In the Bleak Midwinter

The only thing better than a good book is a good book that is the start of a series. "In The Bleak Midwinter" was a great read that starts a series which currently sits at eight novels.

I took a risk when I bought this book - a mystery about a new woman priest and the Chief of Police of a small town in upstate New York could have been a recipe for saccharine scenes, hallmark sentiments and a story targetted for prime time on a Christian TV channel.

I knew I was safe at the 2% mark when the book made me laugh out loud at the scene where the small town Police Chief unexpectedly meets the new priest and discovers she’s female. The Police Chief asks himself:

What was he supposed to call her? “Mother?”

“I go by Reverend, Chief. Ms. is show more fine, too.”

“Oh. Sorry. I never met a woman priest before.”

“We’re just like the men priests, except we’re willing to pull over and ask directions.”
I was still surprised at just how good the book is. There's more to it than smart dialogue, Julia Spencer-Fleming has come up with two strong, likeable characters, with military backgrounds, who have their own, non-clichéd, approaches on how to exercise their authority. The rapport and the conflict between them is credible and engaging.

The Reverend manages to be caring and tough. The Police Chief manages to be authoritative without creating conflict.

The two are brought together when a newborn is abandoned on the steps of the Reverend's church with instructions that he be given to a member of her congregation and an as yet unidentified young woman who has recently given birth is found murdered.

What follows is a solid mystery that is a pleasing mix of detection, exploration of moral dilemmas/social issues and tense action.

The Reverend's continuing close involvement in work that should be done by the police requires a little suspension of disbelief but is well managed. I found her ignorance of the clothes and vehicles needed to cope with mountain winters a little harder to accept but perhaps that's because I've spent so much time in those conditions.

This isn't a "cosy mystery" nor is it a voyeuristic rid into violence. It's something much rarer: a character-driven crime story that manages to acknowledge the bleakness of reality without being overwhelmed by it.

I've already bought the next book in the series, which has the rather off-putting title of "A Fountain Filled With Blood". show less

I have a new go to series to recommend to readers looking for mysteries featuring a complex and well developed main character. That character would be Clare Fergusson, an Episcopal priest adjusting to her new assignment at St. Alban's in upstate New York. Clare is a southerner by birth, and she has just as much trouble adjusting to the winter weather of the region as the townspeople have adjusting to a female priest who used to be an Army helicopter pilot. She forms an instant connection with Russ Van Alstyne, the local police chief. They meet when she discovers an abandoned newborn on the steps of the church--a newborn with a note directing the finder to make sure that he is adopted by a couple that attend her church. As Clare assists show more with the initial stages of the investigation that follows, she becomes more and more intrigued with the mystery behind it--and Russ becomes more and more intrigued with her. Murder, messiness, and a few heart pounding scenes follow as Russ and Clare both try to make sense of the relationships that have led to violence. I listened to the very well narrated audio version of this book, and several times I was not able to turn it off until a particularly suspenseful scene had been resolved. I appreciated the fact that Clare is a tough woman who can take care of herself, yet she also has a faith in the Almighty that she calls upon in times of need. Her concern for people and her commitment to her ideals rubs up against the equally strong character of Russ Van Alstyne, who is concerned with justice and with stopping the criminal at all costs. The sparks that fly between them create another layer of complication to the story, as Russ is a married man. I would gladly listen to more books from this series, though I'd be sure to plan for not being able to turn it off after just a few minutes, LOL. show less

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

Reverend Clare Fergusson, St. Alban’s new priest and on her first posting, finds a newborn baby left on the steps of the Church on a cold snowy December night. There is a note with the baby stating that his name is Cody and he should be given to Geoff and Karen Burns, parishioners at St. Alban’s who have been desperate to adopt a child. Clare contacts the Burns about the baby and they rush to the hospital anxious to take the baby. However, once Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne becomes involved in the case, he says that things have to be done by the book, and the child is placed in foster care until the mother is located and her wishes verified. The Burns’ are show more lawyers and loudly protest, but are unable to do anything.

Later that week the body of a young woman is found and turns out to be the mother; her death was not of natural causes. The Burns are now suspects.

IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER is very absorbing, fast paced and thrilling. Despite the pace author, Julia Spencer-Fleming allows the plot to unfold slowly with twists and turns, and edge of the seat danger. Clare is the one who danger is focused on. She is a woman of principles, has a deep faith in the good in people, and a champion of the downtrodden; but she is also headstrong and stubborn. She keeps going off to investigate leads without any thought of what she is getting into. Mind you she is not helpless, she is army trained and spent time on active duty in the Middle East. Russ is also ex-army and he is the perfect opposite to Clare being the epitome of a jaded, world-weary and cynical cop. Russ needs to find the killer and keep Clare from getting herself killed.

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Rev Clare Fergusson, retired Army helo pilot, sports car driver, and admitted tomboy, has only been assigned to her upstate New York parish for a week when she discovers an abandoned newborn on the church steps. The baby has a note pinned to it asking that he be given to a couple from the church for adoption.

Russ Van Alstyne, former MP, has been Chief of Police of the small force in his hometown since he retired from the Army 8 years ago. He does not like the couple designated to be the adoptive parents.

When the priest and the policeman meet up, we don't see sparks fly, but the embers have been lit. Together, they go about trying to find the parents of the baby. The mother turns up murdered, and the plot thickens. The Chief wants to pin show more it on the obnoxious attorneys named in the note, but Clare wants to see the good in everyone and refuses to believe they could have murdered a young woman just to get a baby. She keeps galloping off on her own; he keeps having to dig her out (sometimes literally) of the messes she gets into.

This is an extremely well plotted book. We don't really get a hint of the true murderer until close to the end. There is action adventure (perhaps a bit too much description), the barest hint of promised romance, and characters who ring true.

When I finished reading it, I went directly to the library catalog to discover happily that there are several more in this series. I can't wait. show less

I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved the setting, I loved the characters, I loved how the storyline pulled me in and didn’t let me go until the last page was turned. It had unique characters, well researched back story, and of course a killer on the loose to help spice things up as the death toll keeps climbing. Between the mystery and suspense surrounding this small baby abandoned on a church door step, to the believable relationship and build up between Reverend Clare and Chief Alystyne (will they? won’t they?) it ended up being quite a page turner and I was up late into the night on several occasions because I could not put this book down.

My own mother-in-law is a pastor and so I have some up close and personal experience show more with the special problems and situations a female member of the clergy can experience in relations to her church and the community. I loved how well researched that aspect was. Everything from how church meetings can be, to how it is visiting shut ins, from marriage counseling to community outreach to last rites was all done realistically and believably. I found myself laughing out loud at the members of the council complaining when Clare runs roughshod over their meeting with her agenda saying things like: we always do this on Wednesdays not today, we always do things in this order, we never do outreach like this, etc. That is very, very like most churches. They never have a good reason (efficiency, sanctity, fiscal responsibility) for why they do things, the reason is almost always just that this is how it's always been done. My favorite line is when she complains to herself that hiring a female pastor was probably going to be the most risque thing they were going to do for the next ten years. Again, that is spot on with a lot of churches.

I also loved the description and the setting of this small town in New York. There were times when I was literally shivering in cold along with the characters. The way everything from the snow, to the wind, to the temperature was very well described and painted a backdrop that made you want to reach for a blanket every time. The characters also were very well done and each had their own individuality, I loved how with just a few lines everyone from an old shut in who is more than meets the eye, to a dirty child playing in a trashy yard was brought to vivid life. And, all of the characters were shown as the deeply complex people that we are, deep secrets, conflicting motives, desires, fears and all.

Some things bothered me though. Like how a pastor in any church was going to be able to have so much free time right around Christmas time, one of the busiest times of years for members of the clergy. Despite all of the planning and sermon writing and decorating and getting ready for the holiday she still had lots of time to spend with the Police Chief and getting into all sorts of trouble with this baby that was abandoned on her church doorstep and the mystery and murders that follow it. Granted she was ex-military so perhaps that explains some of her actions. She doesn't just feel obligated as a member of the clergy in the community but also feels impelled by her training in the military as well. I know that at least shines through in some parts.

The other thing worrying me a little was the budding understanding and almost romance between Clare and Russ, especially considering he is a married man. I will say this though, after reading so much YA romance, with poor relationship building, the very real relationship that is depicted between Clare and Russ based on actual experiences, trust and mutual understanding was very nice to read about. I won't say much more on this subject but will say that it will be interesting seeing how things develop and unfold throughout the rest of this series as, yes, this is the first in a series of mysteries that centers around Clare and Russ.

In spite of and through all of that I really enjoyed reading In The Bleak Midwinter and am looking forward to the next book in the series. I really enjoyed this mystery, and all of the wonderful twists and turns the story took. I ended up being totally surprised by the ending, though that was in some small part because I wasn't paying nearly enough attention to certain characters in the beginning to realize their importance by the end, though now that I look back it was being hinted at all along! I love mysteries that do that! show less

This story of a foundling left at a church door, and the people who may or may not be involved with the murders that surround the child, kept me eagerly turning the pages. An ex-Army pilot, now an Episcopal woman priest, and her developing friendship with another ex-Army officer, now a small-town police chief, constitute the investigative team, and most of the fun of the novel. Fleming also layers in a cruel upstate New York winter that gives quite a chilling backdrop to the story. Her excellent descriptions bring the world of small town America and its inhabitants to life, and the mystery is both difficult to parse and believable. But the characters themselves, especially the tough-but-tender woman, is what makes this book pure show more pleasure. I look forward to reading the rest in the series. show less

This was a good mystery featuring a pair of complex sleuths, Russ Van Alstyne and National Guardman-turned-Episcopal priest Clare Fergusson. The mystery, which begins with a baby abandoned at Clare's church and escalates to murder, is engrossing. Millers Kill is a delightful locale. The atmosphere of the upstate New York town is spot-on, and the inhabitants are well-drawn. I go back and forth on whether Clare is a believable priest. She's certainly written much more "human" than other priests in fiction. She does exasperate me with her "too stupid to live female heroine syndrome," but that's easily overlooked. I enjoyed this enough to order the rest of the books in the series on my Kindle.