Prayers the Devil Answers

A Novel

By: Sharyn McCrumb

Narrated by: Candace Thaxton

In Depression-era Appalachia, a desperate sheriff’s widow takes on her late husband’s job and discovers that a prayer the devil answers comes at a terrible price.

The year is 1936 and society provides no safety net for newly widowed Ellie Robbins, a woman in a small mountain town who suddenly has to support her family on her own. She’s not trained to be a teacher or a nurse, the only respectable careers for a woman. So in order to care for her children, Ellie takes the only job available: that of her late husband, the sheriff.

Ellie has long proven that she can handle herself, and her role as sheriff is largely symbolic. Yet the wariness of her male subordinates and the townspeople is palpable. Soon, as dark secrets come to light, Ellie is forced to grapple with the tenuous ties she shares with a convicted killer and the small-town superstitions that have plagued her for years.

When a condemned killer is sentenced to death for his crime, her opportunity to do so presents itself in a way she never expected. There’s one task that only a sheriff can carry out: the execution of a convicted prisoner.

Atmospheric and suspenseful, Prayers the Devil Answers is rich with the same masterful attention to historical detail and captivating folklore that you cherished in McCrumb’s renowned Ballad novels. Her luscious writing brings her unforgettable characters to life with the “pure poetry” (The New York Times Book Review) that defines her astounding novels. Prayers the Devil Answers is a mesmerizing depiction of one woman’s tenacity and strength in even the most harrowing of circumstances.

Loved This

Every book I've read by this author only impresses me more. Her command of beautiful and colorful language makes one feel present in the moments as the scenes are so vividly portrayed.

5

Yes, buy this book. It is rich with
character, satisfying with period place detail, a story line that calls
readers to listen to just a bit more.

Prayers the Devil Answers

Great story telling on the part of the author. Stunner of an ending.
Narration very good. Easy to listen to. Kept my attention.
Highly recommend

not a mystery

I have read a lot of Sharyn McCrumb's mysteries and though this one held up to her high standard of storytelling and character development, the term mystery hardly fits. The pace was painfully slow at times. I hope this is not a harbinger of the tone and pace she plans for the next of her historical mystery series. I keep thinking I must have skipped some chapters that would have developed the missing heart of this story. The ending makes his motive for killing his wife seem to be a frivolous affair ("ain't we got fun!") while his love for his wife remained intact. It just doesn't make sense. In the end we are left with a crime not of passion but of incommunicable feelings and a drifting apart.

Sharon never disappoints

I have been a longtime fan of Sharyn McCrumb. I devour her books based in our mountains and foothills. Can't wait for the next one