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Read advance reader review of The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard, page 4 of 4

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The Scent of Rain and Lightning

A Novel

by Nancy Pickard

The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard X
The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard

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  • First Published:
    May 2010, 336 pages

    Paperback:
    Feb 2011, 352 pages

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Page 4 of 4
There are currently 23 member reviews
for The Scent of Rain and Lightning
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  • Teresa G. (Larue, TX)
    Wanted to Like This Book
    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.
  • Hannah J. (Chicago, IL)
    Forgiveness Enhances this Beautiful Kansas Landscape
    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.

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