First published 2006
Rex Shellenberger searches for newborn calves during a January blizzard in Small Plains, Kansas. Instead he discovers the naked, frozen corpse of a beautiful teenage girl buried in snow. The next day, his friend Mitch Newquist vanishes without explanation, abandoning his girlfriend Abby Reynolds. The dead girl becomes known as the Virgin of Small Plains. Locals tend her grave and claim she performs miracles, even curing fatal diseases. Three powerful men harbor secrets about that deadly night: Dr. Quentin Reynolds, former sheriff Nathan Shellenberger, and Judge Tom Newquist. Seventeen years pass. Mitch returns to town unexpectedly, reigniting old tensions and unresolved questions. Abby still carries feelings for Mitch, but now she wants answers about what destroyed their lives. She investigates the truth behind the Virgin's death and Mitch's sudden departure. Three families must face the consequences of choices made during one catastrophic night. Their friendships shattered, they confront buried secrets that refuse to stay hidden.
Genres: mystery, crime, contemporary, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: secrets, small-town
Setting: Kansas, Small Plains
Period: Seventeen Years Later
335 pages · Hardcover · Ballantine Books
Content warnings: death, murder