I have read every book in this series and it was so nice to be back with old friends. The author has done it again. The characters are amazing and the storyline kept me rivited. Clare and Russ have an amazing relationship, and you can't help but root for them. The case they worked was timely, and could stand on its own but i would encourage you to read the earlier books and become familiar with all the characters. Hoping for many more

At Midnight Comes the Cry is a triumphant return to the Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne series—and it was absolutely worth the wait. Julia Spencer-Fleming delivers everything I’ve come to love about this series: richly drawn characters, layered mysteries, emotional depth, and the kind of writing that sneaks up on you with its quiet brilliance.

This installment is steeped in tension—not just from the central mystery, but from the emotional weight the characters are carrying. Clare and Russ are as compelling as ever, still navigating the complexities of faith, love, and loss, all while being pulled into a case that hits painfully close to home. The stakes feel deeply personal, and that intimacy only heightens the suspense.

Spencer-Fleming’s ability to weave together social commentary, small-town dynamics, and slow-burning suspense is masterful. The writing is elegant and restrained, allowing the emotional truths to land with quiet power. It’s not just about solving a crime—it’s about reckoning with what justice really looks like, and what it costs.

It is always worth the wait for a new book from Julia Spencer Fleming, and this title is no exception. Multi- dimensional characters, a solid and intriguing plot and lovely writing make this a must read. Treat yourself to a Christmastime visit to Millers Kill.

It's nice to back in Millers Kill with Clare and Russ. Russ is adapting to life as a stay-at-home dad when Hadley comes to him with concerns about Kevin. Supposedly deep undercover, Kevin has dropped out of contact with everyone - including the Syracuse PD where he works. As usual, a page -turner from start to finish.

e been reading this series for over 20 years, and the characters and plots are still compelling. Rev. Clare and now former-Chief Russ are raising their baby and figuring out their new normal when they become involved with a white-power militia. Russ and Officer Knox (who hasn’t heard from Kevin Flynn since he took a job elsewhere) start an illicit search for Flynn, who hasn’t been seen by his family or friends in months, since he went undercover. Meanwhile, Clare is trying to help a young mother married to a controlling neo-Nazi, and the anti-Semitic, pro-white group is planning something…

A great addition (conclusion?) to the series! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc.

I wasn't able to finish this one. I normally love this series but I could not handle the white supremacy, MAGA-adjacent plot. I like my reading to be a break from reality, not a reminder of it. I tried but at 30% I couldn't force myself anymore. I hope the next book is a return a normal murder plot, otherwise I probably won't continue with this series.

I am thrilled to be reading another installment in the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne series—and set during Christmas. Russ and Clare are married with an infant, Ethan. Russ has recently retired from the Millers Kill police force. The family is at an annual holiday parade, which was hijacked by a white supremacy group spreading leaflets among the crowd.

Meanwhile Hadley Knox continues on the police force, but is worried about her former partner, Kevin Flynn, whom no one has heard from in months, including his current employer, the Syracuse PD. Hadley and Russ start making inquiries and meet Yixin Zhao, a newbie in the state Attorney General’s office. Zhao tells them that she and Flynn had been working on an anti-extremist task force which was disbanding. She believes Flynn continued his undercover role on his own.

During a search off the grid in the Adirondacks, Russ stumbles into the supremacists’ training camp. Although busy with liturgical duties during Advent, Clare manages to befriend a wife of a supremacist, bonding of course over their babies. The novel is organized by the four Sundays of Advent. As the weeks unfold, the friends realize the militia group is planning a massive terrorist attack, but where? And when?

I loved catching up with the recurring characters in the series. I hope to see more of the young attorney, Yixin Zhao, and Forest Ranger Paul Terrance in future books. I appreciate the author’s efforts to humanize a few of the supremacists and examine reasons why that path attracts some followers.

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

The Saturday before Thanksgiving finds Reverend Clare Ferguson, Russ Van Alstyne, and their baby boy, Ethan, joining the townspeople at the Greenwich Annual Lighted Tractor Parade. Their holiday cheer doesn’t last long as a white supremacist group participating in the parade comes down the street spreading its detestable message.

A brouhaha ensues and, as the Greenwich Police Department arrives, Clare thanks a woman, Meghan Smith, for helping to defuse the fight and befriends her.

How could she know that her involvement with the white supremacists and their militia was far from over?

=========

“At Midnight Comes the Cry,” the tenth book in the author’s Clare Ferguson/Russ Van Alstyle series, contains sufficient backstory for the book to work as a standalone for readers new to the series. [But there’s time to read the earlier books in this wonderful series before this one is released in November.] All the expected characters, well-drawn and believable, are part of the telling of this tale; the relationship between Hadley Knox and Kevin Flynn serves as a welcome contrast to other, less desirable relationships.

While the subject matter may be uncomfortable, the author deftly handles it, revealing the struggles faced in dealing with the horrific events unfolding around Clare and Russ. Instead of pat solutions and neatly-tied-up-with-a-bow endings, Clare and Russ do what they can and that may or may not be enough, but it is all that is possible given the situation. Despite the militia’s horrifying plans, the town prepares for the holidays, a contrast between the militia’s vitriol and the ordinariness of the holidays. Replete with family moments, Christmas pageants, Reverend Clare’s church moments, and everyday life, the unfolding story doesn’t flinch from the militia’s despicable attitudes and actions, but provides hope for the town and its people.

Filled with tension, suspense, and heart-stopping moments, the unfolding story keeps doesn’t disappoint, grabbing readers from the outset and not letting go until the final page is turned. Readers are sure to find “At Midnight Comes the Cry” a satisfying addition to the series; those who enjoy thrillers, crime stories, and suspenseful tales will find much to appreciate in this unputdownable tale of hate and despair, of hope and faith.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
#AtMidnightComestheCry #NetGalley

My first thought upon finishing At Midnight Comes the Cry was that I wanted to go back to the first page and read it again. It has been 5 years since Julia Spencer-Fleming last published a book in her Miller's Kill series and I was wondering if this new book would retain the author's gift of dialog and sense of place that her previous 9 novels had. It did and she has. It was great to be back with Army pilot/Episcopal priest Claire, former police chief Russ, and so many other characters I have come to feel I know personally. As always there is a social issue at the core; this time the problem of the rise of a self proclaimed malitia intent on causing harm to Jews and immigrants. At times this book reads like a thriller, lots of action and a few moments of impulsive probably not the best decision making.
I can only hope this is not the end of the series but the lack of Mrs. Spencer-Flemimg's usual cliff hanger leaves me wondering. Regardless, if you have not read this series start at the beginning and read them all. They are that good!

At Midnight Comes the Cry A Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mystery by Julia Spencer-Fleming
Unfortunately, it is a DNF for me. While well written, it turned into an uncomfortable read.
Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press/ Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

I have waited a long time for this new book in the Rev. Clare Ferguson and Russ Van Alstyne series. The book begins with a very domestic scene with Clare, Russ, and their child doing very everyday things. She is still the priest at the Episcopal church, but Russ has resigned from his position of chief of police and is struggling to find a purpose. The calm is ruptured at a parade when white nationalists attack a float. Clare and Russ, as usual, jump into the fray and help break up a possible melee. However, this event is an eerie reminder about one of Russ' former police officers, Flynn, who went undercover to learn more about neo-Nazi groups in the area and has been MIA ever since. While Clare befriends the young wife of a member of the white nationalist group, Due to the persistence of Flynn's ex-partner, Hadley, Russ agrees to search for the former officer in some rough terrain. With the efforts of Clare, Russ, Hadley, a Ranger, and a lawyer combined, the race is on to rescue Flynn for the group and save the young wife and her child from an abusive spouse. The book is tense and exciting, well written, and makes me want another book from the series.

AT MIDNIGHT COMES THE CRY by Julia Spencer-Fleming
Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All?
Russ and Clare can’t resist, if there’s trouble, they have to help, to make the world better and safer for their own Ethan and for everyone else. When racists disrupt the Christmas parade, they intervene to quiet the situation, and that’s just the start of scary dangerous efforts to set things right. A militia group is assembling illegally in the park, making terrible plans, Kevin is still missing, and Russ, having resigned to save the department, has no official power . . . but many good allies, old and new. Danger and intrigue, persistence and courage, and somehow, all the planning and organizing for Christmas pageants, presents, sermons, and feasts still has to be done as well.
It’s a wild ride, totally absorbing, “go away world, I’m busy reading” book. Marvelously satisfying, but I’m a bit sad to be finished and still replaying parts of it in my mind.

Coming Nov. 18, so there’s time to catch up on earlier books in this wonderful series.

What an absolutely wonderful book! While I was delighted to have an advanced reader’s copy from NetGalley, I will read it again in hard copy. I often reread this author’s books. The writing and plot lines are so good that it is enjoyable to delve back into the life of the folks of Millers Kill. Reverend Clare and her husband Russ have the relationship that we all strive to achieve. While this book is fine as a stand alone, if time permits, start at the beginning and savor the series. This opinion is my own.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Julia Spencer-Fleming’s At Midnight Comes the Cry arrives with the steady confidence of a seasoned storyteller revisiting a beloved terrain—as this time her characters are drawn into the well of the bottomless and senseless hatred that encompasses white "supremacy".

Set against the stark, soul-haunting backdrop of Millers Kill, the novel stretches the boundaries of the traditional mystery by diving deeper into the cost of hatred and the endearingly strong architecture of love and faith. Reverend Clare Fergusson and former Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne are not merely investigating another crime—they are dealing with deeply rooted local danger. As always, Clare handles things from a loving perspective, giving those who hate a reason to look beyond their fragiley constructed "truths" and in the case of one character, Tiny, Clare prompts her to grow beyond her current abusive situation as the woman relearns that love and self-reliance is more empowering and uniting than hatred.

Spencer-Fleming tempers the suspense with a lyrical tenderness—moments where the snow seems to speak as loudly as the evidence.

The narrative moves between Clare’s current situation dealing with white supremacists as Spenser-Fleming dovetails this with Clare's domestic situation as family and friends celebrate the holidays with a spirit of inclusion. The prose hums with a bruised grace: poetic, precise, never overwrought. And as always, the supporting cast feels lived-in—flawed, funny, and essential.

I liked how the author didn't provide an easy solution, stopping a scenario of attempted mass murder didn't stop the large group of followers involved, rather Clare and Russ did what they could, the author didn't pretend that stopping one horrific act of crime resolved the larger issue.

It’s not just about what happened when the local town becomes a haven for white supremacists—it’s also about the cost of this hatred. And in that space between questions and answers, Spencer-Fleming plants something tender and enduring: hope, defiant and luminous in the dark.

For readers who appreciate crime fiction that doesn't flinch from grief or grace, At Midnight Comes the Cry is not just a continuation—it's a reckoning. One that stays long after the case is closed.

Julia Spencer-Fleming's latest book in this series is more of a thriller than a mystery. Russ and Clare become involved in intersecting situations: local supporters of white, Christian nationalism, missing law enforcement officers, an abused wife, and armed Nazi militia groups training in the Andirondacks. Russ and Clare figure out the common threads with the help of both new and recurring characters in the series. The book can be read as a standalone as its plot is not dependent on previous books. Some of the characters' actions are illogical (or downright dumb), but the author ties together the various plotlines by the exciting conclusion. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur for the eARC.

I have read all of Julia Spencer-Fleming's books in this series and was absolutely thrilled to see this latest addition to the series. When I started reading it, I realized quickly that it was going to be the best one yet. I loved it so much that I purposely slowed myself down so I could cherish my time with these beloved characters. And when I neared the end and realized what was going to happen I was amazed at how timely this book is and how perfect it is for our times. It is a huge winner of a book and I can't wait for the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It is perfection! I loved every sentence!!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Julia Spencer-Fleming for this ARC.

SO happy to receive the most recent in a series I love and hope to see more if.

At Midnight Comes the Cry is timely. And terrifying.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review the new book in Julia Spencer-Fleming's great Rev. Clare Fergusson & Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries series. This is number 10 in the series, and comes five years after "Hid From Our Eyes". But she hasn't missed a beat, as we're right back with Clare and Russ (and their son Ethan) in the town of Millers Kill.
Russ has now been (forcibly) retired, but as always itching for action, so when one of his former deputies suddenly drops from site - after having been undercover with white supremacists - he happily joins with Hadley Knox, picking up a Park Ranger along the way, and ends up himself in the world of militias and white supremacy.
Meanwhile, Clare - preparing for Christmas as it fast approaches - also becomes entangled in that world, along with an young lawyer from the Attorney General's office, who is investigating off the books.
And what they all begin to uncover could lead to an absolutely horrific terrorist attack so close to two major religious events - Hannukah and Christmas.
I have read and loved all of the previous books in this series, and liked this one just as much. Although I did spend an inordinate amount of time screaming ' don't do that'! (Much like in horror movies where the unwitting teen ends up the victim of a serial killer/vampire/zombie).
You don't have to have read all of the previous books in the series - but it wouldn't hurt. Recommended.

I just finished a good book that is available this fall. At Midnight Comes the Cry by Julia Spencer-Fleming was a winner for me.

This is a great series and I hope it continues. The plot is good and relatable to today’s world. The character development throughout the series is excellent.