Randolph . . . brings the Sandhills of western Nebraska vividly to life, as experience by one plucky young woman. Recently married Mary Needham loses a leg in the tragic auto accident that kills her husband. She had been like one of the ranch hands as a girl, and then on her in-law’s ranch, but now she is lost. Convinced she has nowhere else to run, she makes a hasty and regrettable decision to marry Ward Hamilton, the conservative preacher who comes calling. She soon realizes her role is merely that of “the church’s servant.” She nearly leaves, but . . . she stays . . . while Ward becomes more and more obsessed with his church, seeing his life as a battle between good and evil, Randolph’s debut novel becomes a page-turner as the reader pulls for Mary to regain her self-esteem and ultimately return to the land she loves.   — Deborah Donovan, BOOKLIST