This series continues to be enjoyable if not exactly compelling. The characters are likable; the relationship between Clare and Russ adds tension but is handled well. Much of the suspense in the series is how this will be resolved in a satisfactory way without compromising the core values of either character—or will these values be overthrown. In this third novel there are two somewhat parallel mysteries that relate to each other. The mystery in the present concerns the disappearance of the doctor who heads up a clinic for the poor that is funded partly by the town and partly by a trust fund set up by the widow of the man for whom the clinic is named. The parallel mystery is told in flash backs and concerns the mysterious disappearance in 1930 of the man for whom the clinic is named, and for whose memorial the clinic was established. The story is told by alternating sections entitled “Now” and “Then”. It is intriguing the way the story is told, especially as the “Then” sections are not told in chronological order as more and more relevant information is revealed. It was the flash back part of the story I found most intriguing and also that held the most surprises for me. The modern story I had pretty well figured out by half way into the book. I use this series as light and relaxing entertainment and this novel provided me a very enjoyable morning “vacation.” ( )

I've been really enjoying the Clare Fergusson mysteries. Lots of good characters, keep me guessing. This is number 3 and I already have #4 on my list. ( )

Someone I know was flipping out about this book, saying it is the best in the series. And it is! Which is what I think about every book in this series right after I'm done with it! I love Clare and Russ, I love how they work together and I love all of the characters in Millers Kill. This one is a little different from the first two in that it starts off facing a social issue (immunizations and autism), but branches off into a mystery from the 1920s and 30s - which, oh man, blew my mind. ( )

This is the third in the Clare Ferguson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series by Spencer-Fleming. This review assumes you've read the first two. For just my recommendation, skip to below the asterisks.

Millers Kill, New York, is blessed to have a free clinic to serve the uninsured and economically disadvantaged citizens of the town. Jane Ketchem founded the clinic in memory of her husband, who drove away one March night in 1930, never to be seen again. Although Jonathon Ketchem was eventually declared legally dead, his disappearance remains the only open cold case in Police Chief Van Alstyne's files.

Lacey Ketchem Marshall, the daughter of the late Jane Ketchem, is the sole beneficiary of her mother's trust fund. When the roof of St. Alban's Episcopal Church begins to leak, Lacey tells the Reverend Ferguson that she'd like to pull funds from the clinic to pay for the repairs. Soon thereafter, Dr. Allan Rouse, director of the clinic, goes missing--almost seventy years to the day that Lacey's father was last seen.

Clare and Russ find themselves facing a series of seemingly unrelated mysteries: What really happened to Jonathon? Where did Jane get the money to fund the clinic? What happened to Allan? Meanwhile, as the pair work together to answer these questions, their relationship seems to be taking them into dangerous territory.
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This entry in Spencer-Fleming's series takes us back and forth from the hard days of the early Depression to the economics of the twenty-first century. The story is not told in a linear fashion, but bits of history are revealed on an as-needed basis. What could have been a confusing technique is nicely carried off in this novel. Each chapter is headed by a date, comfortably orienting the reader along the time line.

The mysteries in this book are not standard whodunits. Instead, we explore how simple decisions can have unforeseen consequences, even across generations. And the most loving and protective parents cannot know how their choices will effect the lives of their children; sometimes the results of such choices are haunting.

Out of the Deep I Cry is a strong entry in Spencer-Fleming's series, although it is less action packed than the first two books and takes a bit of time to develop. However, the principal theme is examined from a number of angles and leaves readers asking themselves some hard questions. The main characters continue to grow and are not freed from pondering similar difficult issues. Fans of the series will not be disappointed. ( )

3rd in the Reverend Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne series.

A beautifully constructed book. The story starts off with a flashback to 1970, when a young Russ Van Alstyne, about to enter the Army to go to Vietnam, rescues an old woman, Jane Ketchem, from attempted suicide by drowning. Fast forward to the “Now”, where Clare is faced with an extremely serious, expensive roof repair on the church and no apparent way to raise money before the roof literally falls in.

The story alternates between flashbacks involving Jane Ketchem that occur in the ever more distant past and the present, with Ketchem, although long dead, still affecting events through her daughter, Lacey Marshall, a member of the vestry of St. Albans, and Dr. Rouse, who for 30 years has headed the free clinic founded by Ketchem. The latter disappears, the only real “mystery” in the plot, and in the search for him, Ketchem’s past comes to light by bits and pieces. Clare, of course, not your typical Episcopalian (or any other) priest, indulges her adrenaline junkie side and becomes far more involved in the affair than she should be. All this leads to a very exciting denouement, and a final, tragic revelation.

The writing has picked up—still that same indefinable but distinct Spencer-Fleming style that suits her character and setting so well, but more creative, more imaginative, and some of the minor characters are less stereotypical. The romantic tension between Clare and Russ is well done and moves that aspect of the series forward. The plot is unusual, and is handled in a truly superior fashion, with the flashbacks adding appropriate information at crucial points. The same wry, self-deprecating humor is there, although not quite so present as in the first two books.

Russ and Clare continue to develop as characters, whose lives are interesting to the reader. Another thing that Spencer-Fleming does well is to integrate the religious aspect very well into the story. Having been involved in a minor way with church affairs, the personalities of the vestry and the way they approach decisions is absolutely dead on. Clare’s beliefs are in perfect alignment with her very human character.

This is a superb installment in the series, the best so far. Highly recommended. ( )