Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alsytne #10
Julia Spencer-Fleming has been following the beloved duo of Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne throughout their entire relationship, and At Midnight Comes the Cry finds them at a period of great change. The couple have just had a baby, and are re-shaping their lives around their son. In addition, Russ has resigned as police chief earlier than intended and he isn’t quite sure what to do with himself. Going from the military to the police force kept his life regimented and task driven, and being a stay-at-home dad isn’t quite the same.
A nice family outing gets them mixed up again in town politics after a white supremist drives a tractor through the parade, handing out flyers. Though most of the townsfolk move to attack the rabble rouser, Russ steps in to protect him as a former officer of the law. Somehow, Clare gets them invited out to the white supremist’s house, to the discomfort of both, and the tractor driver’s wife befriends Clare. These aren’t Clare’s ideal friends, but she is always willing to reach out and try to change views.
This proves useful when Russ is asked to find Kevin, a former officer of his, who hasn’t contacted his parents in months. Kevin was working undercover in a white supremist group, but the case was dissolved. It doesn’t take long for Russ to get on the trail, and to guess that Kevin went back to pursue the case without formal backing. After all, it’s what Russ himself would do.
Meanwhile, Clare meets another wife of a member of the hate group and senses that she is in danger. Tiny’s husband is controlling and aggressive, and keeps her isolated at their home with her young daughter. Determined to help Tiny, Clare keeps going back to see her, leaving both her and Russ tangled up in stopping the white supremacists. They are armed and dangerous – but no one knows who their target is going to be.
Fast paced and exciting, Spencer-Fleming always knows how to tell a good adventure story alongside a good mystery. Readers probably want to start with an early entry if they haven’t read the series before. With recurring characters, and excellent new ones, this feels like it could be a wrap up for the series. However, if more is planned for Clare and Russ’s story, I will always be excited to read it. — Margaret Agnew