One horrible murder. Two people destined for love or tragedy. Emotions explode in the novel Julia Spencer-Fleming's readers have been clamoring for.

Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne's first encounter with Clare Fergusson was in the hospital emergency room on a freezing December night. A newborn infant had been abandoned on the town's Episcopal church steps. If Russ had known that the church had a new priest, he certainly would never have guessed that it would be a woman. Not a woman like Clare. That night in the hospital was the beginning of an attraction so fierce, so forbidden, that the only thing that could keep them safe from compromising their every belief was distance — but in a small town like Millers Kill, distance is hard to find.

Russ Van Alstyne figures his wife kicking him out of their house is nobody's business but his own. Until a neighbor pays a friendly visit to Linda Van Alstyne and finds the woman's body, gruesomely butchered, on the kitchen floor. To the state police, it's an open-and-shut case of a disaffected husband, silencing first his wife, then the murder investigation he controls. To the townspeople, it's proof that the whispered gossip about the police chief and the priest was true. To the powers-that-be in the church hierarchy, it's a chance to control their wayward cleric once and for all.

Obsession. Lies. Nothing is as it seems in Millers Kill, where betrayal twists old friendships and evil waits inside quaint white clapboard farmhouses.

"Clare Fergusson, a helicopter pilot turned Episcopal priest, and Russ Van Alstyne, police chief of Millers Kills, N.Y., are suffering in the wake of their affair in Anthony-winner Spencer-Fleming's fifth mystery, her most captivating yet (after 2005's To Darkness and to Death). After Russ separates from his wife and Clare's Albany superiors chastise her, the 'problem priest' vows never to see Russ again. But when Russ's wife is found murdered in the Van Alstynes' home and the New York State police deem him the prime suspect, Clare risks everything to clear his name. The high-stakes plot evolves seamlessly with totally unexpected twists and turns, culminating in a climax that surpasses the drama of previous outings. Clare and Russ continue to struggle with their feelings and the confines of their respective vocations, while interesting new characters join the familiar residents of Millers Kill. Fans, once they start reading, will hang Do Not Disturb signs on their doors." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Easily the best yet in an already amazing series... subtle, intense, tough, tender, intelligent — a definite must-read and an automatic book of the year." New York Times bestselling author Lee Child

"While this setup might sound conventional, Spencer-Fleming’s handling of it is far from mechanical.... In a story as unpredictable as its characters, the resolution takes this series in a direction that should give the good bishop heart palpitations." Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times

"Anthony-winner Spencer-Fleming's fifth mystery, her most captivating yet... Fans, once they start reading, will hang Do Not Disturb signs on their doors." Publishers Weekly

"The fifth installment of this underrated series tops even the pyrotechnics of To Darkness and to Death (2005) — even as it leaves you wondering whether it'll be the last we'll hear of Russ and Clare." Kirkus Reviews

One horrible murder. Two people destined for love or tragedy. Emotions explode in Spencer-Fleming's most accomplished mystery yet.

Julia Spencer-Fleming is the winner of the Malice Domestic, Dilys, Barry, Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards. She was born at Plattsburgh Air Force Base and spent most of her childhood on the move as an army brat. She studied acting and history at Ithaca College and received her J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law. She lives in a 185-year-old farmhouse outside of Portland, Maine, with three children, two dogs, and one husband.