The Scent of Rain and Lightning captures a wide open space with the care of a painter

Nancy Pickard paints a panorama as expansive as the plains where her characters eat, breathe and kill. In The Scent of Rain and Lightning, she draws a multi-layered work of art that lightens the ways that power can affect justice.

Not exactly a small town cozy

This story is not your typical traditional mystery. Since it is set in a small town, you could think that it is a small town cozy, but because so much of the novel deals with the personal struggles of the main character, Jody, it does not fit neatly in that frame.

The Scent of Rain and Lightning follows the life of Jody’s family, a powerful ranching clan. Jody’s mother and father were viciously murdered when she was a toddler. The alleged killer is a man named Billy who has maintained his innocence for all the years that he has spent behind bars. Jody is shocked when he is released from prison, believing that he is a monster intent on destroying her and her family.

Personal response

What I liked about The Scent of Rain and Lightning were its characterizations, exploration of small-town life and depictions of Jody’s relationships.

The character of Jody is so finely defined that she seems to walk off the page and into your room. Pickard does that for the whole town. You can almost smell the stale beer and hamburgers in the diner and see the small counter at the store where Jody buys milk for her grandmother.

Through the novel, you watch Jody grow up after losing her father and mother. The resolution is a great surprise, and although there are some hints, the climax and ending leave a lustrous glaze to Pickard’s painting of a small town murder in her novel The Scent of Rain and Lightning.

Definite Recommend 🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍