I've seen this author displayed on my towne library shelves throughout the years and the titles always capture me but I had never read any of her books. Goodreads was recommending her latest and so I decided to do some digging into this author. This book is the first in her Clare Fergusson (pastor of St Albans, a fictional Episcopal church) and Russ Van Alstyne mysteries. Russ is the chief of police in a small eastern NY village named Millers Kill (totally fictional but set near where I live!). The series takes place between Albany and the Adirondacks so of course I'm enthralled. My sister Joy told me she's read several of her books and loves them. So I started a new to me series and I am hooked!!
STORY SUMMARY
It's December in Millers Kill located in Washington County, NY. It's cold, snowy and it's Clare Fergusson's first winter in NYS. She has just accepted a position as the first female priest at the local Episcopal church called St Albans. It's a small, tightly knit community of people, just like the village is a small community.
Russ Van Alstyne, the chief of police, thinks of Clare as a "do-gooder" and doesn't really appreciate her blunt ways.
But when a baby is abandoned on the steps of St Albans and a young woman is found murdered, Clare and Russ begin to work together on the case. Clare is the one who found the baby. After the young woman's autopsy, which showed that she had just given birth a few weeks before her brutal murder, they begin to suspect that the baby is the dead girl's and someone is out there who knows the secrets.
The only thing about the baby that they know is that he was named Cody per a note that was found under him in the box where he was lovingly placed among some blankets. The note also said to give him to one of the St Albans couples: Karen and Geoff Burns, both lawyers in town and who have wanted a baby of their very own. Karen has had trouble conceiving so they have thought about adoption. Did one of them kill the mother (Katie) or are there other suspects? When Katie's father is found murdered from a gunshot, both Russ and Clare get involved in solving this mystery.
Russ and Clare begin to form a solid friendship through the case, and although Russ is happily married, he begins to really like Clare and comes to respect her.
Will they be able to figure out who the killer or killers are? and who will Cody end up with?
MY THOUGHTS
The character development in this book really makes the story come alive. I felt as though I knew these characters. There's a diverse group and all of them are interwoven so nicely in this plot.
The other thing I liked was that the characters are very believable. Clare is a priest but she also used to be in the military and is a tough one....you don't want to mess with this pastor! She's blunt, sees the good in people, and says everyone needs forgiveness.
The chief of police begins to fall for her but being married, he knows he can't act on his feelings. I loved that about this author. It's a clean story with just a little bit of curse words.
It's a fast paced mystery with some underlying important themes: unwed pregnancy, the need for unwed mothers and babies to have support, alcoholism, poverty, wealth, the father-son relationship, grace, and mercy.
The dialogue is excellent and there are humorous moments as well as tender, sad ones.
I had guessed who the perp was and thought I was correct. Nope. It ended up being someone I didn't suspect at all until towards the very end. It's so well written!
Some parts....like when Clare is alone in the mountains on a very snowy night inadequately prepared and up against a man who wants to kill her....is a tad bit far-fetched but it is fast-paced and although a bit predictable, it warms your heart to find out what happens.
I'm already looking forward to finding the second book in this series.
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 9.
1 comment:
Sounds like a great book to get lost in. Adding it to my TBR list!
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