Author : Julia Spencer-Fleming
Narrators : Suzanne Toren
Genre : Mystery
Publisher : Blackstone Audio
Listening Length : 12 hours 58 minutes
Rating : 3.7/5
Narrator Rating : 4/5
Reverend Clare Fergusson is the new priest at St. Albans in Miller’s Kill, New York. A former army pilot, Fergusson is all ready to take on the responsibilities of her parish, when one cold winter’s day she finds an abandoned baby on the church steps. A note with the baby indicates that he be given to two of her parishioners. Claire calls in the police. As the investigation gathers steam, and the murders start to pile up, Clare gets more and more embroiled in it.
This is my first book of the series, and I’m very pleased to have found another great mystery series! The characters are very likeable and well drawn. The mystery is nicely wrought, and Clare is in the thick of it by being the discoverer of the baby and the parish priest; she considers herself responsible for the well-being of her flock, although some of them disapprove of her new-fangled ideas. Clare has a solid sense of ethics and privacy, but is impulsive. Although she is good friends with local police chief Russ van Alstyne, she is hesitant to ask for help, and lands in one hairy situation after another.
A surprising and unexpected twist in this tale, is the attraction between Clare and the very much married Russ. This is the first book, and from the looks of it, this is going to progress, and I’d be curious to see how, given that she is the priest and he has a wife to boot. I wouldn’t call this book very fast-paced; there are discussions of churchyard sales, and long conversations between Clare and Russ, and Clare and her parishioners. The book really got going about midway.
Suzanne Torren does a great job narrating. Her Clare is a Southern belle, unprepared for the harsh winter with her lightweight clothing, flimsy boots, and snow-unworthy car. Police van Alstyne sounds a bit raspy but believable. All in all, an interesting book made better by Torren’s narration.
