[MIL]⋙ PDF Gratis One Was a Soldier Clare Fergusson / Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries Julia SpencerFleming 9780312334895 Books

One Was a Soldier Clare Fergusson / Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries Julia SpencerFleming 9780312334895 Books

Download As PDF : One Was a Soldier Clare Fergusson / Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries Julia SpencerFleming 9780312334895 Books

One Was a Soldier Clare Fergusson / Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries Julia SpencerFleming 9780312334895 Books

I've been a fan of this series for several years and had pre-ordered this book back before it was delayed a year due to a missed deadline. So my anticipation built up for an extra year and I was headed for disappointment. After all, many of my other favorite long-time running series have been disappointing me the last couple of years. I won't name them here, but it is tempting!

So I started reading One Was a Soldier the day it arrived on my doorstep. And I read it through in one day and was satisfied. Yes, it has some flaws--all books do--but they were considerably outnumbered by the overall excellence of the book. Spencer-Fleming writes a good mystery--this wasn't her strongest, but it's fine--and centers her characters in the real world. This novel is more about soldiers coming home from deployment which can be a tough topic but was adeptly managed here to avoid too many cliches or depression. After all, I read this series overall for entertainment. I do want to think and be challenged, but not depressed. That balance was achieved for me.

Most importantly, many of my favorite characters are back. What Spencer-Fleming does best is create an entire town of people you know and care about. Each person is an individual and does not get confusing even if character names are similar. That's a feat. It's not a cozy mystery although cozy fans will probably enjoy it, but the characters are just as important as the story. I thought the device of the support group meetings introducing the continuing elements of the story worked well and I admit those kind of devices often bore or frustrate me if they aren't done well. The character growth and development made sense even if it felt some were becoming stagnant and others took a step or two backwards. However, the effects of being a soldier explained that for some of the characters. I don't want to give anything away.

If you are a fan of the series, I think you'll be as happy as I was. If you aren't, this book would be fine for starting but it is definitely HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to start at the beginning and enjoy the entire journey. Be warned, that there is also a cliffhanger ending as well as some unresolved relationships that make the long wait for the next book another bittersweet challenge for the series' fans.


Tags : One Was a Soldier (Clare Fergusson / Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries) [Julia Spencer-Fleming] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <P>On a warm September evening in the Millers Kill community center, five veterans sit down in rickety chairs to try to make sense of their experiences in Iraq. What they will find is murder,Julia Spencer-Fleming,One Was a Soldier (Clare Fergusson Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries),Minotaur Books,0312334893,Christian - Suspense,Fergusson, Clare (Fictitious character);Fiction.,Iraq War, 2003-2011;Veterans;Fiction.,Veterans;Crimes against;Fiction.,American Mystery & Suspense Fiction,Crimes against,Fergusson, Clare (Fictitious character),Fiction,Fiction - Mystery Detective,Fiction Christian Suspense,Fiction Mystery & Detective Women Sleuths,Iraq War, 2003-2011,Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths,Mystery And Suspense Fiction,MysterySuspense,Veterans

One Was a Soldier Clare Fergusson / Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries Julia SpencerFleming 9780312334895 Books Reviews

This is the best in the series! Start withIn the Bleak Midwinter (A Rev. Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne Mystery).

The publisher's blurb sets the scene

"On a warm September evening in the Millers Kill community center, five veterans sit down in rickety chairs to try to make sense of their experiences in Iraq. The Rev. Clare Fergusson wants to forget the things she saw as a combat helicopter pilot and concentrate on her relationship with Chief of Police Russ Van Alstyne. MP Eric McCrea needs to control the explosive anger threatening his job as a police officer. Will Ellis, high school track star, faces the reality of life as a double amputee. Orthopedist Trip Stillman is denying the extent of his traumatic brain injury. And bookkeeper Tally McNabb wrestles with guilt over the in-country affair that may derail her marriage. But coming home is harder than it looks. One vet will struggle with drugs and alcohol. One will lose his family and friends. One will die.

Since their first meeting, Russ and Clare's bond has been tried, torn, and forged by adversity. But when he rules the veteran's death a suicide, she violently rejects his verdict, drawing the surviving vets into an unorthodox investigation that threatens jobs, relationships, and her own future with Russ. As the days cool and the nights grow longer, they will uncover a trail of deceit that runs from their tiny town to the upper ranks of the U.S. Army and from the waters of the Millers Kill to the unforgiving streets of Baghdad."

Although the author's over-use of vulgarity weakens her written word, one of Spencer-Fleming's strengths is her prose style. There are over twenty words and phrases describing the human voice, and sometimes an animal's voice. For example

"He could hear her talking, shrill and distant, like a bird afraid of a stranger under her nest."

At times Spencer-Fleming creates phrases, for example, "early modern valium," but it works

"The waiting room was done in early modern valium, all mellow colors and soft lights. The well-sprung modular seating said 'Stretch out here and have a nap. Everything will be fine.'"

At the core of ONE WAS A SOLDIER is the courage and compassion of the military and the tellling of their stories. It is not to be back-seated for a mere body or two in a mystery story.

It is about police officer, Eric McCrea

"The pedestrians bothered him. He was ok with people walking, and he was relaxed as he ever was with other drivers when he was behind the wheel. But, driving past pedestrians, getting flickering views of faces, back packs, hands, shopping bags, made his shoulders bunch up around his ears and his scalp tighten."

It is about high school track star, Will Ellis.
He is a parishioner of Rev. Clare's and she reminds him

"Anger just is. . . . We're all so in love with the idea of moving on and growing through loss and making lemonade when life hands us lemons that we don't take time to mourn. Before you can move on, you have to stand still and account for what's been lost. Sometimes you have to throw the . . . lemons against the wall and yell, 'I wanted chocolae chip cookies, not this bitter fruit.'"

And finally, it is about Rev Clare Fergusseon. She says to Will "There are a lot of us who came back wounded, some of us just don't show it on the outside."

Clare draws upon her faith in God. With a touch of humor in her voice she asserts "That's my civilian job, I'm God."

But Clare draws upon her faith in Russ as well

"He just stood there. His grip warm and steady.
Letting her hold the truth in her hands, letting her raise it up and swallow it was cold, very cold, and no amount of sugar could sweeten its bitter taste. . . . Russ looked at her, looked into her, inviting her to lay down all her lies and deep-dive into the truth with him. She couldn't face that bottomless well. 'I'm afraid.' He wrapped his arms around her."

This book is not to be missed. It is narrated once again by Suzanne Toren. I had forgotten how perfectly she delivers a Virginia accent. Thank you.
I've been a fan of this series for several years and had pre-ordered this book back before it was delayed a year due to a missed deadline. So my anticipation built up for an extra year and I was headed for disappointment. After all, many of my other favorite long-time running series have been disappointing me the last couple of years. I won't name them here, but it is tempting!

So I started reading One Was a Soldier the day it arrived on my doorstep. And I read it through in one day and was satisfied. Yes, it has some flaws--all books do--but they were considerably outnumbered by the overall excellence of the book. Spencer-Fleming writes a good mystery--this wasn't her strongest, but it's fine--and centers her characters in the real world. This novel is more about soldiers coming home from deployment which can be a tough topic but was adeptly managed here to avoid too many cliches or depression. After all, I read this series overall for entertainment. I do want to think and be challenged, but not depressed. That balance was achieved for me.

Most importantly, many of my favorite characters are back. What Spencer-Fleming does best is create an entire town of people you know and care about. Each person is an individual and does not get confusing even if character names are similar. That's a feat. It's not a cozy mystery although cozy fans will probably enjoy it, but the characters are just as important as the story. I thought the device of the support group meetings introducing the continuing elements of the story worked well and I admit those kind of devices often bore or frustrate me if they aren't done well. The character growth and development made sense even if it felt some were becoming stagnant and others took a step or two backwards. However, the effects of being a soldier explained that for some of the characters. I don't want to give anything away.

If you are a fan of the series, I think you'll be as happy as I was. If you aren't, this book would be fine for starting but it is definitely HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to start at the beginning and enjoy the entire journey. Be warned, that there is also a cliffhanger ending as well as some unresolved relationships that make the long wait for the next book another bittersweet challenge for the series' fans.