Five for Forteau

by Kevin Major

Award recognition for Two for the ***THE HOWARD ENGEL AWARD FOR BEST CRIME NOVEL SET IN CANADA 2021 - SHORTLIST*** ***ATLANTIC BOOKS TODAY STAFF PICK 2021 - SHORTLIST*** Award Recognition for Three for * **THE HOWARD ENGEL AWARD FOR BEST CRIME NOVEL SET IN CANADA 2022 - SHORTLIST*** The fifth book in the Sebastian Synard mystery series takes our intrepid tour guide/private detective on a jaunt across Newfoundland and into Labrador, in pursuit of those towers of intrigue—lighthouses! The final stop on Synard’s lighthouse tour is the one at L’Anse Amour, Labrador, the highest in all Atlantic Canada. It’s a long climb into the lantern room, and a long fall from its catwalk to the ground below. Dead is photographer Amanda Thomson. Who is the scoundrel that nudged her past the railing? The RCMP in Forteau are pointing to one of the tour groups, but Sebastian and his partner Mae have other ideas. They retrace the excursions of Amanda and her vagabond boyfriend back to a section of northern Newfoundland called the French Shore. Could the recent bizarre vandalism at its historic sites hold a clue? What is it about the French Shore that leads them back to murder at L’Anse Amour?

Genres: Canada, Mystery

232 pages, Paperback

Published October 31, 2023

About the author

Kevin Major is the author of 20 books, for both young people and adults. The first, Hold Fast, won several awards in Canada and was placed on the Hans Christian Andersen Honour List. It was released in 2014 as a feature film. His second book, Far From Shore, was the winner of the first Canadian Young Adult Book Award. Others which followed include Blood Red Ochre and Eating Between the Lines, winner of the CACL Book-of-the-Year Award.

In 1992 Kevin was given the Vicky Metcalf Award, for an outstanding body of work of significance to young people. The languages into which his work has been translated include French, Danish, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Hebrew.

An adult novel, No Man’s Land, about the Newfoundland Regiment in World War I, was published in 1995 to much acclaim. Kevin’s adaption of the story was brought to the stage by Rising Tide Theatre and has played for more than a dozen years.

His more recent books include the Christmas classic The House of Wooden Santas, and a history of Newfoundland and Labrador: As Near To Heaven By Sea (a Canadian best-seller and finalist for the Pearson Non-Fiction Prize). Ann and Seamus, a verse novel released in 2003 was shortlisted for a total of ten awards. It has since been turned into an opera. The adult novel New Under the Sun was published in 2010, book one of a trilogy of historical fiction. The second, Found Far and Wide, was released in 2016, and the third, Land Beyond the Sea, in 2019.

In 2018 Kevin started a projected serious of crime novels with One for the Rock. He anticipates the second will arrive in bookstores in the fall of 2020.

Kevin has been named Memorial University’s Alumnus-of-the-Year, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council’s Artist-of-the-Year .

John Moss, writing in “A Reader’s Guide to the Canadian Novel,” has said, “Kevin Major is among the best Canadian writers of his generation. He has established himself as a figure of singular importance in our literature.”

He lives in St. John’s, NL with his wife Anne. They have two grown sons.

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every time I read a book in this series, I ask myself why I've never gone to Newfoundland!! Not sure I'm that interested in lighthouses, but the whales, puffins and food are calling my name. Hoping there will be a book six in the series.

[SusanwithaGoodBook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for the entire series: I kept seeing these in gift shops in St. John's, NFL, on our trip, so I finally decided to just buy them all and see what they were like. Now that I've read them all, I have to say, these are a great way to introduce someone to Newfoundland's iconic tourist and historical sites through fiction. I really wish all the places I visited had this kind of fun mystery series to help you "visit" a place. We had already visited most of the places in the first book and some in the fifth book, so it was fun to revisit them through these stories. My only problem was the language. It wasn't on every page, but there was enough that it was a turn-off for me, and I can't recommend them to everyone the way I would otherwise. In book 1, for instance, chapter 1 has a lot of language, but when I got to chapter 2 and beyond, the offensive word was gone and only made one or two more appearances toward the end of the book. The next few books had less than that. Book 5 had almost none, so perhaps the author learned that he didn't need it for a good story. There were some other things I didn't like (modern books always seem to have allusions to things I'd rather they didn't), but it wasn't bad enough to put me off reading them.
Five for Forteau (The Sebastian Synard Mystery Series Book 5) by Kevin Major (2025 Book 115)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 7/76-28
A special tour of lighthouses takes center stage in this one, so I loved it! We had visited several of these, but not the ones in Labrador, so it was great to experience this with the characters. Ferries again play a big part in the story, and you really get a feel for the Labrador part of NFL.

[Natasha Penney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best instalment in this series by far. The plot is thoughtful and well-conceived. I like the characters at this point - especially Sebastian and Nick - and where they are in their arcs. The local flavour of this book is expertly woven into the story, and a large reason for the extra star is my own personal affinity for lighthouses. I hope there’s a sixth book. I’ll read it for sure. I want to spend more time with Sebastian as he tours my beloved home province. It would be a true pleasure.

[Melissa Ross · Rating 1 out of 5]

I came across this book at the library and loved the sound of a mystery set in Newfoundland, but did not love the book itself. The narrator and/or author is very annoying to read; condescending, mansplainy, over describes things, goes into frequent monologues. The dialogue is often unnatural. The way he alludes to sex is very weird, I had to read a sex scene three times before I even knew it was a sex scene and then it was just uncomfortable because of the language used. There were also many fat shaming moments that were so unnecessary and not even part of the story, just the narrator thinking these things to himself about another character…why?

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite of the series. Although Major continues to gently deeper his detective's conceit, he has let him develop some self-awareness. The relationship with his maturing son is well- written, although his role in the plot is limited.
The villains bizarre ideals would seem far-fetched, could we not see equally deluded obsessives on the new s every night.

[Derrell Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed all five books in this series. For me I especially enjoy the tour guide angle, and the sharing of facts, figures and trivia at every opportunity. I enjoyed visiting many of these locations L'anse Amour, Labrador; Conche; Saint Anthony; and L'anse aux Meadows and the book brings me vividly back to these marvelous sites.

[Merrie121 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story with lots of interesting local flavour. Great travel advertisement for the West coast. Great series.

[Ruth Jacobs · Rating 3 out of 5]

The tourism advertisements in these books really overpower the plot. *2.5 stars

[Tom Gillingham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ughhhh,my least favorite of the series so far. A slog to say the least.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this Canadian 🇨🇦 series and enjoy reading Newfoundland authors!

[Lynn Sinclair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book in a lot of ways. Glad I read it.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the strongest book in the series. And mostly because the mystery takes an odd turn. I enjoyed the writing in the last chapter though.

[Guy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found the story hard to follow at times.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Five for Forteau, Kevin Major sends inquisitive PI/tour guide Sebastian Synard out of St. John’s, across the island and north to Labrador where he’s leading a group of four lighthouse enthusiasts on an excursion to some of the region’s most impressive specimens. Along the way, the group encounters a professional photographer named Amanda Thomsen and her partner Jake Moe, on assignment to Point Amour to capture images of the village’s lighthouse, the tallest in Atlantic Canada and second tallest in the country. But that evening there is a mishap, and somehow Amanda ends up dead at the base of the lighthouse, having fallen 33 meters from the catwalk. What happened? Was this a tragic accident? Murder? Suicide?

Sebastian has little desire to get involved, but in this instance, as a material witness, he has no choice. The RCMP are following several leads, one of which is Marco, a member of Sebastian’s tour group who seemed to take a great interest in the attractive young photographer upon meeting her at the B&B where the group was staying. Also of interest is Jake, who, following the incident, becomes suspiciously elusive. Sebastian, with help from his partner Mae, follows leads of his own and embarks on inquiries into Amanda’s personal and professional life and Jake’s background to see if he can uncover clues that might illuminate the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate woman’s death.

Five for Forteau presents an intriguing mystery and a story steeped in Newfoundland folklore and history (ancient and modern). As always, Sebastian’s narrative voice is spiced with ironic asides and plenty of snarky observations regarding the peculiarities and excesses of human behaviour. Major maintains a light touch throughout the novel. The pacing is swift with literary flourishes kept to a minimum. While the novel’s entertainment value is high, it also succeeds in touching the reader at a deeper level: a young woman has lost her life under mysterious circumstances, and we want to know why.

In this, the spirited fifth installment of his engaging Sebastian Synard mystery series, Kevin Major—author of twenty-three books—once again proves his mettle. Fans of the series will not be disappointed.