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The Virgin of Small Plains
“Engrossing . . . beautifully written and carefully crafted . . . [a] work that explores the healing power of truth.”— The Boston Globe
For seventeen years, a rural community in Kansas has faithfully tended the grave of an anonymous teenage girl christened the Virgin of Small Plains. And some claim that, perhaps owing to the girl’s intervention, strange miracles and unexplainable healings have occurred. Slowly, word of the legend spreads.
But what really happened in that snow-covered field almost two decades ago, when the girl’s naked, frozen body was found? Why did young Mitch Newquist disappear the day after the shocking discovery, leaving behind his distraught girlfriend, Abby Reynolds, and their best friend, Rex Shellenberger?
Now Mitch has returned to Small Plains, reigniting simmering tensions and awakening secrets. Never having resolved her feelings for Mitch, Abby is determined to uncover the startling truth about his departure. The three former friends must confront the ever-unfolding consequences of the night that forever changed their lives—and the life of their small town.
Praise for The Virgin of Small Plains
“Nancy Pickard . . . has evolved into a writer of substantial literary power. . . . [She] has fashioned a novel that accurately reflects the secrets and silences locked deep within the hearts of all small-town Midwesterners.” — The Denver Post
“Tantalizing . . . Pickard writes with insight and compassion about an unresolved crime that continues to haunt a farming community.” — The New York Times Book Review
“A class act . . . Pickard has a talent for adding depth to a story that conveys a sense of place and history.” — Orlando Sentinel
“Crisply written, this new novel about loss of faith, trust, and innocence is utterly absorbing.” — Tucson Citizen
For seventeen years, a rural community in Kansas has faithfully tended the grave of an anonymous teenage girl christened the Virgin of Small Plains. And some claim that, perhaps owing to the girl’s intervention, strange miracles and unexplainable healings have occurred. Slowly, word of the legend spreads.
But what really happened in that snow-covered field almost two decades ago, when the girl’s naked, frozen body was found? Why did young Mitch Newquist disappear the day after the shocking discovery, leaving behind his distraught girlfriend, Abby Reynolds, and their best friend, Rex Shellenberger?
Now Mitch has returned to Small Plains, reigniting simmering tensions and awakening secrets. Never having resolved her feelings for Mitch, Abby is determined to uncover the startling truth about his departure. The three former friends must confront the ever-unfolding consequences of the night that forever changed their lives—and the life of their small town.
Praise for The Virgin of Small Plains
“Nancy Pickard . . . has evolved into a writer of substantial literary power. . . . [She] has fashioned a novel that accurately reflects the secrets and silences locked deep within the hearts of all small-town Midwesterners.” — The Denver Post
“Tantalizing . . . Pickard writes with insight and compassion about an unresolved crime that continues to haunt a farming community.” — The New York Times Book Review
“A class act . . . Pickard has a talent for adding depth to a story that conveys a sense of place and history.” — Orlando Sentinel
“Crisply written, this new novel about loss of faith, trust, and innocence is utterly absorbing.” — Tucson Citizen
368 pages, Paperback
First published April 18, 2006
217 people are currently reading
5390 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Pickard
102 books351 followersNancy Pickard is an American crime novelist. She received a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri and began writing at age 35.
She has won five Macavity Awards, four Agatha Awards, an Anthony Award, and a Shamus Award. She is the only author to win all four awards. Her novel The Virgin of Small Plains, published in 2007, won an Agatha Award. She also served on the board of directors of the Mystery Writers of America.
She has won five Macavity Awards, four Agatha Awards, an Anthony Award, and a Shamus Award. She is the only author to win all four awards. Her novel The Virgin of Small Plains, published in 2007, won an Agatha Award. She also served on the board of directors of the Mystery Writers of America.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,018 reviews
February 22, 2008
On going to the library to find another book, I picked this book up at the suggestion of the library web page. This book was a sleeper. I mean I would have never thought it would be good. It was easy to read. It caught you in the first chapter. This is a story of a small town with grownups who were devious. I young boys life was altered severely because of their sins. Nancy Pickard is an author I would read again. I read mysteries often, but I did not figure it out until the plot was laid out. It is well worth the read. It is hard to review because I do not want to give away any of the story. When you are down reading it, as I think you should, come back and let us talk. Joann
March 19, 2017
"She lay on her side, impossibly naked in the blizzard. her skin was a white as the snow around it, her hair as brown as the earth under her. Even cold and dead, she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever soon. "
Quite a good mystery/crime story, entertaining.
Quite a good mystery/crime story, entertaining.
February 26, 2009
Again, another Book Club read. This my first time reading Pickard, I have met her and she is a sweetie. I really wanted to like this book. I was able to relate to the description of the Kansas plains and the small town feel. I was so looking forward to reading a book set in Kansas, but...the story. Oh my. It had more romance than I expected and less character development than I needed. A very tidy ending, all's well and perfect in the end. Don't get me wrong, I like a good ending as much as the next guy, but seriously? All the bad guys conveniently die? Yeesh. And the returning hero just happens to have enough money to save the town? Hard to swallow, hard to recommend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2010
I really enjoyed this book. Keeps you interested in it from start to finish.
September 23, 2016
Ne yalan söyleyeyim katil tahmin ettiğim kişi çıkmadı... kitaba başlarken çok ümitsizdim sıkılacağımı düşündüm ama sayfaları büyük merakla çevirdim.
February 28, 2016
The first third I would have given this a 4 star, but the remainder barely earned a three. But overall, a solid 3 star is earned.
The plot line is interesting and the characters developed beyond the usual mystery or family / small town modern. Kansas and the locale are also colored to hay baling, farm animal care and other physical actualities for the economics of the family and the town. That was appreciated, because often in the placements of this genre, that just isn't true.
Pickard writes description well, but I find her continuity jumpy at best. The time switches too, they did not help in this factor. But even within the same time period or even day- she jumps locale or narrator which leaves the reader in the dark for two or three pages at a time. Sometimes it is purposeful, but often just confusing. It certainly did not complicate the plot progression, as this perp and especially the storyline of the murdered girl becomes pretty obvious (it did to me) by the midpoint. And somehow from the mood and texture of the writing (it suffers from what I call the "true love" or "soul mate" factor) you just know who did NOT do it. Abby, herself? I found her so flat that she suffers in comparison to the men in this novel. They had FAR more depth.
Overall, I was rather bored in the last quarter. Something that should never happen in a "closed circle" who-dun-it. But it was decent and it was entertaining. Nadine was the most believable for this scenario. Some of the others. Not so much.
Doubt I would read another Pickard because her style is too overblown for me.
The plot line is interesting and the characters developed beyond the usual mystery or family / small town modern. Kansas and the locale are also colored to hay baling, farm animal care and other physical actualities for the economics of the family and the town. That was appreciated, because often in the placements of this genre, that just isn't true.
Pickard writes description well, but I find her continuity jumpy at best. The time switches too, they did not help in this factor. But even within the same time period or even day- she jumps locale or narrator which leaves the reader in the dark for two or three pages at a time. Sometimes it is purposeful, but often just confusing. It certainly did not complicate the plot progression, as this perp and especially the storyline of the murdered girl becomes pretty obvious (it did to me) by the midpoint. And somehow from the mood and texture of the writing (it suffers from what I call the "true love" or "soul mate" factor) you just know who did NOT do it. Abby, herself? I found her so flat that she suffers in comparison to the men in this novel. They had FAR more depth.
Overall, I was rather bored in the last quarter. Something that should never happen in a "closed circle" who-dun-it. But it was decent and it was entertaining. Nadine was the most believable for this scenario. Some of the others. Not so much.
Doubt I would read another Pickard because her style is too overblown for me.
April 21, 2017
This isn't necessarily a book I would normally read, but the story intrigued me. A young woman is killed in a small town in Kansas. No one knows who she is and she is buried in an unmarked grave. A cult of the virgin grows up around her resting place and miracles are attributed to her.
Actually, as the story progresses, you realize quite a few people know who she is. And they're not talking.
This is also the story of a lost love between teenagers, of family relationships, of bad kids, good kids, and their parents. I was personally more interested in the mystery than the romances.
Actually, as the story progresses, you realize quite a few people know who she is. And they're not talking.
This is also the story of a lost love between teenagers, of family relationships, of bad kids, good kids, and their parents. I was personally more interested in the mystery than the romances.
April 10, 2020
***SPOILERS***
Omg this book. This might just be one of the worst books I've ever read. Why two stars? Merely because it had to have something that made me read it all the way through despite several ridiculous offenses that would otherwise warrant a big fat DNF.
-Terrible inconsistent writing that clearly did not get much editing? CHECK
-Less than 2d/cardboard characters? CHECK
-Incorrect use of an unreliable narrator? CHECK
-Totally ridiculous behavior of the characters? CHECK
-False clues and red herrings that weren't actually anything but straight up LIES told in the story so that when the "twists" happen, you'd have no way to see them coming? OH YEAH
-Forced romantic interests from childhood that were baseless, supposed best friendships we're told a bout but literally never shown, characters fighting for that god awful lack-of-plot device reason of simply not communicating, a whodunit that was not even worth anyone's time? CHECK ALL THAT APPLIES
I can't even put my finger on the most egregious offenses of this book so I'm just gonna word vomit it all out as the thoughts occur. Okay, one, Mitch was concerned about fighting legally against the wrongdoers 17 years later because of the statute of limitations. He claims the only thing lawfully these people committed was covering up dead girl's identity. Um, no. How about aiding and abetting? How about desecration of a corpse? How about destruction of evidence, altering a crime scene? But here's the kicker, when Mitch starts ruffling feathers about it, suddenly the JUDGE isn't concerned about said statute and is worried about the truth coming out so he decides to commit murder in broad f'ing daylight by walking down the damn street with a gun thinking he'll get away with it. The whole thing is framed up as it's the judge's word against whomever the enemy is at the time and so he can get away with anything. Yet suddenly he has to kill to keep the thing he can get away with from being talked about. Because present at his direct hands murder is easier to get away with. Yeah. Okay. And I'm just getting started.
The writing in this. Just. I can't even...here, page 225:
Abby set the shotgun aside, and rose urgently to her feet.
"How could you?" she asked, helplessly. "Why did you?"
Hating herself, she started to cry in noisy, gulping sobs.
Mitch crossed the space between them in under a second, and reached for her.
Just before he kissed her, after he had wiped her tears with his hands, and stroked her wild, flyaway hair, and whispered, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, you'll never know how sorry I am," a million times, Abby said, just as urgently, "Wait!"
What? Even? Did I just read...I gave up rereading that last massacre of a sentence/paragraph trying to figure out the order of operations here. This was then followed by stage directions-style sex. He did this. She removed this. He touched there. His hands were there. Afterward, she kicks him out claiming that people are coming over to help with the clean up from the tornado. Except, then she goes hunting around for her missing bird all the rest of the day. So either that was an excuse to get him out, never properly explained, even though he wasn't trying to hang around, or this was another missed mistake.
The chapters flip flop between 2004 and 1987 but there were several chapters that flip flopped and didn't specify that the time had flipped from the previous chapter. The scene where Rex finds Abby after her accident was either a random head hop or a missed transition spot. One minute Rex is looking down at her bloodied head and pulling her out of her truck and the next she's staring up at him and thinking about the sky or something like that. We arrive to the accident in his head and leave the scene in hers.
Let's see, there's the Abby tantrums. She's with her sister the mayor planting and repairing pots in the downtown area since she owns the local greenhouse, they have a minor disagreement and Abby throws a two year old tantrum complete with running away, throwing things, and running around screaming. Oh and this is prefaced with the odd statement that onlookers would wonder what could make such a pretty girl so sad on such a nice day? You're pretty and the sun is out, your feelings are invalid.
All of the dialog goes in this format: "The sun is bright today isn't it, Bob? Don't you see, Bob, how bright the sun is? Are you listening? Bob, I'm talking to you. Bob. Bob. Bob I can't say a single sentence without repeating your name. Your name is Bob in case you forgot. Or maybe, Bob, I say it so much so I don't forget. Or, Bob, do you think it's because I think the readers can't keep my cardboard characters with their canned answers apart without, y'know Bob, mention their names constantly in dialog. Bob."
Everything to do with Rex. On page 217, Rex has found out the soon-t0-be dead girl Sarah is in love with Mitch. So not only does he not go see her for three weeks but then when he does, he says she's gone and he never sees her again until they find her body in the snow. But then at the end when he decides to tell Abby everything, he actually had been seeing her and knew she was pregnant before she died. Also, when the guys find her body, she's got blood between her legs and Rex's dad proclaims she was raped. Rex later reveals to Abby he could tell she had just given birth because he knows what cows look like after giving birth and he knows a postpartum female animal or otherwise when he sees one. What? She dies hours after giving birth, she wouldn't magic back to pre-pregnancy size it would have been obvious to everyone who saw her! Nobody would have even said rape seeing her engorged belly and bloody thighs. If anything, after birthing several calves one of the boys who found might've tried to make sure she had actually already delivered. Later on issues with Rex. He tests the DNA of the kid and dead girl's hair to a few other people mostly using sweaty things from HS because y'know, people hoard that kind of thing. Anyway he tells Abby the results put Mitch as the kid's father. Later on it's Mitch's dad that's actually the father. Okay, I know this was written in 2004 and maybe there wasn't a lot of easily accessible info on DNA testing on the internet but there was still many other resources. Unlike crime TV would have shown back in those days, DNA tests don't just say match or no match and match means it's a parent. It would've shown a 25% match which meant grandparent or sibling. And this is the sheriff. Then, as all the nonsense starts happening rapid fire, Rex is driving with Abby and pulls up to his house when his mom has to inform them that Abby's dad was shot. But scenes later and Rex has a cell phone he's using to make constant calls. You're telling me nobody calls the SHERIFF when there's been a murder in a town that's gone 17 years since the last murder? Then IT GETS WORSE, Rex decides that even though his deputies are clearly not conducting the crime scene investigation properly, that instead of doing his job, he's gonna go have a chat with the family and friends involved in dead girl's situation where everything is all laid out. Because a chat is more important than an active murder investigation that happened MINUTES AGO.
Then there was the random Jeff running off with the gun just to make drama that was not needed nor really relevant. The giant red herring that was too obvious that was Patrick's entire character. There is so much wrong. The worst part? This is the author's 18th novel according to the interview in the back on my copy. And no, surprise surprise, she's never experienced a tornado.
The doctor literally washes his hands of the situation after delivering the baby and is like whatever, I'll leave her here then it's the judge's word against hers, can't get her proper care because then she might talk despite the judge's word being law to these people and it would be ignored as a girl from a bad family trying to exploit for money even if she did talk. Literally no one would have questioned it if the Newquists took her to the hospital to deliver the baby and then adopted him. They would've looked like heroes, she would've taken the money and run like she planned to do, the end. Nope, wouldn't have a book then so might as well roll with this thin nonsense.
There's so much wrong I can't list everything. A tornado that's moving at 15 mph that makes Rex get out of his car to go hide in a ditch. 15 mph. Just drive away from it yo. If you're out in the open you hide in a ditch. You're more likely to survive strapped in your seat than you are cowering out in the open, y'know, assuming it's not a granny tornado that you could putter away from. And the people weren't taking it seriously because they heard the siren despite that a confirmed tornado was spotted on the ground and heading their way? Yeah no not how it works. Ignoring a siren, sure, confirmed and on the way? No. Grrr.
Read this if and ONLY IF reading nonsensical garbage is your favorite past time. I can't even fathom what genre I'd shove this in besides dumpster fire.
Omg this book. This might just be one of the worst books I've ever read. Why two stars? Merely because it had to have something that made me read it all the way through despite several ridiculous offenses that would otherwise warrant a big fat DNF.
-Terrible inconsistent writing that clearly did not get much editing? CHECK
-Less than 2d/cardboard characters? CHECK
-Incorrect use of an unreliable narrator? CHECK
-Totally ridiculous behavior of the characters? CHECK
-False clues and red herrings that weren't actually anything but straight up LIES told in the story so that when the "twists" happen, you'd have no way to see them coming? OH YEAH
-Forced romantic interests from childhood that were baseless, supposed best friendships we're told a bout but literally never shown, characters fighting for that god awful lack-of-plot device reason of simply not communicating, a whodunit that was not even worth anyone's time? CHECK ALL THAT APPLIES
I can't even put my finger on the most egregious offenses of this book so I'm just gonna word vomit it all out as the thoughts occur. Okay, one, Mitch was concerned about fighting legally against the wrongdoers 17 years later because of the statute of limitations. He claims the only thing lawfully these people committed was covering up dead girl's identity. Um, no. How about aiding and abetting? How about desecration of a corpse? How about destruction of evidence, altering a crime scene? But here's the kicker, when Mitch starts ruffling feathers about it, suddenly the JUDGE isn't concerned about said statute and is worried about the truth coming out so he decides to commit murder in broad f'ing daylight by walking down the damn street with a gun thinking he'll get away with it. The whole thing is framed up as it's the judge's word against whomever the enemy is at the time and so he can get away with anything. Yet suddenly he has to kill to keep the thing he can get away with from being talked about. Because present at his direct hands murder is easier to get away with. Yeah. Okay. And I'm just getting started.
The writing in this. Just. I can't even...here, page 225:
Abby set the shotgun aside, and rose urgently to her feet.
"How could you?" she asked, helplessly. "Why did you?"
Hating herself, she started to cry in noisy, gulping sobs.
Mitch crossed the space between them in under a second, and reached for her.
Just before he kissed her, after he had wiped her tears with his hands, and stroked her wild, flyaway hair, and whispered, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, you'll never know how sorry I am," a million times, Abby said, just as urgently, "Wait!"
What? Even? Did I just read...I gave up rereading that last massacre of a sentence/paragraph trying to figure out the order of operations here. This was then followed by stage directions-style sex. He did this. She removed this. He touched there. His hands were there. Afterward, she kicks him out claiming that people are coming over to help with the clean up from the tornado. Except, then she goes hunting around for her missing bird all the rest of the day. So either that was an excuse to get him out, never properly explained, even though he wasn't trying to hang around, or this was another missed mistake.
The chapters flip flop between 2004 and 1987 but there were several chapters that flip flopped and didn't specify that the time had flipped from the previous chapter. The scene where Rex finds Abby after her accident was either a random head hop or a missed transition spot. One minute Rex is looking down at her bloodied head and pulling her out of her truck and the next she's staring up at him and thinking about the sky or something like that. We arrive to the accident in his head and leave the scene in hers.
Let's see, there's the Abby tantrums. She's with her sister the mayor planting and repairing pots in the downtown area since she owns the local greenhouse, they have a minor disagreement and Abby throws a two year old tantrum complete with running away, throwing things, and running around screaming. Oh and this is prefaced with the odd statement that onlookers would wonder what could make such a pretty girl so sad on such a nice day? You're pretty and the sun is out, your feelings are invalid.
All of the dialog goes in this format: "The sun is bright today isn't it, Bob? Don't you see, Bob, how bright the sun is? Are you listening? Bob, I'm talking to you. Bob. Bob. Bob I can't say a single sentence without repeating your name. Your name is Bob in case you forgot. Or maybe, Bob, I say it so much so I don't forget. Or, Bob, do you think it's because I think the readers can't keep my cardboard characters with their canned answers apart without, y'know Bob, mention their names constantly in dialog. Bob."
Everything to do with Rex. On page 217, Rex has found out the soon-t0-be dead girl Sarah is in love with Mitch. So not only does he not go see her for three weeks but then when he does, he says she's gone and he never sees her again until they find her body in the snow. But then at the end when he decides to tell Abby everything, he actually had been seeing her and knew she was pregnant before she died. Also, when the guys find her body, she's got blood between her legs and Rex's dad proclaims she was raped. Rex later reveals to Abby he could tell she had just given birth because he knows what cows look like after giving birth and he knows a postpartum female animal or otherwise when he sees one. What? She dies hours after giving birth, she wouldn't magic back to pre-pregnancy size it would have been obvious to everyone who saw her! Nobody would have even said rape seeing her engorged belly and bloody thighs. If anything, after birthing several calves one of the boys who found might've tried to make sure she had actually already delivered. Later on issues with Rex. He tests the DNA of the kid and dead girl's hair to a few other people mostly using sweaty things from HS because y'know, people hoard that kind of thing. Anyway he tells Abby the results put Mitch as the kid's father. Later on it's Mitch's dad that's actually the father. Okay, I know this was written in 2004 and maybe there wasn't a lot of easily accessible info on DNA testing on the internet but there was still many other resources. Unlike crime TV would have shown back in those days, DNA tests don't just say match or no match and match means it's a parent. It would've shown a 25% match which meant grandparent or sibling. And this is the sheriff. Then, as all the nonsense starts happening rapid fire, Rex is driving with Abby and pulls up to his house when his mom has to inform them that Abby's dad was shot. But scenes later and Rex has a cell phone he's using to make constant calls. You're telling me nobody calls the SHERIFF when there's been a murder in a town that's gone 17 years since the last murder? Then IT GETS WORSE, Rex decides that even though his deputies are clearly not conducting the crime scene investigation properly, that instead of doing his job, he's gonna go have a chat with the family and friends involved in dead girl's situation where everything is all laid out. Because a chat is more important than an active murder investigation that happened MINUTES AGO.
Then there was the random Jeff running off with the gun just to make drama that was not needed nor really relevant. The giant red herring that was too obvious that was Patrick's entire character. There is so much wrong. The worst part? This is the author's 18th novel according to the interview in the back on my copy. And no, surprise surprise, she's never experienced a tornado.
The doctor literally washes his hands of the situation after delivering the baby and is like whatever, I'll leave her here then it's the judge's word against hers, can't get her proper care because then she might talk despite the judge's word being law to these people and it would be ignored as a girl from a bad family trying to exploit for money even if she did talk. Literally no one would have questioned it if the Newquists took her to the hospital to deliver the baby and then adopted him. They would've looked like heroes, she would've taken the money and run like she planned to do, the end. Nope, wouldn't have a book then so might as well roll with this thin nonsense.
There's so much wrong I can't list everything. A tornado that's moving at 15 mph that makes Rex get out of his car to go hide in a ditch. 15 mph. Just drive away from it yo. If you're out in the open you hide in a ditch. You're more likely to survive strapped in your seat than you are cowering out in the open, y'know, assuming it's not a granny tornado that you could putter away from. And the people weren't taking it seriously because they heard the siren despite that a confirmed tornado was spotted on the ground and heading their way? Yeah no not how it works. Ignoring a siren, sure, confirmed and on the way? No. Grrr.
Read this if and ONLY IF reading nonsensical garbage is your favorite past time. I can't even fathom what genre I'd shove this in besides dumpster fire.
February 27, 2009
What a page turner! This book reads just like an episode of CBS' Cold Case, which I happen to love! In 1987 the body of a young woman is found naked and half buried in the snow on a farm. No one in town knows her and everyone pitches in and buys her a tombstone and the whole town gives her a proper funeral. In 2004, her grave has become legend and people from all across the country are traveling to see the woman's grave, now known as The Virgin. The Virgin is said to cure people from life-threatening diseases and provide good luck. The story switches back and forth between 1987 and 2004 as the characters of Small Plains, KS search to find The Virgin's murderer.
This book has it all: love, humor, mystery, disaster, miracles, mystery, good guys, bad guys, and a good ending! I highly recommend it, even if you're not normally a mystery fan because I didn't count myself as one either before I read this, but I think I've been converted!
This book has it all: love, humor, mystery, disaster, miracles, mystery, good guys, bad guys, and a good ending! I highly recommend it, even if you're not normally a mystery fan because I didn't count myself as one either before I read this, but I think I've been converted!
June 26, 2013
What a great book. Not too many authors can pull off several points of view the way Pickard does, and I found myself invested not only in solving the mystery, but in each of the characters, including the secondary ones. She also does a really good job with description by going beyond the five senses and tying it to the character's personal experience. Highly recommended!
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January 3, 2024DNF — no rating
Audiobook (narrated by Kymberly Dakin)
Book Club Selection for October
I didn’t read enough of the book to give it a fair rating, but I read enough to know I didn’t want to give it nearly 11 hours of my life. I'm moving on to something I'll enjoy more.
Audiobook (narrated by Kymberly Dakin)
Book Club Selection for October
I didn’t read enough of the book to give it a fair rating, but I read enough to know I didn’t want to give it nearly 11 hours of my life. I'm moving on to something I'll enjoy more.
May 21, 2012
Bir insanın bu derece hastalıklı bir planı anında kurabilmesi, zavallı Mitch'in haksız yere kasabadan tecrit edilmesi, Abby'nin yıkılması ve aradan 17 yıl geçmesi ile nihayet sırların açıklanması... Olay kasabada ölü bulunan ve "nedense" kimsenin tanımadığı genç bir kızın ölümüyle başlıyor. Rex ve ailesi kızı buluyorlar ardından şerif (Rex'in babası) onu doktora (Abby'nin babası) götürüyor ve orada doktor vahşi bir şekilde yüzünü deforme ediyor-bir beysbol sopasıyla. Bunu da şans o ya o sırada dolapta saklanmakta olan Mitch görüyor ve koşup bunu yargıç olan babasına anlatıyor. Babası ise cinayetin Mitch'in üstüne kalacağını söylüyor, nedeni de şerif ve doktorun onu suçlayacak olması olduğunu anlatıyor. Ardından da ertesi sabah Mitch'i kasabasından uzaklara yolluyor ve Mitch biriktirdiği öfke, kırgınlık yüzünden kasabaya uzun bir süre dönmüyor. Mitch 17 yıl sonra intikam isteğiyle şehre geliyor, hem kızın sır perdesini aralamak hem de kasabadan mülkler satın alarak onun kasabadan tecrit edilmesine neden olduğunu sandığı doktor ve şeriften öç almak. Kitap sizi kendine çekiyor ve hemen elinizden akıp gidiyor. Ephesus gayet güzel kitapları çeviriyor. Kitaptaki tek eksik öyle bir planın bu derece kusursuz işlemesinin bana biraz olanak dışı gelmesi. Yine de güzel miydi, evet.
July 18, 2012
You know it's a good book when, after reading the library's copy, you go out and buy your own. THE VIRGIN OF SMALL PLIAINS is that kind of book.
In 1987 Small Plains, Kansas, in the midst of a blizzard, eighteen-year-old Rex Shellenberger searches the pastures of his family farm for newborn calves and finds the naked, frozen body of a teenage girl. That night, Shellenberger's dad--the sheriff--brings the corpse to sixteen-year-old Abby Reynold's father's in-home doctor's office. Hiding in a storage closet in that office, Abby's boyfriend, eighteen-year-old Mitch Newquist witnesses something that causes his father, the town judge, to abruptly send him from town.
Who is the dead girl? What really happened that night?
For seventeen years, the questions go unanswered and the issues unresolved. When Mitch unexpectedly returns to Small Plains, Abby is determined to find the virgin's name and discover exactly what happened that night so many years ago.
Nancy Pickard's characters are believable and their story compelling. Pickard paints such a vivid picture that the reader gets to know the characters' strengths, flaws, motivations and secret wishes. The story kept me turning pages late into the night. You'll find a copy of THE VIRGIN OF SMALL PLAINS on my keeper shelf.
In 1987 Small Plains, Kansas, in the midst of a blizzard, eighteen-year-old Rex Shellenberger searches the pastures of his family farm for newborn calves and finds the naked, frozen body of a teenage girl. That night, Shellenberger's dad--the sheriff--brings the corpse to sixteen-year-old Abby Reynold's father's in-home doctor's office. Hiding in a storage closet in that office, Abby's boyfriend, eighteen-year-old Mitch Newquist witnesses something that causes his father, the town judge, to abruptly send him from town.
Who is the dead girl? What really happened that night?
For seventeen years, the questions go unanswered and the issues unresolved. When Mitch unexpectedly returns to Small Plains, Abby is determined to find the virgin's name and discover exactly what happened that night so many years ago.
Nancy Pickard's characters are believable and their story compelling. Pickard paints such a vivid picture that the reader gets to know the characters' strengths, flaws, motivations and secret wishes. The story kept me turning pages late into the night. You'll find a copy of THE VIRGIN OF SMALL PLAINS on my keeper shelf.
January 15, 2011
This is one of those fucking books in that new-ish fucking style what attempts to, I don't fucking know, take a goddamn murder mystery and make it EXCITING and FAST-PACED by totally screwing with the narrative linechanging p-o-v rapidly and skipping back-and-forth in time. And pretending to give you clues about whodunit that turn out to be not clues at all, haha, and weren't you a fool for thinking the psychopathic son did it?
That's got nothing to do with being a foolish, naive reader, goddammit! That's a lack of character development caused by BAD WRITING.
It pains me to say this, it really does. I'm a big fan of Pickard's Jenny Cain series (it's lovely and sensitive and well-written and realistic - considering the genre), but this book just plain sucked. No clues, no characters, no mystery, not much murder, and at the end it felt like nothing at all was solved. By then, sadly, I didn't much care.
(1/15)
That's got nothing to do with being a foolish, naive reader, goddammit! That's a lack of character development caused by BAD WRITING.
It pains me to say this, it really does. I'm a big fan of Pickard's Jenny Cain series (it's lovely and sensitive and well-written and realistic - considering the genre), but this book just plain sucked. No clues, no characters, no mystery, not much murder, and at the end it felt like nothing at all was solved. By then, sadly, I didn't much care.
(1/15)
July 10, 2018
Was this well written? No. Did I figure out the plot solution well before the end? Yes. Was it a fun and fast read? Yes. 3.5 stars.
March 6, 2012
Gerilim türündeki kitapların pekde tarzım olduğu söylenemez.Ama bu kitabı elimden bırakamadım.
Öncelikle konusunu,kurgusunu,kapağını, anlatımını, olayın akışını sevdim.
Yer yer eskiye bir dönüş olması ilk başlarda biraz kafamı karıştırdı ama ilerleyen bölümlerde
hem bu duruma alıştım hemde konuyu özümsedim.
Konuya değinecek olursam; Rex, Mitch ve Abby Small Plains kasabasında kendi hallerinde üç
yakın arkadaştırlar.Bir gün, kasabada bir cinayete kurban gidildiği düşünülen ve tanınmayacak halde bulunan bir ceset ortaya çıkana kadarda böyle devam etmiştir.
Bu cesedin bulunmasının akabinde bu üç yakın arkadaşın araları açılmış; Mitch kasabadan uzaklaştırılmış, Rex üniversiteye başlamış ve Abby ise kendisini nedensiz ve bir açıklama bile olmaksızın terkeden sevgilisinin-Mitch- arkasından yas tutmuştur.
Aradan tam 17 yıl geçmiştir ve cinayete kurban gittiği düşünülen isimsiz kız "bakire" adıyla ünlenmiştir.Hastaları ileştirdiği düşünülüp "azize" gözüyle bakılmaya başlanmıştır.
Acaba gerçektende kimse "bakire"nin kim olduğunu bilmiyor mudur?17 yıl önce tam olarak ne oılmuştur?
Abby'nin aklını bu düşünceler karıştırmaya başlamıştır ve sorularıyla o dönemde cesetle ilgilenen kişileri tedirgin etmeye başlamıştır.Bunlar;Rex'in annesi ve şerif olan babasını, Mitch'in yargıç olan babası ve tabi Abby'nin doktor olan babasıdır...
Ben kitabı çok sevdim..Oldukça akıcıydı..Katili yada kızın ölüm nedenini en son sayfalara kadar merak ediyorsunuz.Bu kesin böyle olmuştur dediğiniz yerde yazar sizi şaşırtıyor...
Ama en rahatlatıcı kısmı sanırım suçlular hakkettikleri şekilde yargılanıyorlar..yada cezalandırılıyorlar mı demeliyim?Neyse efendim..ben öneririm.. ;)
Öncelikle konusunu,kurgusunu,kapağını, anlatımını, olayın akışını sevdim.
Yer yer eskiye bir dönüş olması ilk başlarda biraz kafamı karıştırdı ama ilerleyen bölümlerde
hem bu duruma alıştım hemde konuyu özümsedim.
Konuya değinecek olursam; Rex, Mitch ve Abby Small Plains kasabasında kendi hallerinde üç
yakın arkadaştırlar.Bir gün, kasabada bir cinayete kurban gidildiği düşünülen ve tanınmayacak halde bulunan bir ceset ortaya çıkana kadarda böyle devam etmiştir.
Bu cesedin bulunmasının akabinde bu üç yakın arkadaşın araları açılmış; Mitch kasabadan uzaklaştırılmış, Rex üniversiteye başlamış ve Abby ise kendisini nedensiz ve bir açıklama bile olmaksızın terkeden sevgilisinin-Mitch- arkasından yas tutmuştur.
Aradan tam 17 yıl geçmiştir ve cinayete kurban gittiği düşünülen isimsiz kız "bakire" adıyla ünlenmiştir.Hastaları ileştirdiği düşünülüp "azize" gözüyle bakılmaya başlanmıştır.
Acaba gerçektende kimse "bakire"nin kim olduğunu bilmiyor mudur?17 yıl önce tam olarak ne oılmuştur?
Abby'nin aklını bu düşünceler karıştırmaya başlamıştır ve sorularıyla o dönemde cesetle ilgilenen kişileri tedirgin etmeye başlamıştır.Bunlar;Rex'in annesi ve şerif olan babasını, Mitch'in yargıç olan babası ve tabi Abby'nin doktor olan babasıdır...
Ben kitabı çok sevdim..Oldukça akıcıydı..Katili yada kızın ölüm nedenini en son sayfalara kadar merak ediyorsunuz.Bu kesin böyle olmuştur dediğiniz yerde yazar sizi şaşırtıyor...
Ama en rahatlatıcı kısmı sanırım suçlular hakkettikleri şekilde yargılanıyorlar..yada cezalandırılıyorlar mı demeliyim?Neyse efendim..ben öneririm.. ;)
July 2, 2016
For the most part, THE VIRGIN OF SMALL PLAINS is an excellent mystery, the kind readers will be anxious to keep reading. It is a murder mystery, yes, but as the best mysteries are, this book is much more than that. It examines lies and relationships and the possibility of miracles. Plus, the substory of a separate character in need of a miracle is placed in this story to make it even more complex.
But it's a 4- out of 5-star book. THE VIRGIN OF SMALL PLAINS loses a point because its language is simple, sounding more like a young adult than an adult novel. This is especially true of the first and the last couple chapters. The book begins with teenage sex and their silly situation, neither of which do much for an adult reader. The last chapters tie everything up neatly, reminding me, again, of a YA novel.
Adults should enjoy this, though, if they don't mind simple prose, a convenient end, and a plot-driven more than character-driven novel. They will appreciate its complex mysteries.
But it's a 4- out of 5-star book. THE VIRGIN OF SMALL PLAINS loses a point because its language is simple, sounding more like a young adult than an adult novel. This is especially true of the first and the last couple chapters. The book begins with teenage sex and their silly situation, neither of which do much for an adult reader. The last chapters tie everything up neatly, reminding me, again, of a YA novel.
Adults should enjoy this, though, if they don't mind simple prose, a convenient end, and a plot-driven more than character-driven novel. They will appreciate its complex mysteries.
April 4, 2015
Stunning first novel for me by this author! 5 Stars! Worthy as a bookclub selection! Can't wait to meet this author in May. The storyline, the characters, the mystery was all gold and I was riveted from the first sentence. Loved the present and the past chapters and each with a view from key characters. Brilliant prose and most poetic justice on page 330. A Must Read for everyone. Can't hardly wait for her new book to come out this June and or to dive into her two series.
October 21, 2015
Pretty early on I was able to guess what was going on, both in the present and the past. I hated that innocent people got hurt, that there lives were radically changed by the selfishness of one person and that so many people carried secrets for a person that didn't deserve it. About the only things that can be said by the end is that most of the people were finally back on track with their lives.
July 20, 2015
Overall, I had mixed feelings about this plot. I should say first that this book was an advanced reader copy galley, so I'm honestly not sure if this was the actual published plot in its entirety or if things were tweaked.
On the cover under the title it proclaims that this is "a novel of suspense"—which I found to be false advertising. There was absolutely no suspense, unless you count that scene when Abby and Mitch are teenagers, anticipating their first time together.
When I first started reading, and probably well into the middle of the book, the plot and the characters had so much promise. There was potential for a good mystery, a good "suspense", but it all seemed to fall apart after Mitch returned. The plot meandered senselessly and the novel seemed not to know if it was actually a "cozy" rather than an actual mystery. There was an emphasis on the town, the community as a whole and of course the characters, but too much time was spent on meaningless details.
The resolution was sloppy and the climax was anti-climatic. The actual ending was so beyond sappy and didn't feel earned, in spite, in this case, Mitch's and Abby's long separation due to misunderstanding and parental secrets.
The groundwork of the story was decent—the first scene in the present with Abby in a skid on icy January roads seeing Nadine wandering the cemetery in just a thin robe did merit some interest. Then the next chapter switches the reader to 1987 and introduces the rest of the cast of characters, including the dead "Virgin", and you the reader gets a sense of promise, that you're embarking on a satisfying journey through the past and present that will eventually be neatly resolved—or at least resolved in some way.
Well, I guess things are resolved in *SOME* way. (This is where I would be rolling my eyes.)
Here's the basic plot (with spoilers): in 1987 in Small Plains, Kansas, the body of a naked girl is discovered in a blizzard by Nathan Shellenberger (the town's sheriff), and his two sons, Rex and Patrick. The same night this occurs, Mitch Newquist and Abby Reynolds, teenagers, are about to consummate their relationship in Abby's bedroom, but they have don't have a condom. Abby's father is the town's doctor, and happens to have condoms in the supply closet of his office (which is in the downstairs of the house). Mitch sneaks downstairs to get one and is almost caught by Doc Reynolds, who has gone to his office after Nathan called and brought in the body.
Hiding in the closet, Mitch witnesses Doc Reynolds deface the body until the girl is unrecognizable. Nathan stands by horrified and does nothing.
Needless to say, Mitch doesn't go back to Abby. He runs home and tells his father, a judge, what he witnessed and then the next morning, Mitch is spirited away from Small Plains into a sort of exile that he doesn't understand. Abby is made to believe by Nadine, Mitch's mother, that Mitch wanted to leave because Abby was pressuring Mitch to sleep with her. And because Small Plains is such a small town and tight-knit community, soon everyone believes it.
Meanwhile, there's the unidentified dead girl. No one comes to claim her body, so the community of Small Plains raises the money to bury her and give her a headstone in their community cemetery. And they believe that she, in death, gives back the kindness the community showed her by granting them "miracles". She is named "The Virgin".
So fast-forward to 2004 ("the present"), Abby, Rex and Patrick are all grown, still living in Small Plains, and Mitch, also grown, is a bitter but successful lawyer living in Kansas City. Nadine, introduced in the first chapter, died in the snowstorm and this, in a roundabout way, provokes Mitch to return to Small Plains after being away from 17 years.
So, now things start to get messy and meander. Predictably, the second Abby and Mitch see each other, they sleep together, but the whole time they think "this is a mistake". You know that's what they are thinking because it's repeated 3 times. Mitch will not explain his absence because by doing so he'd have to admit to Abby what he saw her father do to the dead girl, and he doesn't want to hurt her.
There's also a subplot about a girl named Catie who drives hundreds of miles to The Virgin's grave to ask for a miracle. She has cancer and is getting sicker and sicker. This subplot should have ended following Catie's blogging about her experience, but instead, the author chose to make her a catalyst of "justice" as Catie witnesses a very out of place supernatural event.
The whole novel is 335 pages. There's the good solid beginning, then a great deal of useless details and then around page 280, all this crazy stuff starts happening and keeps escalating but the whole time I was thinking "Why did the author wait so damn long to get to all this?!" One of the reasons I am leery about murder mysteries is that often they all seem to follow the same formula: Introduction followed by strong plot, sub-par plot, weak plot and then a very hurried ending with a tacked on resolution.
This one was just that. The ending was hurried and the way the reveal came about was amateurish. It was told through a journey into the past that the character who was telling it possibly wouldn't know all of those details given since the character wasn't even present at the event! The "villain" reveal was also amateurish, as was the repetitious reasoning given for why what was done was done.
So then you've got Rex standing at the Virgin's grave in the last chapter, giving the final exposition about the characters and there reasonings. It seemed out of character for Rex, not to mention the language he used was overly sappy and sentimental. I was so disappointed with the way the book changed course because I really thought it was going to be so well-done. I liked reading it in the beginning, that's why I gave it three stars. It should really only get two and half stars.
Now I'm very leery of trying anything else by this author. On the outset I was excited to know she had other books but I don't want to read another one like this, one that falls apart in the end and pretends that's "okay".
On the cover under the title it proclaims that this is "a novel of suspense"—which I found to be false advertising. There was absolutely no suspense, unless you count that scene when Abby and Mitch are teenagers, anticipating their first time together.
When I first started reading, and probably well into the middle of the book, the plot and the characters had so much promise. There was potential for a good mystery, a good "suspense", but it all seemed to fall apart after Mitch returned. The plot meandered senselessly and the novel seemed not to know if it was actually a "cozy" rather than an actual mystery. There was an emphasis on the town, the community as a whole and of course the characters, but too much time was spent on meaningless details.
The resolution was sloppy and the climax was anti-climatic. The actual ending was so beyond sappy and didn't feel earned, in spite, in this case, Mitch's and Abby's long separation due to misunderstanding and parental secrets.
The groundwork of the story was decent—the first scene in the present with Abby in a skid on icy January roads seeing Nadine wandering the cemetery in just a thin robe did merit some interest. Then the next chapter switches the reader to 1987 and introduces the rest of the cast of characters, including the dead "Virgin", and you the reader gets a sense of promise, that you're embarking on a satisfying journey through the past and present that will eventually be neatly resolved—or at least resolved in some way.
Well, I guess things are resolved in *SOME* way. (This is where I would be rolling my eyes.)
Here's the basic plot (with spoilers): in 1987 in Small Plains, Kansas, the body of a naked girl is discovered in a blizzard by Nathan Shellenberger (the town's sheriff), and his two sons, Rex and Patrick. The same night this occurs, Mitch Newquist and Abby Reynolds, teenagers, are about to consummate their relationship in Abby's bedroom, but they have don't have a condom. Abby's father is the town's doctor, and happens to have condoms in the supply closet of his office (which is in the downstairs of the house). Mitch sneaks downstairs to get one and is almost caught by Doc Reynolds, who has gone to his office after Nathan called and brought in the body.
Hiding in the closet, Mitch witnesses Doc Reynolds deface the body until the girl is unrecognizable. Nathan stands by horrified and does nothing.
Needless to say, Mitch doesn't go back to Abby. He runs home and tells his father, a judge, what he witnessed and then the next morning, Mitch is spirited away from Small Plains into a sort of exile that he doesn't understand. Abby is made to believe by Nadine, Mitch's mother, that Mitch wanted to leave because Abby was pressuring Mitch to sleep with her. And because Small Plains is such a small town and tight-knit community, soon everyone believes it.
Meanwhile, there's the unidentified dead girl. No one comes to claim her body, so the community of Small Plains raises the money to bury her and give her a headstone in their community cemetery. And they believe that she, in death, gives back the kindness the community showed her by granting them "miracles". She is named "The Virgin".
So fast-forward to 2004 ("the present"), Abby, Rex and Patrick are all grown, still living in Small Plains, and Mitch, also grown, is a bitter but successful lawyer living in Kansas City. Nadine, introduced in the first chapter, died in the snowstorm and this, in a roundabout way, provokes Mitch to return to Small Plains after being away from 17 years.
So, now things start to get messy and meander. Predictably, the second Abby and Mitch see each other, they sleep together, but the whole time they think "this is a mistake". You know that's what they are thinking because it's repeated 3 times. Mitch will not explain his absence because by doing so he'd have to admit to Abby what he saw her father do to the dead girl, and he doesn't want to hurt her.
There's also a subplot about a girl named Catie who drives hundreds of miles to The Virgin's grave to ask for a miracle. She has cancer and is getting sicker and sicker. This subplot should have ended following Catie's blogging about her experience, but instead, the author chose to make her a catalyst of "justice" as Catie witnesses a very out of place supernatural event.
The whole novel is 335 pages. There's the good solid beginning, then a great deal of useless details and then around page 280, all this crazy stuff starts happening and keeps escalating but the whole time I was thinking "Why did the author wait so damn long to get to all this?!" One of the reasons I am leery about murder mysteries is that often they all seem to follow the same formula: Introduction followed by strong plot, sub-par plot, weak plot and then a very hurried ending with a tacked on resolution.
This one was just that. The ending was hurried and the way the reveal came about was amateurish. It was told through a journey into the past that the character who was telling it possibly wouldn't know all of those details given since the character wasn't even present at the event! The "villain" reveal was also amateurish, as was the repetitious reasoning given for why what was done was done.
So then you've got Rex standing at the Virgin's grave in the last chapter, giving the final exposition about the characters and there reasonings. It seemed out of character for Rex, not to mention the language he used was overly sappy and sentimental. I was so disappointed with the way the book changed course because I really thought it was going to be so well-done. I liked reading it in the beginning, that's why I gave it three stars. It should really only get two and half stars.
Now I'm very leery of trying anything else by this author. On the outset I was excited to know she had other books but I don't want to read another one like this, one that falls apart in the end and pretends that's "okay".
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2025
3.5* kept me interested and did not expect the twist! more of a family/friend drama than suspense as noted on the cover
November 2, 2023
I am not much of a gorey mystery fan, but aside from one incident this was a pretty good mystery. I definitely overanalyze when I am reading so I picked up on a few of the "it's a twist" moments early on and still managed to really enjoy the book.
February 22, 2012
I don't often read mystery novels; it was the premise of Pickard's novel that drew me to it. A young woman's naked body is discovered in the snow deep in a farmer's field one winter night. Her identity unknown, she is buried in the Kansas town's cemetery and becomes known as the “Virgin of Small Plains.” Over the years, her grave is transformed into a pilgrimage site for those who are suffering and dying. Some even claim that visits to her grave cures them. Ten years later, Abby, the protagonist, is still troubled by the string of events that were set off that night; it was the last night she saw her boyfriend before he was shipped out to another state. She has worked hard to make peace with his abandonment, but when she finds his ailing mother wandering in the snow around the graveyard, Abby determines to uncover the truth about what really happened to the unknown woman buried in the graveyard. To help her, she enlists her long-time friend who is now the sheriff, and together they follow the evidence back into the close-knit, generations-old ties that bind together the three families, all community power-brokers.
I read this book in a matter of days which says a lot about the readability of the book as well as its well-laid story. I liked being carried along by the mystery at the heart of the novel, and I liked the author's attempt to garnish the story with magical-real elements in relation to the Virgin's grave. I liked that the female victim at the center of the story remained a focal point even though the social commentary that the body gently suggests -- the town congratulating itself for honoring someone they presume to be innocent and pure while failing to properly investigate the cause of her death -- is not as sharp and pointed as it could be. And in the end, when everything comes right, the bad guy is very bad, and we discover that those who aided and abetted him were only protecting their loved ones, we are supposed to be moved by the tragedy inherent in loyalty, the bond stuff that knits together small town communities. I didn't buy it. But then again, I didn't grow up in a small-town community. What does work in this novel is the broad expanse of prairie and sky, and the sense of awe, desolation, and isolation that this setting confers. To some degree, I was convinced that the setting was what caused this small town community to bind together, even in complicity to murder. If they didn't, there seemed to be a real threat that the greatness of the wide-open-space vacuum might suck them one by one into its oblivion, and for this reason, they overlooked each other's faults. And this element alone makes this an American story worth telling.
I read this book in a matter of days which says a lot about the readability of the book as well as its well-laid story. I liked being carried along by the mystery at the heart of the novel, and I liked the author's attempt to garnish the story with magical-real elements in relation to the Virgin's grave. I liked that the female victim at the center of the story remained a focal point even though the social commentary that the body gently suggests -- the town congratulating itself for honoring someone they presume to be innocent and pure while failing to properly investigate the cause of her death -- is not as sharp and pointed as it could be. And in the end, when everything comes right, the bad guy is very bad, and we discover that those who aided and abetted him were only protecting their loved ones, we are supposed to be moved by the tragedy inherent in loyalty, the bond stuff that knits together small town communities. I didn't buy it. But then again, I didn't grow up in a small-town community. What does work in this novel is the broad expanse of prairie and sky, and the sense of awe, desolation, and isolation that this setting confers. To some degree, I was convinced that the setting was what caused this small town community to bind together, even in complicity to murder. If they didn't, there seemed to be a real threat that the greatness of the wide-open-space vacuum might suck them one by one into its oblivion, and for this reason, they overlooked each other's faults. And this element alone makes this an American story worth telling.
March 22, 2019
This book was such a disappointment. It started out so good and intriguing, and then the author kept making stupid plot choices and dumb character decisions and ridiculous "twists"... it was just a mess. I'm surprised I finished it instead of DNF'ing.
September 19, 2013
The Virgin of Small Plains is the age-old story of the loss of innocence, the loss of trust, the loss of faith. Young Rex Shellenberger found the dead girl, and his friend Mitch Newquist disappeared the very next day-- stirring rumors that Mitch was the killer. Rex never believed those rumors, and neither did his friend (and Mitch's girlfriend) Abby Reynolds. None of the three friends ever recovered from that event, and as Nancy Pickard's tale unfolds, it soon becomes abundantly clear that their fathers-- as sheriff, judge and doctor three of the most powerful men in Small Plains-- know a lot more about that night than they've ever told anyone. Abby Reynolds becomes the catalyst. For seventeen years, she's felt "like a triangle with one side missing," and she's tired of it. She wants answers, she wants closure, and she wants a name and justice for the Virgin of Small Plains. Little does she know that she's about to take a stick to a very large hornet's nest.
What makes this book so good is Pickard's lyrical writing style and her eye for the telling detail. She's created a bit of a romance and a bit of a gothic tale, but it works. Her use of weather to create atmosphere and suspense is top notch, and her characters made themselves at home in my head. I grew up in a small farm town, and I could easily see the events of this book happening there. The only thing that prevents me from giving Pickard's book an all-out rave review is the fact that I put the pieces together very early. But the poetic writing, the setting, and the characters-- including a grey conure named J.D.-- packed such a punch that I really didn't mind the lack of surprise. I have another book by Pickard, The Scent of Rain and Lightning, sitting on my shelf, and I look forward to reading it.
What makes this book so good is Pickard's lyrical writing style and her eye for the telling detail. She's created a bit of a romance and a bit of a gothic tale, but it works. Her use of weather to create atmosphere and suspense is top notch, and her characters made themselves at home in my head. I grew up in a small farm town, and I could easily see the events of this book happening there. The only thing that prevents me from giving Pickard's book an all-out rave review is the fact that I put the pieces together very early. But the poetic writing, the setting, and the characters-- including a grey conure named J.D.-- packed such a punch that I really didn't mind the lack of surprise. I have another book by Pickard, The Scent of Rain and Lightning, sitting on my shelf, and I look forward to reading it.
August 29, 2012
This is the second Nancy Pickard book I've read and it certainly won't be the last. Her books are page-turners and not because of the breathtaking action, but because she involves you in the character's lives. I felt so much for what some of them had been through, the pain of loss that it so real that it is heartbreaking. It brought me to tears several times.
The mystery is there from page one, but the story around it slowly develops and there are some great red herrings and some evidence seen from the wrong angle, but when the mystery is revealed, you can go back and see where that thread is clear from the start. I did have the right idea about who did what, but I didn't mind because the story pulled me in so well that I enjoyed it anyway. Usually I am highly irritated when I can figure it out too early, but this didn't bother me a bit in this case.
The characters of Abby, Mitch and Rex are very well-drawn and the way their lives were both blown apart and stagnated are clearly shown. The mysterious death had unforeseen consequences for each of them in different ways. Their lives were believable.
I also like the vision of small town life and life in the Kansas countryside. What it's like to know everyone in town or perhaps to think you know everyone. That's what actually makes it so intriguing, the little secrets that people have, what others think, reputation and gossip.
Loved it.
The mystery is there from page one, but the story around it slowly develops and there are some great red herrings and some evidence seen from the wrong angle, but when the mystery is revealed, you can go back and see where that thread is clear from the start. I did have the right idea about who did what, but I didn't mind because the story pulled me in so well that I enjoyed it anyway. Usually I am highly irritated when I can figure it out too early, but this didn't bother me a bit in this case.
The characters of Abby, Mitch and Rex are very well-drawn and the way their lives were both blown apart and stagnated are clearly shown. The mysterious death had unforeseen consequences for each of them in different ways. Their lives were believable.
I also like the vision of small town life and life in the Kansas countryside. What it's like to know everyone in town or perhaps to think you know everyone. That's what actually makes it so intriguing, the little secrets that people have, what others think, reputation and gossip.
Loved it.
June 24, 2013
This is a powerhouse of a book. It held me in a grip. Pickard is a master at dropping just the right tid bits along the way for you to sit up and ask: "OMG, what did that character just say?" "OMG, how is he connected too?" "OMG, I cant believe that just happened!" and you rush back to read it again to keep that shocking feeling going. Once you get caught up in the parallel story lines, one present day and one 17 years earlier, it will seem as seamlessly insync as one story. You won't have to wait for the climax for a big boom. Pickard thrusts a disaster into the middle of the book that tears apart the character's motivations and goals, and leaves you wondering how this changes everything that was already falling apart and coming together. She blasts it all apart again.
Pickard knows how to create characters to care for. I ached for the 2 main characters, Abby and Mitch. I raged for them, wanted to go to bat for them. You'll stay up late reading this, rushing ahead to see how the complex events and characters finally come together. But be warned, after this tumultuous journey - the ending fell flat for me, wrapped up too neatly, too fast, so casually, after the brutal trip I just took with these passionate people forging against terrible circumstances.
Pickard knows how to create characters to care for. I ached for the 2 main characters, Abby and Mitch. I raged for them, wanted to go to bat for them. You'll stay up late reading this, rushing ahead to see how the complex events and characters finally come together. But be warned, after this tumultuous journey - the ending fell flat for me, wrapped up too neatly, too fast, so casually, after the brutal trip I just took with these passionate people forging against terrible circumstances.
August 4, 2008
I read this book in just over a day, staying up into the night as I couldn't tear myself away from it. It's one of those books where you promise yourself that this will be the last chapter, and then you say just one more....and so on!
This is the story of a young girl who is found naked and frozen to death in one of the worst blizzards the town on Small Plains has ever known. She can't be identified and so she is buried in an unmarked grave in the towns cemetary. Over the years she becomes known as the Virgin of Small Plains and legend has it that she can cure the sick and so people travel from all over to visit her grave. However, on the night of the blizzard, 18 year old Mitch Newquist vanishes without a word to anyone, leaving a Abby his devastated girlfriend and all his friends. After 17 years Mitch arrives back in Small Plains and it seems that not everyone wants him back. Why do so many people in Small Plains want him gone again and what are they hiding about that night in the snow storm 17 years ago?
This is a fantastic page-turner and I highly recommend. I hope you enjoy as much as I did.
This is the story of a young girl who is found naked and frozen to death in one of the worst blizzards the town on Small Plains has ever known. She can't be identified and so she is buried in an unmarked grave in the towns cemetary. Over the years she becomes known as the Virgin of Small Plains and legend has it that she can cure the sick and so people travel from all over to visit her grave. However, on the night of the blizzard, 18 year old Mitch Newquist vanishes without a word to anyone, leaving a Abby his devastated girlfriend and all his friends. After 17 years Mitch arrives back in Small Plains and it seems that not everyone wants him back. Why do so many people in Small Plains want him gone again and what are they hiding about that night in the snow storm 17 years ago?
This is a fantastic page-turner and I highly recommend. I hope you enjoy as much as I did.
February 7, 2012
All in all I enjoyed this book. The characters were pretty two-dimensional, but I wanted a good mystery, and a quick one, and usually the character development is limited in stories like these. I was ok with that. I choose books depending on my mood, and if I want an epic historical novel or a fast paced mystery will depend on how I am feeling.
I felt the pacing was perfect. The mystery of an unidentified girl found dead in a snow storm 17 years prior to the books opening set the fast pace almost immediately. There were several flashbacks, but not so much back and forth that it made it difficult to figure out the mystery on your own. After all, that is what is appealing to me about a mystery. "Was I right? Did I figure it out correctly?" The book never dragged, and I was never bored.
If you are looking for a good mystery you can read in a couple sittings, this is for you. If you are only looking for the best literature or books that will stay with you long after you read them, keep searching.
I felt the pacing was perfect. The mystery of an unidentified girl found dead in a snow storm 17 years prior to the books opening set the fast pace almost immediately. There were several flashbacks, but not so much back and forth that it made it difficult to figure out the mystery on your own. After all, that is what is appealing to me about a mystery. "Was I right? Did I figure it out correctly?" The book never dragged, and I was never bored.
If you are looking for a good mystery you can read in a couple sittings, this is for you. If you are only looking for the best literature or books that will stay with you long after you read them, keep searching.
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