- Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: St Martin's Press; New edition edition (17 April 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0312986769
- ISBN-13: 978-0312986766
- Product Dimensions: 17.5 x 10.6 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 592,498 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
"Superb!"
-"Library Journal"
"Terrific action scenes...what really distinguishes" In the Bleak Midwinter", however, is the author's skillful portrayal of her protagonist's inner conflict."
"-Washington Post Book World"
"A riveting page-turner from start to finish."
-"Publishers Weekly" (starred review)
"Fleming hits a grand slam with In the Bleak Midwinter. The tension is constant. The dialogue is dead-on. The characters are interesting, thought provoking, and honest. The prose soars above the quality usually found in this genre. To top it all off, the story twists and turns to the last page."-"Denver Rocky Mountain News"
"Without ever slighting the central situation of the abandoned mother and her abandoned child, Spencer-Fleming shows admirable resourcefulness in the changes she rings on it."
-"Kirkus Reviews"
"Compelling...many twists."-"Romantic Times "
"Filled with many twists and turns...[a] warm tale."-"Midwest Book Review"
"The prose soars...the story twists and turns to the last page."
-"Maine Sunday Telegram"
"Julia Spencer-Fleming is already a winner, but she deserves a triple crown. In a strong, distinctive voice, she sets her characters down "In the Bleak Midwinter" and pits them against public murder, personal demons, and the power of nature itself."-Kathy Lynn Emerson, author of the "Face Down Mysteries"
"One of the most impressive "first" crime novels I've read. A priest, a cop, a baby on the doorstep, and a lot of snow combined with suspenseful results for one great book."
-Charlaine Harris, author of "Shakespeare's Counselor"
"Don't miss this one! You'll be rooting for Clare Fergusson in this engaging and vital mystery."
-April Henry, author of the Claire Montrose mysteries and "Learning to Fly"
-"Library Journal"
"Terrific action scenes...what really distinguishes" In the Bleak Midwinter", however, is the author's skillful portrayal of her protagonist's inner conflict."
"-Washington Post Book World"
"A riveting page-turner from start to finish."
-"Publishers Weekly" (starred review)
"Fleming hits a grand slam with In the Bleak Midwinter. The tension is constant. The dialogue is dead-on. The characters are interesting, thought provoking, and honest. The prose soars above the quality usually found in this genre. To top it all off, the story twists and turns to the last page."-"Denver Rocky Mountain News"
"Without ever slighting the central situation of the abandoned mother and her abandoned child, Spencer-Fleming shows admirable resourcefulness in the changes she rings on it."
-"Kirkus Reviews"
"Compelling...many twists."-"Romantic Times "
"Filled with many twists and turns...[a] warm tale."-"Midwest Book Review"
"The prose soars...the story twists and turns to the last page."
-"Maine Sunday Telegram"
"Julia Spencer-Fleming is already a winner, but she deserves a triple crown. In a strong, distinctive voice, she sets her characters down "In the Bleak Midwinter" and pits them against public murder, personal demons, and the power of nature itself."-Kathy Lynn Emerson, author of the "Face Down Mysteries"
"One of the most impressive "first" crime novels I've read. A priest, a cop, a baby on the doorstep, and a lot of snow combined with suspenseful results for one great book."
-Charlaine Harris, author of "Shakespeare's Counselor"
"Don't miss this one! You'll be rooting for Clare Fergusson in this engaging and vital mystery."
-April Henry, author of the Claire Montrose mysteries and "Learning to Fly"
Product Description
Clare Fergusson, St Alban's new priest, fits like a square peg in the conservative Episcopal parish at Millers Kill, New York. She is not just a "lady", she's a tough ex-Army chopper pilot, and nobody's fool. Then a newborn infant left at the church door brings her together with the town's police chief, Russ Van Alstyne, who's also ex-Army and a cynical good shepherd for the stray sheep of his hometown. Their search for the baby's mother quickly leads them into the secrets that shadow Millers Kill like the everpresent Adirondacks. What they discover is a world of trouble, an attraction to each other - and murder...
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First Sentence
It was one hell of a night to throw away a baby. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
It was one hell of a night to throw away a baby. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
What I really like about this book, and in fact the whole series, is the way the relationship between Russ and Claire is written and developed. The mystery runs along side the growing friendship between them and warmth of the characters is one of things which I think sets these books apart from others of its kind. I love the various snowy landscapes in this book too - perfect for reading by the fire on a cold night!
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The words of the famous carol that form the title of this novel also provide the backdrop for events in the town of Miller's Kill, New York - in the far north-east of the United States. A kill, I learnt, is a local name for a creek or shallow river in the farmlands and mountains of the Adirondacks.
This début novel, which won six prestigious awards on first publication, introduces the characters of Russ Van Alstyne, the town's longstanding police chief, and new resident Clare Fergusson, an ex-Army helicopter pilot turned Episcopal priest. The two meet when a newborn baby is found abandoned on the steps of Clare's church, with instructions that he is given for adoption to a couple who worship there regularly. Russ (whose wife is conveniently absent for the whole book) and Clare hit it off; he takes her out on patrol the next evening so she can get to know the town, but when they drive up the snowy paths to the kill, they stumble across the body of a young woman. A woman, it turns out, who has recently given birth.
In the Bleak Midwinter is a novel that draws in the reader, at first by both the vivid characterisation of Russ and Clare as well as by the atmospheric descriptions of the region; but later by the deepening plot, as the case becomes darker and more complex. The pacing is superb, as the confident (then first-time) author avoids the common trap of introducing a cardboard cast and having each one suspected then eliminated as the criminal. Even the over-used device of the "woman in peril" is given a freshly credible treatment.
In addition, though, the author represents unusually well the emotional cost of crimes. She is not afraid to examine the grief of loved ones or the emotions of those desperate to have a child at any cost. Nor is she afraid to demonstrate how Clare provides succour and comfort to the bereaved or the (wrongfully?) accused. Taken together with the unspoken sexual tension between Russ and Clare, both tough yet decent people who have weathered some of life's less fair blows, this novel is an excellent achievement.
This début novel, which won six prestigious awards on first publication, introduces the characters of Russ Van Alstyne, the town's longstanding police chief, and new resident Clare Fergusson, an ex-Army helicopter pilot turned Episcopal priest. The two meet when a newborn baby is found abandoned on the steps of Clare's church, with instructions that he is given for adoption to a couple who worship there regularly. Russ (whose wife is conveniently absent for the whole book) and Clare hit it off; he takes her out on patrol the next evening so she can get to know the town, but when they drive up the snowy paths to the kill, they stumble across the body of a young woman. A woman, it turns out, who has recently given birth.
In the Bleak Midwinter is a novel that draws in the reader, at first by both the vivid characterisation of Russ and Clare as well as by the atmospheric descriptions of the region; but later by the deepening plot, as the case becomes darker and more complex. The pacing is superb, as the confident (then first-time) author avoids the common trap of introducing a cardboard cast and having each one suspected then eliminated as the criminal. Even the over-used device of the "woman in peril" is given a freshly credible treatment.
In addition, though, the author represents unusually well the emotional cost of crimes. She is not afraid to examine the grief of loved ones or the emotions of those desperate to have a child at any cost. Nor is she afraid to demonstrate how Clare provides succour and comfort to the bereaved or the (wrongfully?) accused. Taken together with the unspoken sexual tension between Russ and Clare, both tough yet decent people who have weathered some of life's less fair blows, this novel is an excellent achievement.
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This is the first story I have read by Julia Spencer-Fleming and I enjoyed it from start to finish. The characters are real, and have their own foibles. Clare is a reverand with a difference, but this makes her all the more human. The plot moves along nicely, and I cannot agree with a previous reviewer about the ending. I thought the ending was entirely fitting and I did not guess it at all. Julia Spencer-Fleming leads you to the end with ease and I found that I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened. I intend reading more of these books with the greatest of speed. This is the first in the series, and without having read any of the subsequent books I would advise anyone to start here as it sets the scene for the characters, which I assume is necessary in future storylines.
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