Russ Van Alstyne and Episcopal priest Clare Fergusson have
stayed apart because Russ can't overcome the guilt and
grief of his wife's death. But when a local Latino man is
murdered, Clare ends up smack in the middle of the
investigation because of volunteer work she's been doing in
the community with the migrant population.
Russ tries to ignore the fierce longing he feels every time
Clare is around. Most of the time he's successful at
diminishing what he feels, hiding it in the guilt over how
his wife died, and how he didn't save her. Now, added to
his torment, is a dead body that has something to do with
his sister's dairy farm, and Clare just won't stay out of
the way.
Add in the local crazies and hot heads, and you're set for
a read that's hard to put down. I have not read this entire
series and wish that I'd had more background on Russ and
Clare. But it was such a good book, I intend to go back and
read those other books. Ms. Spencer-Fleming creates
realistic characters and a plot that will keep you tense
and guessing. Very good.
Millers Kill reaches the boiling point in this white-
hot novel of love and suspense
People die. Marriages fail. In the small Adirondack town
of Millers Kill, New York, however, life doesn’t stop for
heartbreak. A brand-new officer in the police department,
a breaking-and-entering, and trouble within his own family
keep Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne busy enough to ignore
the pain of losing his wife---and the woman he loves.
At St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, the Reverend Clare
Fergusson is trying to keep her vestry, her bishop, and
her National Guard superiors happy---all the while denying
her own wounded soul.
When a Mexican farmhand stumbles over a Latino man killed
with a single shot to the back of his head, Clare is
sucked into the investigation through her involvement in
the migrant community. The discovery of two more bodies
executed in the same way ignites fears that a serial
killer is loose in the close-knit community. While the
sorrowful spring turns into a scorching summer, Russ is
plagued by media hysteria, conflict within his department,
and a series of baffling assaults.
As the violence strikes closer and closer to home, an
untried officer is tested, a wary migrant worker is
tempted, and two would-be lovers who thought they had lost
everything must find a way to trust each other again---
before it becomes forever, fatally, too late.
Julia Spencer-Fleming shows you can escape danger---but
not desire---in her most suspenseful, passionate novel yet.