Audiobook Review: A Fountain Filled with Blood by Julia Spencer-Fleming

A Fountain Filled with Blood
Author: Julia Spencer-Fleming
Narrator: Suzanne Toren
Series: Fergusson/Van Alstyne Mysteries (Book 2)
Publication: Blackstone Audio (February 1, 2009)
Length: 12 hours and 39 minutes

Description: Nestled in the heart of the Adirondacks, Miller's Kill, New York, is about as safe as it gets. That's why Episcopal minister Clare Fergusson is shocked when the July Fourth weekend brings a rash of vicious assaults to the scenic town.

Even Clare's good friend, police chief Russ Van Alstyne, is shaken by the brutality of the crimes - especially when it appears that the victims were chosen because they are gay.

But when a third assault of an out-of-town developer ends in murder, Clare and Russ wonder if the recent crime wave is connected to the victim's controversial plan to open an upscale spa in Miller's Kill.

But not all things in the tiny town are what they seem - and soon, Clare and Russ are left to fight their unspoken attraction to one another even as they uncover a labyrinthine conspiracy that threatens to turn deadly for them both.

My Thoughts: This is the second book in the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne series. Clare and Russ are trying to stay away from each other until their inappropriate feeling for each other subside. Clare is an Anglican priest and Russ is very married. The two do connect with each other in a way that is new for both of them.

When the gay medical examiner's car is stopped and he is severely beaten, Clare wonders if there isn't some gay bashing involved. And when a local video store owner who also happens to be gay is attacked in his store, Clare's fears are confirmed. But Russ isn't so quick to leap to that conclusion. He's concerned about starting a panic in town and the city fathers don't want to make any moves to lose tourist dollars. 

But then the developer of a new spa/resort is murdered in a city park. He was also gay. But Clare and Russ aren't willing to say that his being gay is the only reason that someone would want him dead. Local protestors including Russ's mother want the development to stop because of pollution issues. There are more motives for killing him than just his sexual orientation. 

Clare finds herself involved in the case because she's scheduled to marry the sister of the video store owner and the niece of the local who is in partnership with the developer in building the resort. She also has a talent for being in the right place at the right time to overhear things she thinks Russ and the police need to know. 

The most exciting part of the story concerns a helicopter flight to bring an injured man to medical help. Clare is a former military pilot who flew helicopter missions during the Gulf War. Russ served in Vietnam and has issues about helicopters since he was involved in a helicopter crash that left him the only survivor. Sabotage causes this one to crash too leaving Clare and Russ to survive and get the injured man to the medical help he needs. 

I really enjoyed this story as an audiobook. The narrator did an excellent job ramping up the suspense and dealing with Clare and Russ's mixed feeling for each other. Of course, I also enjoyed it as a print book when I first read it in 2019.

I bought this one at Chirp for $3.99 January 4, 2024. You can buy your copy here.