AT MIDNIGHT COMES THE CRY by Julia Spencer-Fleming

AT MIDNIGHT COMES THE CRY is the 10th novel in the Fergusson/Van Alstyne Mysteries, and it is a wild Christmas-time ride as Clare and her husband Russ become involved in a high-stakes scenario where a militia group is planning to strike, and a young mother and daughter are in grave danger from a militia member, who has gone all in. This pulse-pounding thriller by Julie Spencer- Fleming is multi-layered and compelling.</ span>

Reverend Clare Fergusson and her newly retired chief of police</ span> husband, Russ Van Alstyne, are enjoying their first Christmas season with their son, Ethan. That is, until a Christmas parade includes a float handing out white supremacist literature. As Clare and Russ intervene to stop a fight, this sets in motion a series of events that lead them into the world of militias and two missing men. Officer Hadley Knox is assisting Russ in tracking down the missing Kevin Flynn, a former Millers Kill police officer, who seems to have gone undercover in the militia group. There is also a missing ranger in the Adirondacks. With the help of a New York State Forest Ranger and a young, ambitious attorney, Russ, Clare and Hadley find themselves trying to infiltrate the group and find the missing men. Soon, Clare is dealing with her own missing husband and a young mother trying to escape a bad marriage with one of the key players. Will Russ be rescued, and will they put an end to the militia groups’ plan before a holiday celebration becomes a mass casualty event?

AT MIDNIGHT COMES THE CRY takes readers back to Millers Kill, NY, where Reverend Clare Fergusson is enjoying motherhood and worrying about her husband, who recently resigned as Chief of Police. Yet, justice is in their blood, and they put it all on the line when a militia group is operating nearby and bent on creating havoc. The characters are diverse and engaging, while the story is riveting and full of action and high stakes. From a young mother’s terror caused by her controlling husband to Russ’s time as a prisoner of the militia, there’s plenty of angst, emergency, tactical planning, interagency collaboration, and weather-related obstacles. The story is compelling and will appeal to those who like action-filled stories with strong-willed, highly skilled characters willing to put their lives on the line to protect the more vulnerable. AT MIDNIGHT COMES THE CRY will have you cheering for the characters and their mission as they avert a tragedy and restore the holiday spirit to the season.

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SUMMARY

New York Times bestseller Julia Spencer- Fleming returns to her beloved Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series

It’s Christmas time in Millers Kill, and Reverend Clare Fergusson and her husband Russ van Alstyne - newly resigned from his position as chief of police – plan to enjoy it with their baby boy. On their list: visiting Santa, decorating the tree, and attending the church Christmas pageant. But when a beloved holiday parade is crashed by white supremacists, Clare and Russ find themselves sucked into a parallel world of militias, machinations and murder.

Meanwhile, single mom and officer Hadley Knox has her hands full juggling her kids and her police work. She doesn’t want to worry about her former partner – and sometimes lover – Kevin Flynn, but when he takes leave from the Syracuse PD and disappears, she can’t help her growing panic that something has gone very wrong.

Novice lawyer Joy Zhào is keeping secrets from her superiors at the state Attorney General’s Office. She knows they wouldn’t condone her off-the-books investigation, but she’s convinced a threatening alt- right conspiracy is brewing – and catching the perpetrators could jump start her career.

NYS Forest Ranger Paul Terrance is looking for his uncle, a veteran of the park service gone inexplicably missing. He doesn’t think much of an ex-cop and out-of-town officer showing up in his patch of the woods, but he’s heard the disturbing rumors of dangerous men in the mountains.

In New York Times Julia Spencer-Fleming's latest novel, as Christmas approaches, these five people will discover their suspicions hang on a single twisting thread, leading to the forbidding High Peaks of the Adirondacks. As the December days shorten and the nights grow long, a disparate group of would-be heroes need to unwind a murderous plot before time runs out.