Book Reviews of In the Bleak Midwinter (Rev. Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne, Bk 1)

I don't know how I'm going to be able to wait until I get my hands on a copy of the next book from this author! This was a wonderful mystery. The characters were people you'd like to know, the mystery believable and more complicated with every "clue." I took too long over lunch to find out the solution, and now I'm disappointed that there isn't more! Find yourself a copy; I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Great, fast-read of a mystery. Clare is an Episcopalian priest, but she's not like most clergy members: She knows what the real world is like. She may be a bit meddlesome in other people's lives, but she's got their best interests at heart. She's a likeable character and so is Russ, the police chief. He doesn't go to church and constantly "takes the Lord's name in vain." He's a pussycat under his veneer of cynicism.

Really loved this book. Kind of the small town feel of Jan Karon books but with a good murder mystery. Can't wait to move on to #2...

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are vivid and the plot keeps you guessing. My only quibble is that if Clare was a soldier and pilot, it seems so unreasonable to believe that she fails to take the most elementary precautions, even though she is unfamiliar with the winters of upper New York.

First book in a series, hope to find book #2 out there at PBS

I really like this series and will read more. Clare Fergusson is an Episcopal priest in a conservative parish who may not be quite ready for her. A newborn infant is left at the door of the church and the search for the mom leads to many secrets in the small New England village.

This is the frist book in the series, with Clare Fergusson, the new priest at St Alban's aad her friend, the town police cheif Russ Van Alstyne. I did't think I would like this mystery, but I loved it.

I really enjoyed this book! I can't wait to get book 2.

OK, I am hooked on Julia Spencer-Fleming's books and I have read three and am looking for more. I love the way she writes and since I know the territory that she writes about I can vision what she is saying. Good books.

First Line: It was one hell of a night to throw away a baby.

There's a new priest at St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Miller's Kill, New York, and there are several parish members who believe the newcomer isn't a very good fit. Not only is Clare Fergusson a female, she's also an ex-Army helicopter pilot. When Clare finds a newborn baby left on the church doorstep, she meets the town police chief, Russ Van Alstyne, who's the ex-Army good shepherd of his Miller's Kill flock. Together, their search for the baby's mother leads them into a world of secrets, a world of trouble... and a world of temptation.

When this book was published, it made quite a noise-- being the first to win the Agatha Award, the Malice Domestic Award, the Anthony Award, the Dilys Award, the Barry Award, and the Macavity Award for Best First Novel. This is the first time this has ever happened, and the fanfare was tremendous. As in most cases when a book is praised from every rooftop, I merely lowered my head a bit and kept on reading my books. Massive praise makes me leary; however, when I was doing research recently, this book and its author reappeared on my radar, and I thought the time was right to see what all the shouting was about.

There's one good thing about coming late to the party: I can make an entrance and perhaps persuade other no-shows that they may want to dust off their invitations and join in the fun.

From the first line and from the first meeting of the two main characters, I found myself climbing up on the bandwagon. The December weather in the Adirondack Mountains did make me glad I was reading the book in sunny Phoenix, but In the Bleak Midwinter is all about Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne, two of the best characters I've come across in in all my reading this year.

I felt more in tune with Van Alstyne-- cynical and all too aware of the evil humans are capable of. I have to admit that Clare had a tendency to drive me nuts in the how-can-a-smart-person-be-so-darned-dumb sort of way. Yes, she's not used to the sort of weather Miller's Kill is prone to, but how many times does she have to risk frostbite before she gets a pair of decent boots... and how many times does she have to skid off the road before she gets a vehicle that can deal with snow?

I do not care for "femjep"-- those times when a female character knowingly puts herself in danger for no real reason. Clare does this in her silly boots and even sillier MG, and the only thing that saved that portion of the book for me was how she got herself out of the mess.

These two characters could have me going on forever, but I will show restraint. The way I'm waxing poetic over Clare and Russ, you're probably wondering why I didn't give this book my highest rating. There are two reasons: Clare's mule-headed meteorological stupidity and the fact that it was rather easy to deduce whodunit and why.

Other than that, I'll have you know that I already have the next five books in the series on my to-be-read shelves-- with the most recent firmly ensconced on my wishlist. I will admit to being a bit nervous, though. My husband Denis has also read and enjoyed In the Bleak Midwinter and moved right along to A Fountain Filled With Blood. We've talked about the first book, so when Denis told me what Clare's new car is in the second book, all I could do was groan. Clare, don't do this to me!

Isn't it grand when you find characters that make you talk to yourself?

It was a good book

A good whodunit mystery. No foul language or explicit sex scenes. A refreshing change.

Great main characters - one a small-town sheriff; the other a female Episcopal priest - work together to solve the murder of a local girl and the abandoment of her newborn baby. The resolution of the mystery is almost at the cost of other lives. An extra spark in the story is the developing feeling between the two protagonists (the sheriff is a married man). The brutal winter weather is an integral part of the story. Quite an excellent read.

Well written, interesting characters. Right mix of mystery, suspense, humor and reality. The story takes place during a snowy December - I got cold just reading it.

I love Spencer-Flemings books.

I really like this author. Her characters are real people and not the average characters. Where else have you run into a priest that is female and wants to get into the real action of the small town. Russ the police chief is perfect as her partner and the attraction between them is fun to feel.

It took me a while to reconcile the two points of Claire's makeup (priest, ex-army), but once I got past that I found this novel really grew on me. Nice amount of tension, good character development, without being overly gory. A very nice book to curl up with on a lazy day, or just before bed.

First book of this author that I have read - excellent! I loved the characters and the plot. A lot of twists to keep you guessing too. I want to find more books by this author.

I enjoyed the book, although the premise that a female priest was also an ex-Army chopper pilot is a bit far-fetched.The rest of the plot is well-written and suspenseful.

This is a really good mystery. At first, I wasn't sure if I would like a book with a religious connection, but it was great and not at all focused on the religious part of Rev. Clare's character.

Julia Spencer-Fleming is the winner of 6 awards. No other author has ever won all 6 Awards for their first novel!
"A riveting page turner" -- Publisher Weekly.

I really enjoy this series!

PRETY GOOD MYSTERY

Published in 2002, this is the first book in a mystery series featuring the teamwork of an ex-Army, Episcopalian woman priest (tough, spiritual and principled all at once, an interesting combination) and her friend, the married, casually atheist, chief of police in the small town in which they live. This one concerns an abandoned infant and a young woman found murdered.