Book Review: The Virgin of Small Plains

Reviewed By: Pat Reid - RAM

The Virgin of Small Plains     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Nancy Pickard
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Ballantine Books, 2006, 335 pps.

The beautiful girl who became known as The Virgin of Small Plains changed everything for Abby Reynolds, Mitch Newquist and Rex Shellenberger. When her body was found it brought changes to their life that couldn’t be undone.

Abby Reynolds spent her whole life in Small Plains, Kansas. Her father was the town doctor. Her high school love was Mitch Newquist whose father was a Judge. Rex Shellenberger was the best friend of both Abby and Rex. The parents of Amy, Rex and Mitch were the best of friends.

The Virgin’s body was found by Rex, his brother Patrick and Rex’s father the Sheriff one night when they were looking for some of their calves out in a storm.

The next day Mitch left town with no explanation to Amy or Rex. Rex went on to become Sheriff of Small Plains following in his father’s footsteps. Amy opened her own landscape business. Amy and Rex went on with their lives but neither married. And neither forgot Mitch and the fact that he did not share with them his reason for leaving. The town buried the nameless girl and put up a stone in her honor. A legend developed that the dead girl they called the Virgin could heal and perform miracles and people began trekking to the grave.

Seventeen years later Mitch comes back to town and makes up his mind to get to the bottom of the puzzle of why his parents forced him to leave and what really happened to the unnamed girl.

A Nancy Pickard book you won’t want to miss.

Pat Reid - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Pat Reid - RAM