Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Book Review - One Was A Soldier - Julia Spencer-Fleming


Title: One was a Soldier


Review:  This is the first I've read of this author, and it is number 7 in a series.  The relationships between the characters are well established at this point, but I did not feel lost at all. Following along was not a problem and I felt like I knew many of them.  I loved the way they interacted with each other and the book read like a country song(which I love so believe me that is a good thing.) Country songs can say anything, nothing is off limits and that is how this book is written. People die, people have sex, people cheat and cuss, people love and share. This is the story of life, life in this small town, but still life in general. Busy parents, kids and sports, love and loss, life!

I would love to go back and read the rest of the series from the start and maybe this summer I'll have the time. I suggest this book to anyone who enjoys a mystery, even with the small amount of romance mixed in. The chief of police and the minister(sounds like a bad joke) are partners in life and in this book they even tie the knot for real. Having not read the others in this series I can only guess how they got together and how their relationship developed by the comments made and the situations they find themselves in. They love each other, but they don't always agree(real life again.)

Read this book and maybe the whole series. It was tough to put down and I look forward to the next one. This author is easy to read, she made me laugh, cry and really think about my relationships with the people I love and care about. It was a good story. I feel like I made a whole town of new friends between these pages.

Publisher: April 12th 2011 by Minotaur Books

ISBN: 312334893

Copyright: 2011

Pages: 336

Quick Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

Why I Read It:  I won this on Librarything and promised to read and review it.

Where I Obtained the Book:  It was sent by the publisher.

Synopsis:  Julia Spencer-Fleming’s debut novel, In the Bleak Midwinter, burst onto the mystery scene like a wild fire, snatching up almost every award imaginable. Since then, the series has only been picking up speed, the characters only digging deeper into our hearts. One Was a Soldier takes the suspense and heart-tugging to the next level, making for a truly devastating read.

At the Millers Kill Community Center, five veterans gather to work on adjusting to life after war. Reverend Clare Fergusson has returned from Iraq with a head full of bad memories she’s using alcohol to wipe out. Dr. George Stillman is denying that the head wound he received has left him with something worse than simple migraines. Officer Eric McCrea is battling to keep his constant rage from affecting his life as a cop, and as a father.
High school track star Will Ellis is looking for some reason to keep on living after losing both legs to an IED. And down-onher- luck Tally McNabb has brought home a secret—a fatal one. Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne just wants Clare to settle down and get married—to him. But when he rules Tally McNabb’s death a suicide, Clare sides with the other vets against him. Russ and Clare’s unorthodox investigation will uncover a trail of deceit that runs from their tiny Adirondack town to the upper ranks of the Army, and from the waters of the Millers Kill to the unfor - giving streets of Baghdad.
Fans of the series have been waiting for Russ and Clare to get together, and now that burgeoning relationship is threatened in this next tantalizing novel by Julia Spencer-Fleming.

Author Biography:  A military brat, Julia Spencer-Fleming grew up in places as diverse as Mobile, Rome, Stuttgart and Syracuse. Her debut novel, In the Bleak Midwinter, won the St. Martin's/Malice Domestic, the Dilys, the Agatha, the Anthony, the Macavity and the Barry Awards. A Fountain Filled With Blood received a Barry Award nomination, and Julia's latest Clare Fergusson novel, Out of the Deep I Cry, was a 2005 Edgar Award finalist. Julia lives in the Maine countryside with three kids, two dogs and one husband.

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