At midnight comes the cry

At midnight comes the cry

Julia Spencer-Fleming

Book - 2025

"New York Times bestseller Julia Spencer-Fleming returns to her beloved Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series. It's Christmas time in Millers Kill, and Reverend Clare Fergusson and her husband Russ van Alstyne - newly resigned from his position as chief of police - plan to enjoy it with their baby boy. On their list: visiting Santa, decorating the tree, and attending the church Christmas pageant. But when a beloved holiday parade is crashed by white supremacists, Clare and Russ find themselves sucked into a parallel world of militias, machinations and murder. Meanwhile, single mom and officer Hadley Knox has her hands full juggling her kids and her police work. She doesn't want to worry about her former partner - an...d sometimes lover - Kevin Flynn, but when he takes leave from the Syracuse PD and disappears, she can't help her growing panic that something has gone very wrong. Novice lawyer Joy Zhào is keeping secrets from her superiors at the state Attorney General's Office. She knows they wouldn't condone her off-the-books investigation, but she's convinced a threatening alt-right conspiracy is brewing - and catching the perpetrators could jump start her career. NYS Forest Ranger Paul Terrance is looking for his uncle, a veteran of the park service gone inexplicably missing. He doesn't think much of an ex-cop and out-of-town officer showing up in his patch of the woods, but he's heard the disturbing rumors of dangerous men in the mountains. In New York Times Julia Spencer-Fleming's latest novel, as Christmas approaches, these five people will discover their suspicions hang on a single twisting thread, leading to the forbidding High Peaks of the Adirondacks. As the December days shorten and the nights grow long, a disparate group of would-be heroes need to unwind a murderous plot before time runs out"-- Provided by publisher.

Saved in:
Place a Hold Save to List Email this
4 people waiting
2 copies ordered
Subjects
Detective and mystery fiction.
Christmas fiction.
Novels.
Fiction.
Genres
Detective and mystery fiction
Christmas fiction
Novels
Fiction
Published
New York : Minotaur Books 2025.
Language
English
Main Author
Julia Spencer-Fleming (author)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
pages cm
ISBN
9780312606862
Contents unavailable.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Veteran cop Russ Van Alstyne searches for a missing former colleague in his splendid latest adventure from Spencer-Fleming (after Hid from Our Eyes). Christmas is around the corner in the small town of Millers Kill, N.Y., and Russ has just resigned from his position as chief of police to focus on his new child with his wife, Episcopal priest Clare Fergusson. Before Russ can get his bearings as a civilian, however, he learns that Kevin Flynn, who was under Russ's command before he left Millers Kill to join the Syracuse PD, has disappeared. His sometime girlfriend--another Millers Kill cop--hasn't heard from him in two months. Russ jumps into investigative mode, both helped and hindered by his new position outside the system. His sleuthing reveals that, before Kevin disappeared, he'd been working undercover to infiltrate a militia group operating in Adirondack Park. Meanwhile, a forest ranger and a young lawyer embark on their own individual investigations that tie back to the same militia. Spencer-Fleming nimbly balances plot and characterization, fully developing each member of her large cast while ensuring things never get too busy. This long-running series continues to impress. (Nov.)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review

Though it's been five years since Spencer-Fleming's last Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery, Hid from Our Eyes, it's only been a few months in the timeline of the books. As this latest entry opens, Russ is newly resigned from his job as chief of police in Millers Kill, NY, and spends his days caring for his and Clare's infant son while he figures out what his next professional step will be. When a former Millers Kill police officer goes missing from his current job with the Syracuse PD, Russ is asked to find out what happened to him. Though not at first convinced that there's anything wrong, Russ agrees to check into it. He soon realizes that the missing cop may be in deeper trouble than he thought. With the help of officer Hadley Knox, attorney Joy Zhao, and, of course, his wife Clare, Russ dives into the investigation. What they find is a plot involving white supremacists and a possible terrorist attack. VERDICT Fans will be thrilled to return to the world of Millers Kill and spend time with Clare, Russ, and company in this long-awaited 10th entry in the series.--Jane Jorgenson

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Upstate New York Episcopal priest Clare Fergusson and her husband, Russ Van Alstyne, observe the four Sundays of Advent by hunting for missing persons, seeking justice for a murder, and neutralizing an unusually well-planned example of domestic terrorism. "Keep America's Christmas white," announces a banner unfurled at the height of the Greenwich Tractor Parade. Millers Kill alderman Ron Tucker tussles with Rick Smith, the white nationalist contractor responsible for the offensive message, but of course that doesn't solve anything. Neither does the civil conversation Clare attempts with Rick's wife, Meghan. Since Russ has been forced to resign from his job as Millers Kill police chief, he has no official standing in the conflict. Nor is he eager to join Officer Hadley Knox's search for Kevin Flynn, her ex-colleague and secret lover, who vanished from his new job in the Syracuse PD more than a month ago. But Hadley talks him into joining her, and they learn from Assistant State Attorney Yíxīn Zháo that Kevin isn't AWOL but undercover with Knox's Noble Train, a local militia linking Rick Smith to some seriously bad guys. Soon after they cross paths with ranger Paul Terrance, who's searching for his uncle, ranger Pierre Laduc, they get hard evidence that not every search for a missing person has a happy ending. Working separately in their very different ways, Clare and Russ cobble together whatever alliances they can to help them thwart a violent act of sabotage the Noble Train plans to unleash on a holiday crowd. Both franchise heroes, far from their comfort zones, are outshined by teams that aim to stop a startling holiday surprise. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Similar Items