Unknown in Kansas
On the strength of the Edgar Award nomination, I grabbed Nancy Pickard's latest, the standalone title The Virgin of Small Plains. I read one of her Jenny Cain novels many years ago (the Bionic Mom is a fan), but hadn't turned back to her since.
It's 2004 in the tiny town of Small Plains, Kansas, and things have changed since the night in 1987 that the body of a young Jane Doe is found in the middle of a snowstorm. Never identified, her grave has become a pilgrimage site as believers come in the hopes of experiencing a miracle. Abby Reynolds, only 16 when the body was found, feels that now is the time to give the Virgin back her name and find out once and for all what happened that night. After all, she's emotionally invested - her high school sweetheart, Mitch Newquist, suddenly and mysteriously left town the day after the body was found, with no explanation or contact since. Turning to her longtime friend and current sheriff Rex Shellenberger, Abby blows open the mystery like a Kansas twister.
Pickard's trying something new here, and I think it works - there's a strong Jodi Picoult vibe running throughout, particularly in how the characters are drawn and the significance of their relationships. She also makes excellent use of her native Kansas for her setting - the mercurial moods of Central Plains weather take on a life of their own in her description. My only nitpick is the somewhat obvious mid-twist (the twist before the final one) that sets up the third act - while I give Pickard points for using different clues to cue a common plot point, it was still a bit too easy to guess. Overall, a strong showing - I'd love to see another standalone from her.
It's 2004 in the tiny town of Small Plains, Kansas, and things have changed since the night in 1987 that the body of a young Jane Doe is found in the middle of a snowstorm. Never identified, her grave has become a pilgrimage site as believers come in the hopes of experiencing a miracle. Abby Reynolds, only 16 when the body was found, feels that now is the time to give the Virgin back her name and find out once and for all what happened that night. After all, she's emotionally invested - her high school sweetheart, Mitch Newquist, suddenly and mysteriously left town the day after the body was found, with no explanation or contact since. Turning to her longtime friend and current sheriff Rex Shellenberger, Abby blows open the mystery like a Kansas twister.
Pickard's trying something new here, and I think it works - there's a strong Jodi Picoult vibe running throughout, particularly in how the characters are drawn and the significance of their relationships. She also makes excellent use of her native Kansas for her setting - the mercurial moods of Central Plains weather take on a life of their own in her description. My only nitpick is the somewhat obvious mid-twist (the twist before the final one) that sets up the third act - while I give Pickard points for using different clues to cue a common plot point, it was still a bit too easy to guess. Overall, a strong showing - I'd love to see another standalone from her.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home