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In this award-winning debut novel, a newborn child is left on the steps of St. Alban’s Church in upstate New York. The baby appears to be healthy and came with a set of instructions. His name is Cody and he is to be given to the Burns, a local family who has been trying to adopt for several years. Small-town police chief Russ Van Alstyne is sympathetic, but he and Child Protective Services have a job to do. They need to investigate who are Cody’s parents are and if they gave their child away out of their own free will. CPS will need the parents to sign off their rights before they can give the child to the Burns. The new reverend is willing to help out and she becomes friends with the chief of police who is showing her around. While doing a routine drive-by they encounter the body of a young woman. Not a big believer in coincidences, Russ is sure that the death is related to Cody. Millers Kill might not be Chicago, but Van Alstyne knows his small town. Everything that happens in his neighborhood has to be related. Together with the priest, he will work his side of the case while she works hers. Someone is going to go to extreme measures to keep a secret. What it will do is fuel the commitment of these two strong-willed people. Reverend Clare Fergusson is not your average Episcopalian minister and her congregation is learning that fast. With her former background as an Army officer and as a helicopter pilot, this new priest is not used to working on the sidelines. She will tackle any situation head-on and look for ways to create new possibilities among her parishioners that will touch, move and inspire them. She has been in town for less than a week, but by the time the novel reaches its conclusion, she will have made a huge impact in the small town. IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER is a winner for newcomer Julia Spencer-Fleming. It is a rare occurrence to find a well-written debut novel that grabs its reader’s attention and entertain at the same time. The author provides a strong community of characters and develops them quite well by not giving too much away for the next book. The story also has traces of humor with the reverend’s naïveté regarding the cold New England weather. She learns as she goes along making the book more appealing with its real life situations. This novel is a find and it is highly recommended. The author’s new novel A FOUNTAIN FILLED WITH BLOOD is already out and it features the return of some of your favorite characters. If this book is half as good as its predecessor, you will be in for a treat. You are already on the ground floor on what appears to be a promising series. Hop aboard.
Reviewed by Angel L. Soto, July 2003
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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