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jgtruesdell's review
4.0
Mystery isn't my preferred genre, but I really enjoyed this one. Fast paced, good twist ending. I will be reading more in this series.
boreal_girl's review against another edition
3.25
I was looking to start a new mystery series, but this felt more like a cheesy romance.
trin's review
3.0
Mystery in which a male cop and a female (Episcopalian) priest in a small upstate New York town team up to fight crime! I liked this more than I expected to. Russ (the cop) and Clare (the priest) are both complex, realistic characters, and I really enjoyed how the relationship between them was developed. The way they find common ground and begin to seek out and crave each other’s company felt very natural and wonderfully genderless, if you know what I mean, and after reading a lot of crappy, weirdly misogynistic romance novels, it was very refreshing to see two people become attracted to each other as people. They solve the crime at the novel’s center based on a combination of their respective skills, and I really liked all the scenes where they just…enjoy each other’s competence. The sexual tension is well drawn out in general; Spencer-Fleming makes good use of Russ’ (and possibly her readers’) ignorance about various denominational differences in a fun scene where Russ discovers that no, Clare has not, in fact, taken a vow of celibacy—though that doesn’t change the fact that Russ is married. UST FTW!
As for the mystery plot itself, aside from one “I’ll just follow the instructions in this telephone message of dubious origin and go out to a cabin in the middle of the woods by myself in a snowstorm without telling anyone” moment, which actually had me sending keyboard-mashing IMs to Siria, there aren’t too many bad mystery clichés or examples of terminal character stupidity. Overall, I really enjoyed it, and look forward to reading the next book in the series when my mood rolls around that way again.
As for the mystery plot itself, aside from one “I’ll just follow the instructions in this telephone message of dubious origin and go out to a cabin in the middle of the woods by myself in a snowstorm without telling anyone” moment, which actually had me sending keyboard-mashing IMs to Siria, there aren’t too many bad mystery clichés or examples of terminal character stupidity. Overall, I really enjoyed it, and look forward to reading the next book in the series when my mood rolls around that way again.
emily_reads_a_lot's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
3.75
artbookshelfodyssey's review
5.0
An excellent start to the series. I wasn't quite sure at first, but about half way through, Things Happen, and I hurridly finished it. The ending was good and dramatic and fraught with tension. I loved it, and can't wait to read the next one!
suvata's review
4.0
• ModernMrsDarcy.com 2020 Summer Reading Guide
A newly ordained Episcopal priest and a seasoned Chief of Police find themselves working together to investigate an abandoned infant and a couple of related murders in their small rural community. Set in upstate New York in the middle of a brutal December winter, the crimes are as chilling as the atmospheric conditions.
A newly ordained Episcopal priest and a seasoned Chief of Police find themselves working together to investigate an abandoned infant and a couple of related murders in their small rural community. Set in upstate New York in the middle of a brutal December winter, the crimes are as chilling as the atmospheric conditions.
bvannevel's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75