Out of the Deep I Cry - (Fergusson/Van Alstyne Mysteries) by Julia Spencer-Fleming (Paperback)

About the Book

It's been more than 60 years since Jonathan Ketchem vanished. Now, the clinic physician who bears Ketchem's name in Millers Kill, New York, is missing. Clare and Russ discover the doctor's disappearance is linked to a bloody trail that goes back to the Prohibition era. Martin's Press.

Book Synopsis

A pivotal book in this award-winning series, and nominated for the prestigious Edgar Award for Best Novel--Julia Spencer-Fleming's Out of the Deep I Cry is a triumph not to be missed.

On April 1, 1930, Jonathan Ketchem's wife Jane walked from her house to the police department to ask for help in finding her husband. The men, worn out from a night of chasing bootleggers, did what they could. But no one ever saw Jonathan Ketchem again...

Now decades later, someone else is missing in Miller's Kill, NY. This time it's the physician of the clinic that bears the Ketchem name. Suspicion falls on a volatile single mother with a grudge against the doctor, but Reverend Clare Fergusson isn't convinced. As Clare and Russ investigate, they discover that the doctor's disappearance is linked to a bloody trail going all the way back to the hardscrabble Prohibition era. As they draw ever closer to the truth, their attraction for each other grows increasingly more difficult to resist. And their search threatens to uncover secrets that snake from one generation to the next-and to someone who's ready to kill.

From the Back Cover

"Julia Spencer-Fleming's debut In the Bleak Midwinter reached unprecedented heights amongst the mystery world awards, receiving the Agatha for Best First Mystery as well as the Malice Domestic, the Anthony, the Dilys, the Barry and the Macavity Awards, making Spencer-Fleming the first author to win all six awards for a first novel. Her follow-up A Fountain Filled with Blood was also a smashing success. Now, Spencer-Fleming delivers her best novel to date with "Out of the Deep I Cry...
A DARK PAST THAT COULD BRING ...
On April 1, 1930, Jonathan Ketchem's wife Jane walked from her house to the police department to ask for help in finding her husband. The men, worn out from a night of chasing bootleggers, did what they could. But no one ever saw Jonathan Ketchem again...
DEADLY CONSEQUENCES TO THE PRESENT...
Now decades later, someone else is missing in Miller's Kill, NY. This time it's the physician of the clinic that bears the Ketchem name. Suspicion falls on a volatile single mother with a grudge against the doctor, but Reverend Clare Fergusson isn't convinced. As Clare and Russ investigate, they discover that the doctor's disappearance is linked to a bloody trail going all the way back to the hardscrabble Prohibition era. As they draw ever closer to the truth, their attraction for each other grows increasingly more difficult to resist. And their search threatens to uncover secrets that snake from one generation to the next-and to someone who's ready to kill.
"Brings new airs and graces to the traditional small-town mystery...this is a very small town, but under Spencer-Fleming's grave and tender touch it becomes a world that you want to visit and hate to leave."
"-The New York Times Book Review"
"A poignant and provocative mystery."
-"Publishers Weekly (starred review)"

Review Quotes

"The third and most densely textured mystery in a series by Julia Spencer-Fleming that brings new airs and graces to the traditional small-town mystery...the rich heritage of this Adirondack Mountain region also gives depth and complexity to the crimes that the well-matched pair must solve together...yes, this is a very small town, but under Spencer-Fleming's grave and tender touch it becomes a world that you want to visit and hate to leave." --The New York Times Book Review

"One of the great pleasures in a mystery reviewer's life is watching a promising series take root and blossom into something strong and unusual. Out of the Deep I Cry...is a perfect example." --Baltimore Sun

"Early spring in the Adirondacks is vividly described in this third installment in the series, and both the main and secondary characters are well developed...a comfortable mix of police procedural and village cozy." --Booklist

About the Author

Bestselling author Julia Spencer-Fleming is the winner of the Agatha, Anthony, Macavity, Dilys, Barry, Nero Wolfe, and Gumshoe Awards, and an Edgar and Romantic Times RC Award finalist. She was born at Plattsburgh Air Force Base, spending most of her childhood on the move as an army brat. She studied acting and history at Ithaca College, and received her J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law. She lives in a 190-year-old farmhouse outside of Portland, Maine.