Through the Evil Days is the eighth book in the series by Julia Spencer-Fleming. I do not believe the story can stand on its own at this point. There are too many things that have been built on up until now to be able to follow the ins and outs of the various relationships. I started the series underwhelmed, but became hooked. If you are interested in it, I recommend you start at the beginning.

Clare Fergusson is a former Army pilot turned Episcopal priest in the town of Miller’s Kill, New York, located in the Adirondacks. She is now married to the local police chief, Russ van Alstyne, and they are expecting a child together. This was a bit of a surprise, as prior discussion had been that neither of them wanted children. At the beginning of Through the Evil Days, Russ is still struggling with the idea of becoming a father in his 50s.

They’ve put off a honeymoon for quite some time. It’s winter in the Adirondacks, and Russ suggests they make use of a camp up on one of the lakes. Since he had to sell his house and move into the rectory with Clare, they could purchase it as a bit of a getaway while not being too far from home. Russ is looking forward to ice fishing. Clare is looking for a little peace and quiet. The vestry of the church has contacted the Bishop for an investigation into her “unpriestly” behavior since it’s obvious she became pregnant before she and Russ were married.

Before they leave, though, there’s a devastating fire in town. Two people have died in the blaze, and their foster-daughter is missing. It looks like a murder-kidnapping, but Russ is determined to take his honeymoon with Clare, even though he feels the pull of this case. There’s also talk of the local police being dismantled, and enforcement turned over to the State Police. This is hanging over Russ’s head as well. Along the way, they give someone a ride to a nearby cabin, which sets off alarm bells for both of them. They don’t realize it now, but they have walked into the middle of something much bigger than they expected.

With no cell phone service and a multi-day blizzard bearing down on the cabin, they are isolated from Miller’s Kill and any backup. Meanwhile, in Miller’s Kill, all hell is breaking loose as well. Kevin Flynn and Hadley Knox are attempting to hold down the fort for the Chief, while at the same time being at a crossroads in their personal relationship.

I needed to suspend my disbelief a bit here. I know Clare is a tough woman. She’s shown that time and time again in this series. However, the ease with which she puts herself in trouble while pregnant is a bit hard to digest. The natural tendencies she has to stick herself into any situation haven’t quieted down since she’s carrying a child. Russ comments on this several times, expecting her to stay back, but she doesn’t. I think the idea was to show how tough and capable she is, but instead, I found it a bit alarming. Maybe that’s just the generation I was raised in. It was good that there were times Russ resisted her involvement until there was no other way to move forward.

Despite the whirlwind of activity going on around them, there is good character development between Russ and Clare. Yes, they’ve gotten married, but that is hardly the end of their story. Russ isn’t happy about becoming a father at his age and has remained detached from Clare’s pregnancy. Clare worries about the drinking and pills she was taking before she knew she was pregnant, and has no one to really talk to about it. Despite the closeness the two have had over the course of the series, there are still some walls between them that need to be broken down.

I like the tension of the Hadley/Kevin relationship. As the reader, it feels like they are perfect for each other, if only Hadley would let herself be vulnerable again. Events that take place in Through the Evil Days may spell doom for them, so it will be interesting to see where their story picks up in the next book.

I have the same issues with the narration I’ve had throughout this series. Suzanne Torren once again does the narrating. She gives the characters different voices. Clare always sounds like Scarlett O’Hara, while Russ sounds like Wilford Brimley. It’s a bit too southern for a woman from Virginia, and Russ sounds a decade older than he actually is. The way she handles the general narration is good, though, as her voice is clear and doesn’t change volume constantly.

If you’re into the series this far, then you’ll want to continue with Through the Evil Days. The characters seem quite real and behave in ways consistent with how I’ve gotten to know them throughout the series. I definitely wouldn’t start here. The series really needs to be read in order at this point. Give it a couple of books to draw you in, as well, as I wasn’t convinced after the first one that the series was worth following through, but now I’m enjoying it very much.

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