Prayers the Devil Answers

By: Sharyn McCrumb

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Paperback | 25 April 2017

At a Glance

Paperback
352 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
20.96 x 13.97 x 2.54

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In Depression-era Appalachia, a desperate sheriff's widow takes on her late husband's job and discovers that a prayer the devil answers comes at a terrible price.

The year is 1936 and society provides no safety net for newly widowed Ellie Robbins, a woman in a small mountain town who suddenly has to support her family on her own. She's not trained to be a teacher or a nurse, the only respectable careers for a woman. So in order to care for her children, Ellie takes the only job available: that of her late husband, the sheriff.

Ellie has long proven that she can handle herself, and her role as sheriff is largely symbolic. Yet the wariness of her male subordinates and the townspeople is palpable. Soon, as dark secrets come to light, Ellie is forced to grapple with the tenuous ties she shares with a convicted killer and the small-town superstitions that have plagued her for years.

She must use the force of sheer will to carve out a place for herself in an uncertain future and to take control of her new position. When a condemned killer is sentenced to death for his crime, her opportunity to do so presents itself in a way she never expected. There's one task that only a sheriff can carry out: the execution of a convicted prisoner.

Atmospheric and suspenseful, Prayers the Devil Answers is rich with the same masterful attention to historical detail and captivating folklore that you cherished in McCrumb's renowned Ballad novels. Her luscious writing brings her unforgettable characters to life with the "pure poetry" (The New York Times Book Review) that defines her astounding novels. Prayers the Devil Answers is a mesmerizing depiction of one woman's tenacity and strength in even the most harrowing of circumstances.

Industry Reviews

"The writing in Prayers the Devil Answers is like the tale it tells: straight-forward, unadorned, and powerful. Set during the deep Depression, in an area very familiar to readers of Sharon McCrumb's previous novels, this story of an ordinary woman thrust into the extraordinary role of sheriff moves forward with relentless momentum and stark beauty. McCrumb continues to mine gold from the hard-rock lives of those who call Appalachia home."

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