Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne 6 - I Shall Not Want

A truly well done mystery story. While good to see all the old characters, Spencer-Fleming keeps things fresh with an injection of new as well. Notably, St.Alban's sextant's granddaughter, Hadley, who arrives with kids in tow to start a new life. Current events and big city crime touch the area and takes the story on it's twisty way. It's been awhile since I have visited Miller's Kill, glad to see there are still a couple more to read.

At the end of the previous installment in this series set in the small upstate New York town of Millers Kill, two significant things happened to Clare Fergusson, rector of St. Alban's Episcopal Church. On the strong recommendation of her bishop, the former Army helicopter pilot entered the National Guard. And after the death of his wife, the married man who loves Clare and whom Clare loves in return - Millers Kill police chief Russ Van Alstyne - turned away from her as if she were the cause of his grief. Clare knows the bishop is right; she needs to better understand her vocation, because she continues to have difficulty differentiating between the priest and the Army officer in her. As for her relationship with Russ, she knows what grief can do. So she also knows that time has to do its work, and nothing can rush that process.

Meanwhile, a young woman named Hadley Knox arrives in Millers Kill with her two children in the wake of a nasty divorce. She has nowhere else to go but her grandfather's home, that grandfather being the elderly sexton at St. Alban's. When the only local job opening carrying anywhere near enough pay and benefits for Hadley to support her family turns out to be as a rookie police officer, she takes it even though she feels unsuited and finds being hired by Chief Van Alstyne amazing. Clare Fergusson meets a Roman Catholic nun at an ecumenical gathering, and decides that St. Alban's should support that nun's ministry to the migrant workers who are doing more and more of the low paying, unpleasant farm jobs in the countryside around Millers Kill - mostly Hispanic workers, many of them illegal. Which doesn't meet with approval from the St. Alban's vestry, or from Clare's bishop-assigned deacon. When the nun's van is shot at and forced off the road, seriously injuring that elderly woman and scattering the workers it was transporting, INS becomes involved; and so does Russ Van Arsdale's family, since some of the fleeing Hispanics are illegals hired by his sister and brother-in-law to work on their dairy farm.

Thus Clare and Russ are thrown together again, as searching through the woods turns up the bodies of murdered Hispanics. The mystery deepens when a young worker temporarily disabled in the van crash, at least as far as farm labor is concerned, comes to work at St. Alban's and then disappears as someone ransacks and robs the rectory. Clare shuttles back and forth to Guard service, and dances (sometimes literally) a complicated new courtship with Russ. Will they both survive long enough to figure things out, now that they can be together at last? Ah, that's the question....

This is the book that all the others lead up to, and it's a worthy climax indeed to a multipart tale. As usual there's plenty to think about, as Clare wrestles with her faith and how it should translate into real life practice; and as Russ struggles to come to terms with losing his wife of 25 years, whom he went on loving even as his relationship with Clare grew deeper. There are no easy answers for these two people, both military veterans as well as adults in love with each other but not about to sacrifice their other responsibilities in the name of fulfillment. Instead there's a literate, intriguing story for people like me to read and then to ponder.

--Reviewed by Nina M. Osier, author of "Love, Jimmy: A Maine Veteran's Longest Battle"

Somehow not good enough for five stars. I think the problem for me is that the main character, Clare Fergusson, is an Episcopal priest. I have firsthand knowledge of what it is to be an Episcopal priest, and the author just doesn't get it right. For one thing, Clare is a former military helicopter pilot -- not a problem in itself. But in the previous book, Clare's bishop has more or less ordered her to join the National Guard. She does so. I find it hard to believe that the bishop would suggest this. There's a very long tradition of clergy staying out of battle except as chaplains. Voluntarily going into combat is just not appropriate for clergy, particularly Episcopal clergy, even as a pilot. Moreover, the armed services are desperate for good chaplains - if she wanted to serve, that would have been far more appropriate. It's as though the author has grown tired of this church thing -- just as well, as she doesn't seem to have a very good grasp of what clergy do (like spend a fair amount of their time writing sermons, meeting with troubled parishioners, and visiting the sick. Clare seems to whip off sermons in the odd moments when she's not running around solving murder mysteries. The way the Deacon in her church behaves toward her is unthinkable -- as is the way the Archdeacon treats her.

On the other hand, Clare's relationship with the police chief, who up until very recently was married, was inappropriate, particularly for someone in her position. What is surprising is not that clergy are taking issue with it (and Clare), but that her congregation doesn't seem to care. That is unbelievable. Perhaps the author is pushing Clare toward the military life because she feels that she'll have more freedom to develop Clare's romantic life if she's not in active ministry?

Anyway, the plot involves Mexican workers who have entered this country without a visa or work permit. One of them finds a body. Attempts to solve the murder are complicated by the unwillingness of the Mexican farmworkers to attract the attention of the authorities. Clare is acting as kind of a go-between and therefore gets involved in the case. Two more bodies are discovered, and it appears that there may be a serial killer in town -- or is there?

Other than these issues, it's an enjoyable read. I did feel that the book could have benefited from some editing -- tightened up. There were sections that were really irrelevant to the plot (like the picnic description). The author is a good storyteller, and I keep buying and reading her books for that.

Everyone in the small town of Millers Kill, New York, is talking. Now that police chief Russ Van Alstyne's wife Linda is dead, will he and the Reverend Clare Fergusson finally be able to acknowledge the love they've always felt but never acted upon? Clare and Russ might be able legally to take their long-term friendship to the next level, but their deeply held moral beliefs --- not to mention the harsh words and cold deeds that have separated them in the past --- seem to keep their love from ever reaching fulfillment.

But Millers Kill is a small town, and even as the local gossips' tongues are wagging, Russ's and Clare's paths are bound to cross, particularly as a series of murders threatens members of one of Millers Kill's least visible --- and most vulnerable --- populations. Most residents are hardly aware of the Hispanic workers (many of them undocumented) who do the dirty work of the area's numerous dairy farms. But when a van carrying a number of these workers, and driven by an area nun who's also a friend of Clare's, is shot at, the incident draws in the Millers Kill police department and uncovers a series of crimes that leads to a new chain of violent acts.

In addition to Clare and Russ, this most recent string of murders draws in Russ's dairy farming sister and brother-in-law as well as deputy police chief Lyle Macauley (whose relationship with Russ is newly strained) and new police officer (and single mom) Hadley Knox. Hadley is barely keeping her head above water as she struggles to learn police procedures, care for her kids, negotiate the police bureaucracy and successfully discourage the advantage of eager young romantic Officer Kevin Flynn.

As Clare struggles to discern her true calling, and as Russ attempts to negotiate both his grief for his late wife and his growing feelings for Clare, events outside their control might affect their relationship in ways no one could have anticipated.

With each new installment in the story of Russ Van Alstyne and Clare Fergusson, Julia Spencer-Fleming continues to flesh out not only these compellingly complex characters but also the town of Millers Kill, introducing new secondary characters and developing familiar ones. The result is a microcosm that feels as true as real life, and a set of characters who have become both familiar and endlessly fascinating. Even though the suspense plot may be of secondary interest to some readers, Spencer-Fleming does an admirable job of creating a mystery that is gripping without being convoluted, and one that reveals, in its unfolding and its solving, the intricacies of its character and its community.

This is an exciting, surprising, often funny and passionate mystery novel that showcases a writer at the top of her form. Readers will walk away from I SHALL NOT WANT both deeply satisfied with the new directions taken by these beloved main characters and apprehensive of the changes the future might bring for Russ and Clare. But no matter what, they will want more.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

I am currently reading the sixth Clair Ferguson book and I see that Clair is still referred to as a captain (commissioned officer). In the Army, commissioned officers do not fly helicopters; warrant officers fly helicopters.

Well, it's too late now. But it is annoying every time I read that Clair is a captain.

See below:

Becoming an Army Helicopter Pilot

Training

If accepted, first you'll have to attend nine weeks of basic combat training and six weeks of warrant officer candidate school. A warrant officer is a technical expert who specializes in a particular battlefield skill, such as flying choppers. Unlike commissioned officers, they continue working in their specialty, rather than moving up the chain of command.

* Classroom Instruction: Once through with warrant officer candidate school, you'll proceed to the flight training program at Fort Rucker. The program begins with classroom instruction on the intricacies of rotary-winged aircraft. You will learn basic flight physics, flight systems, emergency procedures, and you will learn how to draw and read flight maps.

* Flying: The training advances quickly to Warrior Hall, where new pilots learn to fly helicopters in simulators with spider-like metal legs. Once you have 7 ½ hours of simulator time under your belt, you'll learn combat maneuvers used by Army pilots in trainer TH-67 helicopters. Then you'll become an expert in one of four helicopters: the OH-58 Kiowa reconnaissance aircraft; the UH-60 Black Hawk, built for medical evacuations and search and rescue missions; the AH-64 Apache, the Army's primary attack helicopter; or the CH-47 Chinook, a transport chopper. Depending on the type of aircraft you specialize in, you'll log between 70 and 150 hours of actual flight time before becoming a helicopter pilot.

You will also be taught how to fly with night vision goggles mounted on the front of the flight helmet, which limits your field of vision to 40 degrees.

This newest addition to the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne series was eagerly awaited by this reader, and it did not disappoint. Reverend Fergusson is the rector of St. Alban's Church in Millers Kill, in upstate New York [referred to as the North Country]. As the book begins she has just reenlisted with the Air National Guard, with which she is a helicopter pilot.

When Clare meets Sister Lucie Pirone, she rather impetuously volunteers to assist in the nun's current work, which is assisting Hispanic farm workers in the dairy farming counties of the area, of whom there are upwards of three hundred year-round involved. Her group provides basic services and act as advocates for that mostly non-English speaking population. The nun asks Clare "Do you always leap into things so ... ah ... decisively?" to which Clare responds "You bet. I'm not sure if it's a virtue or a flaw, but after thirty-six years, I've come to accept it's who I am." But Clare does not anticipate that her assistance will involve her in the investigation of not one, but three murders of what appear to have been three migrant farmhands. Is there a serial killer preying on the inhabitants of their small town? Or is the danger limited to the Mexicans, three of whom were the first victims?

Of course this provides more friction between Clare and police chief Russ Van Alstyne, the latter still recovering from his wife's death, which occurred at the end of the prior novel in the series, "All Mortal Flesh." Their tumultuous relationship must survive their still-evolving feelings about those events, their obvious love for each other, and the threat surrounding these new occurrences in the town.

Hadley Knox and Kevin Flynn, the two most junior members of the Millers Kill Police Department, are two wonderful new characters who play important roles in this novel. Of course, the characters of the main protagonists have been developed even further, as each finds her/himself in positions not previously experienced, changing them and their perspectives and outlooks on life, love and the threat of mortal harm. As always, Ms. Spencer-Fleming left me with a lump in my throat, and eager anticipation for the next book in the series. Highly recommended.

In Miller's Kill, New York, Episcopal priest Clare Fergusson and Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne remain in shock over the death of his wife Linda (see ALL MORTAL FLESH). Out of respect for the dead and lingering guilt over their feelings for one another, though both remain strongly attracted to each other, Clare and Russ avoid one another.

Their grief and guilt are interrupted when an unknown vigilante team assaults a van loaded with Mexican migrant farm workers. Russ investigates the nasty incident with Clare assisting him as he believes her presence as a woman and a minister might enable him to get the migrant workers to open up; otherwise he faces a wall of silence as Mexican workers do not trust law enforcement in these times of harassment. Soon other Latinos are murdered; leaving the cop and the preacher to wonder if a war on foreigners has come to Upstate New York.

The latest Fergusson and Van Alstyne tale continues the complicated and convoluted relationship made exponentially even more complex by the haunting spectral memory of Linda; each feels they betrayed her by their feelings for one another. Although the plot takes improbable spins, the exciting look at foreign migrant workers is timely. Fans of the series will enjoy this character driven entry.

Harriet Klausner

Julia Spencer-Fleming's sixth installment in the Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne mystery series is a return to top form. If you haven't read this series, now is an excellent time to start with book #1, "In the Bleak Midwinter", which introduces Clare Fergusson, the new Episcopal priest to her small town upstate New York church and the inhabitants of Miller's Kill. Russ Van Alstyne is the police chief of Miller's Kill Police Department. Living in a marriage gone dry, Clare is an irresistible attraction to Russ and that attraction is very much mutual.

I Shall Not want opens with a bang that will leave you wondering who lives and who dies in this story and will make you remember that JSF once said that this was a six-book story arc. Just when your adrenaline hits "high", there's a flashback where we join Clare and Russ to find them estranged from each other after the tragic occurrences in "All Mortal Flesh", the fifth book in the series. Russ is living with his mother and Clare has joined the NY National Guard. Soon enough, the two are riding together in Russ' truck, working on the murder of an unidentified Hispanic man and dealing with their deep mutual attraction. When a migrant worker that Clare has sheltered at the church goes missing, she and Russ have all the excuse they need to spend as much time together as possible. It's a mystery story, but it's a whole lot more - action, romance and a focus on small-town life with recurring characters and their families. With topical themes like urban drug runners in small town America, illegal migrant workers, and the Iraq War, there's a lot here to keep you turning the page as you discover (or do you?) how the relationship between Clare and Russ turns out.

I've been a consistent Spencer-Fleming fan since the first volume. This one held my interest strongly for the first two thirds or so. Hadley Knox is a great addition - lots of personality and she can take care of herself. The nun is cool too.

But this volume seemed to move more slowly than the others. And I got a little tired of the back-and-forth between Clare and Russ. One unpleasant character tells them, "You might as well use first names. Everybody knows
what's going on between you."

And I want to say, "You might as well bring them together Everybody knows the way this series is going."

Spencer-Fleming uses the "omniscient author" voice more than I remember from other volumes. Mostly it works but I felt we jumped from one character's brain to the other, instead of going more deeply into Clare or Russ.

The ending was inevitable. Frustrating but hey...we knew it would turn out this way.

Still, Spencer-Fleming writes better than most mystery authors and I'll be back for more when her next volume appears.

I have enjoyed this mystery series featuring titles drawn from old hymns. Who would not love a female Episcopal priest, former military helicopter pilot? A chief of police with years in the military during Vietnam? Well, maybe some would not, but I do!

The priest Clare and the Chief of Police Russ complement each other like bread and butter. There is the almost "forbidden love" nature of the story, which adds its own appeal, and the latest murder mystery. This time, illegal immigrants are the targets, and good ol' boy rednecks are somehow involved. Clare continues to try to bring the message of Christian love and acceptance to all people, her church's vestry especially. As usual, however, the vestry objects to her involvement with and aid to illegal immigrants, including the sanctuary she provides to an especially targeted and vulnerable Hispanic boy.

I won't discuss the plot of this excellent addition to the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne series, because others have done so ably. I just would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well-written, well-plotted mystery with a wonderful cast of characters. My only caveat would be that the books in this series should be read in order to fully appreciate how Julia Spencer-Fleming has developed the story arc of these two very decent and likable people and their fellow inhabitants of Miller's Kill, New York. The end of the book is another cliffhanger, leaving us hoping all will be well with Clare who goes off into harm's way. After finishing "I Shall Not Want," I actually wanted more. So, I went back and listened to the recordings of each book in the series so far. Great mysteries; great characters; great setting.

Fans of Julia Spencer-Fleming's Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series have been waiting to see what happened after the traumatic events in All Mortal Flesh. She takes us back to Millers Kill, New York in her latest book, I Shall Not Want, where the Episcopal priest and town police chief are still facing the repercussions of past events.

The new book captures the reader immediately, not with a scene that immediately involves her main characters, but with a scene in which a rookie cop is under fire. When the opening chapter erupts into gunfire, Spencer-Fleming leaves the reader hanging, and switches back to tell the story that leads up to the shoot-out.

As usual, Clare Fergusson innocently gets involved in events that lead to tragedy. When she offers to partner with a nun in assisting the year-round Hispanic workforce who are farmhands on the Washington County dairy farms, she has no idea there will be shootings, dead bodies, attacks in the church, and local confrontations with drug dealers. She and Russ still fight over her "good works," but she now has the outlet of her National Guard duty to get her out of town. And, when Russ confronts his sister and mother over their purchase of a dairy farm, he has no idea his family will be caught up in lies and cover-ups.

Once again, Spencer-Fleming embroils her two characters in events out of the headlines; drugs, problems with nonresident aliens, National Guard service during wartime. And, of course, they still face the problem of their attraction for each other. It's a powerful combination for what she calls a novel "of faith and murder for readers of literary suspense."

I Shall Not Want seems to place even more emphasis on the police procedural aspect of the series, following the Millers Kill Police Department in their investigations. The author introduces an interesting new character as well, Hadley Knox, a single mother of two who is hired as the police department's newest officer when she returns home to live with her grandfather. The problems of a single mother, trying to work, learn a new job, and cope with two generations, is another example of Spencer-Fleming's finger on the pulse of society.

Despite the serious tones of this latest mystery, there's always romance and humor in these books. After totalling another car, Clare thinks, "Her parishioners would start calling her the Reverend Stephanie Plum."

No one involves readers in current events, romance, and tragedy in the same way Julia Spencer-Fleming does. I Shall Not Want is another strong story that tortures Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne. Unlike other authors, though, Spencer-Fleming torments her readers as well, and leaves us longing for the next book in this award-winning series.

When I reviewed "All Mortal Flesh", I titled my review "All Moral Flesh" and complained about the series prudish lack of good (and appropriate) sex scenes. Well, Julia must have listened because she gets it right in Book #6. J S-F proves she can write as good sex scenes as she can action scenes, and her dialogue, and characters are as compelling as ever. What a fun read!

Ms. Spencer-Fleming is a very competent fiction writer who involves the reader right in the moment and sucks you in so you feel you are right there with the characters, who seem as real as your own friends and neighbors. She keeps the plot and the suspense humming along. As for credibility, I had a bit of a problem with the "composition book" as the bad guys in post 2000 would have probably actually used a PDA or a memory stick and a password -- they're not stupid and have tons of money, let's not forget. The cache of marijuana plot was a bit formulaic as well, but didn't interfere with the way the author pulled it off.

I also had a bit of a problem with Clare just having to ship off to Iraq at the end, after she and Russ had just been to the gates of hell and back. It seems she could have easily told the military, "I've changed my mind, as I have too much on my plate right here." She wasn't conscripted after all. So why not move on to a new phase where Russ and Clare face different challenges as a happily married couple? Think kidnapped offspring or something like that. I'm sure the clever Ms. Spencer-Fleming can come up with fascinating ways to keep the series alive for a few more volumes without the forced and artificial separation of her heroes.

Julia Spencer-Fleming has never disappointed me. Six Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mysteries have passed from her agile, witty and plot-rich mind into our eager, hooked ones; and I wouldn't have missed a single one for the world.

Of course, Spencer-Fleming stranded her inimitable Episcopalian rector and police chief in a devastating quandary at the end of book five, ALL MORTAL FLESH. Although I saw various ways to continue their story, I wondered whether the tragic twist was too much for love to overcome.

So, I waited on pins and needles for this newest offering, I SHALL NOT WANT. In it, Spencer-Fleming lays out with confidence the aftermath, the repercussions, of the previous book's tragedy. Guilt. Withdrawal. Frustration. These haunt our protagonists. But since they both continue to live in Millers Kill, unpracticed face-to-face moments can't be avoided. How do Russ and Clare cope? Can the love settled in them when they first met, the love that would not fall away during other testings, revive and strengthen now? These are the vital questions...and they are fearlessly answered.

I SHALL NOT WANT begins with a bang as the reader follows rookie female officer Hadley Knox and the rest of the Millers Kill police force as they desperately attempt to bring a hostage standoff to a bloodless end...but cannot. Then, the story rolls back about six months to trace the causes of and players in that fatal shootout. These include an accident with an overturned van from which injured undocumented foreign agricultural workers flee, a series of execution-style murders, an identity switch, an influx of big city gang members, millions of dollars in illegal pot, and a family of redneck farmers.

But back to Hadley Knox for a second. She is a substantial and pleasing additional to the Miller's Kill cast of characters. As a single mother struggling to make ends meet, her doubts about being able to cut it as the first female sworn officer on Russ' team seem very genuine. Since the youngest member of the force, Kevin Flynn, thinks she is the most beautiful woman around, she, amusingly, also has her hands full with him.

Indeed, no Clare/Russ book would be whole without Spencer-Fleming's gentle sense of humor. I SHALL NOT WANT includes several lovely laugh-out-loud bits. The most hilarious follows a scene of danger and uproar. I won't spoil it, but it is a wonderful tension-breaker.

Does I SHALL NOT WANT adequately come to terms with the stark situation in which ALL MORTAL FLESH left Russ and Clare? I think so, although arguably it skittered over some of the hard work. However, Spencer-Fleming knows that as long as we live, there is no ending, happy or otherwise. We keep moving from one feeling and circumstance to another. So, if Russ and Clare don't hyper-analyze their every doubt, isn't that a touch of realism rather than a lack of penetrating drama? Deputy Chief Lyle MacAuley tells Clare at one point, " 'We don't have near enough time on this earth, and what we do have, we fritter away acting like damn fools.' " Yup. Clare and Russ can't afford to stay stuck forever in any one moment, not matter how fateful. They can't let any one thing define them. They are the sum of their lives. Lives which keep moving along, whether they like it or not.

Kevin takes his chance to giddily espouse his feelings for Hadley: "That was love....love, love, love." Spencer-Fleming makes sure love has its day in the sun in I SHALL NOT WANT, but again, I won't spoil whether Clare and Russ get the same opportunity as Kevin. Whatever happens, love -- in all its manifestations, including lovemaking -- can't make happy endings, only happiness along the way. In this truth lies the bittersweet residue of the novel's poignant fade out.

Now, here's hoping for a seventh addition to this adroit and distinguished mystery series!

__________________
* from publisher's comments on the back cover.

Like several other reviewers of recent Spencer-Fleming's books in this series I was really hooked after the first one or two, but lost her after she went way overboard on the shoot-em-up type of harrowing experiences in the next one so I with reluctance decided to try this most recent one after it became available in PB with good reviews. To say the least I was really pleased until the very end when right after another "harrowing close encounter" that was believable where S-F had to install a totally unbelievable "action" supposed to I guess appeal to the juvenile audience. Never-the-less up to that point the story was very good with the portrayal of the two main characters very deep and moving and as one reviewer said at times laugh out loud. The introduction of two new characters was also very well done.S-F portrayal of church life is also on the spot. I would recommend this book with the caveat that you skim the last "barn-burner" as adding nothing to the depth of the story.

After the last book, I was disappointed in the plotting. It seemed too much over-the-edge and melodramatic, leaving Russ and Clare both emotional basket cases. This has been a good comeback with careful plotting, good pacing, no loose ends, and strong secondary characters. The romance issues between Kevin Flynn and Hadley Knox are a foil for the problems of Russ and Clare as they try to sort out their relationships. The deputy chief turns out to be a better man than we at first thought. All in all, this is a good mystery, and one of the best series available. The real reason is, I believe, the strong characters that carry the story. We look forward to the next one.

The Reverend Clare Fergusson and Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne have endured much during their star-crossed relationship. In spite of the fourteen-year gap in their ages, Clare and Russ love one another deeply. They have been kept apart by a series of tragic events that have left them emotionally scarred. In Julia Spencer-Fleming's "I Shall Not Want," Clare and Russ become involved in the plight of Mexican migrant workers who are being targeted for death. Three victims have been shot in the back of the head execution-style. Why would a serial killer attack these particular individuals? Could the culprits be the Christie brothers, a local bunch of violent thugs, or were the murders committed by outsiders with an agenda of their own? Russ and his colleagues have their hands full learning the truth in a case with many hidden dimensions and no witnesses who are willing to cooperate with the authorities. Caught in the crossfire are a migrant worker named Amado Esfuentes and an abused young woman, Isobel Christie, who reaches out to him in desperation.

The book's setting is the small Adirondack town of Millers Kill, a rural enclave in upstate New York with a thriving grapevine and a network of caring and compassionate citizens. Thirty-six year old Clare Fergusson is a rector in St. Alban's Episcopal Church; her unconventional behavior and penchant for getting into hot water have garnered her bishop's displeasure on more than one occasion. Clare is also a Black Hawk helicopter pilot and an active member of the National Guard, 142nd Aviation Battalion, combat support--an uncommon sideline for a woman of the cloth. Although she is considered a maverick by some, Clare's congregants love her because she is deeply committed to performing good works and does her best to bring her parishioners closer to the Almighty. She is also self-effacing, generous, and blessed with a wonderful sense of humor. "I Shall Not Want" features two particularly appealing characters: Hadley Knox is a beautiful single mother who joins the Millers Kill police force and catches the eye of her strait-laced fellow officer, Kevin Flynn. Although Hadley has no desire to embark on a workplace romance, Kevin, who is eight years younger than Hadley, is determined to win her over.

Spencer-Fleming poignantly explores the unfortunate plight of migrant workers in America, many of whom live in appalling conditions, without proper health care or social services. A nun named Sister Lucia asks Clare for support in assisting this oppressed population. Unfortunately, the book's strengths are offset by its heavy-handed dialogue and overheated plot. As the story progresses, it begins to resemble a daytime soap opera, with steamy sex scenes, violent confrontations, and a cliffhanger conclusion. Although diehard fans of Spencer-Fleming will most likely find "I Shall Not Want" entertaining enough, some discriminating readers may be irritated by the author's reliance on formulaic devices to generate and hold her audience's attention.

Julia Spencer-Fleming has done it again. Another 5 Star novel featuring Episcopal Priest Clare Fergusson and the town's police chief, Russ Van Alstyne. This is the sixth in the series and Spencer-Fleming weaves the story together sensitively and with enough mystery to keep the reader on edge to the very end. It is a love story in many ways involving a member of the clergy and a civil officer, of the love of people who suffer from injustice--in this case the migrant community, of love of Latinos and Gringoes, and woven throughout with attempting to solve the injustices of murder and prejudice. As an Episcopal Priest and I believe that Spencer-Fleming understands the issues that confront contemporary religious communities and secular society in a beautifully woven novel that transcend any religion or religious boundaries. I look forward to many more by Spencer-Fleming.

I have loved all of the other Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mysteries. This one disappointed me because Clare and Russ didn't seem to be in it as much as some of the others. Hadley is an interesting new character, and, as others have mentioned, some interesting and current topics come up... But I missed the interactions between Clare and Russ that seemed more limited in this book. As a stand alone book, I would give it 4 stars, but compared to the others in the series, I give it 3 stars.

This book has all the suspense of an excellent mystery, plus everything you expect in a novel of any genre, including enjoyable characters, romance, humor, and clever turns of phrase.

Many mystery stories I have read follow a predictable pattern. After the initial crime, justice triumphs: all the bad guys are convicted or die, and all the good guys survive unharmed. Spencer-Fleming's books are less predictable, which for me makes them more suspenseful. A criminal may get away, or an innocent person may die.

Also, each Spencer-Fleming novel is very different from the previous ones. The wonderful variety in this series prevents the boredom I sometimes experience when successive books by the same author seem too similar. "I Shall Not Want" is a multi-faceted novel that includes a suspenseful mystery, whereas "All Mortal Flesh" is a fast-paced mystery that does not pause for breath. The events of "To Darkness and To Death" take place in a single day, while "Out of the Deep I Cry" involves two mysteries, one contemporary and one 75 years old.

Julia Spencer-Fleming's done it again! As a younger female Episcopal priest myself, I appreciate Julia's ability to unpack the complexities of the life of a single, female priest, serving in a small town in the 'North Country.' 'I Shall Not Want' is a particularly satisfying addition to the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne series. Spencer-Fleming compellingly engages very timely topics such as immigration, the war on drugs and the war in Iraq, sexism in the workplace, and the gifts and challenges of generations of family negotiating life together. If that was not enough, the mystery is exhilarating, and the romance, hotter than August. And of course, she leaves us wanting more.

this series is excellent! The characters are human, flawed, and you want to know more about them. The priest is not seen as perfection, the sheriff is not a straight and narrow person. They both struggle, as humans do. What a wonderful continuation of these characters!

This book, like the previous ones, has a good plot and moves along. However, the descent into gratuitous and explicit sex is unnecessary and detracts drom the quality of the rest of the writing. If the author feels that the sex scenes are necessary she should devote the entire manuscript to it for those who read books for that "pleasure:. However, for those of us who read a book for its true plot and quality--well you've lost us as fans.

This series, which began with In The Bleak Midwinter, is a gift to readers who value fine writing, intelligence, humor, romance, good plotting and characters that are as true as any person you know. I was practically jumping up and down waiting for I Shall Not Want to be published, and it did not disappoint in any way. I am now waiting with equal impatience and anticipation for the next installment on Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne and the rest of the Millers Kill inhabitants. I saw the list of awards bestowed on Ms. Spencer-Fleming after I had read the first book, and I was delighted to see that my enthusiasm for her gifts as a writer were ratified by such a wide spectrum of critical acclaim. If you haven't started this series yet, I envy you the discovery.

This long-awaited (by her fans)book was well worth the long wait. Julia Spencer-Fleming has created an amazing series of books which weave crime-solving and romance in a unique way. Her main characters are so well-crafted that the reader feels drawn into their 'lives' in a way I have seldom experienced. You care what happens to them! Well-drawn plot lines and excellent writing make this book- and the whole series- must-reads. And now I am waiting for the next one with bated breath.

I love this series and just wish Julia Spencer-Fleming could write faster!! These are among my favorite books - the relationship between Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne is perfectly written! Highly recommended!

Thanks to Julia Spencer-Fleming for another good read in this series. She is consistent with the quality of her stories and the personalities of her characters. I can't wait for the next installment of the Russ and Clare saga.

This author was recommended to me, so I picked up this recent book. It does not stand alone. Firstly, I was thrown by the form the author chose to tell the story. The first section was current time, then she jumped to the past to explain how the situation reached the point where the book began. It was a hard read. There were many, many characters, lots of violence and constant references to things that happened in previous books, I assume. At one point, the chief of police mentioned having arrested his mother. As she was a likeable 75 year old woman, I would have liked to know what she could have done to cause her son to arrest her. The book was full of this kind of thing -- the police chief was widowed and apparently the minister had something to do with it, etc. I confess, I skipped a huge chunk of pages & jumped back in shortly before the time period where the book started, so I did find out who survived & who most of the victims were, but it certainly wasn't the pleasurable read I was expecting.

I can picture this book series as a television series and I would TOTALLY watch it. The characters are very real--strengths and flaws. I enjoyed the small-town New York setting--very similar to something that might happen locally here.

When I reviewed "All Mortal Flesh", I titled my review "All Moral Flesh" and complained about the series prudish lack of good (and appropriate) sex scenes. Well, Julia must have listened because she gets it right in Book #6. J S-F proves she can write as good sex scenes as she can action scenes, and her dialogue, and characters are as compelling as ever. What a fun read!

Ms. Spencer-Fleming is a very competent fiction writer who involves the reader right in the moment and sucks you in so you feel you are right there with the characters, who seem as real as your own friends and neighbors. She keeps the plot and the suspense humming along. As for credibility, I had a bit of a problem with the "composition book" as the bad guys in post 2000 would have probably actually used a PDA or a memory stick and a password -- they're not stupid and have tons of money, let's not forget. The cache of marijuana plot was a bit formulaic as well, but didn't interfere with the way the author pulled it off.

I also had a bit of a problem with Clare just having to ship off to Iraq at the end, after she and Russ had just been to the gates of hell and back. It seems she could have easily told the military, "I've changed my mind, as I have too much on my plate right here." She wasn't conscripted after all. So why not move on to a new phase where Russ and Clare face different challenges as a happily married couple? Think kidnapped offspring or something like that. I'm sure the clever Ms. Spencer-Fleming can come up with fascinating ways to keep the series alive for a few more volumes without the forced and artificial separation of her heroes.

This was the most poorly edited kindle book I have read. Incorrectly spelled words, nonsense words, disgraceful punctuation, etc. The story and characters were lost in the terrible editing. I wish I could get my purchase refunded.

Spencer-Fleming continues the romantic tension between her two main characters, while addressing issues of societal concern, in this case the situation of immigrants. It was easier to put down than earlier books in the series.

I have read and really enjoyed all of Julia Spencer Fleming's Ferguson/Van Alstyne mysteries and am an avid mystery reader in the tradition of the british mystery novel classic. I loved the first novels, they really kept in pace with the best type of mystery. And I love Spencer Fleming's adherence to christian values, which was why I decided to read her books in the first place. I was dying for this book to come out, as I had finished the others and couldn't wait for Russ and Clare to do it again. However, despite the plot twists, and the continuing excellence of written prose, this book is a complete disappointment on the christian values front. While none of her other books contained any outright sexual encounters, be forewarned that this book is not like the others. I feel that Spencer Fleming has given into her publishers in trying to make this book more crowd pleasing for more readers. She has undermined the character of the two main characters, and had three sets of couples jumping into bed together with explicit sexual encounters that I would expect from a romance novelist, not a top notch mystery writer. I hope very much her next book brings Russ and Clare back to themselves, as honorable and moral people, and refrains from trying to spice things up with unwarranted and unnecessary sexual scenes.