To Darkness and to Death (Fergusson/Van Alstyne Mysteries) by Julia Spencer-Fleming (2012-12-11)

I continue to enjoy this series that I began reading such a short time ago. Spencer-Fleming knows how to write pulse-pounding scenes of action and danger while bringing her characters to life. Russ Van Alstyne and Clare Fergusson are two good people who've pledged themselves to help others. They are also falling deeply in love with each other, and this plunges them into a huge briar patch of moral dilemmas. I'd say that it's a treat to watch them walk the tightrope of professional respect and fiery passion except for one tiny fact: Spencer-Fleming not only makes readers feel the characters' attraction, she makes them feel their pain. This is probably the best relationship in crime fiction, and I'm always torn between inhaling the books in this series as quickly as I can to find out what happens to these two, or trying to take some time to savor each one. So far I'm savoring, but it's not easy.

Spencer-Fleming not only provides a top notch story and wonderfully complex characters (one of which is the upper New York state setting), there's also plenty of insight into human nature. She also touches on environmental issues with the estate being handed over to a nature conservancy, showing how this would affect the area's hunters as well as local logging companies and paper manufacturing.

If I have any complaints about this fourth book, it would be that too much time is spent with minor characters and not enough with Russ and Clare. The author is treading a very fine line with the two from a moralistic standpoint, and I know that they can't spend every day in each other's pockets, but when I find myself reading and reading and then thinking to myself, "Hey, where are Russ and Clare?" I know it's been too long between their scenes.

Now that I have that complaint off my chest, I find myself itching to pick up the next book in the series. I'm addicted!

The fourth book in the Clare Fergusson Russ Van Alstyne series describes a very eventful day in the Adirondack Mountain town of Millers Kill, New York. That may be a gross understatement. As one character states: "A murder, a missing person, and an assault case all in one day? It's like one of those signs of the Apocalpyse."

As the book, and the day, begins, the only event of major import is that it is Police Chief Van Alstyne's 50th birthday. He is doing some serious soul-searching, as he and Reverend Clare Fergusson are coming to terms with their strong mutual attraction, and Russ has to make a decision on whether to tell his wife about his love for another woman. But that is pushed to the background as sinister events occur. There is a land buyout about to come to fruition, 250,000 acres of timberland involved, affecting as it will the lives and livelihoods of many of the townspeople. Tempers flare, things get horribly out of hand, and violence ensues. A more traumatic and fateful birthday for a protagonist would be hard to imagine.

The concept of stewardship of the land (and the local businesses) comes into play. Generations of landowners find that their values may no longer be shared by their children and grandchildren. Russ and Clare find that they have to go beyond their primary vocations to smooth the troubled waters, and try to find out what, and who, is behind the crimes. It is hard to find a sympathetic character among these people, most of whom have known each other - or their families - all their lives.

As always, the author lays out the lives and backgrounds of the Millers Kill inhabitants very thoroughly, and in interesting fashion, and as the book approaches its denouement, the suspense increases immeasurably. (Parenthetically, I loved the tip-of-the-hat to Lee Child and his protagonist, Jack Reacher.)

The constantly shifting p.o.v. did make the read difficult at times, but the good writing and intriguing plot made it worthwhile, and the book is recommended.

Russ and Clare are always a good read. Here, add to the mix the local forests and the various claims and attempts on them, including loggers, paper mill, new resort, landowners, mulit-national corporations and ecological groups wanting them, and maybe even eco-terrorists. A mystery that is set in only one day, an otherwise auspicious one for police chief Russ Van Alstyne, proves to be a daunting day, with two women disappearing and emotional and sometimes devious responses to the losses of business and jobs in the planned-for transition of the forest that would put an end to logging in the area. The van der Hoeven three siblings own the vast acreage that will be transferred to the multi-national and then the conservancy group the night of the tale at the inaugural event in the new resort. More than one someone doesn't want that to occur. Russ and Clare's attraction to one another is present, but in pretty mild doses as the story traces the effects of the potential land transfer and the actions of those who want it, those who do not, and people who feel forced to act out of character in response to the events. Russ and his police force, joined by a search and rescue crew and others, work to unravel the challenges of missing persons and suspicious individuals and activities. Spence-Fleming demonstrates her reliably sure hand in bringing Miller's Kill and its residents and visitors to us in clear, compelling ways. Once into the story, it draws its reader in page-turner fashion. One more thoroughly enjoyable visit with Russ and Clare and their world.

It's still night as far as Clare Fergusson, rector of St. Alban's Episcopal Church, is concerned when the call from Search and Rescue awakens her. She volunteered some time ago, and now she's needed despite the reluctance of the unit's leader to call on a - shudder! - woman. Heiress Millicent van der Hoeven has disappeared from her wealthy family's "great camp," a palatial wilderness retreat at which Millicent's disfigured brother has lived in near seclusion for most of his life. Eugene van der Hoeven must put up with a crowd now, though, because he's the one who reported his sister missing. The van der Hoevens are supposed to sign papers turning their land and home over to a nature conservancy at a grand ceremony this evening, and of course Clare wonders whether or not that has anything to do with Millicent's disappearance. So does local police chief Russ van Alstyne, an Army veteran like Clare - and a married man who, without either intending for it to happen, has fallen in very much requited love with the 30-something single priest.

That's the setup for an intriguing day-long narrative that takes the little upstate New York town of Millers Kill through a murder, several assaults that may or may not turn deadly, and a crisis in Clare's still young ministry as her bishop sends his own deacon to deal with this unconventional (or should that be problem?) priest. For the first half of the story I agreed with other reviewers who have noted that this book has a lot of characters, and that at times switching among their viewpoints can be confusing. Author Spencer-Fleming has used a different structure for this book than for the earlier ones in this series, and I was not at all sure I liked it until the plot took off. Russ and Clare began working together in the way they did in all the earlier books; and after that, I couldn't put it down.

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

This is the fourth book in Julia Spencer-Flemings' first-rate mystery series involving Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne, and it's another fine addition to an excellent mystery series. To Darkness and to Death focuses on the ripples of distress that spread out through the small town of Miller's Kill when a major employer in a major industry (timber and logging) is threatened with destruction. From the wealthy to the working-class and the poor, everyone in the area is affected.

Clare should be preparing for the bishop's visit, but instead she ends up on a search-and-rescue team trying to find the lost daughter of a super-wealthy family whose decisions are threatening the timber industry and so many people's livelihoods. It doesn't take long for Russ to smell something rotten in her disappearance. This book gives us a wider view than any of Spencer-Fleming's earlier books of the whole town and its outlying areas and of the various people who live there. The volatile relationship between Clare and Russ is acted out against this larger, darker backdrop.

Another winning entry in a superb series!

This series has as its detective an Episcopal priest, Clare Ferguson, working with her friend Russ Van Alstyne, local chief of police. Their friendship is closer than it should be since he's a married man, which I find an annoying part of the series, but some may find this tension romantic. I just find it a bit seedy.

The plot of this mystery involves a wealthy family (the van der Hoevans), who own a vast acreage in upstate New York. In a complicated deal, a Malaysian megacorporation is buying the land and donating it to a conservancy, which will have a serious impact on quite a few people. At the beginning of the book, we learn that one of the family has been reported missing, and Clare is called in to help with the search (she has relevant army experience and outdoorsmanship skills). The plot gets more complicated as the story goes on, with a number of people doing things that I quite frankly find incredible but which make for an involved story. The ending is like that burst of fireworks that always signals that the display has come to an end. All the story lines are resolved, some more satisfactorily than others, in my opinion.

Speaking as someone who has read all the previous books in the series, I think her books could use some editing, particularly as she has characters saying and doing some highly improbable things. I thought the story line involving Jeremy should have been taken out altogether and the book would have been improved. And although the author is getting better about doing her homework on the Episcopal Church, she still manages to get some things wrong, particularly the conversation that takes place between Clare and the "Bishop's Deacon" (the Archdeacon?). Clare simply would not have been unaware of how much trouble she was in. And the "Bishop's Deacon" would not have spoken to her in those terms but rather addressed the question of what she was or was not allowed to do.

I'll keep on reading these books, and the things I don't like about them may not bother other readers as much as they did me. The setting she creates is so vivid that you can imagine it all in your mind, and that alone is worth reading the books in this series for. They also serve to keep you well absorbed on a long plane flight or a rainy night.

Title: To Darkness and To Death

Author: Julia Spencer-Fleming

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books

ISBN: 0312334850

Genre: Mystery

What do a kidnapped girl, a lady priest, a man whose logging business is threatened by his own daughter's activities and a man looking for job security have in common? Or any of the many other characters involved in this intriguing tale of murder that stems from misunderstandings and motives that aren't what they seem?

A girl is missing, presumed lost in the woods and search is instituted. She isn't found, but another girl, badly beaten, is discovered. Are these incidents related? How? Who could do such a thing? Is the missing girl dead?

Those and many other questions drive the plot of this intriguing and complex tale. Desperation is an unseen character in this story, but his hand is felt in all scenes as a single act by one person impinges on the intents and actions of another. Follow Reverend Clare Fergusson as she tries to unravel the tangle caused by the simple act of a society trying to preserve a forest.

Highly recommended. An excellent read by a very talented author whose other works you'll be searching out to read. Enjoy. I sure did.

Julia Spencer-Fleming's mystery series set in the town of Millers Kill, New York has already won rave reviews, awards, and legions of fans. TO DARKNESS AND TO DEATH, its fourth installment, should bring even more accolades to this deserving series.

Spencer-Fleming's main characters are Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne. As the two inevitably get drawn into solving mysteries in their small town, they also have developed an undeniable romantic attraction. The only problem? Clare is the town's Episcopal priest while Russ is Millers Kill's older, married police chief. The moral complexities of the pair's attraction to each other add a thought-provoking dimension to the series' excellent character development and exquisite plotting.

In TO DARKNESS AND TO DEATH, both Russ and Clare's relationship, and Spencer-Fleming's storytelling skills, are taken to the next level. The author takes the risky move of setting the novel's entire action in a single day, switching rapidly from character to character as she tells her story, often revealing events only through a series of overlapping perspectives. The result is a tale that is rich in dramatic irony, as the reader soon becomes aware of mistaken identities, lies, and misunderstandings that are unapparent to the characters, who do not have the benefit of these multiple perspectives. Despite making the reader feel all-knowing, though, Spencer-Fleming still has some tricks up her sleeves, and will almost certainly still manage to surprise most readers somewhere along the way.

Like other books in the series, this latest installment touches on environmental issues and on small-town politics. This time, a large estate occupied by a mysterious, reclusive burn victim is about to be sold to a large corporation and managed by the Adirondack Conservancy Corporation. The impact on the area's hunters, not to mention its logging companies and paper manufacturers, will be significant. It seems that every businessperson in town has a stake in the future of the land, and that some will go to great lengths to protect their own interests.

Spencer-Fleming has a good understanding of small-town life, and TO DARKNESS AND TO DEATH underscores many of her themes. All the characters seem related in multiple ways, connections that can provide support but also complications. Near the end of the novel, Russ Van Alstyne reflects, "It's true... We are all related. If not by blood, then by bonds we don't even realize. Until they're gone." In her mysteries, Spencer-Fleming offers not only good stories, but also reflections into the nature of human connections and the human heart.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

Another winner in this series. A "tragedy-of-errors", if there is such a thing. Lots of coincidences as the culprits and heroes bumble their way through one long November day in the Adirondacks. Not enough of Clare, really, as I adore her courage and kindness.

Rebeccasreads highly recommends TO DARKNESS AND TO DEATH as the fourth in the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mysteries, this time centering around the acquisition of a huge tract of forest around Millers Kill.

A conservation group, led by a logger's daughter, is determined to return the woodlands to its natural state, thus putting local logging & milling families out of work.

Money, work, greed & hope all play a part in the desperate lives of those facing financial ruin. Fights & accidents, rage & lies tighten the strands of the web as plots & jealousy seethe in the autumn daylight.

& amid the hunt for a missing woman, an assault & a murder, Clare & Russ move toward a closer union, even as the annual visit of her bishop looms, & the grand opening of a new resort brings a sometime lover to town to squire her for the evening festivities.

As with all Julia Spencer-Fleming mysteries, there are layers upon layers as the denizen of Millers Kill make matters worse as they try to cover their tracks, ending this time with a satisfying & explosive resolution to a confused race against quasi-ecoterrorists.

Julia Spencer-Fleming just keeps on getting it right!

I will read anything that Spencer-Fleming writes, but have some reservations about the way the series is going. I am becoming a trifle bored with Clare, who seems to have no particular intellectual interests and is always willing to show off her army training at the drop of a hat. I like the introduction of the bishop, who, although somewhat of a caricature, adds some tension to the relationship between Clare and Russ. Of course, the sensible thing for her to do is ask for transfer to another location, but people in love are not sensible. At the end when Russ decides to tell Linda of their attraction (and that is all that it is for the moment) he is out of character and out of his mind. Of course, Clare could solve their dilemma by changing to a Methodist, but that would be too easy! So we wait for the next installment and the rising crime rate of Miller's Kill.

This is the fourth in this series featuring Episcopal minister Clare Ferguson and Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne. In this outing, Ferguson is called out to help search for a woman gone missing over night. Van Alstyne, on the other hand, has taken the day off because it's his birthday. Ferguson and her fellow searchers don't find the missing woman. More events keep piling up - a death, a woman found severely beaten, and the missing woman - seemingly unrelated.

The plot of this story is complex, but Spencer-Fleming manages to keep all the story lines going forward and advancing the story towards solving the mystery of who did what to whom. It is told from the point of view of several characters, including Ferguson and Van Alstyne. It wasn't until nearly three-quarters of the way through the book that the story turns to Ferguson and Van Alstyne. The jumping from point of view to point of view was disconcerting. I missed solving the mystery with Ferguson and Van Alstyne from start to finish. I hope Spencer-Fleming doesn't continue to write in this format.

I've enjoyed each of the entries in this series. However, this entry was my least favorite. I will certainly read the next entry, but if she continues to write in this format, it will be my last.

I love these books because the main characters are so diverse from the run of the mill detectives. The first one I "read" (listened to on my Kindle as an audio book from the library.) was somewhere in the middle of the series. When I realized it was a series, I looked for the first one and began the journey. Murder is always a grisly business, but when the characters are interesting, I can't stop turning the pages!

John Huggins of the Millers Kill Search and Rescue asks volunteer Episcopalian Priest Clare Fergusson to help look for a missing woman lost in the Adirondacks. The nine year Air Force veteran joins the team learning that the missing woman is twenty-six years old Millie van der Hoeven, who was staying at her brother's home for the past three months, but failed to return from a walk.

At about the same time, Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne feels guilt over falling in love with Revered Fergusson though he is married to Lindy, who lovingly has been at his side every step of the way for twenty-five years. Adding to his discomfort Lindy gives him a special rifle for his fiftieth birthday while he struggles to say the words I love you to her. The missing person's case leads to a homicide and a land deal going bad all within the Blue Line that demarcates the Adirondack State Park. As Russ and Clare team up once again, their feelings for one another remain deep, but both fears the first step because it means telling Lindy.

The fourth entry in the Millers Kill, New York investigative series is a wonderful tale that provides an atmosphere of a small mountain town struggling with a deadly land deal. The lead couple remains an interesting pair in love, but trying not to hurt the kind innocent third party to their triangle. The who-done-it is cleverly developed so that the storyline, like the roads in the area, serpentine around the mountain. The audience obtains a tense terrific thriller that builds up from one scenario to a different one until the final altercation.

Harriet Klausner

I started reading the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne series because I was searching for inexpensive kindle purchases and "In the Bleak Mid-Winter" got good reviews. It's actually an excellent, creative, very well-written series. And this book is very good. But I mind when the kindle price exceeds the cost of the paper copy. And I mind when I can buy the kindle version of the first three books cheaply but then the rest of the series costs more on kindle than paper. I suppose the assumption is that readers will continue with the series and pay a higher kindle price once they're sucked in. But no, I won't. I will either purchase the hard copy or, as I did with this book and the rest of the series thereafter, borrow it from the library. Obviously, the publisher and the author would have done better to keep the kindle price very reasonable. There are lots of people like me out there. I do not want to pay more for kindle than for the hard copy and I do not like publishers playing supply-demand games with me.

As one of the other more astute reviewers wrote before me, this book has all the makings of the dark Greek plays such as Oedipus. I had a difficult time reading those plays in literature, and I have a difficult time reading these books by Spencer-Fleming. She is a very good writer, in some ways such a good writer as to feel she is wasting her time on mysteries (except for those of us who enjoy our mysteries). I would hope she has time for other genres as well.

It's amazing how different writers can make New England either beautiful and full of colors, or deeply dark, with days that are gray with snow and seem to be full of hidden secrets. Part of it is this is the oldest settled part of the U.S. so we see it as having more time for history and secrets.

Like Pittsburgh, PA many parts of the New England area are striving to find ways to survive. Their past industries are gone. The paper mills, lumber has gone up to Canada, acid rain has caused environmental problems, etc. So those who try to stay in their homes have to struggle for jobs that are few, and the usual greediness of course comes in conflict with environmentalists and that very need for good jobs for people to live off of.

Another problem in here is the not dealt with problem of a boy who grew up with a disability. Later it becomes obvious this is not his only disability, but if they had caught the first one, the other one would have been found most likely. Because it was hidden, it led to the death of many people.

The conflict between the town's female minister and her attraction to the town's chief of police is usually commented on by older female readers, and not the male readers, so I was pleased to see a man express some of the same feelings I have towards this part of these mysteries. Here are two people trying to do what is right, and yet they are put in too close proximity to each other. Even if one was married to someone who was not the best of spouse, our society has made it too easy to quit our marriages. The only answer, which the author has brought up is the need for the minister to change her place of job...

Karen Sadler

Rev. Clare Fergusson is called out to help search for a missing woman, whose family land is about to be sold that evening for a resort. Some would call that avoidance--and they'd be right. Clare's bishop is coming for a visit the next day. Just before that, the bishop's deacon and 'fixer' arrives to discuss some problems the arch diocese is having with Clare.

As the search progresses, Clare is thrown more and more into the company of the town's very married police chief, Russ Van Alstyne. The pair's relationship is already causing some talk, but the two are doing their best to keep everything above-board despite their feelings for each other.

Meanwhile, several subplots are evolving as a newly unemployed logger angrily assaults a lumber mill owner's daughter and his wife tries to cover it up. Also, a mill owner discovers someone who might just change his fate--if he plays his cards right...

The book is very intense, but I didn't find it as compelling as the others in this series. It is still a very worthwhile read and is definitely needed before "All Mortal Flesh."

Because of the many positive reviews here, I picked this book up but found it choppy, with too many characters and with confusion because of the overlapping points of view. The two leading characters were flat, with the action happening all around them but no real sense of their personalities. The plot points relating to the kidnapping and to environmental concerns did not play out as really fitting together. I also thought that the author's dialogue was stilted and unbelievable.

Maybe it was unwise to choose this as the first one of the series to read but it seems to me that each book should be a stand-alone good read. That wasn't the case and I'm unlikely to follow up with others by this author.

In To Darkness and To Death, Julia Spencer-Fleming has given readers an exciting ride through Millers Kill. I stayed up half the night to finish as one twist after another drew me in. The characters are real people: some we like, some we admire, and some have our sympathy if nothing else. The situation makes the erupting emotions believable, and we're privileged to see both sides of the issue. Very highly recommended!

In this novel time flies quite literally and you become so gripped by the unfolding action that you loose the sequence of the time line.

The book is tragic in two senses. One being how a relatively normal and ordinary person can harm and even kill another human being and instead of trying to save the person they harm they try to cover it all up in the worst possible way. The offender in this book eventually faces a poetic type of justice which is something Spencer-Fleming has done brilliantly underscoring one of the central themes in this series of novels which is that crime does not pay in any sense in the long term. This theme is emphasiisied by the other plot line about how far a womam will go too protect and support the man she loves no matter what he has done-she too eventually loses everything.

The second tragedy is the love affair between Claire and Russ the love they feel for each other is potent and moving yet with Russ being married, unhappiness and grief seem only a heartbeat away and the future for the lead characters seems murky and undeciphable.

All the characters in the book including the very minor ones are all richly drawn,intriguing and multifaceted.

My one issue with the book is that the narration flits between so many different characters quite unlike the first 3 books in the series which had the effect of unsettling me and I am afraid that I find I much prefer to concentrate on the experiences of the two leads as the series unfolds.

Well done Julia Spencer Fleming and when can we expect the next book in the series I can hardly wait!!!

I agree with others who pointed out that the main characters are missing throughout the majority of this book. I found the book for the most part to be a long read. I have also found my patience with the relationship between Rev. Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne at an end. Her character is always jumping in without thinking or thinking her way is best in police investigations where she has little experience. He finds her frustrating but, he's in love. We are to believe she is sincere in her vows with her church and yet she continues to have a relationship with a married man. In order to enjoy a book I need to like or find something redeeming with the characters. This is no longer the case with Ms Spencer Fleming's characters.

I have enjoyed this series since the beginning. There is something very unique about Spencer-Fleming's style. She writes her dialogue in a very natural tone. Her characters are well-developed and interesting. The mysteries are challenging without being too complex to figure out.

That said, I have to say this is my least favorite book of the series. I agree with other reviewers on one major point. Russ and Claire are in the background way too much. At one point, there is something like 128 pages between scenes of them together. In that space, there is very little story involving either of them at all. This was very disappointing.

The story itself was not terribly interesting and I found myself having to reread portions just to remember who was who. Honestly, I skipped over many parts because it just got boring and tedious to read. Had Spencer-Fleming used characters we already knew, this might have been a better story. However, she brought in many new characters, of which maybe only one or two were even likable.

The scenes between Claire and Russ were excellent as usual but there just weren't enough of them.

With her first three books, Spencer-Fleming quickly became one of my favorite authors. She still is dispite this disappointing installment. I hope in the next book, the focus is back on the characters that have made me want to continue this series in the first place.

I can't name one author of a series who does not have at least one book that doesn't live up to the rest of the series. Hopefully this will be the only one.

I still recommend this book to her readers in order to keep up on the Russ/Claire storyline.

These mysteries have been somewhat entertaining but not great, however "To Darkness and to Death" has put me off Julia Spencer-Fleming, perhaps permanently. The characters, coincidences and ultimate conclusion are so contrived and unbelievable that I found myself getting angry while I read it. I almost just put it down but then I kept thinking she might pull it out of the depths; she didn't. One character gets kidnapped three times by three different people, all sorts of heretofore decent, if not brilliant, citizens turn to, or at least contemplate, kidnapping, murder and mayhem without a second thought. It's a terrible disappointment; Ms. Spencer-Fleming has dragged Clare & Russ through enough improbable circumstances, time to give them a rest!

Julia Spenser-Fleming after only three books is one of the most highly regarded writers of the mystery genre. Her third book, OUT OF THE DEEP I CRY, was nominated for the Edgar Award as best novel. Personally, I found it to be a bit too character driven. Her latest is a more balanced work between vital characterization and riveting plot. The result is the best book she has written and probably one of the best works of the year.

Clare Fergusson, an Episcopalian priest working in Miller's Kill, a rural community in upstate New York, is called to take part in a search and rescue. Apparently the daughter of a wealthy landowner has disappeared into the surrounding forest. Initially, she is felt to be lost but as time goes on, foul play becomes suspected. Russ Van Alstyne, police chief, also gets involved in the search. The fear level soon escalates when another young woman is found beaten and left for dead. At the same time, an environmental organization is planning on buying up a substantial portion of land placing many of the local men into unemployment. Could all these events be related?

Interestingly, it is the women in this deftly written fast paced novel that get the men into trouble. An attempted rescue turns into a kidnapping when the gal being rescued accuses her would be rescuer of murdering her brother after his accidental death. Another woman leads a man into a violent act by provoking him while repeatedly taking his picture with a camera. Last is the destructive relationship between Clare and the married Russ. The two are in love yet never even touched. Russ is married to a woman who loves him and to see Russ and Clare cavort and flirt is painful to witness. It is not violent tragedy like the other two events but is a personal tragedy.

The writing is well done, as usual and the character development is not bad for having to develop SO many characters to keep the kaleidscopic and implausible plot going. It's an enjoyable read but not as good as her earlier books. Read to Darkness and to To Death for fun and for grittier reading, check out the new novels Val McDermid and/or Karin Slaughter have written for their series.

Julia Spencer-Fleming treads a fine line between professional respect and deep passion in her wonderful series featuring Russ Van Alstyne and Clare Fergusson. Like all really accompished series writers, she keeps her readers initimately involved in the struggles of her characters while continuing to create plausible circumstances for an Episcopal priest and small town police chief to be working to solve crimes together. This series has a brilliant take on sense of place, almost as if it were a third character. Well worth recommending.

In New York, John Huggins of the Millers Kill Search and Rescue asks volunteer Episcopalian Priest Clare Fergusson to help look for a missing woman lost in the Adirondacks. The nine year Air Force veteran joins the team learning that the missing woman is twenty-six years old Millie van der Hoeven, who was staying at her brother's home for the past three months, but failed to return from a walk.

At about the same time, Millers Kill Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne feels guilt over falling in love with Revered Fergusson though he is married to Lindy, who lovingly has been at his side every step of the way for twenty-five years. Adding to his discomfort Lindy gives him a special rifle for his fiftieth birthday while he struggles to say the words I love you to her. The missing person's case leads to a homicide and a land deal going bad all within the Blue Line that demarcates the Adirondack State Park. As Russ and Clare team up once again, their feelings for one another remain deep, but both fears the first step because it means telling Lindy.

The reprint of the fourth entry in the Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne investigative series is a wonderful tale that provides an atmosphere of a small mountain town struggling with a deadly land deal. The lead couple remains an interesting pair in love, but trying not to hurt the kind innocent third party to their triangle. The whodunit is cleverly developed so that the storyline, like the roads in the area, serpentine around the mountain. The audience obtains a tense terrific thriller that builds up from one scenario to a different one until the final altercation.

Harriet Klausner

This sensitively penned drama of ethical struggle versus real life love and passions fulfils at several levels - the crime/mystery to be solved and the moral dilemmas to ponder.
The characters are true to life but never boring and the setting authentically enchanting.
A fabulous read for a night by the fire.

I've been reading the Claire Fergussen mysteries in order and I am hooked. Perhaps being a clergyman has something to do with it. This one draged a little but at the right moment twisted again. I will get the next one though at the moment I feel a bit like a glutton. I would like to meet Spencer Fleming and chat about her background.

This sensitively penned drama of ethical struggle versus real life love and passions fulfils at several levels - the crime/mystery to be solved and the moral dilemmas to ponder.
The characters are true to life but never boring and the setting authentically enchanting.
A fabulous read for a night by the fire.