Out of the Deep I Cry (Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries)

This one just finished this series off for me. Clare continues to get overly involved in everything that doesn't have to do with her actual job (frankly, it's a wonder that she has time to actually conduct services and attend to her other clerical duties). Russ continues to let her push her way into stuff that doesn't concern her. The mystery was okay--the story told in flashbacks was moving and the best part.
But the Clare/Russ developments finished this for me. I don't consider myself a rigid moralist, but I cannot find a justification for adultery in a world where divorce is available. Russ and Clare know that they are in love with each other, and they even confess it, and they excuse themselves and each other. Had Clare taken any steps to address her feelings for Ross (by, for example, seeking counseling from someone in the diocese), I might have felt some sympathy for her situation. But for most of the novel, she just keeps telling herself that it's all fine. And when she realizes towards the end that this is becoming dangerous, she sets a boundary that she then almost immediately surrenders. It's not that I expect more from a cleric than I do from a layperson; I expect more from the supposed hero and heroine of the book.

Dr. Allen Rouse, the irascible director of the free clinic in the the town of Millers Kill in Upstate New York vanishes one night. The disappearance echoes another one that occurred in 1930 when another man, Jonathan Ketcham, drove out into the night, never to be seen again.

Reverend Clare Fergusson, Army helicopter pilot turned Episcopal priest, and Sheriff Russ Van Alstyne join forces again to determine what happened to both men and to wonder whether the two disappearances might be linked despite the 70 years between them. Both of the men had a connection to Jonathan's wife, Jane Ketcham, who built the free clinic through cunning, hard work, and a will of steel and named it after her late husband. Now 30 years after the formidable Mrs. Ketcham's death, Dr. Rouse goes missing, too.

Author Julia Spencer-Fleming seamlessly weaves in lessons on the dangers of diphtheria in the early 20th century and on the current anti-vaccination crusades, all while crafting two compelling mysteries. Those who are new to the series can begin with this one without feeling lost, but longtime fans will enjoy seeing how the relationship between the principled Clare and the married Russ develops.

First Line: Russ Van Alstyne had just gotten a tug on his line when he saw the old lady get up from between the headstones she had been trimming, lay down her gardening tools, and walk into the reservoir.

A section of the St. Alban's Episcopal Church roof is ready to collapse, and the chances of getting it repaired look bleak until Mrs. Marshall decides to break the trust created by her mother. Instead of helping to fund the free clinic, the money from the trust will allow St. Alban's costly repairs to be done.

Losing a bit of its funding turns out to be the least of the troubles facing the Millers Kill Free Clinic because its doctor goes missing and a local woman seems to be the best suspect in town. Reverend Clare Fergusson finds herself investigating Dr. Rouse's disappearance alongside Chief of Police Russ Van Alstyne. What Clare and Russ don't realize is just how helpful Clare's volunteer work at the historical society is going to be. This case has long roots that go all the way back to the Prohibition era, and it's going to take everything Clare and Russ have got to untangle them to get at the truth.

I do love books that combine a current mystery with one that occurred in the past, and Julia Spencer-Fleming has created a marvelous one here. Chapters take the reader back to the 1930s when Mrs. Marshall's father disappeared without a trace, to the 1950s when her mother created the trust for the clinic, and even to 1970 when the young Russ Van Alstyne has his very first brush with the mystery.

Once again the author leads us through life in a small town. To those of us who have lived in one, it will seem as though we've gone home for a visit. To those who haven't, they can see it through the eyes of the Reverend Clare Fergusson, who, as a newcomer, is a rank amateur when it comes to dealing with a village gossip mill. The importance of a small town clinic is also outlined by showing us what happens when its doctor goes missing, and by how and why a local woman can campaign against having children receive immunizations to prevent disease.

When all was revealed at the end, I had to shake my head. All the clues were there, but I was so engrossed with the story and its characters that I didn't even think to tease out those threads of clues so that I could ponder them. If you like your books to be character rich, then you have to read these books by Julia Spencer-Fleming. Clare (a priest) and Russ (a married man) are two of the best characters in crime fiction, and the fact that they are two honorable people falling deeply in love with each other adds an extraordinary poignancy to each book.

Yes, these books can be read as standalones, but I would strongly advise against reading them as such. Yes, the stories are exceptional, but characters like Clare and Russ are like the rarest of pearls. You're going to want to collect them all.

The Clare Fergusson Russ Van Alstyne novels now number seven. This, the third in the series, has been issued in a trade paperback edition, among others recently published by Minotaur Books. The mystery around which the tale revolves starts in 1930, when Jane Ketchem's husband, Jonathan, disappears without a trace. Flashbacks to the 20's and the history of the Ketchems over past decades are present throughout the entire book, its chapters delineated "Then" and "Now."

There is a contemporary and somewhat analogous mystery as well, when another man goes missing, and the police force in the Adirondack Mountain region of Miller's Kill, New York (population 8,000), headed up by Police Chief Van Alstyne, attempts to track him, or his body, down. Russ had been a cop, military and civilian, for 25 years, but as usual, he and parish priest Fergusson end up doing dual investigations, despite his reminder "Me cop, you priest." But that never stopped Clare before, much to the dismay of the church elders. The growing attraction between the two is, as always, a major plot point, and becoming harder for the small town gossips to ignore the weekly lunches they enjoy, mindful of the fact that Clare is thirty-five and that Russ, a recovering alcoholic, is forty-nine and, more importantly, a married man.

Let it be said that I am a huge fan of this series, but had somehow missed this and the subsequent entry, which is next up for this reader. I have to add that I felt a bit let down on reading this one, unsure of exactly why, other than that some of the flashback scenes seemed to slow down the novel, as did some of the historical aspects, which were at the same time interesting.- - contradictory, I know. There is much discussion of the effects on the town when the old mills, "ornate brick mausoleums for the town's prosperity," closed down, and the valley was flooded when the dam was constructed. Over all it was a good read, and one which is recommended.

Two men disappeared - one in the present day, and one in 1930. As the Rev. Clare Fergusson and Chief of Police Russ Alstyne search for the man who disappeared after meeting a young woman in a cemetery, they unearth connections to the disappearance that occurred eighty years ago.
The Ketchem Free Clinic, named after the man who disappeared in 1930, is about to lose some of its funding, and Clare feels responsible. The man's daughter, Lacey Marshall, has decided to break the trust that provided funding for the clinic, and Clare's church, which is desperately in need of repairs, will benefit from the money.
The Ketchem farm was flooded in 1930 to allow for the creation of a reservoir, and every line of investigation, both past and present, seems to lead to this body of water, or the river that runs through the town of Millers Kill, New York. Clare's suspicions of the fate of Jonathan Ketchem, who disappeared so many years ago, connect to a diphtheria outbreak, and the reason for the visit to the cemetery the night Dr. Rouse disappeared.
This is one of Julia Spencer-Fleming's earlier books in this series, when Russ is still married. Their friendship is growing into an undeniable attraction which is difficult to keep secret in a small town like Millers Kill, New York. The two have very different goals and methods of finding the truth, but their paths cross constantly, as Clare cannot resist becoming involved in the investigation. Their ill-fated romance is as intriguing as the murder mystery, which alternates between past and present before we learn the truth. (As published in Suspense Magazine)

Jonathon Ketchem disappeared in 1930, and his case remains unsolved. Now, so many years later that the only survivor among his five children is an elderly lady, Lacey Ketchem Marshall decides to dissolve the trust fund her mother set up in her father's memory and donate the principal to St. Alban's Episcopal Church to meet an emergency need. While St. Alban's rector, the Reverend Clare Fergusson, appreciates the donation, she has reservations about withdrawing support from a free medical clinic. A clinic whose only staff physician has vanished just as completely and mysteriously as Jonathon Ketchem did, launching an investigation by the Millers Kill police department. An investigation led by the little upper New York state town's chief of police, Russ van Alstyne, a very much married man whose close friendship with the single woman priest has had local tongues wagging since the two met when Clare was appointed to St. Alban's - two shared criminal investigations ago.

For me it's all about the characters, and the two lead ones in this series have me well and truly hooked. Author Spencer-Fleming does just as good a job with her "lesser" characters, and she also writes a thoroughly engaging plot. I particularly enjoyed the way the two mysteries, then and now, played out and finally connected with each other. I dove into the next book without pausing after I finished this one!

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

Two mysteries intertwine in this visit to Miller's Kill. In the present day, Clare is battling with a leaking church roof, the charity of a kind lady and a small town bent on making something of a weekly lunch with the chief of police. Turns out that nice lady is the only surviving daughter of the Ketchams, and Jonathon's disappearance in 1930 remains Millers Kill oldest cold case. The disappearance of a local doctor twists these two stories together and shows how life in a small town is not immune to evil.

Excellent plot and characters. I am listening to this series in order, and really enjoy the performances by Suzanne Toren. Her voice stretches from Clare's lovely, warm Virginia accent to gruff old men to little children. These mysteries are very well written. Not too much gore, yet they always have an exciting action sequence near the end where Clare finds herself in mortal danger and must figure out a way to survive.

Spencer-Fleming has created a masterful, multi-layered mystery, not scary but suspenseful.
Episcopal priest Clare Fergusson leads her congregation through the beginning of Lent. Her parish faces financial calamity as the roof needs to be replaced and (by one vote) the vestry agrees to maintain the historical architecture of the building, rather than opt for a cheaper, modern solution.
Board member Lacey Marshall suggests donating her trust fund to the church, although this move will take funds from the Ketchem clinic her mother founded. And right after Al Rouse, resident physician, learns the money will be taken away, he disappears. Clare finds herself drawn into the search when Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne investigates a woman she's been counseling.
Not that Clare's an unwilling participant. A former Army chopper pilot, she enjoys a taste of adventure. She draws on her military skills of tracking and map reading. And she's very good friends with the married Chief, a source of scandal to many in the community.
Author Spencer-Fleming interrupts the contemporary story to give us glimpses into the Ketchem family in the 20's, 30's and 40's. We learn about the tragic deaths of Lacey Marshall's siblings, but it's not till the end of the book that we learn the full story. We discover a spooky parallel between the contemporary doctor's disappearance and the historical disappearance of Lacey's father, who simply vanished one night. Eventually we learn where the Ketchem fortune came from and why it's referred to as blood money.
Spencer-Fleming's history, like Sharyn McCrumb's, shows us how life really was lived in a specific US region. We go beyond the glamorized "good old days," realizing the cruelty of the Prohibition laws (not unlike our modern drug laws in some ways) and the suffering of families during epidemics that we no longer comprehend.
I couldn't put this book down. The characters are three-dimensional and very realistic. In particular, Clare's friendship with Russ Van Alstyne resembles friendships I've had with single and married men, where the mind-to-mind component was stronger than any other bond. We're meant to realize that men and women can be friends while remaining faithful to their romantic partners.
The Episcopal priests I've met have been like Clare: smart and down-to-earth, not especially holy, let alone holier-than-thou.
Out of the Deep reminds me not of cozies, but of the lyrical mysteries of Sharyn McCrumb and Nevada Barr, filled with history, geography and complex relationships. Clare belongs to the genre of strong, tough women in nontraditional jobs. And Russ fits the genre of complex small town law enforcement officers, not unlike the sheriff that Anna Pigeon will be marrying, hopefully, in the next Nevada Barr.
Mysteries like these don't get written in a hurry, and I'm already eagerly awaiting Spencer-Fleming's next. --

Again, I found this book interesting but frustrating. Why does Clare get so involved in these crimes? Because she is in love with Van Alstyne of course and, also, she has an insatiable curiosity. I have problems with her relationship with Van Alstyne, as I wrote in the review of her former books. I am glad that I am not alone in my frustration with their relationship, especially as she is a priest. She deliberately puts herself in the way of Van Alstyne which is wrong, wrong, wrong.

This said, I enjoy Spencer-Fleming's portrayal of the Glens Falls area and I "like" the characters. I just want to give them a good shake. The actual "mystery" itself in this book is actually two mysteries--what happened to a modern-day doctor who disappears one cold wintry night and what happened to a disillusioned young husband 70 years previously. The answers are unfortunately predictable but the journey to the answers is enjoyable.

I am now on to the fourth with a feeling of foreboding about what is going to happen between Clare and Russ.

Ok, this was one very major depressing mystery. I realize the fact that mysteries and uplifting are not two words you usually see together, but this book was so dark. Part of it was the time setting of winter, but everything and everybody in this book seems to be suffering from some type of bleakness bug!

This book was an introduction for me to Spencer-Flemings books. She's an excellent writer, and wrote well enough that her tendency to go between the past and the present did not bother me or make me lose my place. Her major characters are a female priest and a male cop who live in the same town, and get involved in the same cases. In this case, a local free clinic is losing it's funding due to the fact the church needs a new roof, and the deliverance of this bad news to the doctor in charge of the clinic leads to his disappearance.

From the beginning it is obvious that the money that paid for the free clinic came with more that just a charitable thought. The money is tainted by the source from which it came, in which four children died of diptheria died during the depression, partly due to fear of the vaccines, and partly due to a family's need to offer their barn as a refuge for those who sold bootleg whiskey during the Prohibition.

The book was fascinating to me on a couple of fronts. Number one, is this is the second book I've come across concerning diptheria. It was a very nasty illness, and how thankful I am my children were vaccinated for it. The research done by the priest and others looking back into geneaology raises old stories and old questions, which happens all the time when doing real geneaology for your own family. Part of what makes it so interesting.

The old ladies who write on a piece of paper on the back of this book for the library on whether they liked the book or not showed their colors when they stated "What kind of a minister is this?" A more modern one I am afraid. But then we don't know of all the sins that previous churchmen were guilty of, and of course, 'judge not, that ye be not judged...'

Good book, just depressing.

Karen sAdler

*SPOILER ALERT*
The best book in the series so far. It seems that Julia Spencer-Fleming has finally hit her stride.

A little too much backstory is piled on at the end, however, and I didn't like that Mrs. Marshall never knew the real reason her mother killed her father. She was basically protecting Mrs. Marshall's life. It was done in defense of herself and the young Mrs. Marshall.

Love the relationship between Clare and Russ. It's complicated and believable and keeps me wanting to see what will happen between them next.

Spencer-Fleming's writing amazes me. She manages to skillfully weave the mystery in with the humdrum details of her character's life to create a rich, real novel that keeps you turning pages.

Rev. Clare Fergusson's church is in trouble. The ceiling's literally fallen in and there's no money anywhere to fix it. Just as the Rev turns to a board member Lacey Marshall to turn over part of a trust that was being used by the town's free clinic to the church for urgent repairs, the clinic's physician disappears under suspicious circumstances.

This whole situation is so similar to the disappearance of the father of Mrs. Marshall's. Both mysteries weave together and echo each other in eerie ways. I suggest you allot time to finish this book, because you are not going to want to wait to see the ending. So far, every book in this series has been great. I'm very much looking forward to the next.

This is the third book in the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne series. This book is very well written and plotted. I thought the author portrayed very well the day to day life of the main characters. There was a mystery from the past as well as a current mystery. The series is strong in character development. If you like well plotted mysteries that are character driven, you should enjoy this series . I have the next book at home to read.

In this, the third book of the Clare Fergusson / Russ Van Alstyne mystery series, Clare and Russ are treading the fine line of friendship and sexual attraction when they become involved in two missing persons cases, spaced over 70 years apart. Skillfully written and action-packed, the story is ultimately about the price of self-delusion in the face of temptation. The kind of self-delusion that can make a person believe that they can commit a crime without hurting anyone. The kind of self-delusion that takes no prisoners. The kind of self-delusion, whose latest victims are Clare and Russ themselves. The end will break your heart three times over. I just love this series.
If you're new to the series, you'll want to read the first two installments so that you can follow the evolution of Clare and Russ' relationship. The titles are taken from religious hymns: IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER and A FOUNTAIN FILLED WITH BLOOD.

While recovering from minor surgery at my mother's house, and in need of something to read while I ate a lackluster turkey sandwich from Subway, I picked this novel off her shelf. I never read mystery novels, it's just not a genre I'm interested in. Cut to six hours later, I'm tucked under a down comforter and completely unable to put this book down! I finished it in record time and my plan now is to get my hands on the first two books in the series. The characters are very real to me, unlike most detective and mystery novels. The budding romance or 'non-romance' between Russ and Clare leaves you taut and just yearning for the next installment. It's rare that someone else can write in such a way as to make you remember that feeling of forbidden romance, even though you know it's wrong, wrong, wrong. The friendship between the two characters only strengthens the novel, as does her patient fleshing-out of the other players in this story. I highly recommend this novel, especially to other folks who, like me, don't ususally read mysteries. This might just turn you on to being open to other mystery authors! As for now, I'll stick with this author. Can't wait for the next book.

In Millers Kill, New York, Reverend Clare Fergusson does not have enough money to cover everything so the St. Alban's Episcopal Church roof takes precedence. However, that means somewhere else there is less cash to use and that is in the Jonathon Ketchem Free Clinic though much of that is funded by a family trust. Clinic head Dr. Allan Rouse is upset with the shortfall, but the pressure on him by Deborah Clow to make him stop using vaccines preserved with a dangerous drug seems to have sent him over the top. Rouse vanishes.
Though married and not one to cheat, Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne, accompanied by his alleged lover Clare, investigates the disappearance of the doctor though he expects to find nothing criminal. They shockingly learn that Rouse's disappearance mirrors what happened seven decades ago to Jonathon Ketchem, whose widow funded the clinic in his name. Could foul play have occurred then and now?
Though the who-done-it lacks much suspense even when the culprit locks the dynamic duo in a frozen compartment, fans of the series will appreciate this intriguing look at duplicity and obsessed retribution. The story line cleverly uses flashbacks to provide the audience with key moments involving the Ketchem family and the clinic over the past seventy years. Clare and Russ are an interesting pairing as both have desires for the other but keep them in check because he is married though no one believes they control their deepest urges. The pairing makes the tale as they have in the previous two works (see A FOUNTAIN FILLED WITH BLOOD) they display honor and ethics.
Harriet Klausner

This is the third mystery in the series with Episcopalian priest Clare Fergusson and Sheriff Russ Van Alstyne set in the Adirondack community of Miller's Kill. Dr. Rouse, of the Ketchum free medical clinic, disappears shortly after a confrontation with a young mother protesting the clinic's vaccination policy. Debba blames Dr. Rouse for her son's autism, which he developed after being vaccinated at the clinic. The doctor's disappearance stirs up local memories and police interest in a cold case from the 1930s involving the disappearance of Mr. Ketchum. The attraction between Russ (who is married) and the Rev. Clare heats up while the two tackle the interwoven cases.

In this third installment of the Reverend Clare Fergusson/Chief Russ Van Alstyne mysteries, Clare counsels young mother Debba Clow, who blames her son's autism on vaccines laden with mercury. Debba is leading a (sometimes violent) protest against the Jonathan Ketchum Memorial Free Clinic and its current head, Dr. Allan Rouse. When the good doctor suddenly vanishes, the struggling single mom becomes Russ's main suspect.

Set alongside this present day crime is a mystery from Millers Kill's past. The roof in Clare's church has developed a destructive leak, so she needs a lot of money - fast. A town matriarch offers to liquidate her family's trust fund and donate it to the church, but the dividends from that fund have been aiding the free clinic since its creation. As Clare struggles with the decision to take the money or not, she digs into the town archives, reading stories about the clinic and its namesake, who also disappeared without a trace some 70 years earlier.

I loved the juxtaposition of the past and present day crimes. While Clare helps Debba by looking into the disappearance of Dr. Rouse, she also unearths clues to the 70-year-old case of Jonathan Ketchum. The novel's chapters weave back and forth through time and focus on various characters, all of whom have their own tales to share. As the book progresses, more and more pieces of both puzzles start to click into place.

The author does a wonderful job setting the stage for this small town which has seen better days. The town and its troubles come alive, and even the minor characters seem like full-bodied people. While there are a handful of definite good guys and bad guys, much of the cast is marvelously gray. The characters face some tough choices, and sometimes it's only the decisions they make which put them on the side of right or wrong. Russ and Clare's relationship is a perfect example of this. Their forbidden affection for one another is a palpable thing, and it makes their complicated friendship beautifully painful to observe.

There are several other books in the series that I haven't read yet, but I'm definitely going to get my hands on them. If you're a fan of amateur sleuths, clerical sleuths, or mysteries where the small town atmosphere is as much a character as the people who inhabit it, you should give this series a try.

Keep them coming Ms. Spencer-Fleming. I am hooked. I lent the first two books in the series to a friend and she read them in 4 days. I just finished Out of The Deep I Cry and already mailed it to her. I love the character Clare. Russ isn't to shabby either. The stories are well written and I am enthralled with this relationship between Clare and Russ. I also love the fact that Clare was in the military, as I was. That's where the similarity ends but her Preistly duties are fascinating to me as well.Bravo Ms. Spencer-Fleming. Can't wait for the fourt installment. Please tell me it won't be much longer.

I love this series. The characters are so real. The mystery keeps you guessing, but even if there wasn't a mystery I would read it just to be able to spend some time with Claire and Russ. I can't wait for the next book to see how the author is going to handle the relationship between the two. With Julia Spencer-Fleming's series, you get mystery, the experience of a small town life, religion, laughter, suspense and the tension of a forbidden relationship that keeps getting stronger. I would definitely, most highly recommend this series.

I just love these protagonist characters! The situations they find themselves in seem a bit far-fetched, but the author seems to work them so artfully that they don't seem so impossible after all. The two time periods covered in the tale fit together well, and the reader's interest is always compelled. As the rating says, another great read from Julia Spencer-Fleming.

The next installment of "the Claire and Russ show" is a top read and is highly recommended.

We are now becoming familiar with the characters and Spencer-Fleming again spends some of this book's words in fleshing out their back stories even more, but never ever loses your interest by forgetting the central mystery that moves the plot along.

If you haven't started on this series yet, do so now! You won't be disappointed.

Mrs. Spencer-Fleming continues to put forth quality novels of suspense. In this installment, we find Priest Clare knee-deep in a mystery involving one of her parishioners that goes back to the early part of the 20th Century.

When a doctor at the local free clinic disappears, Clare and the town's police chief, Russ Van Alstyne investigate whether or not it has to do with a similiar disappearance 75 years earlier. Add to this the elevating of the relationship between Clare and Russ and you have a first-class novel.

These books are very clever and full of authentic detail but the major premise is wrong, wrong, wrong: a priest is having an affair, albeit unconsummated, with a married man. That is NOT a sub-plot. That is the major plot that carries on from book to book. It works no doubt, but it's basically a sleazy hook. These are the people we care about, not the murderers and the murdered. So these books are really about adultery, not about murder mysteries. JSF is an engaging writer but.... a sleazy subject.

Julia's first book deservedly won just about every award there is. But this one towers over the first. And one of the amazing things about it is that the dead body doesn't show up till page 252. But you will be rivited to the story. And not because she uses a lot of cheap tricks and BANG-POW plot devices. But because her characters are real and likable, and you can't wait to find out what happens to them. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

This is actually a pretty good mystery, and the woman Episcopal priest is also pretty good. The problem I had was that she then threw in a romance novel, and it all fell apart. Maybe it sells books for her, but it didn't fit.
And there was no redeeming writing.