Archive for 'Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne'



REVIEW: In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming

Dear Ms. Spencer-Fleming,

book review My friend Keishon has been telling me for years to read this book. She’s a huge fan of your series featuring Episcopalian priest Clare Fergusson and police chief Russ Van Alstyne. Now that I’ve read In the Bleak Midwinter, the first book in the series, I can see why.

The mystery at the heart of In the Bleak Midwinter begins with a baby left on the steps of St. Alban’s Church on a cold December night. The baby is found by Reverend Clare Fergusson, St. Alban’s new priest, who has recently relocated from the South to Miller’s Kill, a town in upstate New York near the Adiorndack mountains and the Vermont border.

The box that contained the baby and his blankets also had a note asking that the baby be named Cody and given to a pair of childless lawyers, Geoff and Karen Burns, parishioners at St. Alban’s who have been desperate to adopt a child. But the baby is placed with a foster family instead, while the police attempt to locate the birth parents and ensure their wishes are followed.

Russ Van Alstyne, the police chief …

REVIEW: I Shall Not Want by Julia Spencer-Fleming

Dear Ms. Spencer-Fleming

book review As I blogged a couple of days ago, this series has been a long time favorite of friend and fellow reader, Keishon. I trust Keishon’s judgment quite a bit. She’s led me to read some wonderful mystery authors. However, I long held back from reading this series because of the relationship dynamic between the married Sheriff Russ Van Alstyne and the Episcopalian priest, Clare Fergusson. I received an email from the publicity department asking if I was interested in this new book because the publicist felt that the story would have strong romance appeal. It seemed like the right moment to start, even though it is book 6.

It’s kind of complicated book to summarize without making the story appear super complicated, which it really isn’t. The story takes place over one year. Sheriff Russ Van Alstyne is grieving over the loss of his wife, a senseless and preventable loss. Reverend Clare is suffering the after effects of killing a man to save Russ’ life, her love for a man who can’t seem to return it, and the issues with the leaders …