One Was a Soldier

By: Julia Spencer-Fleming

Narrated by: Suzanne Toren

Length: 17 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

At the Millers Kill Community Center, five veterans gather to work on adjusting to life after war. Reverend Clare Fergusson has returned from Iraq with a head full of bad memories she's using alcohol to wipe out. Dr. George Stillman is denying that the head wound he received has left him with something worse than simple migraines. Officer Eric McCrea is battling to keep his constant rage from affecting his life as a cop, and as a father. High school track star Will Ellis is looking for some reason to keep on living after losing both legs to an IED. And down-on-her-luck Tally McNabb has brought home a secret - a fatal one.

Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne just wants Clare to settle down and get married - to him. But when he rules Tally McNabb's death a suicide, Clare sides with the other vets against him. Russ and Clare's unorthodox investigation will uncover a trail of deceit that runs from their tiny Adirondack town to the upper ranks of the Army, and from the waters of the Millers Kill to the unforgiving streets of Baghdad.

©2011 Julia Spencer-Fleming. All rights reserved. (P)2011 AudioGo

Narration terrible

The Chief sounded like a growling dog.

Claire ‘s supposed Virginia accent was a joke.
Both took away from the pleasure of this book.

Outstanding

Well written character-driven mystery mixed well with healthy romance and laugh-out-loud humor. Russ and Clare stories have become one of my favorites. Suzanne Torne gives an excellent performance as narrator as well.

I'm listening to this one for a second time to glean as much from it as I can. Spencer-Fleming is a wonderful storyteller and this time she includes several sides of being a military veteran. I learned a lot from the story --- stuff I should have known but lost along the way.

Disappointing

I agree with some of the other reviewers. This series seems to have turned a corner, and not onto a better street. Clare is showing symptoms of PTSD, she's drinking heavily and doing drugs.

And her cop soon to be husband doesn't suspect a thing.

She comes across as whiny and not at all like the Clare introduced to us in the first few books. Yes, we all evolve and PTSD is a terrible thing. But I believe the author is doing her characters a disservice in this story line.

I'm about halfway through the next book in the series and it's not getting any better.

Love this series and this book!

I totally love this entire series of The Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries and I think this book was one of the strongest. I almost succumbed to the negative reviews of this one, and am glad I didn't and quit. I'm actually listening to the entire series consecutively because I want to stay into Miller's Kill community until the end. This book deals with difficult subjects: PTSD, drugs, alcoholism, anger, fraud, suicide, abuse, murder....but you know what? Those are real subjects facing our world and our communities. I just scanned some of the reviews before starting this review to remind myself why I "almost" listened to them and want to quickly share those here. 1) Narrator bad - Suzanne Toren has been the narrator since Book 1. You don't enjoy her gravelly voice for the male characters? So? Get over it. She does a great job, and I don't even hear her voice. I hear Clare and Russ and Lyle and.... The story is what's important. Go to the library and pick up the physical book if you don't like her voice. 2) The book is slow. Really? There were so many story lines and characters in this book. How could it be slow? It ran. Enough said. I can't remember some of the other things now so they must not be important. Not to give any spoilers, but folks...this is the ending we've been waiting for! Woot!

Sounded to much like a soap opera

Couldn't get past the first few chapters. Too much like a soap opera and the reader just didn't do it for me.

excellent story with narration just about perfect

last of a really great series and truly superior narration.These are just good stories with a mystery, people interaction, warm love interest and a desire for more of the characters. The series was over too soon..

Worth the Time

First book I've heard by this author. Coming late to the series didn't hurt the story at all. It was a good read, a good story, but not fantastic enough to make me want to grab the other books. I might go back and read them, but I feel like there's enough in this one to make it unnecessary. I will be waiting for the next book, though.

Good writing. Great characters. A little bit unreal--enough so that you never forget it's fiction. Still, an interesting place to visit.

Excellent Story, Barely Passable Narrator

Spencer-Fleming has once again written an excellent story, showing insight into the characters' inner lives. In this case, the turmoil and troubles of the military veterans after combat were well and sympathetically portrayed, especially the main character's alcoholism and addiction and her attempts to carry on life as an Episcopal priest in spite of it. That said, I have to say that the performace of the narrator distracted greatly from the story. The natural voice itself was fine, but the voices used for characters were off the mark. Claire's southern accent was okay, and the other female characters were portrayed adequately, but the voices used for the men, especially the Sheriff, were not good. In an attempt to lower her voice for the male parts, the narrator ended up using a grating, rasping voice which repeatedly distracted from the story and interrupted my immersion in the story.

If I listen to this book again, it would be only for the story, not the performance.

Trauma of Returning Soldiers

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. It opened my eyes to the problems our soldiers face when returning home.

What did you like best about this story?

It was well written. Never knew how it was going to end.

The struggle of returning soldiers from war.

Still love the relationship between Clair and Russ and her insistence in getting involved in his police work.