Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
This series is pretty much it for me in the crime/mystery genre. Well, I liked Long Bright River by Liz Moore, if that counts, and I *tried* WKK’s Cork O’Connor series (nope, not for me). I like Rev. Clare in this series. I do not recommend jumping in at book 9 after having left off somewhere around book 3 years before, but whatever. Clare is still Clare.
It was worth the six-year wait to revisit Russ and Clare in Millers Kill. There is some beautiful parallel construction that elevates this beyond a whodunnit, although the mystery is good, too.
It's been a long time since I read a book in this series and I wasn't sure I loved the last one, but I enjoyed this one.
Hid from Our Eyes by Julia Spencer-Fleming is ninth in the Reverend Clare Fergusson and Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne series. This novel works well as a standalone but I would enjoy reading the previous ones. The mystery is set in three separate time periods. In 1952, the body of a young woman is found on a deserted country road, dressed in an expensive dress but without anything to identify her. The cause of death remained a mystery and the culprit was never found. In 1972, another unidentified young woman suffers the same fate and the crime is never solved. Now, in the present day, a third body is found in the same circumstances and it is up to Chief Van Alstyne and his police force to solve this crime and hopefully in the process, solve the other two murders. This is a suspenseful police procedural set over a period of fifty plus years. The only problem with the ending is an attempt by the author to set the scene for the next novel but I highly recommend Hid from Our Eyes. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The main story line is stand alone but there is a lot of background that you need the earlier books for, I recommend starting with book one, not 9 like I did. It's good though. Easy read, interesting enough to keep my attention.
There may be a couple of minor quibbles for Russ & Claire fans, but it's been SUCH a long time that we've gone to Millers Kill and gotten an update that this book feels like a delicious treat. Be sure to read Spencer-Fleming's afterword, where she explains why it's taken such a long time to get this book out. You'll forgive her; I did.
In fact, the last book in the series was published in 2013 and that one was a long time in coming, as well. It helps the reader understand that when Spencer-Fleming says something is happening in 'present day' it's really more like 10+ years ago--her timelines don't gel here. But let it go. It's a good story, expertly plotted around three crimes, decades apart. Spencer-Fleming has not lost her touch, and if you're worried about having forgotten everything in the intervening 7 years, she brings you up to date.
I can't decide exactly why I liked this book so much--it's more than just missing the characters. I think it has to do with the weaving that Spencer-Fleming does, explaining why you sometimes have to wait a long time to see how things turn out. Five stars.
In fact, the last book in the series was published in 2013 and that one was a long time in coming, as well. It helps the reader understand that when Spencer-Fleming says something is happening in 'present day' it's really more like 10+ years ago--her timelines don't gel here. But let it go. It's a good story, expertly plotted around three crimes, decades apart. Spencer-Fleming has not lost her touch, and if you're worried about having forgotten everything in the intervening 7 years, she brings you up to date.
I can't decide exactly why I liked this book so much--it's more than just missing the characters. I think it has to do with the weaving that Spencer-Fleming does, explaining why you sometimes have to wait a long time to see how things turn out. Five stars.
I've been waiting so long for this book, and it didn't disappoint! I loved the way that the author switched between times and showed three different police chiefs handling related cases, and the relationships between the characters between generations and time periods were so fun and clever. I can't wait for the next one!
Very well done, Ms. Spencer-Fleming. This is a brilliant book, possibly her best to date. These books rise far above the usual genre fiction. Along with Louise Penny, Ms. Spencer-Fleming is writing excellent fiction within a mystery context.
Her characters are all well rounded people you want to spend more time with, and their dilemmas and lives ring true. The earliest books in the series are a little more uneven, but this will make more sense to you if you read at least the last 3 in the series.
I was having trouble reading, but couldn't put this one down, even if it is a nice cheerful little book about a serial killer. Highly recommended.
Series List:
Her characters are all well rounded people you want to spend more time with, and their dilemmas and lives ring true. The earliest books in the series are a little more uneven, but this will make more sense to you if you read at least the last 3 in the series.
I was having trouble reading, but couldn't put this one down, even if it is a nice cheerful little book about a serial killer. Highly recommended.
Series List:
4.5 stars
I've been reading this series pretty much back-to-back, but there's actually a 6 year gap between the publication of #8 and that of #9. I'm hoping we don't have to wait nearly as long for #10.
This was an excellent mystery - not something the reader could figure out because they don't have access to all the information - but interesting and compelling nonetheless. In addition to the mystery, quite a bit of the book was devoted to the characters we've come to know. And a warning: there are several cliffhangers.
And now it's time for my regularly scheduled rant about the narrator. I really dislike the choice of her for this series. Her voices are too old and too snobby for the characters. And there's a real problem with her male voices - other than a few strange exceptions, she basically has a young-sounding one for men under 30 and an old-sounding one for men over 30. Since there are quite a few men in the book, all of the ones of a similar age sound alike. And that's tough for the listeners. I continue to maintain that I would enjoy the series more if Clare sounded more like a 30-something and Russ sounded more like a 50-something. The narrator adds at least 20 years to each of them and that is entirely disappointing.
I've been reading this series pretty much back-to-back, but there's actually a 6 year gap between the publication of #8 and that of #9. I'm hoping we don't have to wait nearly as long for #10.
This was an excellent mystery - not something the reader could figure out because they don't have access to all the information - but interesting and compelling nonetheless. In addition to the mystery, quite a bit of the book was devoted to the characters we've come to know. And a warning: there are several cliffhangers.
And now it's time for my regularly scheduled rant about the narrator. I really dislike the choice of her for this series. Her voices are too old and too snobby for the characters. And there's a real problem with her male voices - other than a few strange exceptions, she basically has a young-sounding one for men under 30 and an old-sounding one for men over 30. Since there are quite a few men in the book, all of the ones of a similar age sound alike. And that's tough for the listeners. I continue to maintain that I would enjoy the series more if Clare sounded more like a 30-something and Russ sounded more like a 50-something. The narrator adds at least 20 years to each of them and that is entirely disappointing.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No