Author: Julia Spencer-Fleming
Narrator: Suzanne Toren
Series: A Clare Ferguson and Russ Van Alstyne Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Blackstone Audio (February 1, 2010)
Length: 12 hours and 58 minutes
Description: It's a cold, snowy December in the upstate New York town of Millers Kill, and newly ordained Clare Fergusson is on thin ice as the first female priest of its small Episcopal church. The ancient regime running the parish covertly demands that she prove herself as a leader. However, her blunt manner, honed by years as an army pilot, is meeting with a chilly reception from some members of her congregation and Chief of Police Russ Van Alystyne, in particular, doesn't know what to make of her, or how to address "a lady priest" for that matter.
The last thing she needs is trouble, but that is exactly what she finds. When a newborn baby is abandoned on the church stairs and a young mother is brutally murdered, Clare has to pick her way through the secrets and silence that shadow that town like the ever-present Adirondack mountains. As the days dwindle down and the attraction between the avowed priest and the married police chief grows, Clare will need all her faith, tenacity, and courage to stand fast against a killer's icy heart.
In the Bleak Midwinter is one of the most outstanding Malice Domestic winners the contest has seen. The compelling atmosphere-the kind of very cold and snowy winter that is typical of upstate New York-will make you reach for another sweater. The characters are fully and believably drawn and you will feel like they are your old friends and find yourself rooting for them every step of the way.
My Thoughts: It all starts when newly ordained Episcopalian priest Claire Ferguson finds a baby outside her church on a cold December night. There is a note with the baby naming him Cody and asking that he be given to a couple of lawyers who have been trying to adopt for quite a while.
Millers Kill Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne is called in and a search for the young mother begins. Claire and Russ find her body and a murder investigation begins. And, since her baby was found outside Claire's church, it looks like the killer might be a member of the congregation.
As Claire gets to know her congregants, she finds herself unraveling some of the town's secrets and finds herself getting to know Russ better. A relationship begins between the two of them because both are private people but are able to talk to each other about things they can't talk about with anyone else. However, Claire is a new priest and Russ is a married nonbeliever.
The story was filled with interesting characters. Claire is caring but quite impulsive and not much concerned with her own safety. Russ is greatly concerned with his town and keeping the people in it safe. I liked the setting of the story. The Adirondacks at the onset of winter are quite a change for a former military pilot from Northern Virginia and Claire is struggling to adapt.
Suzanne Torren did a great job with the voices and the mood of the story.
I like the story very much. I hope I can track this down.
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