Customer Reviews

Out of the Deep I Cry (A Rev. Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne Mystery)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Julia Spencer-Fleming's Out of the Deep I Cry is the third book featuring the Rev. Clare Fergusson, an Episcopal priest, and her good friend, Chief of Police Russ Van Alstyne.

As with the first two books in the series (all three named after hymns), Out of the Deep contains an absorbing plot, with all the necessary touches of intrigue and suspense. This is the author's best story yet, a contemporary mystery with roots in the past, presented with the flair and polish of the finest artisan.

Even better than the plots, though, are the wonderful characters Spencer-Fleming creates. The relationship between her two main players, especially, is so touching and authentic that the ending is enough to make even the hardest heart melt.

Reviewed by David Montgomery, Chicago Sun-Times

Spencer-Fleming's writing amazes me. She manages to skillfully weave the mystery in with the humdrum details of her character's life to create a rich, real novel that keeps you turning pages.

Rev. Clare Fergusson's church is in trouble. The ceiling's literally fallen in and there's no money anywhere to fix it. Just as the Rev turns to a board member Lacey Marshall to turn over part of a trust that was being used by the town's free clinic to the church for urgent repairs, the clinic's physician disappears under suspicious circumstances.

This whole situation is so similar to the disappearance of the father of Mrs. Marshall's. Both mysteries weave together and echo each other in eerie ways. I suggest you allot time to finish this book, because you are not going to want to wait to see the ending. So far, every book in this series has been great. I'm very much looking forward to the next.

In her third book Spencer-Fleming develops characters you really know and care about. The tension between the priest and policeman is defined and the reader can feel their personal tension. Secondary characters are also expanded meaningfully. There is more than one plot taking place in different time periods, but all is masterfully woven together. A very unique and interesting page turner.

This is a compelling story that I could not put down. I wish the next one were available so I could continue, but, alas, I have to wait a while. I advise any new readers to start with the first in the series and read them in order. This book impressed me with the interweaving of past and present, showing how events have their fruition in unexpected ways, reaching into the future and intersecting other sequences in a kind of inevitability. The only possible weakness I found was that I did not quite buy into the scene in which the Ketcham children are denied the ministrations of a physician. I think any parent would have to be physically restrained, not merely intimidated, in order to delay going for help. The romance between Clare and Russ is quite believable and a relief from the usual tripe that passes as romance. These are mature, moral people who know exactly what is happening and the consequences that might obtain, yet feel the overpowering urges of their attraction for each other. It is comforting to read of a strong friendship between a man and woman that is based on something other than hormones.

I've enjoyed all of the previous Rev. Clare Fergusson novels and this one was no different. Ms. Spencer-Fleming gets better and better with each book in this series. I enjoy this author and her series for several reasons which include great characterization, great church politics, towns people who populate her world and the ever-growing relationship between Clare and the police chief, Russ Van Alstyne. If you haven't started this series yet - your in for a treat. Start by reading the first book, IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER.

Spencer-Fleming has created a masterful, multi-layered mystery, not scary but suspenseful.

Episcopal priest Clare Fergusson leads her congregation through the beginning of Lent. Her parish faces financial calamity as the roof needs to be replaced and (by one vote) the vestry agrees to maintain the historical architecture of the building, rather than opt for a cheaper, modern solution.

Board member Lacey Marshall suggests donating her trust fund to the church, although this move will take funds from the Ketchem clinic her mother founded. And right after Al Rouse, resident physician, learns the money will be taken away, he disappears. Clare finds herself drawn into the search when Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne investigates a woman she's been counseling.

Not that Clare's an unwilling participant. A former Army chopper pilot, she enjoys a taste of adventure. She draws on her military skills of tracking and map reading. And she's very good friends with the married Chief, a source of scandal to many in the community.

Author Spencer-Fleming interrupts the contemporary story to give us glimpses into the Ketchem family in the 20's, 30's and 40's. We learn about the tragic deaths of Lacey Marshall's siblings, but it's not till the end of the book that we learn the full story. We discover a spooky parallel between the contemporary doctor's disappearance and the historical disappearance of Lacey's father, who simply vanished one night. Eventually we learn where the Ketchem fortune came from and why it's referred to as blood money.

Spencer-Fleming's history, like Sharyn McCrumb's, shows us how life really was lived in a specific US region. We go beyond the glamorized "good old days," realizing the cruelty of the Prohibition laws (not unlike our modern drug laws in some ways) and the suffering of families during epidemics that we no longer comprehend.

I couldn't put this book down. The characters are three-dimensional and very realistic. In particular, Clare's friendship with Russ Van Alstyne resembles friendships I've had with single and married men, where the mind-to-mind component was stronger than any other bond. We're meant to realize that men and women can be friends while remaining faithful to their romantic partners.

The Episcopal priests I've met have been like Clare: smart and down-to-earth, not especially holy, let alone holier-than-thou.

Out of the Deep reminds me not of cozies, but of the lyrical mysteries of Sharyn McCrumb and Nevada Barr, filled with history, geography and complex relationships. Clare belongs to the genre of strong, tough women in nontraditional jobs. And Russ fits the genre of complex small town law enforcement officers, not unlike the sheriff that Anna Pigeon will be marrying, hopefully, in the next Nevada Barr.

Mysteries like these don't get written in a hurry, and I'm already eagerly awaiting Spencer-Fleming's next. --

Keep them coming Ms. Spencer-Fleming. I am hooked. I lent the first two books in the series to a friend and she read them in 4 days. I just finished Out of The Deep I Cry and already mailed it to her. I love the character Clare. Russ isn't to shabby either. The stories are well written and I am enthralled with this relationship between Clare and Russ. I also love the fact that Clare was in the military, as I was. That's where the similarity ends but her Preistly duties are fascinating to me as well.Bravo Ms. Spencer-Fleming. Can't wait for the fourt installment. Please tell me it won't be much longer.

I love this series. The characters are so real. The mystery keeps you guessing, but even if there wasn't a mystery I would read it just to be able to spend some time with Claire and Russ. I can't wait for the next book to see how the author is going to handle the relationship between the two. With Julia Spencer-Fleming's series, you get mystery, the experience of a small town life, religion, laughter, suspense and the tension of a forbidden relationship that keeps getting stronger. I would definitely, most highly recommend this series.

Julia Spencer-Fleming is one of the greatest mystery writers of today. She is one of only three authors who's books I will buy because of who wrote the book and without knowing anything else about the book.

The writing in this book totally carries you along. The flow is great. The characterizations are fasinating. I've read three of Spencer-Fleming's books and couldn't put them down once I started reading them.

Let' hope that she can keep up the great work and incredible excellence.

Having thoroughly enjoyed In the Bleak Midwinter, I took on Russ and Clare once again. This time, the issues are complicated. The free clinic doctor has an adversarial relationship with a woman who staunchly believes that the vaccination that the doctor gave her son caused his autism. There is also a rather unclear history of the clinic's founder, her surviving daughter, her missing husband, and their first four children who perished from diphtheria. Russ, the chief of police, and Clare, the Episcopal priest both have personal and professional caring motivations, but as in the first book, sometimes the priest's and the police officer's professional caring and responsibilities conflict. Their warm feelings for one another continue as they walk the tightrope of trusting friendship between members of the opposite sex. The story is told in both flashbacks and contemporary time. Spencer-Fleming weaves a good story, unraveling the mysteries and their resolutions well. Good stuff. I'll be back for more.