In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming
Despite the fact we are back to school in Nashville, it is still much too hot for serious fiction. What is required during the last stifling days of August is a juicy murder mystery set in a cold climate!
In the Bleak Midwinter, the first in a series by Julia Spencer-Fleming, Clare Fergusson, a female Episcopal priest, and police chief Russ Van Alstyne team up to find the mother of an abandoned baby. Before long the investigation extends to murder, and Clare and Russ discover there are plenty of secrets lurking beneath the snow drifts of their small upstate New York town.
To date, there are eight novels in this series. In addition to confronting criminals, Clare and the married Russ must confront their growing attraction to each other as well.