What readers think of The Scent of Rain and Lightning, plus links to write your own review.

Set in the small town of Rose, Kansas, this is the story of Jody, whose father was murdered and her mother disappeared when she was three. It opens when she is 26 and flashes back to the fateful day. Well-developed, interesting characters made me feel involved and the plot included enough twists and turns to keep me involved. I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys a mystery that has a main character who struggles with her family tragedy as well as tells a good story.

Starting a little slow, the story line quickly escalates keeping the reader guessing until the end. The author successfully captures the emotions of a small town whose livelihood depends on the success of the largest ranch in the area. Both look out for the other with a loyalty that can go too far as the ending of this book reveals. Mistakes were made, or overlooked, when a man is quickly convicted and jailed for a murder. Only when the conviction is overturned 23 years later is the town and the man's daughter forced to face hidden secrets. Although I enjoyed this read, I was disturbed by the the absence of the main character's maternal grandparents. In my opinion, this relationship, even if not very desirable, would have completed the story.

By page 67 I knew who the killer was and after reading chapter eleven I knew why. I didn’t peek at the end pages to see if I was right…I always enjoy the wait because it adds more suspense to the story for me.

The first chapter introduced Judy Linder, her lover, Red Bosch and her three uncles, Chase, Bobby Linder, and Meryl Tapper.

This beginning chapter made me a little wary, certain that the book would waste my time with more on sexual descriptions that never advance the story. Fortunately, while the story wasn’t sparkly clean, the scenes didn’t waste my time or hold up the story.

Chapter two took me to the year 1986 where I spent 155 pages and 21 chapters meeting and getting to know the Linder family and the people of the town Rose, Kansas.

I absolutely enjoy when a book swaps back and forth between times. This one is divided into two parts, past and present. I liked the way the book continued chapter 22, page 169 from chapter one as if the last 155 pages were simply a thought, a glimpse into the past.

Chapter 22 brought me back to the present, and I didn’t see 1986 again until chapter 38. The story was tied up in the present time with two short chapters, 43 and 44.

Though I would have enjoyed a bit more to the ending after 319 pages, my questions were answered and the future was made clear so I was happy.

When a killer is released from prison and granted a re-trial, Jody Linder is forced to reexamine the murder of her parents over twenty years ago. The characters who inhabit Rose, Kansas ring true; especially those most affected by the murder (the Linders and Crosbys). The reader is drawn in from page one, as Jody's story unfolds. Nancy Pickard skillfully employs the use of flashbacks to maintain suspense and the reader is rewarded with a great ending.

The author has created some wonderful characters; the most appealing is Annabelle Linder, Jody's grandmother. She exhibits grace while recovering from a horrible tragedy and is the glue holding the Linder family together.

This book is recommended for those who enjoy a good mystery. I enjoyed time spent with the Linder family; it was over all too soon.

I love a good story. Even more, I love a good mystery. But, I confess, I'm a snob. Not only do I expect a page turner but also a novel that is well-written, an intelligent endeavor that anticipates intelligent readers. Nancy Pickard's The Scent of Rain and Lightning fulfills my expectations. This novel wraps a plot of twists and turns around characters that are alive with complications and nuances. These characters are themselves a collection of stories, embodying the good and evil that exists in all of us. The plot weaves its way across the pages as electrically as the storms that advance towards Rose, Kansas, bearing with them the heat of passion, the violence of revenge, and the rains of love. I have not read Pickard before, but I'm on the way to the library for more!

Lots of mysteries seem based on William Faulkner's quote and the latest from Nancy Pickard is another story where things that happened years before have come back to haunt everyone involved. Twenty three years ago when she was three, Jody Linder's father was murdered and her mother disappeared. Her family - the richest and most powerful in town - helped to convict a drunken ne'er-do-well of the murder and he was sent to a maximum security prison for 60 years. Jody, raised by her grandparents and extended family, has come back to teach at the local high school when she learns that the conviction was overturned and the man she has hated for years will be given a new trial.

Nancy Pickard has created a wonderful sense of place in this book, set in Kansas in ranch country and, in the Linders and in Billy Crosby (the convicted killer) and his family has developed believable characters.

She has also created an interesting discussion of what happens in a small town when a single family has such power. Is that power alone enough to corrupt others in the town.

I really enjoyed this book, as I have many of Nancy Pickard's, and would recommend it. And while she plays fair and I was pretty sure of the outline of what happened, she managed to surprise me.

The characters were very well defined and the plot was conceived with enough twists and turns to keep me reading until the very end. I really wanted to like this book, but I disliked most of the characters so much that I could hardly wait for it to be over with. I realize they were supposed to be good ol' boy, salt-of-the-earth type people, but they just seemed self-righteous and full of themselves to me. Only one character was completely likable, and he was the antagonist's son. So, although I wish I could give it 5 stars as she is a good writer, I'm giving her only 3.

If you want to read a mystery (with plenty of suspense and surprises) that feels like it could happen to you or your neighbors at any given moment, this is the book for you.

Ms. Pickard's writing is rock solid and engaging. She does an excellent job crafting her characters. They feel real. How they murder and react to murder is grounded and well thought out.

What I liked best about this novel is the beautiful panoramic view she paints of this Kansas town and it's surrounding landscape. Breathtaking. Makes me want to go to Kansas on vacation.

If you're not a mystery reader (and I'm not) this book probably won't convince you to start reading them. The plots always seem contrived to me. However, I commend Ms. Pickard for tackling the themes of forgiveness and the human capacity to admit what's right when once we saw it wrong.

I probably wouldn't pick this one up at the bookstore, but it was a worthwhile read.