Author: Nancy Pickard

Title: The Scent of Rain and Lightning

Publisher: Ballantine Books    

Every now and then you find a mystery novel that's just about perfect: The Scent of Rain and Lightning is one of those. A vicious murder, a missing person, a plucky heroine, star-crossed lovers . . . they're all here.

Every small town has "that" family . . . the ones with the money and clout to see that pretty much everything goes their way. In Rose, Kansas that family is the Linders. They're local ranchers straight out of a classic Western TV show: there's the patriarch Hugh Linder, Senior and his wise, loving wife Annabelle; their three sons, Hugh-Jay, Chase, and Bobby; daughter Belle, and her husband, Meryl. Rounding out the family is Hugh-Jay's wife Lauri Jo and their small daughter Jody. It's all picture-perfect, really.

Which is why it comes as such a shock when Hugh-Jay turns up dead and Lauri Jo goes missing.

When the murder and presumed kidnapping was discovered, there was no question as to who was responsible. One of the Linder's farm hands was a no-good drunk who'd been raising hell on and off the farm. Everyone in town knew he beat his wife. He had a grudge against the Linder family. It was obvious "whodunnit."

Wasn't it?

Not to the judge who reviewed the case twenty-three years later. Seems there were some flaws in the evidence: a few stones left unturned, a few leads left unfollowed. So the "obvious" murderer's sentence has just been commuted—and he's coming home. It does not promise to be a happy reunion.

While he was off doing time, the victims' daughter grew up, earned a Master's Degree in English, and recently returned to her hometown to teach. Jody just took up residence in her family's home, the scene of her father's murder. She's hoping to find a clue that will lead to answers about what happened to her mother. It's a quest her family doesn't really understand. In fact, the only one she can really talk to about what happened is the convicted murderer's son. He was a nice boy who grew up into a nicer man . . . or did he?

The action moves seamlessly between the days leading up to the murder and modern times. In a lesser author's hands this could be confusing, but Pickard negotiates time travel with ease. Dropping a hint here and a clue there, she leaves just enough information to solve the case before the big reveal—but odds are you won't.

Rated R (by this reviewer, anyway) for sexual situations and language, The Scent of Rain and Lightning has the unmistakable aroma of a classic mystery novel. Highly recommended. 

*This Review First Published 2/15/2011