Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Fire, Fog and Water (Sgt. Windflower Mystery #8)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Fire, Fog and Water

(Sgt. Windflower Mysteries #8)

Mike Martin (Goodreads Author)

4.48 · Rating details · 27 ratings · 19 reviews

Sergeant Winston Windflower and his trusty crew at the Grand Bank detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have more than a few mysteries on their hands. Windflower suspects that the three cases—a homicide, a near-homicide and a fire on Coronation Street—are somehow connected, but how is proving difficult to determine, especially now that he must battle his unusuall ...more

Get A Copy

Paperback, 266 pages

Published October 7th 2019

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Fire, Fog and Water, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about Fire, Fog and Water

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

Showing 1-41

Average rating 4.48 ·

Rating details

· 27 ratings · 19 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Fire, Fog and Water (Sgt. Windflower Mystery #8)

Oct 07, 2019 eyes.2c rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery-and-detective, thriller, netgalley, canadian

Mounties and murder in Newfoundland!

March in Grand Bank, Newfoundland. Neither fish nor fowl. Sergeant Winston Windflower RCMP is angry, "he was sun-starved. And he knew he was angry."
"The rain, drizzle and fog didn’t help his mood either. It had been raining or drizzling or foggy every day that it hadn’t snowed."
Getting out of town and going for a run with his dog Lady always helped.
That was until Windflower slid down the greasy mountain trail, slapped into a boulder and found Lady digging up n ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Oct 05, 2019 Bonnye Reed rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kindle-or-pdf, read-2019, police-procedural-canada, canadian

I received a free electronic copy of this Canadian Police Procedural on September 22, 2019, from Netgalley, Mike Martin, and Ottawa Press and Publishing. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this 8th in the series of Sgt. Windflower Mysteries of my own volition and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am very pleased to recommend this series to friends and family. This is my first exposure to Mike Martin, but I will read the first seven Windflowers I ha ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Oct 03, 2020 Missi Martin (Stockwell) rated it it was amazing

The only thing you won't like about the Sgt. Windflower Mysteries is the weather.....but that's okay, the characters in the book don't like it very much either.

I have had the pleasure of reading all the books in this series and I can honestly say that I am a HUGE fan of the series and author Mike Martin. Now when I open one of the books, it's more than just reading a books, it's taking a vacation and visiting with family and friends.... and with every new book in the series you grow with them.

In The only thing you won't like about the Sgt. Windflower Mysteries is the weather.....but that's okay, the characters in the book don't like it very much either.

I have had the pleasure of reading all the books in this series and I can honestly say that I am a HUGE fan of the series and author Mike Martin. Now when I open one of the books, it's more than just reading a books, it's taking a vacation and visiting with family and friends.... and with every new book in the series you grow with them.

In Fire, Fog and Water, the eighth book in this series, not only does Sgt. Winston Windflower have a lot on his plate at work but his Corporal and good friend, Edward Tizzard is dealing with a lot of things as well. Windflower and Tizzard have both grown a lot throughout this series but in Fire, Fog and Water, their inner strength will be tested to the limit.

As with the other books in this series, Windflower has a lot going on with work...being in charge of the Grand Bank detachment of the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) is a job he takes very seriously. Keeping his town and people safe is what he lives for. However, his wife, Sheila and their daughter, Amelia Louise, is what he breathes for.

In Fire, Fog and Water while out for a run on a trail with his dog Lady, Windflower stumbles, falls and lands next to a rolled up carpet with a dead body in it. This will take him and his employees down a twisted road involving drugs, more death, fire and bad decisions. All of this is nothing that Windflower and his detachment cannot handle but when a huge problem develops within the RCMP involving Tizzard and his fiance Carrie Evanchuk, this may be the straw that breaks the camels back !!!

I have probably said this before but it rings true with every book I read in this series but I can sit and read about Windflower shuffling paperwork around at work and going home to his wife, daughter and pets and having dinner and walking around town. I don't need all the excitement that the RCMP brings to the table.....don't get me wrong, I'm not going to turn away when reading about it. It's just that the way Martin writes allowing your mind to open, you can see everything clearer than some of Windflowers dreams. And the picture you see is one you will want to hold on to as long as you can....... ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 26, 2019 Hazel rated it it was amazing

This book is #8 in the Sgt.Winston Windflower series but is easily read as a standalone, although I would thoroughly recommend that readers indulge themselves with previous books (if not already done so-as I have done) to really immerse yourselves in these lovely stories of life for the RCMP Officer in Grand Bank, Newfoundland, and Winston's journey to the present time.
Reading this latest book is like putting on an old much-loved sweater, hot chocolate in hand, in front of a fire, to experience This book is #8 in the Sgt.Winston Windflower series but is easily read as a standalone, although I would thoroughly recommend that readers indulge themselves with previous books (if not already done so-as I have done) to really immerse yourselves in these lovely stories of life for the RCMP Officer in Grand Bank, Newfoundland, and Winston's journey to the present time.
Reading this latest book is like putting on an old much-loved sweater, hot chocolate in hand, in front of a fire, to experience the warmth of Winston's life, family, friends and colleagues; albeit interrupted by a complex criminal investigation.
Winston if not happy. He's angry. He's cranky with everybody - his wife Sheila, colleagues and friends. It's been a seemingly long, drab winter. He's unsettled and is questioning his life - not least of all as a Mountie. His boss, Acting Inspector Richard Raymond, is demanding, unforgiving and disrespectful. Basically - Winston feels lost.
To think things through Winston takes a run with Lady, his dog, and literally stumbles across a body, wrapped in a carpet, on a hiking trail. This is swiftly followed by an attempted murder from a hit-and-run; a parcel bomb delivered to murder a prominent businessman, and a fire that destroyed a house.
Meanwhile, Winston discovers he's not the only one disgruntled by Acting Inspector Raymond - Carrie Evanchuk, Eddie Tizzard's fiancee, is thoroughly upset about her treatment working for him, leading to Eddie taking things a little too far.
Mike Martin seems to effortlessly weave contemporary societal issues into his stories. Here, we have mental health issues addressed; workplace harassment, and the increasing addiction-trade of opioid drugs. BUT - these stories do not 'dwell' on these issues - they 'remark' on society at this time and are reflected in Winston and his team's investigations - the major story, I feel, is that Winston had become depressed - had neglected his spirituality, and returning to that, through dreams and advice, showed him the 'way back'.
Admittedly, In the opening chapter of this book, I thought - No, please, Winston is just So in control - such a NICE person, how can you make him disgruntled?
Read on.................... ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 07, 2019 Denise Zendel rated it it was amazing

Sgt. Winston Windflower is just not having a good day. It starts out with a fight with his wife, Sheila, and then he – literally – stumbles over a body while out for a run, and finishes up with getting the riot act from his acting boss.

He’s out of sorts, things are just “off” and he doesn’t know why. He tells a friend, “It’s like I’ve lost my voice. I don’t even know who I am anymore. I’ve turned into a husband and a father and a Mountie. But who am I, really? I feel overworked and under-appreci ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 09, 2020 Jim Napier rated it really liked it

Sergeant Winston Windflower is the ranking officer in an RCMP detachment based in Grand Bank, a small village located on the south coast of Newfoundland. Like other such villages it is changing, experiencing crimes like drugs and murder, that locals haven’t often seen in their communities. The shift threatens Newfoundland’s traditional ways, a lifestyle that attracted Windflower to the province in the first place. It is a small posting, with a handful of junior officers and one civilian staff me Sergeant Winston Windflower is the ranking officer in an RCMP detachment based in Grand Bank, a small village located on the south coast of Newfoundland. Like other such villages it is changing, experiencing crimes like drugs and murder, that locals haven’t often seen in their communities. The shift threatens Newfoundland’s traditional ways, a lifestyle that attracted Windflower to the province in the first place. It is a small posting, with a handful of junior officers and one civilian staff member, all of whom have formed tight bonds among themselves and with the community. But lately those bonds have become stressed: a recently-appointed senior officer in Marystown, Acting Inspector Richard Raymond, is ruling with a heavy hand. Constable Carrie Evanchuk has complained privately to Windlfower that Raymond has bullied her, and it’s not long before other, even more disturbing allegations surface. Things come to a boil when Evanchuk’s fiancée, Corporal Eddiie Tizzard, physically attacks the senior officer. Normally a career-ending move, Windflower must find a way to ensure that justice is done while ensuring that any collateral damage is kept to a minimum.

Meanwhile, life goes on. Windflower is out walking with his dog Lady on the edge of town when he – or rather his dog – makes a gruesome discovery: a body, frozen and matted with blood, has been wrapped up in an old carpet and buried in the bush. Before the victim can be thawed and identified another incident occurs just outside the village, a hit-and-run that leaves a woman badly injured and in hospital. It is not long before other events call on Windflower’s investigative powers: a body is found in a nearly-abandoned trailer in the woods, and a house in the village goes up in flames, looking all the world like an intentional blaze started to conceal some crucial evidence. For a small village on the fringe of the island, Grand Bank seems to have become a veritable hotbed of criminal activity. And faced with the prospect of substantial repairs needed to his fledgling B&B business, Windflower is forced to consider whether he wants to remains in the RCMP or retire and focus his time on the B&B and his much-loved family.

Windflower is of First Nations heritage, and frequently draws upon his native cultural practices, such as smudging and interpreting his dreams, to make sense of the events occurring in his life. Frequently these bring clarity to the chaos, but only after he has come to appreciate the larger significance of the details. This process helps the reader to gain an appreciation of an often-neglected dimension of Windflower’s nuanced personality. Before the tale has ended Windflower must situate himself in the complex world in which he lives, and come to terms with its varied, often conflicting, forces. It forms an added dimension to author Mike Martin’s layered and insightful narrative of life in rural Newfoundland, one that his many readers have come to appreciate. Like its setting, Fire, Fog and Water is deceptive: on one level it is a tale of crime and violence all too familiar in large cities everywhere; on another, more personal level it is the revealing story of a man – and those close to him – faced with the pull of conflicting pressures, and struggling to deal with them in a way that takes into account the concerns of others and also allows him to be at peace with himself, surely a story that will appeal to readers faced who find themselves in similar situations. The eighth novel in the Sergeant Windflower series, Fire Fog and Water is a good read for our complex and troubled times.
_______
Jim Napier is a professional crime-fiction reviewer based in Canada. Since 2005 his book reviews and author interviews have been featured in several Canadian newspapers and on multiple websites. His crime novel Legacy was published in April of 2017, and the next in the series, Ridley’s War, is scheduled for release in the summer of 2020.
...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 17, 2020 Harold Walters rated it really liked it

Read complete feature at the following link"

altwire.com/lifestyles/book-remarks-f...

Sgt. Winston Windflower is crooked as sin. Who can blame him? It’s March month in Grand Bank, Newfoundland and fog stoggs the space between sea and sky. It seems like the sun has hie-dee-hoed to foreign parts.

First thing in the morning Wince snaps at two of his staff — Const. Yvette Jones and Const. Rick Smithson. He’s so friggin’ crooked he even snaps at his administrative assistant, steadfast Betsy Molloy, who ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 23, 2020 Gaele rated it really liked it

Shelves: cozy-mystery, independent-review, net-galley, reviewed

I saw this title and was instantly intrigued by the setting of Grand Bank Newfoundland – an island (and province) I’ve visited frequently and sailed about often. While I was concerned coming into the eighth book in the series and wondering if there would be missed connections, Martin did a lovely job of building interest in earlier (and later) stories to come, while providing me with a read that was self-contained and well presented. Winston Windflower is a Sargent with the RCMP, and stationed i I saw this title and was instantly intrigued by the setting of Grand Bank Newfoundland – an island (and province) I’ve visited frequently and sailed about often. While I was concerned coming into the eighth book in the series and wondering if there would be missed connections, Martin did a lovely job of building interest in earlier (and later) stories to come, while providing me with a read that was self-contained and well presented. Winston Windflower is a Sargent with the RCMP, and stationed in Grand Bank. But the end of winter is coming, and while things are ‘samey’ as always, he’s feeling more than a bit “off”. The long winter of grey (if you’ve seen The Shipping News – you’ll understand) has worn on him, and things aren’t helped by tripping over a corpse on his run.

Seriously though, this was a character driven story – from Windflower’s struggles with a temporary superior and his being caught in the middle of a power struggle with said superior and a co-worker, a pile of trouble falling down with links to the body he and his dog tripped over and some drugs involvement, his own frustration with the weather and his mood, and a serious look at why he’s so out of sorts and just what will bring things around and put him on the right track again.

The story was full of twists, with plenty to sort out from a mystery end, and with Winston, his family, his friends and even the ‘temporary superior’ adding a different sense of Winston’s reactions and impulses, the story is engaging and hard to put down. I’m a fan of supporting stories from the Maritimes (or anywhere) in Canada, and this peek into an underserved yet entirely unique spot off the Eastern Seaboard is wonderful. I’ll be looking out for the earlier books in this series to see how Winston has grown and developed over time, as well as taking a break on the island – without the fog and cold!

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at I am, Indeed
...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 28, 2020 Ann rated it really liked it

I like this series better with every book. The small town of Grand Bank sounds like a great place to live in Canada. This is book 8 in the Sgt. Windflower Mystery series and it's a winner. Could be read as a stand alone but lots has happened in the previous books that reflect on book 8. Slightly more than a cozy read but nothing too gory or scary this is a great read for teens to older connoisseurs of mystery novels. Sgt. Windflower is a native of the area and practices the old ways of his peopl ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 08, 2020 Linda Fast rated it really liked it

The novel is set in Grand Bank, Nfld where Windflower is a RCMP sergeant. Windflower along with his officers investigate the murder of a man whose body was found rolled up in a carpet and dumped off the side of a hiking trail, a near hit and run as well as a fire and an explosion. The investigation also turns up a processing lab for drugs.
This is a cozy mystery that reflects life on the East Coast and is a wonderful Canadian read. Although this is a work of fiction the reader is let into the liv ...more

flag Like · see review

Jun 17, 2020 Janet rated it it was amazing

I hope there will be many more in the series.

flag Like · see review

Nov 30, 2019 Diane Hernandez rated it it was amazing

Shelves: blog-tour

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sergeant Winston Windflower is having a bad day. First, he has a fight with his wife. Then, he discovers that the roof on his B&B needs replacing. Finally, the weather in his hometown in Grand Banks, Newfoundland is foggy and wet. The ground still maintains its melting snow, now brown after mixing with the underlying dirt. At least, it’s not snowing. It is hard to realize that spring has sprung in Canada’s northernmost territory. It is March after all.

Attempting to Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sergeant Winston Windflower is having a bad day. First, he has a fight with his wife. Then, he discovers that the roof on his B&B needs replacing. Finally, the weather in his hometown in Grand Banks, Newfoundland is foggy and wet. The ground still maintains its melting snow, now brown after mixing with the underlying dirt. At least, it’s not snowing. It is hard to realize that spring has sprung in Canada’s northernmost territory. It is March after all.

Attempting to forget his troubles by running on a nearby trail with his dog named Lady, Windflower accidently falls and slides off the path into a snow-covered boulder. The incident seems to fit perfectly into his bad no-good day (and mood). However, when Lady begins digging at the boulder, Windflower quickly realizes his day is infinitely better than the day of the dead man that slowly emerges from the snow...

It is snowing outside as I read Fire, Fog and Water. This wouldn’t be remarkable if I lived in Michigan. However, I live 65 miles from Los Angeles in the desert. It was 79 degrees outside four days ago. However, this is the perfect book for winter weather. The descriptions of the scenery are so vivid that I feel like I should see snowflakes when I glance up from my Kindle.

With a dead man, an intentional hit-and-run, and an arson, there is plenty of plot running through Fire, Fog and Water. The Sergeant sets out trying to find the perps thinking that the crimes must be related. Since the murder victim was a low-level drug dealer, could all the crimes be related to the wave of purple fentanyl recently killing people in Canada?

The characters within Fire, Fog and Water were my favorite part of the story. There are no paper-thin characterizations here. The Sergeant seems like a real person dealing with getting older and becoming a father with depression and muted feelings. His interest in great literature and his indigenous peoples’ roots make him truly unique as a detective and a man.

I also loved the seamless merging of social issues into this Canadian police procedural. Drugs and depression are common in real life but are seldom shown so realistically in mystery fiction.

Because of the exquisite atmosphere, in-depth characterizations of seldomly represented sub-cultures, and delicious food descriptions, Fire, Fog and Water definitely deserves five stars! It is highly recommended to police procedural fans! 5 stars! ...more

flag Like · see review

Nov 07, 2019 Schuyler Wallace rated it really liked it

I just finished reading Mike Martin’s “Fire, Fog, and Water,” another in the Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series, although I view it as more of a passion play than a mystery.

Martin’s passions include infant care, marital devotion, doing the right thing, eating and drinking, and prayer at any given time. These are topics he regularly expounds on throughout his narrative, venturing sporadically into tough guys, crime, sleuthing and, yes, murder. He doesn’t spend a lot of time on the more gruesome aspe ...more

flag Like · see review

Sep 17, 2019 Jan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: attempted-murder, murder, investigation, canada, rcmp, illegal-drugs, family, friendship, supernatural, support-system

Sgt Winston Windflower is a skilled law enforcement officer of the RCMP working in the small town of Grand Bank, doting husband and father, reliable friend, and experiencing a restless unease near the end of a long bleak winter. Then he literally trips over a frozen body in the snow while out running with his dog. And things go downhill from there. His temporary superior in a self serving bully who alienates everyone and finally pushes Cpl Eddie Tizzard too far and brings down serious trouble fo ...more

flag Like · see review

Dec 03, 2019 Laura rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley-edelweiss-storeycartel-re

This was the first book I had read from this series. It will definitely NOT be the last.
I was impressed with the writing and the depth shown with the characters. The book and story are very well rounded between the crime aspect and the family and friendship parts.
Sgt. Windflower is not your typical police officer.
In the US we might call hum native but I guess indigenous is a good term. He has some seemingly mystical beliefs and practices such a dream walking that I felt added much to the story.
H ...more

flag Like · see review

Oct 22, 2019 Cheryl rated it it was amazing

Fire, Fog And Water is the eighth book in the Sgt. Windflower Mystery series and gives us another insight into life in Grand Bank, Newfoundland. From the opening pages, I could tell something was not right - Winston Windflower was in a bad mood, arguing with his wife Sheila and shouting at his colleagues at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. What was going on? The gentle, kind-hearted Mountie is usually full of smiles and kindness for his fellow men ... and women ... and even pets !

See full revi ...more

flag Like · see review

Dec 12, 2019 Kathy rated it really liked it

This is my first time reading Mr. Martin and I really enjoyed it. I don't know much about Newfoundland so this was a treat. You really get a feel for the location that makes you want to visit.
The characters were really good and I love Windflower's daughter. She steals the show! I also love getting to know more about Windflower's family relationships along with his colleagues and neighbors. It's a mystery but it has lots of heart. Will be looking for more of this series soon.
I received a free cop ...more

flag Like · see review

Nov 25, 2019 Jo Ann rated it really liked it

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This is the first book that I have read in the Sgt. Windflower series by Mike Martin.

I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and will read other books in the series. I have never been to Newfoundland and the descriptions of the environs make it sound like it's worth a visit. ...more

flag Like · see review

Oct 24, 2019 Don Halpert rated it it was amazing

This Sgt. Windflower book may be his best. I enjoyed the story and the setting in small town Newfoundland. This is a great series - highly recommended.

flag Like · see review