both the thrill and the warm cozy I’ve come to expect from this excellent series by author Mike Martin. The mystery and danger had me turning pages faster and faster. I enjoyed the fun family times, learning more about Windflower’s past and culture through his dream weaving, catching up, supporting and relying on friends, and the meals never fail to make me hungry.

I thoroughly enjoyed this latest addition to the series and recommend it without hesitation. I voluntarily leave this review. I was not compensated in any way and all opinions are my own.