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A Fountain Filled with Blood by Julia Spencer-Fleming
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A Fountain Filled with Blood Julia Spencer-Fleming Mystery 2003 Rating: B |
I've been busy ripping my way through the Rev. Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series - three books books in four days. At this rate, Spencer-Fleming may be my vote for most glommed author in AAR's 2008 reader poll. We will see.
As A Fountain Filled with Blood begins, Clare and Russ are both in repress/deny/avoid mode about their feelings for each other, expressed in a moment of peace following a very tense and dangerous confrontation. They've hardly spoken in six months. Things change, though, when a series of what looks like gay hate crimes begins in Millers Kill. Russ, though repulsed and disturbed by the crimes, still wants to treat them in the regular way, while Clare would prefer to go to the media and publicize them in order to both warn gays at risk and make a statement about inclusion and tolerance. Once again, though Russ objects, Clare can't seem to keep herself out of it...until she finds herself deeper in than she ever expected when she finds the corpse of a local developer - beaten and garroted.
In terms of the relationship between Russ and Clare, little more develops here, although the chemistry between them is once again strong. Russ is still married, however, and determined to do the right thing, as is Clare. The mystery is well plotted, although one of the deviant minds behind the violence was a give-away to me due to the name Spencer-Fleming chose for him. Readers who like a bit of action-adventure with their mysteries will not be disappointed, although, once again, as in the first book, much of this suspense could have been avoided had Clare been less impetuous and sure that she was doing the only right and just thing.
Politically, this book is sure to irritate anyone with an active aversion to homosexuality or gay rights issues such as gay marriage or hate crime status for crimes committed against gays. Clare and many other characters are more than tolerant, though Spencer-Fleming does give lip-service to a more old-fashioned view by making discomfort around gays something Russ has naturally and fights against. Since I am on the tolerant side of the issue, none of this bothered me. There are a number of violent episodes that I found considerably more disturbing than the political content.
This series is compulsively readable. When I finished A Fountain Filled with Blood, I went out the next day and got the sequel, Out of the Deep I Cry. And that book managed to exceed my expectations and get me further excited about the future adventures of Clare and Russ. Hurray for new series to glom!
I have the first two books in this series TBR. Your reviews make me really
want to try them.
Janine, the third book is even BETTER than the first two. And they were
highly enjoyable. I hope you will try them. I seem to be on a mystery
kick right now, and Spencer-Fleming has been a find.
I find most mysteries a little too cerebral and not emotional enough for my
taste, but there are exceptions to that rule. I also only rarely stick
with series that follow the same character or characters for several books.
I don't know why, but I usually prefer to read about new characters after
a book or two. However, right now I'm a novella and a book into Patricia
Briggs' new Alpha and Omega series (it starts with the novella "Alpha and
Omega" in On the Prowl and continues with Cry Wolf) and I am still loving
it. I'm hoping that it will be one same-character series that will
continue to hold my attention. Maybe these Spencer-Fleming books would too
-- they certainly sound intriguing.
I am not a huge mystery reader in general and don't care so much for
series. But with mysteries, I seem to prefer series, probably because the
characters feel very familiar over the course of several books. I also
seem to gravitate only to female sleuths, although I'm breaking that rule
right now with Barbara Hambly's Benjamin January series. That character,
though, has much of the same vulnerability as a woman, given his place in
his own extremely hierarchical society. And he is a nurturer by trade.
Thanks, I will give them a try sometime. I got them as e-books when they
were available as free downloads for a day or two back in June. For some
reason paper books call to me a lot more than e-books -- I think it's
because I have the spines in front of my eyes all the time! But I do plan
to read try at least the first Spencer-Fleming book sometime soon.
Glad to see you're enjoying them, Rachel. Could you email me when you get
the chance? Are you able to see the email addresses from the form? If not,
here it is: avid book reader 36 at gmail. com - without all the spaces.