Death of a Rainmaker

A Dust Bowl Mystery

By: Laurie Loewenstein

Narrated by: Emily Sutton-Smith

Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's Summary

When a rainmaker is bludgeoned to death in the pitch-blackness of a colossal dust storm, small-town sheriff Temple Jennings shoulders yet another burden in the hard times of the 1930s Dust Bowl. The killing only magnifies Temple's ongoing troubles: a formidable opponent in the upcoming election, the repugnant burden of enforcing farm foreclosures, and his wife's lingering grief over the loss of their eight-year-old son. 

As the sheriff and his young deputy investigate the murder, their suspicions focus on a teenager, Carmine, serving with the Civilian Conservation Corps. The deputy, himself a former CCCer, struggles with remaining loyal to the corps while pursuing his own aspirations as a lawman. 

When the investigation closes in on Carmine, Temple's wife, Etha, quickly becomes convinced of his innocence and sets out to prove it. But Etha's own probe soon reveals a darker web of secrets, which imperil Temple's chances of reelection and cause the husband and wife to confront their long-standing differences about the nature of grief.

©2019 Blackstone Publishing (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Great Character Development

Laurie Loewenstein weaves a wide range of thoughtful character development with a narrative that launches the reader straight into the dust bowl era. This is great storytelling with the bonus of an intriguing mystery. The ending expertly pulls together all loose ends with a believable and satisfying conclusion. The perfect novel for appreciating a rainy day.

Death of a Rainmaker

First of all, the story is slow and gradual in building to the most amazing full bodied story , that I felt like I knew every character in it , quite well. The story line alone is like no other that I have ever read, hence , finding it quite intriguing.
Heart warming, intriguing, mystery with a touch of humor.
The narrator couldn’t have been better.
Thank you Emily Sutton- Smith, you are terrific!

I enjoyed this book!

It took me a little while to get into. But it has a nice amount of character building and descriptions that help build your imagination. So hard to phantom what people went through during the Depression & to think they had to endure “dusters” from the Dust Bowl on top of it - horrific! But, it’s a great story to show you that although life was unbearable at times, life went on, and the people were strong and “everyday life” happened along the way.

All around great murder mystery with unique settin

An all around great murder mystery with lovable characters and an interesting US historical setting

A poignant portrayal of a difficult time in history…

Though hard at times to forge ahead, this author did a commendable job in showing the man/woman and class relationships of this time in American history. I so enjoyed the sheriffs’ wife’s character. And the radios’ role in family life at the time was spot on! My own father idolized Will Rodgers and recounted to me the sadness felt when he and Wiley Post crashed in Alaska by the whole country! The narration was OK but there were a few glaring mispronunciations that detracted from the whole! I hated for the story to end as it was excellent!

Now, I want to listen to more by this author and narrator!

Enjoyed the history, as well as the characters and story. Plot kept me guessing. Was sad when the story was over. Will look for more by the same author and narrators. Thank you!

good 👍

I like it but it kept skipping after half way through. good story 👏

surprise

took a chance on this book when looking for a good read. naratere
Was excellent. Will look into other books by this author and reader

Weird. Sadly empty.

I really really wanted to like this book but, man! It was nearly impossible to care about any of the characters. Honestly, when I read that one of the main ones would leave it didn't matter to me at all.

I was uncomfortable because in such a poverty-stricken town, they had things they probably shouldn't have? Or they didn't have things that were accessible.

The high point for me was early on but even it was tainted with confusing emotions and reactions. The end was pretty cookie cutter and should have been happy but was just as dull as the rest of it.

The narrator didn't help... Very slow, monotone, exaggerated enunciation just emphasized the dull characters.

It was a really weird book. I did finish it, hoping something would work for me but it really didn't matter.

Strong setting, limp plot

The historical backdrop of the Oklahoma Dust Bowl was the strongest part of this book. The author depicted the desolation and harshness, and the desperation of the citizens of Vermillion, OK, where the story is set. The characters are mostly sympathetic, but not particularly nuanced...you've no doubt encountered their type before. But the weakest part of the book is the plot. The mystery seemed rather contrived and not very convincing; it was there to give the characters something to do ( sheriff's wife turns amateur detective). The narration was good.