"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." ~Corinthians 13:7-8 In the scope of literary star-crossed lovers, Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne know all too well the depth and meaning of this phrase. Tragic events, emotional scars, bad-timing and personal integrity have come between them, time after time; yet no matter the obstacle, their love for one another endures. A love neither have acted upon. Instead they live to help others find peace, safety and closure within the small Adirondack town of Millers Kill in upstate New York.

Chief of Police, Russ Van Alstyne, has withdrawn into himself after the unfortunate, guilt-ridden death of his wife. Going through the motions, he works to try to solve the mystery of the henceforth unseen Hispanic migrant dairy farm workers, some of whom have been employed by his sister and brother-in-law on a farm owned in part by his mother. He tries to juggle the day-to-day matters in Millers Kill, without running into Clare, which in their small town is nigh impossible. Meanwhile, he's giving a chance to single mom Hadley Knox, the only woman deputy in a male-dominated police bureaucracy.

The Reverend Clare Fergusson, the Episcopal rector at St. Alban's, is an enigmatic and complex woman of the cloth. She's incurred her bishop's displeasure on more than one occasion by thinking outside the "accepted pastoral box," as well as her penchant for delving into mysteries and situations best left to others who aren't leading a flock of folk to the Almighty. Now Clare's become an active member of the National Guard, 142nd Aviation Battalion -- not as their chaplain, but rather as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot, combat support. However, before she leaves for active duty, there's a mystery brewing in Millers Kill tied to Russ' sister and mother, and people who need to be saved. Plus, there's Russ and her growing feelings for him -- even though she's trying to patiently give him the space he needs to heal.

Book six in the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series dives in from the first page, grabs your attention and keeps you reading until the last page is turned. It doesn't matter whether you're just starting out with this one, or if you've read the other five before it -- it is just an amazing read. I was so entertained and engrossed with I SHALL NOT WANT that I went and bought the first two books to read on my own. Don't mistake their love as the defining of this book in any one genre; while there is romance, it is just one of the sum of all this novel's parts. Ms. Spencer-Fleming's characters, situations and settings are so poignant and real, you are cheering, laughing, crying and stressing with Clare, Russ and newcomer Hadley. Clare Fergusson is the epitome of "God helps those who help themselves." In fact, even the secondary characters draw you in -- one way or the other. The thrilling action, layered characters, profound love (for each other, as well as for the plight of their fellow humans) and excellent writing, will leave you with a pleasant ache when the last page is turned. I can't recommend this book (and the series) highly enough.

Book Summary

Millers Kill reaches the boiling point in this white- hot novel of love and suspense

People die. Marriages fail. In the small Adirondack town of Millers Kill, New York, however, life doesn’t stop for heartbreak. A brand-new officer in the police department, a breaking-and-entering, and trouble within his own family keep Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne busy enough to ignore the pain of losing his wife---and the woman he loves.

At St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, the Reverend Clare Fergusson is trying to keep her vestry, her bishop, and her National Guard superiors happy---all the while denying her own wounded soul.

When a Mexican farmhand stumbles over a Latino man killed with a single shot to the back of his head, Clare is sucked into the investigation through her involvement in the migrant community. The discovery of two more bodies executed in the same way ignites fears that a serial killer is loose in the close-knit community. While the sorrowful spring turns into a scorching summer, Russ is plagued by media hysteria, conflict within his department, and a series of baffling assaults.

As the violence strikes closer and closer to home, an untried officer is tested, a wary migrant worker is tempted, and two would-be lovers who thought they had lost everything must find a way to trust each other again--- before it becomes forever, fatally, too late.

Julia Spencer-Fleming shows you can escape danger---but not desire---in her most suspenseful, passionate novel yet.