Monday, March 12, 2012

All Mortal Flesh by Julia Spencer-Fleming

These keep getting more and more tense. Thank goodness, Spencer-Fleming returns here to a more conventional narrative style. The feature this time is an even more gruesome madness, and I hardly know what I can say about the book that wouldn't be a complete spoiler!

For one thing, the diocese has sent Clare a watchdog - to watch her, of course, not to watch out for her. The tension between them is a constant distraction for Clare, as she tries to get things done without letting her watcher know while seeming to be completely open with her.

Russ's wife, Linda, has kicked him out and that is the precipitating incident for much of the action. Russ is trying to save his marriage, and he and Clare are trying to avoid each other. Then Linda disappears.

Another of Spencer-Fleming's (and many other mystery writers) previous standard devices returns in this book. Clare and Russ in mortal danger and jointly managing the resolution of the situation. This is more grim than in previous stories and the final episode of the story, although rather predictable, is even more devastating.

In the epilogue, Clare joins the Army National Guard - again as a helicopter pilot - which virtually guarantees her a tour in the middle east.

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