Sharyn McCrumb 
Prayers the Devil Answers 
A Novel

In Depression-era Appalachia, a desperate sheriffs widow takes on her late husbands 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. Shes 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. When a condemned killer is sentenced to death for his crime, her opportunity to do so presents itself in a way she never expected. Theres 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 Mc Crumbs 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 womans tenacity and strength in even the most harrowing of circumstances.