Monday, May 2, 2011

One Was a Soldier



Oh, how I have been waiting for the latest installment in Julia Spencer Fleming's Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Allstyne mystery series. And, oh, what a great read it was! This one moved ahead of several others on my TBR stack because I know there are other library patrons waiting for it.

Clare Fergusson is back home after serving her country. She is dealing with memories of her time in the military - what she saw and what she did. However, being the Reverend Clare Fergusson, she is used to helping others and doesn't give herself much time to adapt to civilian life again. She does, however, join a support group where other soldiers who have seen combat can discuss various issues they are going through. Each of these support group members adds a bit to the story and has their own drama surrounding them. Of course, One Was a Soldier wouldn't be complete without some suspense, coming in the form of a murder and millions of dollars being redirected into a civilian's own pocket. While I love these mysteries and enjoy the suspense, I enjoy knowing the people in Miller's Kill even more and am always happy to see these recurring characters and get to know them better. Julia Spencer Fleming left me begging for more by book's end....there is a nice little surprise at book's end, and while Clare seems to have found true love with Chief Van Allstyne, I am now hoping for Hadley Knox, the woman on the police force, to finally realize her feelings for another policeman on the force. This storyline was started in Fleming's last book, added to here, and is still without a satisfactory resolution....So....I hope Fleming is working feverishly on her next installment because I am wanting it now!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm looking forward to reading this one soon too. I love this series. Glad it worked well for you!!

Gerbera Daisy Diaries said...

I know it's been awhile since you read this...but can it be read as as a "stand alone" novel...or does one need to read the whole series???