Mike Edwards Character Analysis in Firekeeper’s Daughter

Mike is a Supes hockey player who ultimately turns out to be an antagonist and the leader of the meth cell in Sault Ste. Marie, but Daunis spends much of the novel viewing him as an entitled, if loyal, friend of Levi’s. He’s a hulking boy and is the Supes’ goalie. While he’s an extremely talented player, he’s not infallible: his dad, Grant Edwards, berates Mike in public whenever Mike does happen to miss a goal. Mike spends most of his time hanging out with Levi and Stormy, so Daunis never expects that he's involved in the meth cell (as she can’t imagine until she finds undeniable proof that Levi is involved). But Mike ultimately shows that he’s smart, ruthless, and drunk on the power he has as the cell’s leader. He’s responsible for David’s death and has no qualms about scaring, hurting, and even killing Daunis and Jamie once he kidnaps them. In the end, Mike runs away, presumably to Canada. This means he never faces any consequences for his crimes—Levi and Stormy take the fall for him.

Mike Edwards Character Timeline in Firekeeper’s Daughter

The timeline below shows where the character Mike Edwards appears in Firekeeper’s Daughter. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Ten minutes later, Levi, Stormy Nodin, and then Mike Edwards join Daunis and Jamie at a picnic table. Daunis teases the boys when they... (full context)

Generational Trauma and Bigotry Theme Icon

Mike joins the group, and the guys make fart jokes. Daunis ignores them and focuses on... (full context)

Daunis finds Ron in the lobby. As Mike’s parents wave them over, Daunis whispers that Mr. Edwards is a defense attorney and runs... (full context)

Then, Daunis turns to Mike. His parents host Sunday dinners for the team during hockey season, and she suspects there... (full context)

...be good friends after a shooting incident a few years ago. Travis, Levi, Stormy, and Mike were playing with a BB gun, and Travis accidentally shot a car window, blinding a... (full context)

During the meal, Daunis makes sure she’s right next to Mike—she’s going to pretend to be interested in everything she says. As Grant gives Daunis a... (full context)

Finally, Mike leads Daunis to his bedroom to set up the BlackBerry. Daunis plans to leave something... (full context)

Her stomach flipping, Daunis says she came to use the bathroom and retrieve her phone. Mike looks amused—and he kisses Daunis roughly. When she resists, he angrily says she’s been hanging... (full context)

...DAUNIS; Megan explains that they didn’t think it’d work to put Jamie, Levi, Stormy, and Mike’s name on her jersey (girlfriends have their boyfriend’s name on their jerseys). Daunis is touched.... (full context)

...a former teammate. Levi hugs Daunis, and then he tells the room that she’s right. Mike suggests they hold a fundraiser, like a charity game, to support drug prevention programs. The... (full context)

...borrow Daunis’s debit card later. Daunis says he can, but he needs to treat Stormy, Mike, and Jamie. (full context)

...girlfriend, “the Incredible Bulk,” is. Daunis hears a crunch as Levi punches the guy, and Mike says Daunis is Levi’s sister. Levi threatens to “end hockey” for the guy if he... (full context)

Daunis has never seen Levi so enraged. As Mike notices her, Levi tells the guy he punched to apologize. As Daunis tells Levi how... (full context)

...was such a great player. She pretends her shoulder doesn’t hurt that bad as Stormy, Mike, and Levi join them, and Levi notes that the point of the game today was... (full context)

...Daunis studies the room. She can tell which parts of it are for Stormy and Mike, and she identifies what must be Travis’s old gaming chair. Daunis digs through Levi’s closet... (full context)

...his career, but then he got to know her. Continuing, Jamie says that Levi and Mike came to his house last night and invited him to a party. Mike tasered him... (full context)

Moments later, Daunis and Jamie hear Mike and Levi approaching the trailer. Quietly, Jamie slips his watch onto Daunis’s leg. She must... (full context)

...just how brilliant Daunis is. Daunis is torn between loving the praise and feeling betrayed. Mike picks up the story and says it all started in Coach Bobby’s business class, when... (full context)

Mike sits and urges Levi to tell Daunis how it all started. Levi says that Angie... (full context)

Mike picks up the story. He says that Travis started using his own product, added psychedelic... (full context)

...a panther far from home, fail to fight off an attack from Levi, Stormy, and Mike. Ron shouts that he can’t find Jamie, but when Daunis tries to fight the boys,... (full context)

Levi and Mike enter and stoke the fire with a small log. Then, Daunis says she doesn’t trust... (full context)

Mike is clearly pleased. He says he’ll stay with Jamie while Levi takes Daunis to their... (full context)

...was too good to cheat. She says Grant raped her, but clearly, Levi believes what Mike told him—even when Daunis shows him her bruise. Daunis notes passing landmarks as she says... (full context)

...about the pucks in her closet and if Levi will go along with it when Mike tries to convince her to cooperate. Though Levi insists Mike wouldn’t hurt Daunis, Daunis says... (full context)

...in return. Then, she tells Jamie what happened with Coach Bobby, and Jamie says that Mike did nothing when the two-hour deadline passed. Mike left and hours later, Stormy arrived with... (full context)

...in Levi’s closet. Daunis says it wasn’t there when she searched his closet; she’s sure Mike put it there. She tells Ron to watch Levi’s face when they question him about... (full context)

...him in Anishinaabemowin when they visit daily, and they drum outside the prison each night.) Mike is still at large; his parents divorced. The star witness is Coach Bobby. When he... (full context)