The series just gets better and better

books:

	• All Mortal Flesh: A Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne Mystery (Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne ... Julia Spencer-Fleming St. Martin's Minotaur, 2008 - 400 pages average customer review:based on 42 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Wonderful Book

I loved this book. I have read the series and I believe this is the best one. Although there were some strange twists, I do not categorize them as "jumping the shark" as another reviewer stated.

I fear that this is the last book in the series. I read in an author interview from a couple of years ago on Julia Spencer-Fleming's website that she had plans for 5 books. I really hope she changes her mind and does another Clare/Russ book!

This series is a tremendous pleasure!

First, a confession. I'm not a great mystery reader. The mechanics of these mysteries, while they strike me as essentially sound and quite creative, don't interest me nearly as much as the tortured yet incredibly appealing relationship between the two main characters, the Rev. Clare Fergusson, Episcopal priest, and married nonbeliever Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne. Spencer-Fleming's writing is intelligent and wry with a fabulous ear for dialogue. She paints a very believable portrait of a small upstate New York town and local church politics, with a great cast of mostly sympathetic and often very funny minor characters. At the heart of it are the very real moral quandaries and questions of faith that our two heroes face, which are particularly strong in ALL MORTAL FLESH. This volume ends on a haunting note that seems, to me, to demand a sequel. (I also find myself reading parts of it over and over and admiring the writing every time.) So I deeply hope it's not the last ... but even if it is, I wouldn't have wanted to miss a single volume.

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Three and a half stars

I really enjoy this series for the most part. It's a great premise and the characters are really interesting. It's also a believable, tough situation. The supporting characters are interesting and well drawn and the writing is very good.

However, I agree with the other poster that the plot was just too much to hard to swallow. Someone's dead, then she's not, then she is again? Come on.

Also, handing Clare off to a "watchdog" deacon was pretty ludicrous. The woman is a total caricature, for one thing. Also, even though dioceses vary, spending time with a separated married man is NOT an offense against canon law. Clare's bishop comes off like a complete reactionary idiot. However, Clare herself also comes across like an idiot - does she have no sense of self-preservation. let alone of pastoral care?

Sorry to say that I was coming close to not caring about what happened to any of them by the end of the book - it was too melodramatic and far too hyped. If nothing else, Clare's bishop should have let her go back into the service as a chaplain. What a waste!

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The series just gets better and better

First, I think it's hard to say much about the book or characters without giving spoilers, so I'll just say that this is one series that I would definitely recommend reading in order. Because the writing is so good that you will want to read the others, and the situation definitely does build along the course of the books. I can't imagine another author taking a single conflict and making it viable and riveting through five books! The prose is terrific, even the most minor characters developed with deft dialog, and the protagonists are flawed people about whom one can actually care, not perfect icons nor blithering idiots. Kudos to Ms. Spencer-Fleming -- she has a terrific talent and I hope that she will branch out into other series, as well!

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, page 6, 7, 8, 9

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