Clever Murder Mystery or Cheesy Romance Novel? You Decide.Because it is so hot right now I got this bright idea to cool things off by reading a book that had a very chilly setting. I'd read good things about Julia Spencer-Fleming's In The Bleak Midwinter and, since I had a copy handy, I decided to give it a read.As a murder mystery it is pretty good, clever, well-paced – I didn't figure it out prematurely. The setting, in the Adirondacks in winter, was excellent, the writing was good, the plot moved along. I very, very much liked the charcter of Russ Van Alstyne, the local sheriff. He was charming and smart and had a nice balance of brains and bluff. There were some interesting, sympathetic minor characters.... and then there was Clare Fergusson. Excuse me The Reverend Clare Fergusson, the town's new Anglican priest. Former military helicopter pilot, gourmet cook, wise-cracking smart-mouth who wears cool clothes (when not in her clericals), listens to cool music, drives a very, very cool car, and is a tough don't-mess-with-me cookie.In my frequent rants about annoying heroines in romance – and other – novels, I have often complained about the three things that can cause me to heave the book at a wall:1. the scene where the hero just happens to see the heroine dancing (for sheer joy) without her knowledge and decides she is just too adorable.2. the scene where the hero says or does something relatively innocuous and the heroine takes umbrage and stomps off in high dudgeon like a spoiled brat.3. the scene where the heroine does something ridiculously impulsive that no woman in her right mind would do thus putting herself in peril so that the hero has to rescue her and make everything all right (and notice how cute and vulnerable she is in the process.)Sad to say, Reverend Clare, the Episcopal priest, does all three. One I could have handled but all three??? One night good old Russ (who is a married man, by the way) stops by the rectory and, through the kitchen door, just happens to witness the Rev. Clare, in a cut-off sweatshirt, dancing while she whips up a gourmet meal – which she subsequently feeds him. A few scenes later the Rev. Clare gets her patrician nose out of joint because she thinks Russ was being rude and she stomps out into the snowy night in her adorable designer suede boots and leather bomber jacket and stomps all the way back to the rectory, refusing Russ's offer for a ride when he followers her. And finally, after a torturous ride back from Albany, worrying all the way about her adorable little sports car in the on-coming blizzard, the Rev. Clare finds a mysterious message for her to meet someone at a cabin deep in the woods (in an area she has never been to) and, instantly, jumps into said adorable sports car and zooms off to the rescue. Luckily, good old Dudley Dooright Russ finds out in time and comes to the rescue – which gives him the opportunity to get her out of her flimsy, ice-caked clothes. Sigh.Look, this was a good story and there were some good characters in it and, for the most part, I liked it. I will even go so far as to say that if Clare had been a social worker or a new cop or a teacher or anything else, I might have liked her a little better. But a priest??? Yes, I know priests are people, too – heaven knows I just wrote a book about an all-too-human priest. What really bothered me about it was that, other than going to parish meetings, saying a few prayers here and there, and mentions of services she was officiating at, this priest had not the faintest evidence of any level of spirituality. Consequently, every mention of her “priesthood” might as well have had blinking letters that read “gimmick, gimmick, gimmick.”Obviously people like these books as there are more in the series. Chances are I might even read another one myself but when are genre writers going to stop concocting these formula-driven, ridiculous, insult-to-womanhood characters?As a mystery, I give this book a 4. As a romance, I give it a 2. So I'm splitting the difference with a 3 – because I like Russ. But I think he's headed down a dangerous slope and I don't think the local priest is going to help him avoid any more near-occasions-of-sin.
I am an avaricious consumer of mystery series, but there are so many stand-alone books that I want and need to read right now that yet another delectable series is an unwise choice. Well, too late. I read the first in the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne, In the Bleak Midwinter, and once again, I'm hooked. Julia Spencer-Fleming is another Bouchercon 2013 author that I wanted to sample before the September gathering, and I duped myself into believing that I could indeed eat just one. I will begin #2 today. This series, set in the shadows of the Adirondack mountains in the small town of Millers Kill, features ex-Amy helicopter pilot, newly ordained Episcopalian priest Clare Fergusson and ex-Army, present-day police chief Russ Van Alstyne. Clare is the first female priest at the Episcopal church in Millers Kill, and is quite different than her conventional predecessor. When only after a month on the job, she discovers a newborn baby abandoned outside the church, Clare quickly becomes involved in the search for its parents and the subsequent murder of the baby's mother. As rapid as her involvement in the resolution to these mysteries and ones to follow, her friendship with Russ Van Alstyne, the chief of police, takes the fast trak to closeness and trusted confidant. Of course, the chief is married, which creates a stumbling block to a more intimate relationship. In solving not one, but two murders, Clare and Russ come to rely on one another's intelligence and intuition, moving in sync as two partners with different skills that mirror in a complimentary efficiency. It's always so satisfying to encounter yet another author whose manipulation of the language results in a spine-tingling tale. Julia Spencer-Fleming is extraordinarily gifted in her skill of description, including settiing, action, and characters. I was truly amazed at the detail of description in those areas, and it made the story so complete. There is no fuzzy, half-hearted imagery in Ms. Spencer-Fleming's writing. The reader is treated to complete disclosure of what a place looks like, what a character's physical and emotional make-up is, and what the action would look like if you were there. The twists and turns of the plot are page-turning pleasures. Now, on to the next adventure/mystery of the Clare and Russ team. Again, my reading pile groans with the weight of of books waiting.
What do You think about In The Bleak Midwinter (2003)?
Powerful writing, fascinating relationships, unusual occupations. This one is outstanding and I can understand why it won some awards. Claire Fergusson is an Episcopal Priest, on the job for all of a month when she first meets Russ Von Alsytyne. The occasion is the finding of a baby on the church doorstep. From there the suspense in this one builds and spirals and just about forces you to keep reading.I'm late coming into this series but can't wait to get onto the next episode. I love a book with strong characters who also have their vulnerable points.
—Patty
1st in the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne series.[return][return]Miller s Kill, a village in upstate New York near Lake George, is the improbable setting for this imaginative series starring an ex-Army helicopter pilot turned Epsicopal priest, Clare Fergusson, and the Chief of Police Russ Van Alstyne. A small town that lives largely off the tourist trade, Miller s Kill should be both sleepy and crime-free. In reality, like most small towns, it s neither, but certainly one doesn t expect the incidence of murder to be quite so high! [return][return]Fortunately for the readers of this series, it is. But it doesn t start off that way.[return][return]Reverend Clare Fergusson, the new rector of the conservative parish of St. Albans Episcopal Church in Millers Kill, is not just female she s an ex-Army helicopter pilot. She s been on the job barely one month when, after a reception in the parish hall, she leaves the church only to stumble across a box containing a newborn infant and a note requesting that the child be left with a couple who are parishioners at St. Albans. The timing and the fact that the child has not been long exposed to the effects of a cold wintry evening in November suggest that whoever abandoned it was familiar with the routine at St. Albans.[return][return]Clare and Russ strike up an easy acquaintanceship, at lest in part based on common Army experience. Neither, however, is prepared for the discovery of the body of a young woman who is most certainly the mother of the baby. She clearly has been murdered.[return][return]In The Bleak Midwinter is an excellent start to the series. As will be true of all the books, the title is drawn from a hymn and relates at least in part to the circumstances of the story. Clare is an effective protagonist. She is believable and very well-drawn. Ditto for Russ. They are excellent counterbalances for one another.[return][return]The writing is not spectacular but well suited to the characters, the plot and the locale. Dialogue is completely believable. Spencer-Fleming gives Clare flashes of self-deprecating humor that greatly expand her character. Russ has his own voice and his own viewpoint, which combines a solid grasp of reality, hard-headed common sense needed to police a small town such as Miller s Kill, and a reserve that is necessary to maintain the objectivity he needs. Both characters are extremely appealing. Both are human, and wind up attracted to one another even though Russ s married to a woman he loves.[return][return]Other supporting characters are good, especially the members of the vestry of St. Albans. I thought that the descriptions of the day-to-day workings and concerns of the church to be one of the high points of the book aside from its plot. The internal politics are described with an obvious affection for the process. Clare s involvement is clearly one of commitment to the message of Christ and again the common sense needed to wend her way through the human failings that exist in every congregation. Her liberalism vs the innate conservatism of her vestry is well-handled, and fun to read.[return][return]As for the plot itself: Spencer-Fleming does a superb job of building and maintaining interest and tension. The subplot of the St. Alban s couple that temporarily take over care of the baby and their fight to have permanent custody is both separate from yet well-woven into the main plot. The denouement is a gripping page-turner; I couldn t put the book down until I d finished.[return][return]A spectacular entry in the genre. Highly recommended.
—Joyce Lagow
Added 12/31/14During December 2014, I read In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming. It's an excellent crime/suspense book. I don't usually read this type of book but this one had me hooked.I got it from the library as an audio book but when some of the discs were scratched I changed over to reading the ending of the book. Recommended. This book was a selection of my local library book group.See the following reviews for an idea of what the story is about: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
—Joy H.
