In the Bleak Midwinter: Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne 1

For fans of Louise Penny and Elizabeth George. The first in the bestselling Russ Van Alstyne and Clare Fergusson series of mysteries. Winner of the Macavity, Barry, Agatha and Anthony awards.


It’s a cold, snowy December in the upstate New York town of Millers Kill, and newly-ordained Clare Fergusson is on thin ice as the first female priest of its small Episcopal church. Chief of Police Russ Van Alstyne dismisses her as a naive do-gooder and her blunt manner, honed by eight years as an Army chaplain, receives a chilly reception. When a baby is abandoned and a young mother is brutally murdered, Clare has to pick her way through the secrets and silence that shadow the town like the ever-present Adirondack mountains. As the days dwindle down and the attraction between the avowed priest and the married chief grows, Clare will need all her faith, tenacity and courage to stand fast against a killer’s icy heart.