“Pickard has the storytelling gift”

“Pickard writes richly textured fiction about families and relationships, about hatred and lust and love, about loyalty and betrayal, and most of all about the corrosive power of secrets.”

“A novel that simultaneously qualifies as a gripping read, a master character study and as literary . . . exceedingly rare.”

“Pickard’s tales of Kansas life are filled with gravitas and small-town drama. . . . The Scent of Rain and Lightning seems certain to earn her a much-deserved larger audience.”