Rating: 
Summary: Kept Me
Review: In the Bleak Midwinter kept me reading straight through; I found the characters interesting and the plot moved quickly with little twists and turns that really kept my interest. I want to hear more about the Rev. Clare!
Rating:
Summary: I'm ordering this one for friends
Review: Julia Spencer-Fleming has written an exceptionally good mystery. The main characters are believable & likeable. The Adirondack setting is very well done, as is the description of the snow storm. And I never did figure out the murderer, although the author played fair with the clues. And I enjoyed the moral dimension to this book.
Rating:
Summary: I'm ordering this one for friends
Review: Julia Spencer-Fleming has written an exceptionally good mystery. The main characters are believable & likeable. The Adirondack setting is very well done, as is the description of the snow storm. And I never did figure out the murderer, although the author played fair with the clues. And I enjoyed the moral dimension to this book.
Rating:
Summary: awesome
Review: omg- i loved this book. the author goes to the same church as me, she's friends with my mom (i'm 14), so when she said her book was being published, i had to read it! of course, i had to wait for my mom to finish reading it first. once i started reading, i couldnt put it down! i love how she put the names of places in portland, maine, such as payson park, and people in maine.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible
Review: Riveting, spellbinding keeps you guessing all the way through. Wish more books had great, strong female leads. This is a fantastic mystery and has some phenomenal characters. Highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: You can feel the cold in this book.
Review: The author does such a great job at describing the weather in this stormy tale of a new baby, left in the snow, but covered on the steps of St. Alban's Episcopal Church. The new Reverend is a woman, and it is she who stumbles upon the writhing bundle while getting ready to brave the weather and go for a jog. Reverend Clare Ferguson finds a note next to the baby, saying "Please give Cody to Mr. and Mrs. Burns here at St Albans." Mr. and Mrs. Burnes are anxious for a child, and everyone in the little town of Millers Kill, Washington knows this. Snow is falling all of the time, the Reverend just hates to get rid of her tiny car, but an SUV will be so much more practical. The police and an ambulance arrive at St. Albans, whisking baby Coty to an unknown fate. 6 days later, a young woman is found dead, bashed in the head with a blunt object, left lying out in the snow. She is 6 days post partum and her name is Katie. She is Cody's mother. Throughout all the interviews, one man stands out because Katie once dated his son. He is of a most despicable character, already having molested the oldest girl he had until she left for college and possibly molesting Katie as well. He believes he is the child's grandfather and wants the child. The FBI and local police know this would be a horrible place for the child, the man smells of booze, the 300 pound wife has no say, but the Department of Human Services has plenty to say once all the blood and DNA testing is in. Days later, Mr. McWhorter, the would be grandfather is also dead, shot in the back of the head, left in the snow. It's a great who done it story. I personally did not figure it out until the end, but when you find out who killed Katie and her father, you will be shocked. There are undertones of romance. Reverend Clare must keep herself in check with the Chief of Police, who is married and also must keep himself in check. This added a bit of spice and reality, which wasn't needed but was appreciated nonetheless.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Start This One Unless You Have the Time to Finish It!
Review: This book goes down as smoothly as gourmet ice cream - you take that first spoonful, and then you come out of your coma and you're *done*!It's a great mystery, but the thing that rang my bell was the way the main characters were portrayed. You will live these people throughout the book, and, when you reach the end, you'll be screaming for more. I hope to see many more books that star the lead character of 'Bleak Midwinter'. The odd turns of the mystery itself are made much better because of the choice of characters. I refuse to give away any more information. Just buy it - You'll be glad you did. :-) Laura Rayfield
Rating:
Summary: Thrills and suspense
Review: This book is full of excitement and suspense. We don't get bored waiting for something to happen; a crime is committed in the first sentence. The story, like the Nasdaq index in 2000, rises to not one but two exciting climaxes. The mystery is unraveled by Episcopalian priest Clare Fergusson, assisted by police chief Russ Van Alstyne. Clare is resourceful, insightful, and compassionate. Every once in a while she does something rash that places herself in danger, but her risk-taking advances the plot marvelously. This story has a depth of emotion that I don't often find in mystery novels. I'm hoping for a sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific book in the kind -of cozy genre
Review: This is a first novel that begs to be a series, a polished and sophisticated debut. Clare Fergusson, a former military officer, became an Episcopalian priest, and her first assignment is a parish in a small upstate New York town. A newborn is laid outside the door of the church, a matter that leads to murder, actually a few murders.
The curious and thoroughly decent priest jumps into the investigation headed by Russ Van Alstyne, who finds himself needing not only Fergusson's help but Fergusson herself. The priest must look within her parish to find the killer who is cold-bloodedly knocking off anyone connected to the abandoned child.
Spencer-Fleming, an attorney, has created characters and a locale that are real. From the opening line of the book, "It was one hell of a night to throw away a baby," she maintains the cold, gray character of winter, and she does it very well. The suspense will push the reader to a satisfying and interesting conclusion. Spencer-Fleming's voice is fresh, and one that readers will want to hear again and again.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific book in the kind -of cozy genre
Review: This is a first novel that begs to be a series, a polished and sophisticated debut. Clare Fergusson, a former military officer, became an Episcopalian priest, and her first assignment is a parish in a small upstate New York town. A newborn is laid outside the door of the church, a matter that leads to murder, actually a few murders.
The curious and thoroughly decent priest jumps into the investigation headed by Russ Van Alstyne, who finds himself needing not only Fergusson's help but Fergusson herself. The priest must look within her parish to find the killer who is cold-bloodedly knocking off anyone connected to the abandoned child.
Spencer-Fleming, an attorney, has created characters and a locale that are real. From the opening line of the book, "It was one hell of a night to throw away a baby," she maintains the cold, gray character of winter, and she does it very well. The suspense will push the reader to a satisfying and interesting conclusion. Spencer-Fleming's voice is fresh, and one that readers will want to hear again and again.
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