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Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne can't wait for Clare Fergusson to get home from her tour of duty in Iraq. He's nervous. Will they still care for each other as much as he remembers they had? What if the war has really changed Clare? Clare is just as nervous, and for a lot of the same reasons. And she knows she's changed, but she's not sure what effect that change may have on her relationship with Russ. As always, their lives in Millers Kill are complicated by their jobs. As Chief of Police in a small town, Russ is kind of used to everyone knowing more about his business than he'd like. He knows a lot about other people's business, and they aren't always comfortable with that, either. Clare is the local Episcopal priest, and thus has local eyes watching her as well as the eyes of those farther up the religious food chain. Not all of those eyes are friendly. Clare finds herself in a support group for returned veterans, along with several people from town. One of them kills herself, one tries to kill himself, and there seems to be some connection (apart from the obvious one) to the people in this group and the disappearance of a local woman. Russ wants Clare to stay out of it, as usual. Clare believes that there is more to the story than Russ can see, but she feels bound by the confidentiality of the support group and can't tell him precisely why she must be involved. There are lots of issues about trust, not just between Clare and Russ. Spencer-Fleming captures some of the dilemmas and problems confronting those returning from military duty. Some of these problems are unique, perhaps, to the Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts, but most are universal to any war fought at any time. Not all of the resolutions are perfect, either in the book or in "real" life. That is one of Spencer-Flemings strong suits: the ability to resolve things in ways that really happen without making the reader feel betrayed. Spencer-Fleming can also plot with the best of them. It is easy to see, looking back from the ending, how she gets everyone from the beginning to the end. Reading from the beginning, however, the paths are winding and convoluted, not always easy to predict. Again, life's like that. One of the most realistic elements is the romance between Clare and Russ. They are both adults, both had lives before they met, both have baggage. There are conflicts during this story that are common to many people - doubts, uncertainties, secrets. How Russ and Clare handle these conflicts is a measure of their love, and their willingness to risk an awful lot because they believe that the prize is worth nothing less. While ONE WAS A SOLDIER may be among the best books in this series, Spencer-Fleming definitely has at least one more book to go, if the last page is any indication. § P.J. Coldren lives in northern lower Michigan where she reads and reviews widely across the mystery genre when she isn't working in her local hospital pharmacy.
Reviewed by P.J. Coldren, January 2011
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