Judith‘s review of I Shall Not Want
In Julia Spencer-Fleming’s most suspenseful and passionate novel yet, town cop Russ Van Alstyne and Episcopal priest Clare Fergusson are separated by guilt and grief over Russ’s wife’s death. While these emotions keep them from being together, intense desire for each other continues to grow.
When a Latino man is murdered, Clare is drawn into Russ’s investigation through her good works with the migrant community. The discovery of two more bodies ignites fears that a serial killer is loose. Throughout the escalating tensions, Russ and Clare’s emotions toward each other is mixed. But bodies in love know only one direction and they find themselves locked in each other’s arms, even as they try to keep apart.
This is my first exposure to this series but I was hooked very early on this book. In fact, I have already gone back and looked at the first five novels just because they are all great mystery stories with the growing love attraction going on from book to book. Certainly in this novel the attraction between Russ and Clare has reached a fever pitch.
But there are other things going on, stuff that can warp a relationship and ultimately kill the most intense attraction. Certainly, Clare is dealing with inner stuff that is crippling in and of itself. As a religious professional I know the doubt and that sense of maybe not really having what it takes to care for such a diverse group of people. She certainly has been through the wringer with some of her parishioners and there was still the spectre of community gossip in the death of Russ’s wife. What kind of future what there for them? And most devastating of all, how could she ever measure up to a dead wife? The temptation for constant comparison can be deadly if allowed to persist. There is also the issue that Clare is just not a kind of “mind your own business” kind of pastor. Her heart is with the disenfranchised, with the homeless and hopeless, and the migrant community certainly is needy in so many ways. Her work with a Catholic sister takes her right into the middle of the murder investigation–something Russ isn’t very happy about. His dead wife never “in the way” of the progress of an investigation.
So we have the course of true love not running smooth at all, and a murder investigation that just keeps getting messier and messier. Were these three Latino deaths related? What about the shooting and subsequent auto accident that injured the Catholic sister and caused the migrant workers she was transporting to run for the woods? Were Russ’s sister and brother-in-law involved in hiring undocumented laborers? The book is divided by the seasons of the Church year–Advent, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, etc. That is the calendar that controls Clare’s life, even though she may live in the illusion that the Roman calendar is in charge. It is also a reminder to the readers that there are other issues for Clare: how does she fit in her history in the military with her ministry? How can she continue to feel as she does for Russ knowing that there are so many issues that separate them?
This is a complicated story that keeps on fascinating, keeps on challenging the reader, keeps on twisting and turning so that just when it seems the mystery has been solved, another something happens and the supposed solution doesn’t fit at all. For those of us who love mysteries as well as romances, this novel is the best of both worlds. I have been noticing that fans of this series are almost fanatic in their appreciation for these books. Having read my first Van Alstyne/Fergusson mystery romance, I now understand that kind of loyalty. The characters in this story are all unique and each contributes to the story, some more than others, but their own personality and presence expands the dimension of the tale. There are some side relationships that add to the reader’s interest. I am going to also be following the Flynn/Knox pairing–a deputy head over heals over the newest police officer, and she doesn’t want a relationship–no way, not even! So much going on, so much to keep the reader’s interest, so much to try and figure out.
This is really a fantastic read and one that I will be re-reading without doubt.
I give the novel a 5 out of 5.
You can read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place.
This book is available from Minotaur Books. You can buy it here
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