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Windigo Fire
Danny Bluestone, a young Native Canadian drifting through life, settles for a job at a children? camp in his Northern Ontario hometown of Red Dog Lake where unemployment and non-medicinal marihuana are the norm.
Local entrepreneur, Meredith Easter, offers Danny some easy money: play the role of native scout for his wealthy hunting buddies. Danny knows that Easter? roadside attraction, Santa? Fish Camp, is the front for the local grow-op, and probably more, but the money is his way out of Red Dog Lake.
Danny flies the hunters to an island lodge deep in the wilderness. Once there, he learns that he? part of an illegal bear hunt and is powerless to stop the men from shooting the helpless animal. The following morning, he awakes to find the hunters brutally murdered ?all but Ricky, a mysterious American.
Even though each of them believes the other is the killer, Danny and Ricky must team up to escape the forest fire started by the hunters. While his friends in Red Dog Lake struggle to rescue him, Danny falls back on the teachings of his shaman grandmother to survive the bush and the Windigo, the evil spirit that pursues them.
Local entrepreneur, Meredith Easter, offers Danny some easy money: play the role of native scout for his wealthy hunting buddies. Danny knows that Easter? roadside attraction, Santa? Fish Camp, is the front for the local grow-op, and probably more, but the money is his way out of Red Dog Lake.
Danny flies the hunters to an island lodge deep in the wilderness. Once there, he learns that he? part of an illegal bear hunt and is powerless to stop the men from shooting the helpless animal. The following morning, he awakes to find the hunters brutally murdered ?all but Ricky, a mysterious American.
Even though each of them believes the other is the killer, Danny and Ricky must team up to escape the forest fire started by the hunters. While his friends in Red Dog Lake struggle to rescue him, Danny falls back on the teachings of his shaman grandmother to survive the bush and the Windigo, the evil spirit that pursues them.
290 pages, Paperback
First published September 21, 2014
About the author
M.H. Callway
17 books2 followersGreetings Readers!
I had successful careers in science and business before returning to my childhood dream to write. Windigo Fire (Seraphim Editions) is my first novel.
In crafting the outdoor survival scenes in Windigo Fire, I drew on my experiences as a marathon runner and endurance cyclist. Every year I bike 200 km in the Toronto Ride to Conquer Cancer to support research at Princess Margaret Hospital.
My crime fiction stories and novellas have been published in several anthologies and magazines. Many of them have won or been nominated for the Arthur Ellis, Derringer and Bony Pete awards. My most recent story, "The Moon God of Broadmoor", appears in Judy Penz Sheluk's latest anthology, Moonlight and Misadventure.
Under different titles, Windigo Fire was a finalist for the Debut Dagger and Unhanged Arthur awards for best unpublished manuscript. In 2015 it was short-listed for the Arthur Ellis Best First Novel award.
In 2013, I co-founded the Mesdames of Mayhem, a collective of leading Canadian women crime writers. We now number 25 and include three Monsieurs. We have published three critically acclaimed anthologies, Thirteen, 13 O'clock, 13 Claws and In the Key of 13. We are the subject of the CBC documentary, The Mesdames of Mayhem, by Cat Mills. You can view it on GEM or Youtube.
Our anthologies are a great way to enjoy the work of different Canadian authors writing comedy to noir. You will find many of our books right here on Goodreads!
I had successful careers in science and business before returning to my childhood dream to write. Windigo Fire (Seraphim Editions) is my first novel.
In crafting the outdoor survival scenes in Windigo Fire, I drew on my experiences as a marathon runner and endurance cyclist. Every year I bike 200 km in the Toronto Ride to Conquer Cancer to support research at Princess Margaret Hospital.
My crime fiction stories and novellas have been published in several anthologies and magazines. Many of them have won or been nominated for the Arthur Ellis, Derringer and Bony Pete awards. My most recent story, "The Moon God of Broadmoor", appears in Judy Penz Sheluk's latest anthology, Moonlight and Misadventure.
Under different titles, Windigo Fire was a finalist for the Debut Dagger and Unhanged Arthur awards for best unpublished manuscript. In 2015 it was short-listed for the Arthur Ellis Best First Novel award.
In 2013, I co-founded the Mesdames of Mayhem, a collective of leading Canadian women crime writers. We now number 25 and include three Monsieurs. We have published three critically acclaimed anthologies, Thirteen, 13 O'clock, 13 Claws and In the Key of 13. We are the subject of the CBC documentary, The Mesdames of Mayhem, by Cat Mills. You can view it on GEM or Youtube.
Our anthologies are a great way to enjoy the work of different Canadian authors writing comedy to noir. You will find many of our books right here on Goodreads!
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 25, 2018
HIGH ADVENTURE IN A NORTHERN TOWN
We’ve all experienced that feeling of being trapped, of being unable to get away both physically and mentally. And it is with great skill that author M. H. Callway drops the reader in to the center of WINDIGO FIRE.
Part adventure, part psychological thriller, part crime drama, this book packs a wallop from page one: “Evil exists and he was no better than the others.”
Danny Bluestone is in a tough spot. Stuck up north on an island with a bunch of machismos paying big bucks to hunt bear illegally, it isn’t long before the humans turn on each other and kill themselves. (Hooray for the bears). At least, that’s how it seems.
From there, Danny must face a raging forest fire that threatens to burn him alive, an aggressive killer in a pontoon plane bent on taking his head off, and a clutch of unhelpful town folk each enmeshed in their own social undoing’s.
Add to that a menacing drug tsar, handsy camp counselor, crafty publican and a black bear that will break your heart, and you’ve got something that will keep you reading non-stop.
I loved the bear, Pasha, who is not often seen, but is realized through the plight of his shambling keeper Logan. Likewise, Danny’s psychic relationship with his grandmother. They are bound by generations of Cree tradition and lore; hence: the windigo that is as menacing as it is analogous.
A great human v. nature v. human tale, I give WINDIGO FIRE a 5.
I purchased the paperback at a book fair and am pleased to give my honest opinion.
We’ve all experienced that feeling of being trapped, of being unable to get away both physically and mentally. And it is with great skill that author M. H. Callway drops the reader in to the center of WINDIGO FIRE.
Part adventure, part psychological thriller, part crime drama, this book packs a wallop from page one: “Evil exists and he was no better than the others.”
Danny Bluestone is in a tough spot. Stuck up north on an island with a bunch of machismos paying big bucks to hunt bear illegally, it isn’t long before the humans turn on each other and kill themselves. (Hooray for the bears). At least, that’s how it seems.
From there, Danny must face a raging forest fire that threatens to burn him alive, an aggressive killer in a pontoon plane bent on taking his head off, and a clutch of unhelpful town folk each enmeshed in their own social undoing’s.
Add to that a menacing drug tsar, handsy camp counselor, crafty publican and a black bear that will break your heart, and you’ve got something that will keep you reading non-stop.
I loved the bear, Pasha, who is not often seen, but is realized through the plight of his shambling keeper Logan. Likewise, Danny’s psychic relationship with his grandmother. They are bound by generations of Cree tradition and lore; hence: the windigo that is as menacing as it is analogous.
A great human v. nature v. human tale, I give WINDIGO FIRE a 5.
I purchased the paperback at a book fair and am pleased to give my honest opinion.
November 20, 2014
Gracefully written and compelling, Windigo Fire features a spectacular opening line and doesn't let up from there. This is Canadian literary crime at its best, with beautifully crafted characters who hail from all walks of life. From the vulnerable and touching to the flawed and incorrigible, Windigo Fire is a treat of a read.
November 11, 2018
Windigo Fire is a terrific fast-paced rural noir set in a very recognizable Northern Ontario . The characters are original and memorable and the rugged Northern Ontario setting comes to life in this excellent debut novel. Very much looking forward to the next in the series!
September 26, 2014
I received an ARC of Windigo Fire. It's a great wilderness adventure so be prepared to spend a couple of evenings losing yourself in this book. Danny Bluestone is young and cynical; he finds it hard to trust anyone and is comforted only by memories of his grandmother and the legends she teaches him that play a strong role in the story. When he discovers that an entire hunting party has been murdered on an isolated island, Danny needs to find courage and faith in himself to outwit the slayers and outrun a raging forest fire that becomes an even greater enemy. The author's fine writing skills make this a memorable read.
November 1, 2016
This was a good one. I read a lot, and book after book sometimes is okay, unmemorable, no meat on its bones, and then a good one this one comes along.
Anyone could enjoy this story of hardscrabble life in northern Ontario, but it holds special interest for me because that's where I grew up. Told from multiple points of view, Windigo Fire combines First Nation legends (the Windigo) with current social issues that plague rural areas. It's a cracking good story about fire, government corruption, ways of making a living in an inhospitable climate, memorable characters--and like any good book, so much more.
Settle down with it for a good read.
Anyone could enjoy this story of hardscrabble life in northern Ontario, but it holds special interest for me because that's where I grew up. Told from multiple points of view, Windigo Fire combines First Nation legends (the Windigo) with current social issues that plague rural areas. It's a cracking good story about fire, government corruption, ways of making a living in an inhospitable climate, memorable characters--and like any good book, so much more.
Settle down with it for a good read.
October 31, 2014
Fast moving, well written and a true grit picture of wild and beautiful Northern Ontario where nature can both awe you and kill you. So can the most unsuspected characters. Loved Rachel, eleven, tough and very smart. Also the crazy mix of other folk who have come to the end of the road, literally. Aboriginal culture still holds a powerful influence. Windigo Fie is a book you can put down until you get to the big surprise at the end. I highly recommend it.
September 5, 2016
Strange, long-winded novel where I had a hard time picturing most of the characters. A very improbable book all round where people seem to survive fire, knives and bullets not to mention the climate and critters of the region. A little too OTT for my taste.
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March 23, 2015I tried, honest I did....
May 19, 2016
Adventures in Rainbow Country meets Die Hard. A fixed bear hunt, murder, a forest fire, drug dealers, a shaman, and more make this a fast-paced story set in Northern Ontario. I liked it.
April 14, 2017
A good read!
This was a good read. I have to admit it took me a little while to really get into it, trying to figure out where it was going. But after awhile, I found it hard to put down. I really like this genre of book as well. I would give another story by the author a read.
This was a good read. I have to admit it took me a little while to really get into it, trying to figure out where it was going. But after awhile, I found it hard to put down. I really like this genre of book as well. I would give another story by the author a read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews