The best book in the series so far! Great complicated story intertwined in two very different time periods. ( )

Note to self: don't forget again and try any more of this series! They're more "forbidden romance" than they are mysteries. I know they're popular but they don't work for me at all. ( )

Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne 3

Millers Kill's past comes into play to solve a modern-day mystery. Russ breaks a leg and the team has to solve a locked door problem from the inside because the creek be rising. ( )

Julia Spencer-Fleming is writing a mystery series with a woman priest and a male police chief as the central characters. The woman is 35 and single. The man is late 40s and married and they are developing strong feelings for each other. In Out of the Deep I Cry there are two missing persons cases one from 1930 and one from the current time. There is some connection between the two and Chief of Police Russ Van Alstyne would like to solve both cases. The Rev. Clare Fergusson will get in the way of Russ's investigation and then solve the mysteries on her own. I am beginning to spot a formula here. ( )

"Out Of The Deep I Cry" links Clare, our modern-day ex-army helicopter pilot turned Episcopalian Priest and Russ our local boy returned to be sheriff after a little too long in the army, more closely to the past of the small town of Miller's Kill, New York.

As with the previous books, "Out Of The Deep I Cry" manages to link the investigation of a crime to a topical issue, in this case, the inoculation of children. It then goes a step further and links the fates of the current Miller's Kill generation with the trials faced by their grandparents, when diphtheria was killing children, when inoculation was new and not widely accepted and when rural New York was the main route for smuggling illegal alcohol to New York City.

While I enjoyed the cleverness of the mysteries in the plot and how they were resolved, what struck me most was how the actions of previous generations can seem so long ago yet still have impacts and echoes in the daily lives of their descendants. I was impressed that the story of the previous generation was told with the same clarity and authenticity as the modern-day story.

Julia Spencer-Fleming managed to weave the two timelines together in ways that were easy to follow and which made both stories stronger. In the process, she set out the dilemmas faced by parents trying to do the best by their children, without being judgemental.pencer

There is a lot of grief in this book, some of which has been carried for a long time. I admired the way that grief was respected and understood rather than being exploited. It kept the book human and it kept the emotions high.

The relationship between Clare and Russ continues to grow and to cause both of them pleasure and guilt. This too is handled with empathy and without ducking the moral issues involved.

It seems to me that this series is getting stronger as it goes along. I'm looking forward to reading the next book.
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Book 3 in the Clare Fergusson/ Russ Van Alstyne series, in which the Rev. Clare Fergusson, rector of the Episcopal Church in Millers Kill, NY teams up with the chief of police to tackle the newest mystery to beset their town.

This one starts with a leaky roof at St. Alban's Episcopal Church. Clare is the new pastor. When the vestry gets together to figure out how to fix a problem they have been debating for a number of years, Clare is surprised to learn that one of the vergers is Mrs. Lacey Marshall who controls a trust that she can liquidate as she wishes. Currently the trust is funding a free clinic that is named for her father. If she liquidates it and donates it to the church for roof repair, that will cut into the clinic's funding.

Clare has just become aware of the clinic. She passed it by one day on her way to volunteer for the historical society and walked into the middle of a very small protest. Debba Clow is protesting because she believes her son became autistic after receiving a vaccination at the clinic. Dr. Allen Rouse has been running the clinic for more than 30 years. He began after Mrs. Ketchum, Mrs. Marshall's mother, paid his way through medical school and his residency.

This story has a number of flashbacks going back to the 1920s and 1930s and tracks the story of Mrs. Ketchum whose first contact with the police was when her husband Jonathan went missing. It also has a brief flashback to when young Russ Van Alstyne saved Mrs. Ketchum from drowning herself just before he went off to join the Army. The flashbacks tell about the loss of four of the Ketchum's children to diphtheria within days of each other in 1924. It talks about rumrunners and the buying up of lots of farmland, including the Ketchums, to put in a flood control reservoir.

These stories all weave together and come to a head when Dr. Rouse goes missing and Debba Clow becomes a suspect in his disappearance. Meanwhile, people have begun talking about Russ Van Alstyne and Clare's relationship even though they are trying to be above board and open about their friendship. Both are still in denial that they love each other since he's a very married man.

This story was intriguing and suspenseful. It is a great addition to an already strong series. ( )

In 1930, Jane Ketcham walked to the police station and asked for help in finding her missing husband. The officers tried, but Jonathan had vanished, and no one ever saw him again. Jane, stalwart and determined to survive, kept the Ketcham dairy farm running and used both her inheritance and the money from that successful business enterprise to establish a charitable free clinic.

Now, decades after Jonathan Ketcham disappeared, the clinic’s physician suddenly vanishes, Clare joins Russ Van Alstyne in the investigation and they discover there’s a link between doctor’s disappearance and a secret from the bleak, difficult days of Prohibition.

Alternating between the past and the present, Jane Ketcham’s story spins out as the mystery surrounding the doctor’s disappearance slowly unfolds in this, the third book in the series. Surprising reveals and plot twists take the story in unexpected directions and keep the reader guessing. And, of course, there’s the developing relationship between Clare and Russ. “Out of the Deep I Cry” is a worthy addition to the series and readers will find it difficult to set aside before turning the final page.

Highly recommended. ( )

Excellent continuation of the Russ/Clare story, and great use of parallel storylines. ( )

This installment of the Clare & Russ series is just as good as the first one. Taut storyline meets engaging characters to make for staying up too late in order to finish it! ( )

From Amazon:

On April 1, 1930, Jonathan Ketchem's wife Jane walked from her house to the police department to ask for help in finding her husband. The men, worn out from a night of chasing bootleggers, did what they could. But no one ever saw Jonathan Ketchem again...

Now decades later, someone else is missing in Miller's Kill, NY. This time it's the physician of the clinic that bears the Ketchem name. Suspicion falls on a volatile single mother with a grudge against the doctor, but Reverend Clare Fergusson isn't convinced. As Clare and Russ investigate, they discover that the doctor's disappearance is linked to a bloody trail going all the way back to the hardscrabble Prohibition era. As they draw ever closer to the truth, their attraction for each other grows increasingly more difficult to resist. And their search threatens to uncover secrets that snake from one generation to the next--and to someone who's ready to kill.

My Thoughts:

It is refreshing to read of a strong friendship between a man and woman that is based on something other than hormones. 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. ( )

Former Army helicopter pilot and current Episcopal priest in Miller's Kill, New York, has a serious roofing problem and there's no money available to fix it. After calling the vestry members in for a strategy session, one of them, Lacy Marshall, decides to liquidate her trust and gift the money to St. Alban's roof repair. Currently the trust is subsidizing the local free clinic run by Dr. Alan Rouse.

Shortly after delivering the bad news, Dr. Rouse disappears. Clare and Chief of Police, Russ Van Alstyne, work clues left behind to try to find him. Ironically, Mrs Marshall’s father also disappeared over sixty years earlier and the clinic was set up by her mother as a memorial.

The story is told in various chapters of “Then” and “Now” and goes from the 70's, to the 30's, to the 50's, and modern time. In flashbacks we follow the disappearance of Mrs. Marshall's father and how her mother came to set up the clinic in his name. There is also a parallel story of a local woman and her protests at the clinic for using vaccines that she believes caused her son to become autistic.

As usual, the growing attraction between Russ and Clare is a big part of the story and to my surprise we finally meet Linda who is talked of but never seen in the first two books. I love the flawed characters of Russ and Clare. In addition to the great characters, the colorful locale adds depth to a well plotted mystery.
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a terrific read I couldn't put down ( )

Love these stories! I'm already on to the fourth! ( )

This one may be closer to 3.7 than 4 stars. The mystery, while solid, felt a little more confused. Probably because I wasn't a fan of the "Then" chapters. Not that they weren't good in and of themselves, they were. I just wasn't a fan of the back and forth storytelling. I never have been. And it also may be because I live for Russ and Clare's relationship. That is what really made this book, and I'm left with way too many feelings that I won't get into here. I just need to start reading the next book ASAP. ( )

I think this was the best one so far. I liked the flashback parts (which usually I can't stand that sort of thing) and oh my gosh, we finally get a little Russ/Clare action. I almost died. ( )

While I really enjoyed this book, I am enormously frustrated with the characters and the decisions they made, but I think the fact that Clare and Russ are seriously flawed (and man, are they flawed) is part of what makes the series work. The format in this third entry in the series is different with chapters shifting through several time periods. The Ketchem family's story is heartbreaking, but hard to turn away from. It was nice to get to see Russ' wife Linda a little more - that really brings home the dilemma that he's facing with being in love with two women.

Listened to the BBC AudioBooks America CD edition narrated by Suzanne Toren. ( )

Spencer-Fleming is an amazing author. In this installment of the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mysteries she moves their relationship forward while doing flashback scenes to other years like 1924 and 1930. The flashbacks concern the case of a missing doctor, the importance of childhood vaccinations and the misguided beliefs, by some, that vaccines are tied to autism. It is a complicated story in some ways, yet very easy to follow and with simple strings weaving everything together. I'm in a hurry to get the next book in this series, I can't wait. ( )

My blog post about this book is at this link . ( )

First Line: Russ Van Alstyne had just gotten a tug on his line when he saw the old lady get up from between the headstones she had been trimming, lay down her gardening tools, and walk into the reservoir.

A section of the St. Alban's Episcopal Church roof is ready to collapse, and the chances of getting it repaired look bleak until Mrs. Marshall decides to break the trust created by her mother. Instead of helping to fund the free clinic, the money from the trust will allow St. Alban's costly repairs to be done.

Losing a bit of its funding turns out to be the least of the troubles facing the Millers Kill Free Clinic because its doctor goes missing and a local woman seems to be the best suspect in town. Reverend Clare Fergusson finds herself investigating Dr. Rouse's disappearance alongside Chief of Police Russ Van Alstyne. What Clare and Russ don't realize is just how helpful Clare's volunteer work at the historical society is going to be. This case has long roots that go all the way back to the Prohibition era, and it's going to take everything Clare and Russ have got to untangle them to get at the truth.

I do love books that combine a current mystery with one that occurred in the past, and Julia Spencer-Fleming has created a marvelous one here. Chapters take the reader back to the 1930s when Mrs. Marshall's father disappeared without a trace, to the 1950s when her mother created the trust for the clinic, and even to 1970 when the young Russ Van Alstyne has his very first brush with the mystery.

Once again the author leads us through life in a small town. To those of us who have lived in one, it will seem as though we've gone home for a visit. To those who haven't, they can see it through the eyes of the Reverend Clare Fergusson, who, as a newcomer, is a rank amateur when it comes to dealing with a village gossip mill. The importance of a small town clinic is also outlined by showing us what happens when its doctor goes missing, and by how and why a local woman can campaign against having children receive immunizations to prevent disease.

When all was revealed at the end, I had to shake my head. All the clues were there, but I was so engrossed with the story and its characters that I didn't even think to tease out those threads of clues so that I could ponder them. If you like your books to be character rich, then you have to read these books by Julia Spencer-Fleming. Clare (a priest) and Russ (a married man) are two of the best characters in crime fiction, and the fact that they are two honorable people falling deeply in love with each other adds an extraordinary poignancy to each book.

Yes, these books can be read as standalones, but I would strongly advise against reading them as such. Yes, the stories are exceptional, but characters like Clare and Russ are like the rarest of pearls. You're going to want to collect them all. ( )

Two mysteries intertwine in this visit to Millers Kill. In the present day, Clare is battling with a leaking church roof, the charity of a kind lady and a small town bent on making something of a weekly lunch with the chief of police. Turns out that nice lady is the only surviving daughter of the Ketchams, and Jonathon's disappearance in 1930 remains Millers Kill oldest cold case. The disappearance of a local doctor twists these two stories together and shows how life in a small town is not immune to evil. ( )

Out of the Deep I Cry
Two men disappeared - one in the present day, and one in 1930. As the Rev. Clare Fergusson and Chief of Police Russ Alstyne search for the man who disappeared after meeting a young woman in a cemetery, they unearth connections to the disappearance that occurred eighty years ago.
The Ketchem Free Clinic, named after the man who disappeared in 1930, is about to lose some of its funding, and Clare feels responsible. The man's daughter, Lacey Marshall, has decided to break the trust that provided funding for the clinic, and Clare's church, which is desperately in need of repairs, will benefit from the money.
The Ketchem farm was flooded in 1930 to allow for the creation of a reservoir, and every line of investigation, both past and present, seems to lead to this body of water, or the river that runs through the town of Millers Kill, New York. Clare's suspicions of the fate of Jonathan Ketchem, who disappeared so many years ago, connect to a diphtheria outbreak, and the reason for the visit to the cemetery the night Dr. Rouse disappeared.
This is one of Julia Spencer-Fleming's earlier books in this series, when Russ is still married. Their friendship is growing into an undeniable attraction which is difficult to keep secret in a small town like Millers Kill, New York. The two have very different goals and methods of finding the truth, but their paths cross constantly, as Clare cannot resist becoming involved in the investigation. Their ill-fated romance is as intriguing as the murder mystery, which alternates between past and present before we learn the truth.

(As published in Suspense Magazine) ( )

Reverend Clare Ferguson has a problem at St Albans - the roof is leaking. Presenting her need for funding to repair the roof, the vestry members are stunned when Lacey Marshall offers to end her mother's trust which supports the local free clinic and give the funds to the church for the repairs.

Feeling that she needed to be present when the Doctor at the clinic is told that his funding is being withdrawn, Clare goes to the clinic with Lacey where they are confronted by protesters.

After matters settle, Dr. Rouse from the clinic disappears. His disappearance even seems to resemble the disappearance of Lacey's father in 1930.

The mystery frequently flashes back to the time when Lacey's parents were dealing with the death of 4 of their children from diphtheria which was the driving force for the endowment to the clinic.

As Clare and Russ delve into the connections between the two disappearances, we learn more about the past of Millers Kill during Prohibition and the Depression.

A great installment to the series, looking forward to the next. ( )

I am very much enjoying Clare and Russ. There are three things that make just love this, the third, book in the series. First, I coincidentally read it during Lent, and the story takes place during Lent. The flow of the season that shows in the work of Reverend Clare Fergusson is subtly reflected in the progress of the mystery during the weeks before Easter. Second, the story moved back and forth between "now" and "then" (1920s-30s) so we get two mysteries for the price of one, so to speak. Both end surprisingly, and, unsurprisingly, are related. Third, when in just about every book. movie and TV show, two people who are attracted to each other are immediately in bed, the relationship between Clare and Russ takes a more mature course. We see two people who have respect for each other and for each others' vows and commitments, and can develop an intimate friendship without sex.

While I've enjoyed the previous two books in the series, this is the best so far. I highly recommend this series! ( )