The Inspiration Behind Better Safe Than Sorry
By Mike Martin
Better Safe Than Sorry is a light mystery with some heavy themes underneath it. In some ways it captures the essence of a Sgt. Windflower Mystery. Dealing with difficult things while still managing to maintain a positive outlook. The story begins when the main protagonist, Sgt. Winston Windflower is on a break from his job as a Mountie, a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He is spending more time in the small town of Grand Bank, Newfoundland with his young family, but feeling a little restless.
That all changes when a new kind of drug threatens the community. A deadly drug called a Green Monster which combines a number of potent drugs into a killer combination. That’s the starting point of the story and in real life there are such drugs circulating around all our towns and cities. You can’t ignore it and when faced with that reality, neither could Sgt. Windflower.
But crime and death and murder and mayhem are only parts of the story of Better Safe Than Sorry. There is also Windflower’s family and spiritual life, steeped in the lore of his people. He is a Cree from Northern Alberta. He sees things that others may miss, even in his dreams. And we are brought back to his love of food and music. He is exploring classical music these days under the tutelage of a trusted friend.
He uses music to make a connection with what some may see as an unsavory character but together they listen to each other’s taste in music, finding a common appreciation. Above all Windflower stories like Better Safe Than Sorry are about finding a point of contact with people. One that is driven by his kindness and compassion and his openness to lifelong learning.
Better Safe Than Sorry is the 14th book in the award-winning Sgt. Windflower Mystery series, but it, like all the other books in the series, can be read as a stand-alone story. The books have been nominated for many awards and Darkest Before the Dawn, Book 7 in the series, won the Bony Blithe Mystery Award as the best light mystery in 2019. All That Glitters, Book 13 was an Amazon best seller and shortlisted for the LOLA Must Read Book of the Year for 2024.
Better Safe Than Sorry is available at Amazon & Other Retail Outlets.
Mike Martin was born in St. John’s, NL on the east coast of Canada and now lives and works in Ottawa, Ontario. He is a long-time freelance writer and his articles and essays have appeared in newspapers, magazines and online across Canada as well as in the United States and New Zealand.
He is the award-winning author of the best-selling Sgt. Windflower Mystery series, set in beautiful Grand Bank. There are now 14 books in this light mystery series with the publication of Better Safe Than Sorry.
Mike is Past Chair of the Board of Crime Writers of Canada, a national organization promoting Canadian crime and mystery writers and a member of the Newfoundland Writers’ Guild and Capital Crime Writers.
His latest book is the mystery, Better Late Than Never.
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