Call Me Crazy ...

The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard was the 2009 selection for Kansas Reads! I rounded up a dozen copies of the paperback edition for a book discussion which was held March 10, 2009. Five of us showed up to talk about the book. Mixed reviews, mostly disappointment.

The story grabbed me early. A mix of violent action, sex, mystery, death, and tension. What's not to like? The book was nominated for an Edgar, an Agatha, an Anthony, and won a Macavity Award for Best Novel. Pretty good company. Everybody and his dog wanted this book out in front. Problem is, the story did not deliver what was promised in the first 40 pages.

The book begged for a good editing and was left wanting. For example, an indelible scene of disgusting violence to a corpse is left unexplained and unsupported by the story. A pitifully ill woman intrudes on the story asking for a miracle from the 'Virgin' but served no purpose but to kill off a couple of baddies at the end to tidy up the story. Another character who promised looming violence and who could have been given redemption, up and disappears headed for greener pastures, maybe he ran away with the rodeo. The identity of the 'Virgin' (who was anything but) is a mystery except almost everyone in the story knows her name. Another unsatisfying plot device involves three exotic birds, one of whom goes missing in a tornado, that serve little purpose. The story suffered from so many red herrings that it should come with nose-plugs.

I could see the basis for this book being cooked up at a dinner party of writers where one dares another to write a mystery, set in Kansas, involving a dead virgin, a tornado, 3 parrots, a baby born in a storm shelter, a crazy judge, and an coitus that was interruptus for 20 years.

The book was laughably bad but had an engaging story arc that had me by the throat for the first several chapters and then the holes began to appear and the author was never able to put it back together. The author has huge skills with scenery, character, dialog, place, and beginnings. Her editor did not serve her well.