Rating: 
Summary: And a deeper mystery...
Review: 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. --
Rating:
Summary: a great series, hope it keeps going
Review: There are 3 books so far in this series, and I am already ready for the 4th! This is for people who like a compelling but not worrisome story that also gets you to liking the characters. I usually like more psychological stuff like Ruth Rendell or good but disturbing crime like Ian Rankin and Ken Bruen, but I also love the more cozy stuff like Leslie Maier. This series is very satisfying as well. I am very happy that Ms. Fleming-Spencer is doing these and really hope to see more.
Rating:
Summary: a great series, hope it keeps going
Review: There are 3 books so far in this series, and I am already ready for the 4th! This is for people who like a compelling but not worrisome story that also gets you to liking the characters. I usually like more psychological stuff like Ruth Rendell or good but disturbing crime like Ian Rankin and Ken Bruen, but I also love the more cozy stuff like Leslie Maier. This series is very satisfying as well. I am very happy that Ms. Fleming-Spencer is doing these and really hope to see more.
Rating:
Summary: Better and better
Review: 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.
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