Better Safe Than Sorry is the latest instalment of the Sgt. Windflower Mystery series by Mike Martin, and it doesn't disappoint.
This time around we see Winston Windflower struggling to adjust to the quieter job of community safety officer, and when he gets the chance to return to the RCMP temporarily to help out with a complex case, we see how his time away has made him a more thoughtful and careful person at work and in his personal life.
The case he is drawn into deals with the difficult subject of drugs, and the high price everyone in a community pays for the presence of the illegal substances. Martin treats the complex subject with all of the consideration it deserves, through his wonderfully fledged out characters and active police procedural storyline.
As usual, the book provides an in depth look into indigenous culture that enhances the book. And bibliophiles will once again love all of the literary quotes embedded in the story.
I am happy to have been provided with an ARC of #BetterSafeThanSorry from the author and #NetGalley.

Faith, family, friends, good food – all important to Winston Windflower, as is his job as community safety officer for Grand Bank and a number of other surrounding communities. When his local RCMP detachment closed because of budgetary concerns, he decided to leave the Mounties and accept this new position. He’s happy spending more time with family and friends, and the job is okay. But only okay? Well, maybe better than okay, but he misses the challenge of running the station, protecting the public, solving crimes. I daresay he might even miss the excitement of a fast-paced, active investigation. He’s an active, vigorous young man, and as we’ve gotten to know him more and more through this wonderful series, we can recognize that Windflower is starting to get a little stir-crazy.

As a community service officer he is well-known, well-liked, and competent. He’s in a good routine. But that’s the problem, Windflower isn’t satisfied with routine. He looks forward to the occasional RCMP request to consult, fill in, offer his opinion and advice. The problem, though, is that serious crime hasn’t left Newfoundland or St. John’s alone but has popped up in Marystown and Grand Bank as well. This is a darker world than we are used to seeing Windflower in; he’s had some close calls and narrow escapes in the recent past.

And his wife Sheila worries about that. Windflower would never go against Sheila’s wishes and makes that clear to his temporary superiors. On the other hand, Sheila knows how important being a Mountie was to Winston, how it’s in his very bones, his passion. She sees a man that is a little more mature and a whole lot less reckless today and she doesn’t want to stand in the way of his dreams, his calling if you will. Some tough decisions coming up.

A new drug has found its way to Marystown, and as the temporary head of the RCMP detachment there it’s Windflower’s long-time friend Eddie Tizzard’s job to deal with that as well as a number of recent crimes and a short-staffed disgruntled workforce. Eddie is perfectly capable, but temporary is the key word here: Eddie has a young family of his own and a wife who is also in law enforcement. He doesn’t want the responsibility, stress or time demand leading the detachment requires.

Sgt. Windflower is brought back in first an unofficial position, then a temporary official one, and the carrot for a permanent position is always dangling. Once again, he’s in his element being back in the thick of things, using his brain to solve problems and outsmart criminals. Leadership comes naturally to him. And he will need all of his skills in this current situation.

Better Safe Than Sorry is the darkest, sharpest, edgiest story yet in the series. It feels like crime is rampant; the criminals are bolder, more reckless, more desperate. The detachment is understaffed and morale is low and rebellious. Some members of upper management aren’t exactly giving off a trustworthy vibe. Combine that with the distribution, sale, and deadly use of the new drug, the wrong body in a hearse and more mysterious deaths and life is no longer calm and serene. The pace picks up. The danger is larger and closer. Better Safe Than Sorry is full of intrigue, suspense and many suspects.

If author Mike Martin has shown us a darker side of Marystown and Grand Bank and a Sgt. Winston Windflower who has to rise to the task, he’s also done what he always does so well: balanced that with the Winston whose core treasures are faith, family, friends and good food. When he’s home with the family he is immersed in that life and fully present.

It’s always a pleasure and a welcome change of pace to catch up with this side of his life. Sheila’s business is successfully growing in her capable hands. The girls are growing too: Stella is now six and a half and Amelia Louise is four. Amelia Louise has always been a little character and she is still delightfully so. Stella was such a welcome addition to their family and she’s adorable with her interests and activities and her interaction with her little sister. I look forward to reading about their outdoor fun, movie nights, pancake breakfasts in every book. Lady the dog and Molly the cat, with their unique contributions, round out this warm, loving family. The detailed descriptions of the delicious food and Winston’s preparations of it always make my mouth water and make me want to mark my place in the book and start cooking. Old friends, family and co-workers pop up in abundance. And at his center is Winston’s faith. The smudging, the dream weaving and the communication with and insight from ancestors, some of whom have only recently departed this life, is always a welcome glimpse into something a little otherworldly and fascinating.

Thanks to author Mike Martin for providing an advance copy of Better Safe Than Sorry. This is a series I have enjoyed from the very start, watching Winston Windflower grow, mature, struggle, find happiness, make hard choices. I recommend every book in this series without hesitation. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.

It is always a pleasure to return to Grand Bank, and meet up with now what feels like old friends. Better Safe than Sorry is the 14th book in the Sgt. Windflower Mystery series, and as with all the previous books this author has the ability to pull you in and keep you turning the pages until the very end. I really enjoy how he interweaves the characters into the story line, and we feel like we know them personally. I most definitely would recommend this book to others.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the author, and I am leaving my review voluntarily and the opinion expressed here are my own

gangs, drug-trafficking, drugs-issues, law-enforcement, family-dynamics, family, friends, friendship, Cree, Canadian-author, Newfoundland, relatives, relationships, funeral-practices, Indigenous-people, investigations, small-town, small-business, multigenerational, multicultural, murders, cultural-heritage, being-a-husband, parenting, consultant, procedural, undercover*****

You can take Winston Windflower out of the RCMP, but you can't take law enforcement out of one who is called to the The Job.
Budget cuts caused the closing of the local detachment and the former staff were reassigned. Except for Windflower. He gave up law enforcement to be better father and husband and to run the inn that he and his wife operate. He is also a consultant to the town and is at the forefront of the new positive changes to local policing. But when his friends and former coworkers get overwhelmed it seems that he is needed in law enforcement again, but now in a limited capacity that will not impact his family the way that full time does. It's drugs again and the scourge covers an even larger area with even deadlier consequences.
It's good to see the collection of essential characters again and to know that their values and friendships have not changed. I confess that I am addicted to this series and the characters who people it.
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from BooksGoSocial via NetGalley. Thank you!

I love this series and love Mike Marting storytelling. This is another well plotted and compelling mystery that kept me guessing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Canadian author, Mike Martin brings readers his 14th Sgt. Windflower Mystery in the series. Better Safe Than Sorry highlights the dangerous infiltration of the "Green Monsters" illegal drug into Newfoundland. A race is on to protect potential hospitalizations and death for those who buy and use the poisonous pills. Even though Windflower has 'retired' from the Mounties and has a new job, RCMP Eddie Tizzard needs his help. The wrong dead body has shown up at a funeral home, delivered by hearse. The gang presence and drug situation are taking a dangerous turn and Tizzard is overwhelmed by his current assignment.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley. This is my own personal opinion about it. It is a light mystery with a focus on the career and family of Winston Windflower. Tizzard, a colleague, is an important character in Windflower's life and the story. I like these two men and their interactions with one another, colleagues, family and community. There is a good look into the life of law enforcement officers in Canada. I also liked seeing the family life, indigenous culture and even pets sprinkled in. It's an enjoyable story. I really appreciate a story that can be told without foul language. The relationships with the men and their wives are realistic too.

Sgt Windflower is drawn back into mainstream Mountie detection when new drugs hit his sleepy area of Newfie. At one level he worries about the danger and the effect on his family but, on another, he loves the action. The stories are always well written and show the darker side of life even if in otherwise pleasant places. Windflower takes his spirituality seriously, his family are exceedingly important but so is his sense of justice. Stories mostly seem to be set in and around winter with large volumes of snow involved, there is a lot about family routine, cooking, cod and playing with his two girls. They are enjoyable reads even if about the darker sides of life and I enjoy reading them every now and then. I do get fed up with a lot of bath time at times though and sometimes feel that family is given too much of a front of stage over the detection. Still, it's lovely to see a rally happy family for a detective. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

I received this book as an ARC from the author and NetGalley.

I always enjoy following Sgt. Windflower’s adventures in Newfoundland. Now that he is retired from the Mounties, he appreciates being able to spend more time with his family, but he misses the excitement of the chase. When a new powerful narcotic starts causing death in his community, Windflower is asked to help find the culprits. He feels morally responsible to protect the people in his area.

This series combines police work with a view into Windflower’s family life and native Cree customs. I always look forward to his next investigation.

In this addition to the Sgt. Windflower mysteries, Windflower and his fellow police officer Eddie Tizzard are hot on the trail of motorcycle gangs who are involved in distributing illegal drugs. Several overdoses and one fatality have already occurred as a result of this lethal street drug. Readers will quickly become involved not only in the police work of these men and women, but also in their families and colleagues. This novel is part of a series but can be read as a standalone novel. One of the most interesting aspects of the novel is that it is set in Newfoundland and the law enforcement officers are part of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. I would classify this novel as a "soft" or "cozy" police novel, because while there are crimes committed, the story involves the daily lives of the officers and their families and friends. There is not a lot of gory detail and no strong language. This is a great introduction to the series for readers unfamiliar with the previous stories or the Sgt. Windflower Christmas stories.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Winston Windflower is feeling restless, now retired from the RCMP. Meanwhile, A/Inspector Eddie Tizzard is struggling with work at the Marystown detachment. When the "green monster" drug brings a new deadly danger to town, the police have to respond to several drug-connected incidents.
When a female body is found dead in a hearse, it's another weird death to investigate.

Windflower is slowly brought back into action to help Tizzard with the growing dangers.

This was another solid entry in the Sgt Windflower mystery series.