As a St. John’s native I really enjoyed this book. Being familiar with the locations named in the book really added a layer of authenticity to the story that really drew me in. It was almost a bit too colloquial at times, but it was a good story and one I would definitely recommend. 5 s Anthony BidulkaAuthor 19 books210

I stumbled upon this book. Its been a while since I read a book that beckoned me back a warm blanket on a cold night. There's nothing earthshaking about this book, but it scores big with me on setting, character, humour and simple good storytelling. The main character is someone I enjoyed getting to know and spending time with. I mysteries that aren't afraid to spend quality personal time with the main character - be it drinking scotch or spending time with his dog or one-liners that convey sometimes heart-achingly how much he cares about his son. Although some of the bad guys were a little one dimensional or over-the-top, its made up for by other characters who are not who we expect them to be (Ivo) or whose relationship to the main character is more complicated (and real) than you find in many other novels.
As a Saskatchewan writer who often writes about Saskatchewan, I enjoy an author who clearly loves the atypical setting he is writing about, and puts the weather to good use.
I immediately bought the next in the series. 3 s James Fisher553 46

Since two stars mean "It was OK" and three means "I d It", I will stick to two. I almost didn't finish the book, which is relatively short enough to be a novella. It deals with Sebastien Synard, an ex-teacher and ex-husband who starts his own business of small guided tours around St.John's. He s Scotch, as we are often reminded throughout the book, which tries to emulate the hard-boiled detective style of Dashiell Hammett (Sebastien is actually reading The Thin Man in the book) but ends up being irritating rather than entertaining. Written in the first person, we are not spared from his sarcastic thoughts or remarks (and coarse language) and the only time he becomes remotely able is when he is with his twelve-year-old son Nick and his dog Gaffer (coincidentally the title of one of Mr. Major's earlier novels). I'm not even going to get into the storyline, for it gets lamer and less credible as the book progresses, even telegraphing plot twists at times. None of the characters are able (aside from Nick and Gaffer) and so it makes for a tough slog reading-wise. Bypass this one and read Hammett instead. Or try Maine author Gerry Boyle and his Jack McMorrow Mystery series for a current take on the hard-boiled investigator type. I highly recommended them for fans of the genre.
This book was all the more disappointing due to my enjoyment of Mr. Major's previous book Found Far and Wide which was a good read.crime fiction newfoundland2 s Megan Gauci2 1 follower

Great descriptions of St. John’s and the landscape and food scape. The story was a bit out there but it was a fun read 2 s Linda Churchill368 7

A love song to Newfoundland and it’s amazing scenery, as well as a great mystery. Really enjoyed it! 2 s Buchdoktor1,960 149

Sebastian Synard hat nach einem Disziplinarverfahren wegen Gewalt gegen einen Schüler seine Lehrerstelle gekündigt und in St. John/Neufundland ein Ein-Mann-Reiseunternehmen gegründet. Er bietet All-Inclusive-Wandertouren an und glänzt dabei mit seinem profunden Wissen als Whiskyblogger. Als einer seiner Teilnehmer an der schroffen Küste tödlich verunglückt, stellt sich die Frage: Unfall oder Absicht; denn normalerweise stürzte auf dem Küstenwanderweg niemand ab. Aber warum hat der betagte „Graham“ vor der imposanten Kulisse praktisch jede Minute am Handy verbracht? Ausgerechnet Ermittlungsleiter Frederik Olsen, der neue Lover seiner Exfrau Samantha, verlangt von Sebastian, sich in der Reisegruppe nach möglichen Motiven umzuhören. Olsen hatte offenbar den richtigen Riecher, denn Graham ist nicht der einzige Teilnehmer, der nicht der ist, der er zu sein vorgibt.

Der Regionalkrimi-Anteil in Kevin Majors Serienauftakt wird hauptsächlich durch das Aufzählen von Sehenswürdigkeiten und Geschichtsdaten abgehakt. Einigen Raum in Sebastians Alltag nimmt der Sorgerechtskonflikt um Sohn Nicholas ein, der theoretisch längst juristisch geklärt ist. Spontan beim Frühstück zu beschließen, dass er sich heute um einen Hund aus dem Tierheim bewerben wird, scheint in dieser Situation die schlechteste Lösung zu sein. Ins Bild eines Laienermittlers, der mit knapp 50 wirkt, als sei er in der Pubertät steckengeblieben, passt Sebastians sprunghaftes Handeln jedoch. Ein knorriger Typ, der kein Blatt vor den Mund nimmt, schön und gut; Sebastian wirkt auf mich jedoch wie ein plumper Macho, der kein Fettnäpfchen auslässt. Auch wenn der Schauplatz Neufundland mich interessiert, konnten mich weder der Fall, die Ermittlerperson, noch die Entscheidung für einen Icherzähler fesseln.canada crime-thriller1 Paulette1,244 19

A well-written Canadian mystery novel that combines an engaging amateur detective who is trying to make a living as tour guide, a great cast of suspects, and an unfortunate victim. What makes this a great selection for my "Read Across Canada mysteries" is the sense of place; it makes me want to sign up for a vacation in St. John's, Newfoundland. Highly recommended and looking forward to the next in this series!canadian-mystery-by-provinces1 Julia568

It was okay. I found it was referring to Newfoundland so much it became annoying. The story itself was a bit confusing at times and a bit unrealistic.1 Kyla Squires374 3

tl:dr Decent enough story buried in a tourism brochure.

So, I'm from Newfoundland. And I've lived in St. John's. I wanted to read a mystery series set here because I enjoy the settings of so many other mystery novels, and when I lived in Montreal I enjoyed reading books set there, so I thought it would be neat to read one set here. This also seems it's got some real potential as a mystery series setting. We've got this real strong sense of place in Newfoundland & Labrador, and it inspires a lot of art, but it can also hinder that art as the province itself does have a tendancy to become the main character instead of just the setting.

I had braced myself for some of this when I saw the protagonist was a tour guide, but tourism is a really big industry here. It makes sense for the protagonist to be a tour guide. It also makes it easier to have unknown characters in the story. Everyone knows everyone here. The cop assigned to the case turns out to be the new boyfriend of the protagonist's ex? Yeah, that is exactly the kind of thing that happens here all the time. I say, everyone knows everyone.

Unfortunately, Kevin Major used it as an excuse to name drop every single tourist attraction in town, and half the bars and restaurants. It's he sat down and made a big list and made sure to include one every three paragraphs. Was the writing of this book funded by the department of tourism? Did the restaurants and cafés sponsor him? There is no subtlety whatsoever. I'm convinced he could have done this with a much much defter hand. He could have made up some restaurants. There's also a lot of name dropping of scotch. Maybe he got some of them to pitch in to fund the writing process too.

It's fun when authors include real things in their stories. I know I to travel and see the places where books I've read are set, and it is neat when there's a real bar or a real store, but it's so heavy handed here.

When he started listing one by one every bar they were walking past on George Street, Funnily enough, clearly on their way to get screeched it at Christian's, but he doesn't actually name drop Christian's. Maybe they didn't pay up? I wondered if each book in this series will be set in a different tourist destination in the province. Sure enough, when I finished this one Overdrive asked if I'd to read book two which by the title must be set in the national park on the west coast.

I did enjoy the story and the characters. It was a nice stormy afternoon read and engaging enough to keep the pages turning. (I read it in one sitting.) I think I will give the second book a try. The first in a series always has some bumps. It should at least give me ideas about places to eat next time I visit Gros Morne.fiction funded-by-the-local-tourism-bureau mystery Detlef194 2

Diesen Neufundland-Krimi von Kevin Major würde ich weniger als Krimi denn als Roman bezeichnen. Er passt nicht ganz in das klassische Krimigenre, obwohl es nicht an verbrecherischen Momenten mangelt.

Sebastian wurde von seiner Frau verlassen, weshalb er einen Neuanfang benötigt und diesen gerade absolviert, denn er hat ein Tourismusunternehmen gegründet. Basierend auf seinem großen Leidenschaften Whisky, Bücher und seine Heimat Neufundland bietet er Wandertouren an. Er hat ein wunderbares Programm zusammengestellt und dafür Werbung gemacht. Nun sind die ersten Gäste angereist und die erste Tour kann beginnen.

Doch dann passiert, womit keiner gerechnet hat. Der wohl unsympathischste Teilnehmer, weil er unentwegt auf sein Handy starrt und sich kaum mit den anderen unterhält, stürzt einen Abhang die Küste hinunter.

Zunächst denken alle, auch Sebastian, dass der Mann unaufmerksam war und einen Fehltritt tat. Doch dann kommen Zweifel auf.

Was diesen Roman weniger zu einem Krimi werden lässt, ist die Erzählweise, die Kevin Major hierfür gewählt hat. Sie ist einfach amüsant und nie langweilig. Die Ermittlungen treten komplett in den Hintergrund.

Es ist ein lockerer Plauderton, den Kevin Major seinem Erzähler in den Mund legt. Sebastian selbst erzählt aus seinem Leben. Erzählt von sich, von seiner Trennung von der Ex, vom Zusammensein mit seinem Sohn und von dem Hund, den sich dieser so sehr gewünscht hat.

So sehr Sebastian sein Sohn als Kumpel bezeichnet, so sehr hat man auch als Leser das Gefühl, man wäre der Kumpel von Sebastian. Kumpel scheint die große Eigenschaft des Protagonisten zu sein, denn aus der Abneigung für den neuen Mann seiner Ex kann gar nichts anderes erwachsen als ein neuer Kumpel.

Der Fall um den toten Teilnehmer der Wandertour wird bei all der Plauderei fast nebenbei geklärt. Und natürlich bleibt es nicht bei diesem einen Toten. Selbst Sebastian ist als Helfer der Polizei nicht vor weiteren Mordversuchen geschützt.

Es sind skurrile Figuren, auf die die Leser in diesem Roman treffen. Sympathisch sind nicht alle. Auf Überraschungen sollte man gefasst sein, denn was anfangs so locker aussieht, stellt sich da dann am Ende ganz anders dar.

Mir hat dieser Roman aus Neufundland sehr gut gefallen. Ich hatte ein kleines Wiedererleben mit einem Landstrich, den ich vor fast einem halben Jahrhundert besucht hatte.

© Detlef Knut, Düsseldorf 2023 Julia30 1 follower

Neufundland – Wo ist das nochmal? "One for the Rock" von Kevin Major spielt in der atemberaubenden Landschaft dieser Insel im Nordosten Kanadas, die für den Kriminalroman als fesselnder Schauplatz dient. Hier agiert die Hauptfigur Sebastian Synard, geschieden und gescheiterter Lehrer, der sich als Reiseführer in dieser zauberhaften Natur versucht. Doch die idyllische Atmosphäre wird gleich zu Beginn durch einen Mord erschüttert, der die bunte Reisegruppe in Aufruhr versetzt. Wenn der leitende Polizist nicht ausgerechnet der neue Lover seiner Exfrau Samantha wäre, hätte Sebastian vielleicht die Finger davon gelassen, auf eigene Faust zu ermitteln. Naja, die Sache wird schon gutgehen!

Anfangs noch eher unsympathisch dargestellt, entwickelt sich Synard im Verlauf der Handlung zu einem richtig guten Vater und beweist zudem überraschendes kriminologisches Talent. Sein schräger Humor begleitet ihn dabei beständig. Dieser wird vor allem durch die immer wieder eingeblendete Gedankenrede vermittelt, die gleichzeitig Einblick in seine Innenwelt gewährt. Nicht zu vergessen ist seine Liebe zu Whisky und Scotch, die als roter Faden kontinuierlich thematisiert wird. Sebastian trinkt nicht nur voller Genuss, sondern betreibt auch einen Blog über sein Lieblingsgetränk, der vielleicht nicht übermäßig erfolgreich ist, ihm aber am Ende sogar das Leben rettet.

Der Krimi ist insgesamt nicht nur unterhaltsam und wirklich spannend, sondern vermittelt auch einen faszinierenden Eindruck von dieser eher unbekannten Insel, sodass man selbst Lust bekommt, dorthin zu reisen. Dieser erste Band bietet zudem viel Potenzial für weitere Ermittlungen von Sebastian Synard. Anne360

Das Cover des Buches ist für mich sehr ansprechend. Der Titel hat mich neugierig auf die Geschichte gemacht und das Bild ist passend zu Handlung

. Der Hauptcharakter dieser Geschichte ist Sebastian Synard, er lebt und arbeitet in Neufundland, dort betreibt er das Tourismusunternehmen "On the Rock(s)". Er ist sehr zufrieden mit seinem Leben, er hat eines seiner Hobbys zum Beruf gemacht, er bietet exklusive Touren über die Insel an. Sebastian plant bereits seine nächste Saison da passiert etwas Fürchterliches. Gleich zu Anfang seiner neuen Wandertour stürzt ein Teilnehmern von den Klippen und ist tot. Ein weiterer Charakter ist Inspektor Olson, er ist es auch, der Sebastian und Hilfe bittet. Dieser ermittelt und gerät dabei in die Schusslinie des Täters, Sebastian ist auch in Lebensgefahr, wird er es schaffen den Täter rechtzeitig zu überführen?

Der Schreibstil ist wirklich toll und spannend, die Handlung ist durchweg interessant und unterhaltsam. Die Ortsbeschreibungen sind sehr detailliert und ich konnte mir die Natur von Neufundland und den Orten gut vorstellen. Die Kapitel haben eine tolle Länge und ich konnte der Handlung sehr gut folgen. Es war bis zum Schluss spannend. Die Dialoge der Charaktere haben mir auch gut gefallen. Ich empfehle das Buch auf jeden Fall weiter und bin jetzt schon auf den weiteren Band gespannt. Petra801 8

Der Titel ist eine Anspielung, genau so wie der ganze Krimis mit Wort Spielereien arbeitet. Ich kann mir vorstellen das, das im Englischen noch gelungener ist. Am Anfang ist wenig vom Krimi zu lesen dafür mehr diese Zweideutigkeiten. Es gefällt mir kann aber für den einen oder anderen zu viel sein. Genau so erging es mir mit den Beschreibungen der verschiedenen Whiskey Sorten. Ob torfig oder nicht. Das ist mir egal, ich möchte ihn nicht trinken oder endlos darüber lesen wie ihn andere trinken.
Das ist der Makel an diesem Buch, die Nebensächlichkeiten werden aufgebauscht, der eigentliche Fall kommt zu kurz. Wort Spielereien, Whiskey und eine detaillierte Ortsbeschreibung von Neufundland, einem Ort der eher ,ungewöhnlich für eine Urlaubsreise ist, mag ich auch nicht in einem Krimi lesen. Dafür gibt es Reiseführer. Das ist zwar der Job des ehemaligen Lehrers, der mit einer kurzen Zündschnur ausgestattet ist und eher zu Kurzschlusshandlungen neigt.
Der Krimi an sich erinnert etwas an Agatha Christie, er schafft es zwar nicht auf diese Ebene aber er ist zu mindestens angelehnt.
Im Ganzen wirken die Figuren etwas blass, keine die für mich herausragend war egal ob Ermittler, Täter oder Möchtegerndetektiv. Ian24

I enjoyed it and I didn’t…bad start to a review but there it is. I started it in August. Didn’t finish it, and had to go back to it. It nagged at me that I didn’t know who the killer was. I d the story and I enjoyed the characters but something held me back from loving it. the protagonist I am roughly the same age teach the same subjects, just never had to give up teaching. I also have a deep love of Newfoundland history and could relate to the background information. I love how the author writes. His style of writing is something I’ve always appreciated. I have read a lot of his books. I still treasure my signed copy of As near to heaven, it’s just his writing here feels clipped. Not choppy, just restricted in some way.

This series has the potential to create a series Midsomer Murders just set in Newfoundland. I’m going to give book two a try, hopefully my inability to articulate what I struggled with in this book is not present in the next one. Lezley578

I really enjoyed reading this fun and folksy book. I loved the humour, the closeness of the father/son relationship, the divorced bickering and that in spite of the divorce Samantha comes through when Sebastian is incapacitated. I especially enjoyed the location and this could be used as kind of a travel book as it introduces the reader to so many hiking trails, points of interest and restaurants around St. John's. Sebastian Synard has a sense of humor most people fail to see. This is well understood when he admits he's a big fan of Monty Python. The fact that he wrote the whiskey blog "Distill my Reading Heart" was an interesting secondary theme.
My only disappointment was that the plot seemed to drift off at the end of the book, almost as though the author was tired of writing. I don't think the main characters should have flown away before the case was settled.
bookclub Anne507 5

Huge disappointment here from the usually reliable Kevin Major, purveyor/writer of some of Canada’s best YA fiction. Here Major turns his hand to detective fiction set in his native St. John’s NF, and really the star of this book is the Avalon peninsula and the fabulous city of St. John’s with its dramatic geography, history and culture. Sebastian Seynard - failed teacher and tourist tour operator - morphs into a PI when one of his clients dies in suspicious circumstances while on a hike on Signal Hill. Events ensue. “One for the Rock” is an entertaining travelogue, but it is an exceedingly lame mystery. What saves this read is that Major is a breezy, witty writer who freely explores the contradictions of contemporary NF, and his very obvious love of the city of St. John’s. CarolynAnn559 1 follower

2.5 star
I picked this up at a book reading festival after hearing the author discuss writing it… mainly because Kevin Major is a Newfoundland writer who I was familiar with when I lived in NL and I was intrigued to read this, his first, 'murder mystery'. It is a very quick read and Major is quite humerous in his writing so it was fun... very good read for anyone wanting a light beach / airplane read. The main character is a tour guide and is leading a group along the North Face hike on Signal Hill when one of the members is pushed off the cliff and killed. It was fun to read about places that I visit every year but the 'mystery' itself was a little weak, in my opinion. Sara Hawkins60

Here is what I d:
The characters Nick, Gaffer and Sebastian. Really able.
I d how my home, St John's played a great character in the book as well.
Major surprised me as the only other book I read by him was No Mans Land and it was a mandatory read in high school that I didn't enjoy.
This was a quick read, predictable and funny.

What I didnt : the loose ends were tied up too neatly .
Olsen was the stereotypical stupid cop as seen in all these types of books
The language. The corse language did nothing to enhance the book. Virginia Van1,010 1 follower

Sebastian Synard runs a tour company in Newfoundland called On the Rock(s). One day, while leading a group of tourists along the cliffs of St. John's harbour, one of them falls to his death. Accident? Suicide? or murder? When the investigative RNC lead, who also happens to be sleeping with Sebastian's ex-wife, enlists his help in flushing out a murderer, Sebastian finds himself in a dangerous situation. The setting of St. John's is brought vividly to life and the maincharacters are appealing. 2020 canada canadian ...more Richard Janzen631 4

Great to read a mystery set in the incredible city of St. John's NL. The author treats the reader to a murder, an attempted murder and an accident all taking place in some of the famous sites around the city- fun for the reader me who visited St. John's before. Nice mix of humour and danger and mystery.

I read a youth novel by Major more than 30 years ago- this one felt something between a youth and an adult novel.

Fun book.
Janalynn177 5

Halfway through the book and still not into the story, I figured I'd end up giving this 2 stars. I just couldn't vibe with the main character, and the author's placement of exclamation marks kept throwing me off, haha. The second half, though, grabbed my attention and I got into it. Also, the story takes place in my favourite city (St. John's), and I loved all the familiar landmarks, streets, and eating establishments. Janet228

A significant departure from his young-adult novels, this mystery by Kevin Major was a light but interesting meander through modern St. John's, modern divorce, and eternal greed. The main character was flawed but able, the setting was vivid, but the "Orient Express" solution was a bit over the top.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review IanAuthor 15 books32

In One for the Rock, his first venture into crime fiction, Kevin Major has written a fast-paced and highly enjoyable novel that will appeal to fans of the genre, but which also offers the dual bonus of an engaging narrator and a vividly rendered St. John’s, Newfoundland setting. Recently divorced ex-teacher Sebastian Synard runs a tour operation, St. John’s landmarks being his specialty. It is a boutique enterprise, accepting a half-dozen clients at a time. His latest group holds no surprises, demographically speaking, being mostly folk in their latter years (60s to 80s) from the U.S. and Canada, the exception being 40-something Renée Sipp, from France. They set out on their initial excursion, a trek along Signal Hill. But there’s a mishap, fatal as it turns out. One trekker, Graham, annoyingly attached to his cell phone, tumbles over a guard rail to his death. By all accounts the incident seems an unfortunate accident. But something doesn’t add up, and Sebastian, in possession of Graham’s phone, becomes suspicious and to satisfy his curiosity conducts a haphazard inquiry in parallel with the official police investigation. From this point the novel takes flight, drawing the reader into a deepening mystery that veers along unforeseen twists and turns and eventually places Sebastian in life-threatening danger. One of the delights of this breezy entertainment is Sebastian’s complex personal life, which includes a young son who knows how to teach his father a thing or two about searching the internet, and an ex-wife who rarely passes up an opportunity to point out her ex-husband’s shortcomings and who, as it happens, is romantically involved with the lead detective in the murder case. Sebastian’s sardonic attitude toward life and living is reflected in his first-person narrative voice, which peppers the text with plenty of ironic asides and snarky observations about human nature and mainlanders' assumptions about Newfoundland. One for the Rock may not be the most profound novel you’ll encounter this year, but Kevin Major—a veteran writer with books of adult and YA fiction, poetry, history, and drama to his credit—knows how to spin a good yarn and not waste a single word while doing it. Kimberly Ryan35

The one star is because there's hope to make this story better than what it was; and it was disappointing at best. A quick read but I lost interest many times and it ended up being a purse book for appointments and waiting for people. Definitely believe it could have been developed more to give it more depth. Natasha Penney177

I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The premise is solid, the mystery uncomplex but entertaining - all centered around an incredibly able main character. This is a Kevin Major book that hit all the right summer notes for me. I hope there's a second book featuring these characters. I will miss Sebastian Synard. Emily104 9

This murder mystery suffers a little from men-writing-women syndrome and while every loose end is neatly tied, and I d the solution in theory, the execution didn't quite work for me. It is a quick read, ideal if you're looking for something light-hearted and don't want to take something too seriously. Merrie121293 1 follower

Light, entertaining ‘who done it’ by one of Newfoundland’s great authors. Hopefully the first of a series, lots of good background story with potential for development. Wonderful references to our capital city. Carol McKnight352 3

This is an easy read and a quick read. Not too heavy or deep but entertaining. I the concept of being taken on a tour of St John’s NL, a place I have been many years ago. I Major’s sense of humour as well as his turn of phrase. Sarah ButlandAuthor 23 books66

If you haven't gone to Newfoundland yet, this book will take you there and add a murder mystery flair to the adventure!

Sebastian, tour guide extraordinaire, starts his season off with a full group of 7 but ends the tour with only 5 and a strong desire to figure out why. And by the end of it, he's the one leaving the business for the season.

Follow his adventures through St John and the sights of Signal Hill while he maneuvers the rough terrain never before. Tracy6

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