I'm almost ashamed to admit that there were large sections of this book that I found deeply amusing. The villains did so much scrambling to try to cover up their sins that had that scrambling not resulted in death and battery, it really would have been the stuff of slapstick. I had some trouble with the idea that it all took place over a period of one very long day, just because there was so much activity crammed into it (not even a full 24 hours, even), but when I stopped looking at the timestamps and just let it ride, I enjoyed myself much more.One of the things I like about this series is that it's fairly well balanced between conservative and liberal viewpoints. Both the environmentalists buying the property to return it to its "natural" state (Ed Castle makes the point that it's been cultivated for over three hundred years, back to the Iroquois, so what exactly do they mean by "natural"?) and the people whose livelihoods are being affected by that sale have their sympathetic points, something highlighted further by having the latter be split into two groups, one of whom is less sympathetic than the other. I'm not sure if I was meant to feel sorry for Shaun Reid, desperate to save his business simply because it's been in his family forever and he wants his son to take over (said son having no interest in doing so), but I didn't really, which worked out great since he ended up being a villain, sort of. I liked the complexity of the plot and the introduction of one of Clare's superiors--her officiating at the homosexual commitment ceremony comes back to bite her, and I thought that was extremely effective.The best funny/awful scene, though, has to be the banquet/dance at the climax, in which Clare and her date have to share a table with Russ and his wife, and great awkwardness ensues. I don't think I've ever felt more sorrow and sympathy for Russ and Clare than I did at that point, and I especially loved that the incident provided a way for Clare to finally find someone to talk to about this awful mess she's ended up in.Spoilers, now: (view spoiler)[The depiction of Russ and Linda's marriage is well-done, I think; they've been married twenty-five years, and no marriage is the same at that point as it was when you're newlyweds, but the signs are all there that Russ and Linda are still together mainly out of inertia and the affection that two people who've shared so much have. But Russ believing that Linda will accept the news that her husband has fallen in love with another woman and not eviscerate him by destroying that new love is...naïve, I think. And I don't think anyone's considered the hit Clare's reputation is going to take--there's no way anyone will see her as anything but a homewrecker, and the fact that she's a priest just makes that worse. Even so, I believe in Russ and Clare's love, I believe that it's not a passing infatuation, and I want so badly for them to be together that it's hard to remember that Spencer-Fleming is a horrible sadist who will no doubt continue to torture her characters no matter what Russ tells his wife. (hide spoiler)]
I am not normally a fast reader. However, I am in danger of a speeding ticket in Julia Spencer-Fleming's Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne series. The action at points gets so intense that I can't help but hit soar through the intensity to the other side. Not to say that there is ever quite a lull in the action. Im the culminating action of To Darkness and to Death, I literally felt my pulse quicken. I believe that is a clear indication of a well-written story. In this latest addition to the series, Clare and Russ find themselves caught up in the drama surrounding the sale of the 250,00 acre Great Camp. The land from which local loggers and a local pulp mill depend on the lumber from it is being sold to an organization that plans to preserve its natural state and disallow any additional harvesting. The day of the signing by the land owners, one of the owners, a young woman, goes missing on the land. Thus begins a snowballing effect of conflicting interests and fights for survival. It is an important time in Clare's ministry, too, as her Bishop is due to visit, and she must ensure all is at the ready for him. Clare and Russ are still trying to deal with their feelings for one another, and, with another suitor waiting in the wings for Clare, some decisions will have to be made. So, jump in, buckle your seatbelt, and enjoy yet another great ride in this sensational series.
What do You think about To Darkness And To Death (2006)?
"To Darkness and to Death"....who writes these titles? How about "Slow Motion Train Wreck" or "Tick-Tock" or "Minute by Minute" or best yet "Countdown"--they would be more descriptive if less poetic. Julia Spencer-Fleming as she deviated from her previous novels in her third, using the flash back, in her fourth deviates yet again, effortlessly employing a minute by minute countdown and multiple POV thriller. By confining all the action to a single 24 hour period, weaving together the tragic threads of a dozen characters' lives into one final thrilling conclusion, she gives new meaning to the term 'page turner'. While Clare and Russ continue to circle the dilemma of their relationship, men and women of Millers Kill reveal the individual character flaws that bring about their own downfall. Unlike Agatha Christie who believes simplistically in evil as prime motivator for her murderers, Spencer-Fleming gives us complex, flawed, and often ordinary people whose internal compasses go awry when life serves up one too many challenges.
—Pat
I continue to be impressed with the complexity and the topics Spencer-Fleming tackles in this series. The action in this novel all takes place within a 21-hour time span, beginning with the 5:45 am call to Clare to join the search and rescue team looking for missing person Millie Vanderhoven. (The problem with the audio, by the way, is I have no idea how to spell the names I hear!) She is one of the heirs of the logging property that is being sold to a local conservancy. The narrative shifts perspectives to key players involved in the unfolding mystery, including early images of the missing Millie, trying to piece together where she is and why. Another woman is brutally assaulted and left for dead; she bears a striking resemblance to the missing Millie, and so for awhile the search is called off, believing the missing woman has been found. Others are implicated, and layers of deceit pile up. I was worried that I wouldn't want to keep listening, since I already knew "whodunit" but then I realized, that wasn't the point of the story. And of course, the relational tension between Clare and Russ builds.
—Kari
this was the weakest of the clare fergusson/russ van alstyne series to date, with an overwrought plot, credulity-straining coincidences, and characters who made bafflingly horrible decisions more because it seemed to serve the plot than to make any actual sense.even so, the rich partnership between clare and russ deepens beautifully and delicately. clare's iconoclasm chafing against the rigid expectations of the episcopal priesthood is an especially rewarding subplot. and just as spencer-fleming respectfully drew two such disparate faith portraits in clare and russ, so does she write a loving, flawed, believable linda van alstyne; a lesser author would draw an ugly caricature.and so, on balance, the series continues to be a strong one. and spencer-fleming is a solid enough writer for me to continue on with the series despite her missteps. i just needed to take a short break from miller's kill after this one. absence makes the heart grow fonder!
—D
