In the Bleak Midwinter

By: Julia Spencer-Fleming

Narrated by: Suzanne Toren

Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Clare Fergusson, St. Alban's new priest, fits like a square peg in the conservative Episcopal parish at Miller's Kill, New York. She is not just a "lady"; she's a tough ex-Army chopper pilot, and nobody's fool. Then a newborn infant left at the church door brings her together with the town's police chief, Russ Van Alstyne, who's also ex-Army and a cynical good shepherd for the stray sheep of his hometown. Their search for the baby's mother quickly leads them into the secrets that shadow Miller's Kill like the ever-present Adirondacks. What they discover is a world of trouble, an attraction to each other--and murder....

©2002 Julia Spencer-Fleming (P)2010 BBC Audio

Good mystery.

A little slow start but I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I appreciate the author's knowledge of the Episcopal Church.

CANT GET ENOUGH OF CLAIRE AND RUSS

This is my third time listening to this book. Really love the characters and it’s never dull. You’ve got to love Claire.

I adore these books!

I have listened to Bleak Midwinter so many times that I know many of the lines. My favorite line in this first book is Russ’s response when the ED doctor says being chief is neat and Russ’s response is “I think so!” What an ego! The characters are so well developed and I also enjoy Suzanne Toren’s narration. Looking forward to the next book in the series. Will it ever come out? (April 5, 2023)

An excellent series for adult readers

What impresses me about this series is the adult narrative. The protagonists handle problems as adults. Which leads to the story being compelling without childish expectations. Relationships, competing needs, even disagreements are dealt with a mature manner. Perfection does not rest in either protagonist, so compromise forms the backbone of the characters stories. With top notch character development, descriptive passages that will make you wish for a warm blanket, ethical and moral quandries that create just as much tension as the mysteries, this book provides hours of enjoyment. I look forward to purchasing the rest of the published series when Audible adds it to the available selection.

I found the narrator annoying

I guess the story is okay but the narrator's interpretation of the character was annoying. Claire is an ex Army chopper pilot and now a priest but based on her voice Claire was whiny and way to southern belle. It would be interesting to know how the author hears Claire's voice. Also, the author dropped such blatant clues that the characters missed that I began to question their intelligence. I doubt I will listen to another one.

Slow starting...

It was slow in the beginning, but the hardest thing to get use to were their voices. I was ready to delete the book from my Audible account but got into the story cause it finally picked up.

Very good series, amazing narrator

I really enjoy this series. The characters quickly become real people and the narrator is so good you easily get lost in the story forgetting you're listening to an audiobook. Very entertaining and the mystery keeps you wanting to know who the bad guy is.

Excellent

Suzanne Toren is one of my favorite narrators. She does another great job with In The Bleak Midwinter.

Well developed characters and storyline. Kept me interested. Also kept me guessing!

Now, one of my top 5 favorite authors!

Oh, I decided to give this new book series and this author a try &, I’m so ecstatic that I did! I love how she develops characters individually, and in relationships, and the way she creates suspense during the investigations. This is now one of my top five favorite narrators ever! She transitions character, voices flawlessly in the way she uses her voice with such dramatic differences between characters is outstanding.

the kind and honest but gentle way she described the veterans

I loved all of it, a beautiful but also suspenseful story. The friendships and connections between characters was well written.