To Darkness and to Death

These books keep getting better. The characters and relationships within the small town of Millers Kill are evolving and growing more interconnected. The way the minor/supporting characters maintain their relationships despite conflicts is interesting to me. And the main character, Reverend Clare, I just love her attempts to stay clearheaded and make fair and kind choices, despite being crazy in love with a married man. The everyday morality of this series really shone in this novel, with a deep investigation of the guilty parties' (including Clare & Russ as well as the “bad guys”) rationales and decisions. Spencer-Fleming is like George Eliot light. Less taxing and less rewarding, but so very tender with human failings.