Julia Spencer-Fleming pens one of the best mystery series around.  I recommend her books most highly and I have read them all, starting with In the Bleak Midwinter.  The setting is upstate New York and the region is brought to life in a way that makes a reader feel that they are there.  The protagonists, Clare and Russell are adults with histories; both were in the military.  Clare is now an Episcopal priest while Russ is the head of the Millers Kill Police Department. Over the course of the series, readers get to know these real, flawed and genuine adults well.

It is best to read this series in order.  Long term readers will be ecstatic to spend time with Russ, Clare and those in their world after a long hiatus between the last book and this one.  In this entry the main story is complex as it involves three murders; one took place in the 50s, one in the 70s.  No spoilers so I can't say more.

If you know Clare and Russ,  I hope that you will be as delighted as I was by their return.  If you are new to the series, you are lucky as you have nine books to look forward to.  Mystery readers, please check this series out.  Ms. Spencer-Fleming, you have not lost your touch!


Many, many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this read in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of mysteries, and this one did not disappoint! It was great! I loved the story line. This book really sucked me in!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I really enjoyed this book, the characters were well developed. It had an interesting plot. I would be interested in reading more

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review the his book.

When a dead girl is found dead on a local road, the chief of police of Millers Kill and his team start the investigation. When there is no evidence of foul play and no identification on the body, the police are stymied. When the situation is similar to unsolved cases from 1952 and 1972, the police turn to any lead that they can uncover. In addition, the town is having a vote on whether to eliminate the local police force in favor of using the state patrol, and an unsolved murder would look bad on their abilities to serve and protect.

In addition to the stress of the investigation, members of the police team face more personal issues, that distract them from their efforts to solve the current and past cases.

When the case finally breaks, many lives are affected and the author leaves some unanswered questions, possibly for a sequel or just to irritate the reader.

Millers Kill, New York - 1952, 1972, & Present Day

Russ Van Alstyne, the Millers Kill chief of police, has just had a deja vu sort of event with the discovery of the body of a young woman in the middle of a road nearby. She was young, pretty, wearing an expensive dress, and shoeless. No other evidence in the area, no phone, handbag, nothing. And worse, no idea of how she died. The entire scenario is eerily reminiscent of the young girl whose body he nearly ran over with his motorcycle in 1972 upon his return from Viet Nam. That victim, too, wore a similar outfit, was barefoot, and no pathologist every discovered how she died. Plus, this now is the third incident that Russ is aware of in the same location because the police chief in 1972 had told him of another dead girl in 1952. What makes this even more worrisome is that the Millers Kill voters may be choosing to disband the local police department and rely on the State Police instead. Until, or unless Russ can solve this latest murder, he and his crew could be out of jobs. To make matters just a bit more uncomfortable, Russ was one of the suspects in the death of the victim in 1972.

Russ' wife, Clare Fergusson is the local Episcopal priest. She, too, is a veteran, and she is also a recovering addict. Four months ago she gave birth to their son, and life is hectic, unpredictable, and staying clear of drugs and alcohol is making life very complicated. Her diocese has assigned an intern now, and Clare hopes Joni can take some of the burdens off of her daily routine. The fact that Joni is a transgender woman makes no difference to Clare, but Joni's wealthy father is still not over the fact that Joni will not be taking over the family business. Clare is relieved that she has some assistance in her day job, so that her home life is not so frantic, making her addiction recovery a worrying thought. The extra burden of Russ' predicament and the newly discovered body are just things Clare is going to have to come to terms with.

Russ and Clare want what's best for their son, Ethan, and they try and coordinate efforts to his advantage. They also pair up together, occasionally, in their work lives, so Clare is well aware of the mystery surrounding the dead girl, and how Russ has to vocalize his frustration with the lack of evidence. When Joni talks Clare into coming to his parents' "camp" in the Adirondacks for a party that could actually help Russ' police department, Russ is skeptical, but hopeful. He'll try anything to keep his crew together.

HID FROM OUR EYES is a page turner! Readers will compare the three deaths, as I did, and come up with about as much as Russ and the chief in 1972 did, which is nothing. How can a death in 1952 be related at all to one in 1972, let alone in the present day? Or is this all just a weird coincidence? To reveal much more would be to give too much away. Try and figure it out, I tried, and I was shocked by the ending. Excellent writing, appealing, well-rounded characters, and a true mystery, so readers can't go wrong. I highly recommend HID FROM OUR EYES.

Jani Brooks

I am the only reviewer, that I can see, who did not enjoy this book. I found the plot boring, the characters lackluster and I skipped over much of it, just to finish it. I didn’t even care who murdered the victims. Seems like just not a good fit for my tastes. I just wanted it all to end. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This is a great suspense mystery about a small town police department from the 1950s to the present. Three police chiefs had very similar cases years apart. All involve unidentified girls found in unusual circumstances in the same spot on a country road.

All the characters are colorful individuals with their own stories that make them very fun to read about. And the ending is totally unexpected for most of the book and still a little unexpected at the conclusion. I really enjoyed reading this book and recommend it to anyone who likes a good mystery
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I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Fans of Julia Spencer-Fleming’s Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne series will welcome this new installment after a six-year absence. Ms. Spencer-Fleming experienced the death of several family members which took her away from her craft. I am sorry for her loss, while grateful she is once again writing mysteries set in Millers Kill.

Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne faces the dead body of a young, unidentified woman wearing a party dress. The circumstances of the case resemble two earlier unsolved cases: one in 1952 and one in 1972. Because of the intervening six decades, a serial killer is a stretch. And to make matters worse, Russ -- fresh from Vietnam -- was a suspect in the 1972 killing.

This newest book features many of the elements that make the series popular. We see development in the characters’ personal lives (Russ and Clare struggle with fatigue and lining up childcare for their infant son); contemporary social issues (transgenderism and a referendum to replace the local police with state troopers); humor (Clare’s observation that she went on month-long deployments with less gear than her baby needs for one morning); and a cliffhanger that has me eagerly anticipating the next book.

This book was worth the six year wait since the previous one in the series. I enjoyed reading about Russ and Clare again and was glad to see them a bit more settled than in the earlier books in the series. This story was somewhat different in that it centered on solving three murders that occurred over a span of about 40 years. The investigation was methodical and straight forward. Clare and Russ didn't take any physical risks that seemed over the top in some of the other books and I think that was in keeping with the fact that they are now parents as well as moving into (and beyond) into middle age. I thought perhaps this would be the last book in the series, but the ending seems to indicate there will be more. Can't wait to go back to Miller's Kill!

Review#71 HID FROM OUR EYES by Julia Spencer-Fleming and reviewing for Netgalley.. In the town of Miller's Kill murders have a way of reoccurring over the decades. Likable characters but I had trouble getting through this somewhat slow, straight forward read. Not enough mystery or twists and turns to hold my interest. ⭐⭐⭐Three stars.

A Clare Fergusson / Russ Van Alstyne Mystery

It's been quite a few years since we were left hanging by the last book. And I am not one bit upset. It was worth the wait. And we are all grateful. 

Clare is one of my favorite characters. She's a former helicopter pilot and is now an Episcopal  Priest with a newborn baby and a Police Chief husband. These characters are deeply flawed and that is why I love them.

The setting is Miller's Kill in upstate New York. The story is told in the year 1952, 1972, and now. 

In 1952 the police chief was Harry McNeil. Called to an odd crime scene where he finds a dead young woman in a party dress. No shoes, no purse, no stockings, no obvious cause of death. With little to go on, it seemed like there was little done.

In 1972, Jack Liddle is Chief and is called to a crime scene with the exact same set of circumstances, in the same place. He remembers the first girl and the only thing different is this time they may have a suspect. Russ Van Alstyne found the body. Recently home from the war in Vietnam and still angry and confused, he is quickly the first suspect. But there is no evidence to support anyone being a person of interest.

Present Day. Russ is now the police chief and gets the call. Another young lady has been found in the same place. Dead, in a party dress and nothing else. The pressure is on for the crime to be solved. Especially since the town residents are getting ready to vote on keeping the police force or not.

While Clare is trying to juggle motherhood, the priesthood, her church, and breastfeeding, she still has time to do some digging into the case. And she does just that. 

This one was very twisty and just when I thought I knew who the bad person was, I did not! And of course, we have a cliffhanger. And I love it!

Thank you, Julia!

NetGalley/  April 7th, 2020 by Minotaur Books

I was so excited to see a new volume from Julia Spencer-Fleming, but to be honest, I was a bit nervous, too, because it felt like the previous volume in the series had struggled a bit in balancing fairly somber character development and plot. I am happy to say, though, that "Hid From Our Eyes" is a very strong entry in the series. It has a genuinely complex and creepy mystery, which I didn't figure out till the very end. As is usual for Spencer-Fleming, the mystery is thoughtfully entangled in issues of gender, sexuality, and power -- and both the revelation and the problem at the heart felt on point for society today.

Spencer-Fleming smoothly flips between three time periods, and in doing so, gives readers new insight into Russ Van Alstyne's past, which in turn helps to continue developing his relationship with Clare. And Clare, still struggling with her own demons, is nonetheless committed to asking difficult questions and chasing down answers.

So often, cozy mysteries are full of unrealistically perfect people -- so perfect that it's hard to understand how anyone ends up murdered in the first place. What I love about the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne series is how Spencer-Fleming deliberately makes her characters less than perfect, and weaves their own struggles into the mysteries. It's clear by the end of the book that Spencer-Fleming has a plan in place to continue -- and take Russ and Clare in a new direction -- and I'll be curious to learn more in future volumes.

1952. Millers Kill Police Chief Harry McNeil is called to a crime scene where a woman in a party dress has been murdered with no obvious cause of death.

1972. Millers Kill Police Chief Jack Liddle is called to a murder scene of a woman that's very similar to one he worked as a trooper in the 50s. The only difference is this time, they have a suspect. Young Vietnam War veteran Russ van Alstyne found the body while riding his motorcycle and is quickly pegged as the prime focus of the investigation.

Present-day. Millers Kill Police Chief Russ van Alstyne gets a 911 call that a young woman has been found dead in a party dress, the same MO as the crime he was accused of in the 70s. The pressure is on for Russ to solve the murder before he's removed from the case.

Russ will enlist the help of his police squad and Reverend Clare Fergusson, who is already juggling the tasks of being a new mother to her and Russ's baby and running St. Alban's Church, to finally solve these crimes.
I enjoyed this book. The book was very clear as to what/which crime was being talked about and the investigations were very thorough. I liked the characters were entwined between the years of the murders, it makes a nice sense of continuity. I was very surprised by the direction of the investigation at the end and who the killers were and why. It was very nicely tied together and continued at the very end of the book. #Hid from Our Eyes #NetGalley

Traditional mystery---The police chief of a small town and his Episcopal priest wife are trying to find a life balance with a fussy baby and hectic lives. Throw in an unidentified dead young woman whose death seems to be exactly as one from 1972, which was exactly like one from 1952. And while trying to solve this current case, the chief is trying to keep the town from voting to get rid of the local law enforcement and use the police force from the city. Hope this series continues. for many more books.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. Reading this book was a new author for me and I have to say I very much enjoyed it. The book was very well written, easy to follow along with, had great characters and great backstory as to all of them. It made it for a very enjoyable read, I highly recommend this book and this author for everybody and I hope in the future I am given the opportunity to read more by this author as I think it’s a great story and will go along way thank you

I’ve read all her books and this one is good like the others and is fast paced . Very good series.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

This is a mystery that is beyond my wildest imagination. The characters seem real and are likable till they aren't! The plot is something I could never imagine but the author does a great job of making it real. Power and ambition seems to have nonethical boundaries in this story.

This was a procedural set in small town New York with three separate deaths, one in 1952, one in 1972 and one in the present. Each death had a different Sheriff investigating and each unsolved. The present Sheriff’s clues lead him back to each of the other deaths in which a young woman was found, well dressed with no shoes, purse, underwear or personal belongings, dead and obviously placed where she was found. The novel goes from period to period and investigation to investigation. The climax is unexpected and well fitting. The ending was also surprising and is actually the beginning of the next chapter in this series. Or at least I hope so. Thanks to Net Galley and Minotaur for an ARC for an honest review.

If you are reading this in 2020, it’s been a long time since we’ve had a new Rev. Clare book. Hid From Our Eyes starts up about 10 months after Through the Evil Days. If you don’t remember where we left Rev. Clare and police chief Russ Van Alstyne, have no fear, Spencer-Fleming adroitly reminds us of what has happened, so no need to go back and reread the previous book. In fact, this also means you can read Hid From Our Eyes without having read any of the previous books!

On to the story itself. There are 3 dead girls separated by time,* but not space. All were murdered under nearly identical circumstances, but 20-30 years apart. The book follows the investigations through 3 time lines: 1952, 1972, and present day. It’s a good mystery, with some nice twists and turns. The writing is as terrific as ever, the characters as likable as ever. We get movement in the lives of the supporting players: Hadley Knox, & Kevin Flynn, Marge Van Alstyne, and of course Russ & Clare.

I was happy with the mystery, happy with the updates on everyone, and happy with the book. I hope it does not take the JSF another 6 years for the next installment!

*For those math nerds, that sets present day in Miller’s Kill at 2002.

Welcome back, to Clare and Russ. This is mystery is a little different from Ms. Spencer-Fleming previous mysteries. This one spans several years, beginning with a Jane Doe death, with a repeat of another just like the first but 30 years later, then the latest one just like the previous murders. The second one Russ had been a person of interest as he had just gotten back from Vietnam. The third murder happens when he is chief-of=police. This is a very interesting and intriguing mystery. With the help of Russ' old chief, they work on the crime to solve not only the latest murder, but they close the other open cases. I usually can figure out the solutions, but this time it was a step-by-step leading to the murderer.
As always, Ms. Spencer-Fleming writes a mystery story that is very hard to put down. Her characters are well-developed and believable. The story line is also well-developed leading to a satisfactory conclusion. I highly recommend this mystery novel.