{"product_id":"prayers-the-devil-answers-9781476772844","title":"Prayers the Devil Answers","description":"\u003cb\u003eIn 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.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEllie 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAtmospheric and suspenseful, \u003ci\u003ePrayers the Devil Answers \u003c\/i\u003eis 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\" (\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e) that defines her astounding novels. \u003ci\u003ePrayers the Devil Answers\u003c\/i\u003e is a mesmerizing depiction of one woman's tenacity and strength in even the most harrowing of circumstances.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMcCrumb, Sharyn:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Sharyn McCrumb is the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of the acclaimed Ballad novels. She has received numerous honors for her work, including the Mary Frances Hobson Prize for Southern Literature, the AWA Book of the Year, and Notable Books in both \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e. She was also named a Virginia Woman of History for Achievement in Literature. She lives and writes in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, fewer than one hundred miles from where her family settled in 1790.","brand":"Atria Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50726598017298,"sku":"9781476772844","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_a5e196a4-81ae-4a84-a433-cc0f5b847aa7.jpg?v=1734876183","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/prayers-the-devil-answers-9781476772844","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}