Six for Saint-Pierre: A Sebastian Synard Mystery by Kevin Major

Reviewed by Ian Colford

In Six for Saint-Pierre, the latest of Kevin Major’s engaging crime novels featuring Private Investigator and tour guide Sebastian Synard, when the body of a young man is found on a beach on Saint-Pierre and Miquelon—a French-owned island territory located off the coast of Newfoundland’s Burin Peninsula—our intrepid hero is drawn into a search for a killer.

Simon and his partner Mae arrive on Saint-Pierre for a quick visit, to see the sights, but also to spend time with Simon’s son Nick, who is taking part in a French immersion program called the Francoforum. On Saint-Pierre, Nick has met a young man, Zach, who is taking part in the same program. The two have become fast friends (Are they more than just friends? muses Simon) and on their first night on the island, Simon and Mae share a meal with Nick and Zach (Simon, of course, pays for everything). They are pleased to find Zach intelligent, good humoured, and mature. But everything falls apart the next day when, while on the beach on nearby Ȋle aux Marins, they discover a body floating in shallow water. It’s Zack. Instantly, Simon and Mae’s routine visit to see Nick has become anything but routine, as Simon is called upon to console his son while wondering how this tragedy could have happened.

When the local gendarmerie determines that it was not a case of misadventure and that Zach was murdered, Simon finds himself, at least where the official investigation is concerned, on the outside looking in. Undaunted, he conducts his own independent search for the truth, following leads that he’s convinced are vital to the case but which the police seem to be dismissing. For Simon, it all turns into something of an adventure, one that takes him to several Newfoundland communities, where in one instance has a door slammed in his face, and to the Caribbean island of Martinique, where he is drugged and photographed in a supremely embarrassing situation.

Throughout the novel, Kevin Major keeps things light, with Simon delivering his trademark snarky observations about human nature and obdurate police and navigating a delicate path through his relationship with Mae (which by the end of the novel has gone somewhat off the rails). And again, as in the earlier novels in the series, Simon’s family plays a significant role in the story.

A prize-winning author of some twenty-five books across multiple genres, Kevin Major’s prose is not fancy and gets straight to the point. His many strengths include sharp characterization, sophisticated plotting, and an ability to keep the story moving forward. Six for Saint-Pierre may not break new ground, but it does add a sturdy new chapter to the continuing saga of Simon Synard’s career in crime busting and will leave readers craving more.

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About the Author

Governor General Award–winner Kevin Major is the author of twenty-three books—fiction, literary non-fiction, poetry, and plays. His first novel, Hold Fast, is considered a classic of Canadian young adult fiction, and was adapted into a feature film. As Near To Heaven By Sea: A History of Newfoundland and Labrador was a Canadian bestseller. His work has been translated into several languages, including German, Spanish, Catalan, and Hebrew. One for the Rock, Two for the Tablelands, Three for Trinity, Four for Fogo Island, and Five for Forteau belong to Major’s popular series of crime novels. He and his wife live in St. John’s. They have two grown sons.

About the Reviewer

Ian Colford was born, raised and educated in Halifax. His reviews and stories have appeared in many print and online publications. He is the author of two collections of short fiction and two novels and is the recipient of the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award for Evidence.

Book Details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Breakwater Books

• Publication date ‏ : ‎ Oct. 14 2025

• Language ‏ : ‎ English

• Print length ‏ : ‎ 240 pages

• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1778530656

• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1778530654