The sixth book in Julia Spencer-Fleming’s series set in the upstate town of Millers Kill, New York, feels as relevant today as it was when it was published in 2008. This deals with the local migrant community who perform the tasks that the locals can’t or won’t.

Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne is still feeling the effects of events in the last book, All Mortal Flesh, having lost his wife in a tragic car accident. In his heart, he blames himself as well as the Rev. Clare Fergusson, who had caused him to split from his wife of many years. Clare is the local Episcopalian priest, a former Army pilot, and in response to the events in the last book, she has volunteered for the local National Guard unit. The two have kept their distance since the death of Linda, Russ’s wife.

A Latino migrant is discovered deceased, with a bullet in the head. Two more bodies turn up later, also killed execution-style. These illegal migrants are necessary to keep the local dairies operating. Even Russ’s sister has employed them on their farm. She tried to do it the right way and learned that the workers they hired were exploited regardless. There’s a conflict between locals who hate the illegal migrants in their midst, the farmers who rely on their labor, as well as the religious community who is trying to serve and support that community. Add in a Romeo and Juliet romance, and you have the makings of a powder keg that’s about to explode.

Although the conflict is a good one and I wasn’t sure what was happening until the end, it’s the continuing saga of Russ and Clare that is keeping me interested. They make for quite the unconventional pairing. Clare is about fifteen years younger than Russ. She did not come to Millers Kill looking for romance, only to serve as the faith leader for the local Episcopal church. Russ thought she was off-limits and didn’t realize that Episcopal priests are not bound by vows of celibacy when he befriended her in the first book. The two have struggled since then as their friendship and attraction grew.

Russ is dealing with the residual guilt over his wife’s death. He has pushed Clare away because of it, which she resents. Her manner of coping was to turn back to the military. She’s now balancing the needs of her congregation and the National Guard. It’s helped by the arrival of an assistant, introduced in All Mortal Flesh, which is the Bishop’s way of keeping an eye on a young faith leader who seems to court notoriety. Against all of this, she is trying to figure out exactly what her path in life is. She sees her role as a faith leader as one who must advocate for those who are on the fringes of society. Most of her problems have come from trying to help those who are not a part of her congregation. I Shall Not Want is no different. Her interaction with a local nun who serves that migrant population draws her into their troubles. Rather than decline to help, Clare sees it as part of her calling to encourage her congregation to support them. When the nun is injured, she asks Clare to step up even more.

I had trouble with the first couple of books in this series as it felt a bit ridiculous to have romantic tension between a clergyperson and a married police chief. However, the slow burn through the books as their relationship progressed works quite well. They are both really community servants in different ways and their interaction is very natural. Clare exasperates Russ on a regular basis, but he also understands her having that type of calling. Russ’s wife shut out parts of his life, and Clare was someone he could talk to about those things. I’ve come to look forward to how they continue their relationship and glad the author moved things very slowly between them.

There’s also a new couple to root for as Russ hires a young single mom, Hadley Knox, as a new police officer. She knows the community but hasn’t had any formal police training besides a stint as a corrections officer before she moved back to Millers Kill. At first, I thought perhaps she would be competition for Clare, but it’s Officer Kevin Flynn who is enamored of her. It’s nice to see how Russ brings her along and gives her the time to satisfy the requirements of the job. The introduction of Hadley and her possible relationship with Flynn helps bring them to the forefront and keep the series fresh.

Finally she said, “Thank you, God,” and staggered to her feet. It felt like she’d been worked over with a lead pipe. Her poor car was totaled. Another one. She lifted her eyes to the hills. From whence my help cometh. USAA was going to cancel her. Her parishioners would start calling her the Reverend Stephanie Plum.

Good to know the Rev. Clare is a Janet Evanovich fan. Likely it’s something of a guilty pleasure.

The narration is once again read by Suzanne Toren. She does a decent job, but I really don’t like the exaggerated Scarlett O’Hara voice she gives Clare. I half expect to see her sitting on the porch of a plantation sipping iced tea and brushing away the sweat. Yet, she gets the emotional strain between the two main characters, especially since they’ve pushed each other away for close to a year at this point. Their arguments have emotion to them without them being overdone, and there’s a lot for them to come to grips with in this book.

I don’t think I Shall Not Want works unless you’ve read at least the last couple of books in the series. There’s a lot of background that you’ll miss, such as Russ’s relationship with his mother and Clare’s with Hugh and the Rev. Aberforth. I think their attraction is easier to accept when you’ve followed the story all along as well. There’s a big twist at the end of the book that I did not see coming. If you look at the title of the next book it’s a bit of a spoiler for that, so I’d recommend not peeking ahead. If you are so far committed to the series, I think you won’t be disappointed. I wouldn’t recommend starting here, though.

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