At the end of the previous book in the series, I Shall Not Want, the two main characters were finally about to embark on a relationship. Rev. Claire Fergusson is the Episcopal Priest in the town of Miller’s Kill in upstate New York. She’s a former Army pilot who became a priest after serving. Russ Van Alstyne is the local police chief. He and Claire have bonded over the course of the previous six books. They have endured trials and tribulations as many couples do in these books, not the least of which was the fact that Russ was married. In all honesty, at this point in the series, I do think you have to have read the majority of the other books preceding it. There’s just too much background to too many of the characters in those books, and I think picking it up here will be confusing for most.

At the very end, just as Russ seemed to be willing to push aside the guilt he felt over his wife’s death and embark on a relationship with Claire, her National Guard unit is called up and sent to Iraq. One Was a Soldier picks up 18 months later, as Claire returns home. Russ was a soldier in Vietnam, so he has a lot of experience with what happens when someone returns from deployment.

Claire, however, is in denial. She’s trying to put on a brave face for her congregation as she attempts to integrate back into the small-town life of Miller’s Kill. She’s jumpy at certain noises. While deployed, she got used to using pills to help her stay awake and go to sleep. She’s also teetering into alcoholism as she attempts to cope. All of this she tries to keep hidden from Russ, even as he’s planning to propose to her.

When a Veterans group is formed with several other members of the community, Claire begins attending. Some of the characters in the group were introduced in other books, so it’s easier to get a feel for them if you’ve read those books. When one of the group is found dead of an apparent suicide, the rest refuse to accept that and begin investigating the death on their own, much to Russ’s chagrin.

There’s a lot more interpersonal conflict in One Was a Soldier. Perhaps it’s because Claire is a different person in many ways upon returning from Iraq. She’s trying to juggle integrating back into civilian life with her usual priestly duties as well as being supportive of those in the group, who are all dealing with different problems following the war. There’s a real sense of community here, as they all have some degree of acquaintance. It’s something you get in a small town. Claire is dealing with her own issues by hiding them while she tries to counsel others. Meanwhile, everything seems to be spiraling out of control.

The mystery was decent, but really background to the story of these Veterans returning to civilian life and conquering their issues. It’s a way of having the members of the group work together toward an end. It helped some of them begin to realize that there is life that can go on, even as they know life will never be the same.

On top of it all, once Russ does propose, Claire is dealing with wedding plans, and her mother is trying to run everything from afar. Russ would rather have something small, but Claire’s mother won’t have it. Claire has doubts, likely because of the drugs and alcohol playing tricks on her mind. The age difference seems to melt away between them as Russ understands what Claire is going through and helps her, once she’s honest with him. That is something neither of them has had before, a true partner in every respect. Russ’s late wife wouldn’t talk to him about his police work or what he went through in Vietnam, where he and Claire can be open with each other. It just takes a while for Claire to see that.

The audiobook is narrated by Suzanne Torren, who had voiced the other books in the series. I don’t particularly like the overdone southern accent she gives Claire, but in general I do like her narration. She’s clear in her diction and gives the characters enough emotion to add to the story without injecting too much of herself into it.

This book ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, but I really wasn’t surprised. I had a feeling that was coming from the beginning of the book. No, I won’t spoil it for anyone, but it will be spoiled in reveiws after this because it’s a major plot point. This was a series I wasn’t so sure about when I began it, but I’ve really grown to like it. Claire and Russ feel very real, even if some of their adventures seem unlikely to happen. The topic of returning soldiers is handled with great care in One Was a Soldier and shows that the cost of war is often much more than we realize when we send our soldiers to fight.

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