Customer Reviews

In the Bleak Midwinter: A Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alsyne Novel

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am giving this five stars because I think it is well-crafted and more satisfying than most. The author does some things very well--such as, being able to describe her characters in little gestures and believable dialog so that we know what they looked like without being told. We know their attitudes, values, demons, likes and dislikes, and general comportment with no editorial slanting. They are human beings with failings as well as strengths. We even know the two absent characters, the murdered girl, and the chief's wife, who never appear but pervade the story with their presence. One does not doubt the sincerity of Clare's devotion to her ministry, although the reader wonders at times why a woman with such rigorous training and discipline from her years in the armed service would be such a ninny as to rush headlong into the mountains so ill prepared (shades of the heroine entering a dark attic when a known killer is lurking in the house!). She also seems to be too eager to manage other people's lives, although a certain amount of nosiness is required of the amateur detective. The sheriff, who should have known better, seems to give out too much information to the perps he is interrogating. All the cops I have known are pretty close-mouthed. And I can't think of any good reason why Russ took her to his house for supper when they could have gone to an eatery in town. Well, of course, we had to see his house and they needed a heart-to-heart, but that is a good way for a preacher, either man or woman, to lose a job and reputation. Still, this was a good story and kept me going to the end. How refreshing to find characters who are not super human!

Overall, I liked this book. I liked the characters, and I'm counting on seeing a series featuring this priest and this cop.

That said, I hope that, in the future, both the priest and the cop make smarter decisions. I could accept some mistakes in judgment from Rev. Clare, who is a novice sleuth. However, she made several mistakes in a row that I found rather improbable, considering that she is presented to us as a character who is smart and who is more accustomed to challenging situations than the average person.

It seemed to me that the chief of police failed to take some logical "next steps" in pursuing the investigation -- places that needed to be visited, people who needed to be interviewed, sooner rather than later.

It appeared to me that the author wanted to spread out the arrival of the clues through the device of not having the cop do certain interviews or searches in a timely manner. Unfortunately, that also made him look not too much on the ball.

I was also surprised at the suggestion that the authorities in New York state could not produce DNA results in a shorter time than four months -- given that the case involved the murder of a victim for whom there would be enormous sympathy. If an author says it in a mystery, it must be true -- but what does this say about the priorities of forensic labs in New York?

I enjoyed the book, although I guessed the identity of the villain early on in the book. I do recommend it to other readers. I bet the next books in the series will be better and better each time, so readers should start with this one.

Not familiar with the author, I was hesitant to pick up this book. The fact that it had won so many awards for first novel put me over the edge and I am delighted that it did. The author's heroine, an Episcopal priest by the name of Claire Ferguson finds herself in the middle of a mystery that evolves into murder in the upstate New York town of Miller's Kill. She finds a newborn baby on the doorstep of the rectory and that sets in motion a quest to find who left the child, and, in turn, a series of murders that makes it evident that the truth is not meant to be known. The book is a quick read and the relationship between Claire and the town's police chief makes for interesting reading. I will not miss the next book in the series.

As a reviewer of first novels, it is hoped that at least once or twice a year we are sent a book that appears to have it all- great characters, compelling plot and a superb rendition of the locale. I am pleased to report all that and more is contained in this truly remarkable debut of the 2001 St. Martin's Press/Malice Domestic Award Winner, Julia Spenser-Fleming.

The place is Millers Kill in upstate New York during the bleak midwinter as the title proclaims. A newborn baby is left on the steps of the local church with a note claiming the child should be given to a local couple, The Burns, who desperately want to adopt a child. Claire Fergusson, a newly ordained Episcopal priest found the child and wants to discover who the mother is. Local police chief, Russ Van Alystyne also wants to get to the bottom of the case especially when people start turning up dead. Claire and Russ make an unlikely team as they attempt to find the answers and to stop the killing as suspects abound in this small town community.

Malice Domestic tends to conjure up images of cats and eccentric little old ladies in funny hats sitting around solving bloodless crimes. That is just not true. Malice Domestic refers to the traditional mystery. In this case this traditional mystery has a definite hardboiled edge. It is quite universal in its appeal. Characters are beautifully rendered and are wholly sympathetic to the reader. The relationship between the married Police Chief and the local priest is one that is quite dynamic and their mutual attraction will always be a source of conflict. The crimes are a true puzzlement and their solution quite clever. Clues come to us throughout the book and it is this that keep the pages flying. As readers of my reviews are aware, I have a problem with long expositions with the cliché of the villain telling all before a catastrophic event. This is used here. It works but I still don't like it. The book is also a bit lengthy. However, these are minor complaints when one considers how truly excellent the work is as a whole. This is definitely an early favorite for the best of the year lists.

When a vicar, new to a small rural New York State town finds a newborn bundled in blankets on her church's doorstep, the web of greed, abuse & murder begins to unravel.

Make way for a new crime-solving duo in the world of mysteries. The modern priest & police chief are richly drawn characters with histories to tell.

I agree with everyone else's observations about inappropriate blunders, however, they detract only a tad from a well-written story.

Julia Spencer-Fleming's debut IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER has a wry sense of humor, hair raising adventures while telling a tale of what moves people to do horrible & brave things.

RebeccasReads recommends IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER for a fine, thoughtful mystery

As an Episcopal priest myself, I felt like taking notes on all the technical mistakes she made -- including a) (as one reviewer points out) imagining that a priest in his or her right mind would go to the house of a parishioner of the opposite sex and have dinner when the spouse was out of town -- talk about boundary issues! -- or b) not knowing that the lay leader of an Episcopal parish is called the Senior Warden -- or c) apparently believing (falsely) that newly-called Episcopal priests announce to congregations (or their vestries) what ministry the priest has selected for that congregation to do -- it just doesn't work that way -- etc. etc. etc. If you're going to write a mystery where the detective is a firefighter, you need to spend time in a firehouse and really get to know the place well -- likewise, if your detective is an Episcopal priest, you need to know a fair amount about the Episcopal church. Any priest who showed so little discretion in a relationship with a parishioner would get called into the bishop's office for a little chat and find him or herself with a lot of explaining to do.

That having been said, this mystery was well-written sylistically and the plotting was pretty good. It passed the "keep wanting to get back to this book" test very well, and the author created a sense of place very well. I look forward to reading other books by this author. For a first mystery, there was a lot of talent evident in this book.

Although this was a book I didn't want to put down and I like the independent portrayal of the female priest....I take exception to some of the things she did.

As an Episcopalian I don't know of any priest in their right mind who would go to dinner at the house of a person of the opposite sex when their spouse is out of town. Or, for that matter, after only 4 or 5 weeks on the job, accuse two of their parishioners of murder. Or, as a person with survival training going off half-cocked & ill-equipped in the middle of a blizzard to an unknown mountain top without letting anyone know where she was going.

I'm anxious to read more about Clare Fergusson to see if she wises up.

The author does such a great job at describing the weather in this stormy tale of a new baby, left in the snow, but covered on the steps of St. Alban's Episcopal Church. The new Reverend is a woman, and it is she who stumbles upon the writhing bundle while getting ready to brave the weather and go for a jog. Reverend Clare Ferguson finds a note next to the baby, saying "Please give Cody to Mr. and Mrs. Burns here at St Albans." Mr. and Mrs. Burnes are anxious for a child, and everyone in the little town of Millers Kill, Washington knows this. Snow is falling all of the time, the Reverend just hates to get rid of her tiny car, but an SUV will be so much more practical. The police and an ambulance arrive at St. Albans, whisking baby Coty to an unknown fate. 6 days later, a young woman is found dead, bashed in the head with a blunt object, left lying out in the snow. She is 6 days post partum and her name is Katie. She is Cody's mother. Throughout all the interviews, one man stands out because Katie once dated his son. He is of a most despicable character, already having molested the oldest girl he had until she left for college and possibly molesting Katie as well. He believes he is the child's grandfather and wants the child. The FBI and local police know this would be a horrible place for the child, the man smells of booze, the 300 pound wife has no say, but the Department of Human Services has plenty to say once all the blood and DNA testing is in. Days later, Mr. McWhorter, the would be grandfather is also dead, shot in the back of the head, left in the snow. It's a great who done it story. I personally did not figure it out until the end, but when you find out who killed Katie and her father, you will be shocked. There are undertones of romance. Reverend Clare must keep herself in check with the Chief of Police, who is married and also must keep himself in check. This added a bit of spice and reality, which wasn't needed but was appreciated nonetheless.

I couldn't read this book in one sitting--I do have a day job! And I didn't want to, either--because I didn't want the experience of reading it to end. "In the Bleak Midwinter" is one of the most skillfully crafted mysteries I've ever read: the plot is focused, and moves rapidly through the various personalities enmeshed in it: the priest, the police chief, the congregation, the tragic love story. It's notable, too, for the characters we DON'T meet but who hover over the action: the chief's wife and the dead young mother. And of course there's the snow, the never ending snow that keeps falling on the rural New York town, trapping the residents into small and predictable movements, underwhich lies great human passion and ambition.

The winter was a little less bleak when I reluctantly finished this extraordinary reading experience. Read it.

Hard to believe that this action-packed adventure is a first. The narrative is character rich and well plotted. Clare Fergusson is the best of womanhood - nurturing, intuitive, willing to get involved and capable of protecting herself. "In The Bleak Midwinter," was a definate armchair adventure. Spencer-Fleming's talent as a writer will have you wanting more. The author has presented us with a character - Clare Fergusson - to equal (OR BEST) the series quality of Sue Grafton or Janet Evanovich. I look forward eagerly to reading more from Spencer-Fleming, more narratives penned around Mz. Fergusson - A priest with pizzazz. Congratulations Julia Spencer-Fleming on your debut novel, it is destined to become a classic.
Beverly J Scott author of RIGHTEOUS REVENGE