The Scent of Rain and Lightning

By: Nancy Pickard

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's Summary

Written with the wisdom and grace devoted readers and listeners have come to expect from the award-winning author of The Virgin of Small Plains, here is a brilliantly moving tale of family, murder, and redemptive love.

One beautiful summer afternoon, Jody Linder, a young English teacher, is unnerved to see her three uncles parking their pickups in front of her parents’ house—or what she calls her parents’ house, even though they have been gone almost all of Jody’s life. The three bring shocking news: the man convicted of murdering Jody’s father is being released from prison and returning to the small town of Rose, Kansas.

It has been 26 years since that stormy night when Jody’s father was shot and killed and her mother disappeared, presumed dead. Neither the protective embrace of Jody’s uncles nor the safe haven of her grandparents’ ranch could erase the pain caused by Billy Crosby that night. Now Billy has been granted a new trial, thanks in large part to the efforts of his son, Collin, a lawyer who has spent most of his life trying to prove his father’s innocence.

Jody knows that sooner or later she’ll come face-to-face with the man who she believes destroyed her family. But what she doesn’t expect are the heated exchanges with Collin. Having grown up practically side by side in this very small town, Jody and Collin have a long history of carefully avoiding each other’s eyes. Now Jody discovers that underneath their antagonism is a shared sense of loss that no one else could possibly understand. As she revisits old wounds, startling revelations compel her to uncover the dangerous truth about her family’s tragic past.

Engrossing, lyrical, and suspenseful, The Scent of Rain and Lightning captures the essence of small-town America—its heartfelt intimacy and its darkest secrets—where through struggle and hardship people still dare to hope for a better future. For Jody Linder, maybe even love.

©2010 Nancy Pickard (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic Reviews

“Pickard shows her storytelling skills, weaving elements of deception, revenge, and romance into a novel with full-bodied characters who deal with tragedy as best they can; Annabelle Linder’s encounter with Crosby’s wife is particularly moving. From an award-winning author, this is engrossing fiction with an eminently satisfying denouement.” ( Booklist)

“With exquisite sensitivity, Edgar-finalist Pickard probes a smoldering cold case….” ( Publishers Weekly)

“This stand-alone story—set in rural Kansas—is a dramatic view into the lives of the Linder family….Highlighting the ripple effect of people’s actions, The Scent of Rain and Lightning is an in-depth tale of unraveling lies and deceit in perfect Pickard fashion.” (Shannon Raab, Suspense magazine)

Really good book; poorly chosen narrator

I would probably give this book a 5-star rating if it weren't for the narrator. While she did her darndest to give an interesting and gripping telling of the story, her seeming complete lack of understanding of western Kansas accents and pronunciations was disconcerting to me. Were I a resident of the area, I would be insulted at the interpretation -- especially of the men's voices and accents. She would probably be excellent in other, more urban book settings. She is out of her league with this one.

I'm from Kansas

and the accents used by this narrator are extremely irritating and insulting. The narrator obviously didn't bother to do any research. We don't have Southern accents - except for the few of us who actually moved here from a Southern state. More importantly, the narrator's inflections make it obvious she believes we're illiterate hicks. She's the one who needs educating. It would have been fun to enjoy a story based in Kansas, but that fun was ruined by the ignorant narration.

A story that stays with you

Jody Linder's haunting legacy is being the child of a father who was murdered on the same night her mother disappeared. The author's exquisite writing transplants the reader to Rose, Kansas, where you can feel the dust in your throat and yes, you can smell the scent of Rain and Lightning. But it is the characters who stay with you long after you have heard the complicated truth told.

She won't win any awards...

I listened to this for my book club. Our group agreed, it's a fine story, it kept us entertained, it had some good twists and turns. We also agreed that Nancy Pickard will not win any writing awards.

I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, especially for book club. Just not enough to talk about.

As for the narration, I was not a fan. I found the voice she used for the bad guy in the story irritating and I wanted her to shut up everytime she tried it.

Hang in there

What did you love best about The Scent of Rain and Lightning?

I really enjoyed the surprise ending! I never expected it!

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

I felt the narration left much to be desired. I was annoyed at the child voices the narrator used. It was like a badly failed attempt at reading to small children in my mind.

Any additional comments?

This was a difficult story to listen to. I really lost interest around Chapter 15 and there are 42 chapters. I drudged through and am glad I did. Part of it for me was the narration - but not all.

Wonderful Summer Reading

Absolutely loved the book. This was one of thoses rare stories with an unexpected ending.

Highly recommend.

The second great book by her

This book was well bread and a great story that kept my interest all the way to the end

Get Ready

...for a stay-up-all-night, can’t-stop-thinking-about-it book. It will twist and turn and the end will blow you away!

LOVED!!

Nancy Pickard did phenomenal with this one. I could not stop listening. It was suspenseful and detailed. This was my first audio book to listen to and it did not disappoint! The narrator did wonderful! Definitely recommend!

Thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Suspenseful and unpredictable. Had some cheesy underdeveloped scenes towards the end but by then I was engrossed and overall I still say it was great