UPSTATE NEW YORK MYSTERY
Hid from Our Eyes by Julia Spencer-Fleming
My favorite mystery writers include Elizabeth George, Deborah Crombie, and Jacqueline Winspear, but I think Julia Spencer-Fleming is my most favorite. Her mystery novels are so much more than crime procedurals and almost always insert a contemporary social issue into the mix. Clare Fergusson is an Episcopal priest at a parish in Millers Kill, a fictional upstate NY town north of Albany, modeled on the real Hudson Falls. It’s therefore, fitting that all the book titles are phrases from different Protestant hymns, and that the text of the hymn is included in the front matter.
Hid From Our Eyes is Spencer-Fleming’s ninth book featuring pastor Clare and Russ Van Alstyne, chief of police, and now her husband. Clare’s background as a helicopter pilot in the national guard informs her character and reinforces her physical fitness and her willingness to occasionally risk danger to herself. In previous books, particularly One was a Soldier, Clare was the focus. Here she has a role, but Russ takes center stage as his background is fleshed out in new ways.
This mystery goes back and forth in time between 1952, 1972, and the present day as Russ attempts to solve three unexplained deaths. The bodies were all left in the same location and the victims were similar in sex, age, and dress. Russ was present as a young officer, Vietnam vet and suspect, at the investigation in 1972, and Jack Liddle, a now retired chief of police and older friend of Russ’s, was a young officer in 1952 and chief in 1972. Adding to the richness of the story are Clare’s struggles to meet the demands of her job while caring for her 4-month old baby and then taking on a transgender intern. How Clare’s ministry ties into Russ’s investigation and how the three crimes are truly linked makes for a cleverly plotted novel.
My only quibble is that occasionally it was a bit difficult to sort out the secondary players investigating the 1952 crime. I also enjoy these mysteries since the setting in the Albany area is familiar to me and the author’s descriptions of small-town life ring true. For thoughts on what Spencer-Fleming was trying to accomplish, I recommend this online conversation. (~JWFarrington)
SMALL SCREEN TREATS
The Aristocrats (BritBox, Amazon Prime)
A six-part BBC series from 1999, The Aristocrats focuses on the wealthy upper-class Lennox sisters in 18th century England and Ireland. Daughters of the Duke of Richmond, their marriages to politicians, lords or ne’er-do-wells are successful (Caroline to Henry Fox), fulfilling (Emily to James, FitzGerald, Lord Kildare), loving (Louisa to Thomas Conolly), or turbulent (Sarah to Sir Charles Bunbury). When Sarah engages in a very public affair, society’s attention is both unwanted and harmful to the rest of the family, particularly the remaining unmarried sisters. There is a wry, almost smug tone, in the voiceover narration provided by sister Emily. You feel as if you are meant to enjoy the sumptuous costumes and the opulent settings, but not take the whole business too seriously. Definitely an escape from the present day!
The Return (Acorn)
The Return is a feature film starring Julie Walters as Lizzie, a woman just released from prison after serving 10 years for the murder of her physician husband. A former alcoholic, Lizzie returns to the small Irish town she left behind and hopes to be reunited with her son, Jimmy. Her parents are still alive, but her mother is very ill and her relationship with her father awkward. Lizzie’s good friend Maggie gives her a job waiting on tables in her café, but Lizzie runs into problems even there. This is a grim film, but ultimately rewarding, especially for Ms. Walters’ performance.
Notes: Header photo ©JWFarrington. Spencer-Fleming photo from en.wikipedia.org
