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Out of the Deep

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I read them occasionally, but I’ve never been very interested in cozy mysteries. A story line that explores the how and why of who stole the vicar’s sermon just doesn’t get my blood pumping. Publishers Weekly describes Julia Spencer-Fleming’s mysteries as cozy-cum-thriller. Perhaps that explains why her mysteries are the exception for me--she writes cozies with a kick. I’ve been a fan from the very first book, In the Bleak Midwinter.

Out of the Deep I Cry is the third in her mystery series set in Millers Kill in upstate New York. The amateur sleuth heroine is Clare Fergusson, an Episcopal priest and former Army helicopter pilot. The hero is Russ Van Alstyne, Chief of Millers Kill Police, retired from the Army Military Police. She’s religious; he isn’t. His wife Linda operates her own business out of her home. An ongoing thread is that Clare and Russ are very attracted to one another but cannot act on it.

Out of the Deep I Cry is complexly plotted with a circuitous timeline. Several things in different time periods are going on over the course of the narrative.

In the 1920's the Ketchems’ four children die of diphtheria; only one daughter born afterwards survives.

In the 1930's Jonathon Ketchem disappears without a trace. Seven years later Mrs. Jane Ketchem initiates proceedings to have him declared legally dead.

In the 1950's Mrs. Ketchem establishes a clinic in memory of her late husband to provide medical care for the poor. She sets up a trust fund to support it.

In the present day, it’s the season of Lent. A serious leak in the roof of St. Albans, Clare Fergusson’s church, threatens the building’s structure, and repairs cannot be delayed. The vestry meets over the matter: how to finance it? Lacey Marshall suggests dissolving the trust which contributes to the clinic. She is the Ketchems’ daughter and trustee of the trust.

Debba Clow is protesting at the clinic. She blames vaccines for her son’s autism; she has not allowed her daughter to be inoculated. Now her ex-husband is suing for custody of the children arguing that her position is jeopardizing the children’s health.

Dr. Allan Rouse, whose medical training was paid for by Mrs. Ketchem in return for his working in the clinic, denies there is any connection between vaccines and autism. Then Dr. Rouse disappears.

Clare and Russ insist that because they only meet in public nothing can be going on between the two of them.

With so many threads running through the story, this could be a pacing and plotting nightmare in the hands of a less talented author. In Out of the Deep I Cry, however, the shift between time periods and subplots is seamless. Too many authors use the flashback technique to build suspense by leaving the reader dangling at the end of a section. Ms. Spencer-Fleming uses each segment to provide insight into characters and construct the multi-layered plot. The author also takes the opportunity to drop little nuggets for the sharp-eyed reader: e.g., the bratty little kid running around the clinic waiting room in 1955 is named Russell. By the book’s end, the various threads come together for a satisfying conclusion.

In an era when sexual morality is sometimes as much a victim in fiction as the corpus delicti, Clare and Russ are two of the more unusual characters in fiction today. They’re true to their vows and to themselves. They are obviously deluding themselves that limiting their interaction to occasional meetings in public can restrain their emotions, but they’re not giving into temptation altogether. These are characters a reader can sympathize with and respect.

Setting is another of the book’s strengths. The topography of upstate New York and the bleak winter weather add dimension to the storyline and eventually even factor into the plot.

Even though this is the third in the series, Out of the Deep I Cry does stand alone successfully. For fullest appreciation, however, I recommend starting with the first. For those who get hooked as I did, there’s good news. A fourth installment in the series is due out in hardback this month.

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Ketersediaan

Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

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No. Panggil

F (SKU) o

Penerbit

Washington : National Geographic Society., 2002

Deskripsi Fisik

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Bahasa

Indonesia

ISBN/ISSN

079228230

Klasifikasi

Fiction

Tipe Isi

-

Tipe Media

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Tipe Pembawa

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Edisi

-

Subjek

FICTION BOOKS

Info Detail Spesifik

SMA

Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

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Versi lain/terkait

Lampiran Berkas

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