What happened to the ending?

I have listened to all her books & loved them all. The unique relationship between Clare & Russ is the best and the story line is great. The narrater is wonderful. I waited so long for this book—even had it pre-ordered. The book, for the most part, was a good listen, but the (so called ending) left a very bad question in my mind—What in the world was Spencer-Fleming thinking? I couldn’t even enjoy the interview at the end. The interview was long enough for her to have used the time to finish a proper ending to the book. I shall think very hard before I order her next Clare & Russ’s book (if there even is one). Very disappointed with this failed attempt to pen such a book as part of a mystery series.

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Character Annoyances

This is my least favorite of the series, and it's hard to pin down exactly why. Part of it is the characterization, particularly Clare, and part of it is the narrator. Clare has always been such a strong person; she shows a lot of weakness in this one, and I didn't like it. I have a lot of experience with substance abuse in my own family, and it seems like Clare is still in denial about her own situation. The first thing an addict has to do is admit the problem and Clare is not doing this. The second thing is to get help and vow to be completely honest with loved ones. She is definitely not doing this; she is being dishonest and secretive, and at this stage of her game it is disturbing. Her inner turmoil might be part of why her baby is so cranky. The narration part of this was good, except I do not remember Russ's voice being so raspy. Every time Russ spoke I pictured an old woman in curlers and a ratty bathrobe, a hard drinker and chain smoker. I also thought that Hadley sounded like an over-emotional teenager, rather than a woman in her early 30s. I enjoyed the time jumps, actually and I thought the author did a good job of details of the time periods--EXCEPT the years and present day just don't make sense. Present day has to be 2006 or thereabouts to make the other dates correct. I mean, I was born in 1951 and am 68; in the real present day Russ would be only a year younger than I am. It shouldn't matter but it bugged me. I kept doing the mental math, which took me right out of the story. The other thing is that the technology in the present day seemed to be way more advanced than what it would have been in 2006. I am also not a fan of cliffhangers, and although the main mysteries were solved, there was so much left hanging.

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Glad She’s Back

It’s been a long wait for this book in the series and it was well worth the wait. There is a wonderful flow from one book to the next in the Claire/Russ series. Julia Spencer-Fleming is a wonderful author and I absolutely couldn’t put this one down until I finished it. Now, I have to wait for the next one and I’m happy to know that she is already working on it!

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Poor Ending Ruins Excellent Book

Great book until the author tries to set up future books. The predictability of the actions took away from a book I was enjoying.

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Dull Plot, Not worth the wait!

I have loved this series but this one was so boring I am not sure I would continue to listen to future books. Didn't enjoy the constant back and forth between decades. Lost interest in storyline. I don't like books that leave you with cliffhangers. Especially since this author takes a long time between novels.

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Unfortunate Interpretation of a Southern Accent

This is the first of the Clare and Russ books I’ve listened to on Audiobook. As a southerner and longtime fan of these books, I was really disappointed when I heard a “Melanie” accent as in Gone With the Wind for Clare. Can’t do it. Money wasted for me. Not bad narration otherwise, but just a horrible interpretation of Clare. I’ve lived all over the south and Clare’s accent will only be found in the movies!

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Excellent and good news

I’m not sure why there are negative comments regarding the narration, this narrator has been consistent from the beginning with each character. Only one character has an accent. I have never found it distracting at all. I was very grateful to hear in the brief commentary at the end of the book, that the next book should be out much sooner than this one. I waited painfully for years this book to come out. Great series and excellent writing. Narrator is also perfect!

anticipation is all

the early books before they marry seem to have more substance and more depth, more of a story. This one has it's moments but previous books are more interesting to me.

A worthy addition to the series

I’m a huge fan of this series and was thrilled when the book came out. I was not disappointed. It’s a worthy successor to the series as Clare struggles with the logistics of working motherhood as well as with her personal demons. The novel also gives a great deal of insight into Russ’s youth. The saga of Hadley and Kevin continues with several new twists and a cliffhanger. The mystery revolves around a cold case suddenly turned boiling hot and around small town politics. The MO for the crime struck me as over-the-top, but I give it high marks for originality. This is the first time I’ve done one of this series on audiobook. It gave me a whole new take on Clare as a southerner. . My only complaint — and this is a problem with most cross-gender narration- is that I didn’t like Russ’s voice. He sounded like an 80-year-old man. The bonus interview at the end offers personal insight into the author, which I greatly appreciated. She explains why there was such a long gap after the last book. You truly get your money’s worth with this audiobook.

Great plot and characters!

been waiting for a while for this one. i was not disapointed. takes right up where the last book left. i wondered how Julia was going to bring the characters back together and she does it. you'll want to start with the first book if you aren't familiar though they build on each other. one of my favorite series and the naration is great!