Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Nov 2011
304 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
The concluding volume of the Paint family trilogy, Rain Falls Like Mercy opens with the murder investigation of a young girl in Wyoming in mid-1941. Tom Call, the young sheriff running the investigation, falls in love with Juanita, the wife of Eli Paint, whose son Leo and grandson Bobby Watson are on duty with the U.S. Navy. Almost overnight, the case is derailed by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, disrupting the lives of all involved. Bobby mans an anti-aircraft gun during the attack. Tom joins the U.S. Air Force and is deployed to England to fly bombers, still trying to pursue his murder investigation. His suspicion falls on Pardo Bury, the psychotic son of a wealthy rancher in Wyoming.
As Pardo and Tom make their ways to their inevitable and shattering confrontation, Rain Falls Like Mercy displays Todd's uncanny ability to zero in on his characters' emotional lives while simultaneously painting a sweeping picture of the historical events that shape their destinies.
"Starred Review. The evil of Pardo, small, handsome, and vicious, permeates the tale from beginning to end, but so does the daily bravery of the unforgettable Paints." - Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. The final showdown between good and evil hits the reader like a knife to the gut. A brilliant, compelling, at times repulsive and highly readable novel." - Kirkus Reviews
"Starred Review. A sweeping story... Lean yet visceral prose... Todd masterfully captures both the larger historical moment and the more intimate details of family life." - Booklist
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Jack Todd is the author of the novels Sun Going Down and Come Again No More and the memoir Desertion, which won the Quebec Writer's Federation First Book Prize and the Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-Fiction. Find him online at wwwjacktoddtheauthor.com.
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