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Jan 21, 2021mdawnott rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.75 stars I started this book with equal parts excitement and trepidation. As an Episcopalian, the thought of a mystery with a Episcopal priest as one-half of the duo was right up my alley. However, I also strongly dislike mysteries where someone who has no business solving crimes is the one solving the crime. Was this going to be that kind of book? The answer is...mostly not. Most of was Clare does during this book falls into congregational care and such and it is mostly Russ, the police chief, who does the police-type stuff. Mostly. There are a couple of scenes in the book where this sort of went out the window and where Clare oversteps her pastoral boundaries (and where, honestly, she should have just called the police). Yes, I did find this annoying, but fortunately the other strengths of the book outweighed that. As far as mysteries go, this is a well-crafted on. I had numerous incorrect theories about who the culprit was up until the moment that Spencer-Fleming makes it clear who the real villain is. That is something that doesn't happen nearly enough in my mystery reading. I also felt that Clare and Russ's relationship was interesting and Spencer-Fleming made it incredibly human. I am wary and curious of where it will go in future books. And I will read on in this series. This was an enjoyable (and appropriately tense) reading experience and is the exact sort of stuff I want from my mysteries!