Saturday, April 13, 2019

The Scent of Rain and Lightning

The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard (2010) 319 pages

Jody Linder is confronted with the release from prison of the man her extended family believes killed her parents when she was three years old. In small town Rose, Kansas, the population had mixed feelings over Billy Crosby's conviction. Even though almost everyone agrees he was a lousy person–an alcoholic who drove when drunk and beat his wife–there was evidence that was withheld from his defense attorney that could have helped show he was not guilty of the murders. Jody and her family are reeling, filled with concern that Billy is returning to their town, and might want to get revenge for the prominent family's part in his conviction. The novel takes us back twenty-three years and fills in the picture before and after the murder of Jody's father and the disappearance of her mother, who is presumed dead. We learn that Billy's son Collin is now an attorney who has been instrumental in his father's return, despite his dislike of this man who hurt his mother.

The tumult that Jody experiences and her actions based on it ring true. I found this novel suspenseful in part, with startling revelations as the story wraps up.

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