On a warm September evening in the Millers Kill community center, five
veterans sit down in rickety chairs to try to make sense of their
experiences in Iraq. What they will find is murder, conspiracy, and the
unbreakable ties that bind them to one another and their small Adirondack
town. The Rev. Clare Fergusson wants to forget the things she saw as a
combat helicopter pilot and concentrate on her relationship with Chief of
Police Russ Van Alstyne. MP Eric McCrea needs to control the explosive
anger threatening his job as a police officer. Will Ellis, high school
track star, faces the reality of life as a double amputee. Orthopedist Trip
Stillman is denying the extent of his traumatic brain injury. And
bookkeeper Tally McNabb wrestles with guilt over the in-country affair that
may derail her marriage. But coming home is harder than it looks. One vet
will struggle with drugs and alcohol. One will lose his family and friends.
One will die. Since their first meeting, Russ and Clare's bond has been
tried, torn, and forged by adversity. But when he rules the veteran's death
a suicide, she violently rejects his verdict, drawing the surviving vets
into an unorthodox investigation that threatens jobs, relationships, and
her own future with Russ. As the days cool and the nights grow longer, they
will uncover a trail of deceit that runs from their tiny town to the upper
ranks of the U.S. Army, and from the waters of the Millers Kill to the
unforgiving streets of Baghdad. One Was a Soldier is a surefire winner
(Booklist) and Outstanding (Library Journal)--Julia Spencer-Fleming at
her best.