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Sunday, November 18, 2007

Sunday Book Review - The Virgin of Small Plains


The Virgin of Small Plains: A Novel
by Nancy Pickard

I talked about Nancy Pickard last weekend, so it's only right that I now talk about one of her books. I started with her most recent mystery, The Virgin of Small Plains... and it I'm happy to report that it was such a delightful read that I finished it in under two days.

Page turner? Yep.

It's surprising, really, that I don't read more mysteries. I really like trying to figure out where the author is going as a story progresses. Pickard challenged me in this aspect, but kept giving me enough clues that I was satisfied at my conclusions and the twists the story took along the way. At the same time, I got caught up enough in this one that I dreamed about it the entire first night -- the setting, the disturbing images of the 17 year old murder, and the characters.

For a while I even wondered if that is why I don't typically read mysteries. They usually involve death and/or murder and I suppose I'm a little queasy about the subject. My imagination paints pictures that are just a little too vivid, it seems.

But I kept reading, not only because I wanted to find out who killed The Virgin and how all the characters fit into the picture... I really wanted to know if she actually had the power to heal people. Did miracles, indeed, happen at Small Plains, Kansas?

I can't give you the answers, of course. Then it won't be a mystery if you read the book.

Which is my recomendation, by the way... read it.

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