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"Police work in the parish hall. It should make for an interesting Sunday."
“The first book in this series by Julia Spencer-Fleming features an unlikely combo of "investigators". One of them, Russ Van Alstyne, is the chief of police in a small northeastern town, which means he is in a normal environment when involved in a murder investigation, although murders are unusual in his jurisdiction. But Clare Ferguson is a young and attractive Reverend who moves into town to take control of the parish. From that to playing sleuth is a big step!
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-06-14.
Clare gets involved because someone abandons a baby at the church's door asking that the little boy be given to one of the couples that go to church and cannot have babies. When the mother is found murdered soon after that, things heat up and suspects abound, from the couple looking to adopt, to the boyfriend of the victim and many people in between.
The novel is fast-paced and interesting overall. The uncommon duo of investigators provides with added interest, and the author uses the brutal winter in this small town almost as an additional character. It is used as a "murder weapon", an obstacle to action, and an object on which to base some humor, especially when having to do with Clare, her car and dressing habits.
There are a couple of reasons why this novel does not get top marks. One is that the author is a bit obvious when trying to point blame in different directions. It is not as if she is dropping hints, but instead as if she is spelling it out. Something like: "I am telling you to suspect character X now". Moreover, as the story comes closer to the end she starts overusing the twist-and-turn motif. Basically throwing suspects we have not even met before from left and right. The other reason is that even though I liked the characters and the author did a good job developing them, I found that at some points she felt for using the typical "woman makes all the wrong decisions and acts illogically when in danger". And this does not bode well with the image that was built for Clare.
Overall, the minor flaws do not take that much away, and this is one fun and compelling read. I recommend it to those that enjoy cozy mysteries and I am looking forward to reading the next installment.” -
Curl up in a snow-filled world of love, hate, greed, and possibility
“Solid, involving debut mystery with a minimum of first-book jitters. The hook here is that the two protagonists, female Episcopalian priest Clare Fergusson and small town police chief Russ Van Alstyne form an immediate bond upon Clare's arriving in town to take over the local parish, with said bond being awkward because Russ is married and, well, Clare's a priest, who's supposed to be above such emotional messiness. But Ms. Spencer-Fleming avoids obvious potboiler scenes and develops the situation, inelegant as it is, in an intelligent and realistic manner, really making us want to see where this relationship goes. Just be warned, for any real answers you'll have to move into the second book in the series, as things only just start to heat up here.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-05-18.
Oh, and the mystery story? It's very good, too, interesting in its own right and a good vehicle to reveal the character traits of both Russ and Clare. Predictably, in most situations he's tough and she's more sympathetic, but there are less obvious and even surprising traits in both of them, too.
"In the Bleak Midwinter" is a fine, fast-reading tale of an instant emotional connection between two very different (at least, at first glance) individuals set against a backdrop of violence and greed. Can the warm but imperfect glow of Russ and Clare's relationship stand up to the darkness and danger of the crimes they confront? Jump in and find out.” -
Don't let the "Rev." part keep you away
“I am not a religious person so I know that having one of the main characters as a Reverand might keep some from trying out this great book. The Rev. Clare is not what you might expect. Smart, salty and bursting with humor she is a loveable and compelling creation. I really loved this classic whodunit mystery made over for a new generation. The plot was complex enough to keep me interested but never went too far afield of reality. Rev. Clare and the charming Chief Van Alstyne are fun to spend time with and I highly reccommend this new series!”
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-04-08. -
0 of 1 members found this review helpful.
Mystery..In the Bleak Midwinter
“A book club selection...a pleasant, well written mystery. I would probably read another of her books.”
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-03-02. -
what suspense
“I am not one for murder mystery's. But this book came up a few months ago for the kindle as a freebie, so I got it. I finally sat down a read it, now I am sorry I didn't start when I first downloaded. I could not put it down! Julia really had you thinking about the mystery, I recomended it to my one friend who loves mystery's and she said the same thing. Now I can't wait to start reading the next one. This was an exciting first book for her, she discribed evrything with detail.”
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-02-07.
