Nancy Pickard

I enjoyed this book very much. The likable characters and suspenseful storytelling made reading this book a pleasure. I don't tend to read murder mysteries very often, but I'd recommend this book even to people who do not consider themselves fans of the mystery genre. A novel of trust, betrayal, and love, this book offers a complex story and still manages to tie together the loose ends. Perhaps this happens a little too neatly, and some aspects of the plot do tend to come off as contrived. Nevertheless, an exciting read that can intrigue, entertain, and delight.… (more)

In a small Kansas town in the 1980s, the body of a young woman is found naked in a snowstorm. When no one comes forward to identify her, she is buried in a local cemetery, eventually becoming somewhat of a local legend when people both near and far make pilgrimages to her grave, believing that she has the ability to heal & make miracles happen. Seventeen years later, Mitch, who had disappeared rather suddenly & mysteriously after the young woman's death, returns to Small Plains, and old rumors and ghosts once again begin circulating.

I'd read Pickard's The Scent of Rain and Lightning quite a few years ago and enjoyed that a lot. A good mystery that kept me intrigued and guessing. This one was good too, though maybe not as good, though honestly it's been too long for me to remember much about that one. This one had a back-and-forth timeline, gradually revealing necessary details in the story. I had a little bit of trouble keeping track of the three father figures in this one, but that may have just been me, esp. listening on audio. I didn't particularly care for the audiobook reader on this one. Her voice grated somewhat on my nerves with some overly dramatic tones. But a good story nonetheless.… (more)