"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all
things, endures all things. Love never ends."
~Corinthians 13:7-8
In the scope of literary star-crossed lovers, Clare
Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne know all too well the depth
and meaning of this phrase. Tragic events, emotional scars,
bad-timing and personal integrity have come between them,
time after time; yet no matter the obstacle, their love for
one another endures. A love neither have acted upon.
Instead they live to help others find peace, safety and
closure within the small Adirondack town of Millers Kill in
upstate New York.
Chief of Police, Russ Van Alstyne, has withdrawn into
himself after the unfortunate, guilt-ridden death of his
wife. Going through the motions, he works to try to solve
the mystery of the henceforth unseen Hispanic migrant dairy
farm workers, some of whom have been employed by his sister
and brother-in-law on a farm owned in part by his mother.
He tries to juggle the day-to-day matters in Millers Kill,
without running into Clare, which in their small town is
nigh impossible. Meanwhile, he's giving a chance to single
mom Hadley Knox, the only woman deputy in a male-dominated
police bureaucracy.
The Reverend Clare Fergusson, the Episcopal rector at St.
Alban's, is an enigmatic and complex woman of the cloth.
She's incurred her bishop's displeasure on more than one
occasion by thinking outside the "accepted pastoral box,"
as well as her penchant for delving into mysteries and
situations best left to others who aren't leading a flock
of folk to the Almighty. Now Clare's become an active
member of the National Guard, 142nd Aviation Battalion --
not as their chaplain, but rather as a Black Hawk
helicopter pilot, combat support. However, before she
leaves for active duty, there's a mystery brewing in
Millers Kill tied to Russ' sister and mother, and people
who need to be saved. Plus, there's Russ and her growing
feelings for him -- even though she's trying to patiently
give him the space he needs to heal.
Book six in the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery
series dives in from the first page, grabs your attention
and keeps you reading until the last page is turned. It
doesn't matter whether you're just starting out with this
one, or if you've read the other five before it -- it is
just an amazing read. I was so entertained and engrossed
with I SHALL NOT WANT that I went and bought the first two
books to read on my own. Don't mistake their love as the
defining of this book in any one genre; while there is
romance, it is just one of the sum of all this novel's
parts. Ms. Spencer-Fleming's characters, situations and
settings are so poignant and real, you are cheering,
laughing, crying and stressing with Clare, Russ and
newcomer Hadley. Clare Fergusson is the epitome of "God
helps those who help themselves." In fact, even the
secondary characters draw you in -- one way or the other.
The thrilling action, layered characters, profound love
(for each other, as well as for the plight of their fellow
humans) and excellent writing, will leave you with a
pleasant ache when the last page is turned. I can't
recommend this book (and the series) highly enough.
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.
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