To its residents, the little town of Three Willows might seem as close to Heaven as it's possible to get here on Earth. The community is abundant and peaceful, despite being surrounded by the unforgiving deserts of New Mexico and with the frontlines of the War Between the States raging just a few hundred miles further north.But the impact of the war hasn't escaped everyone. Jessalyn Joy, the town's school teacher, watched her husband leave for the war, but return in a box - and ever since, she's been struggling to find her place and purpose in a town that reminds her constantly of what she lost.That changes when a stranger stumbles into town. Samuel Brooks, a deserter from the Union Army, is making a pilgrimage to Three Willows to fulfill a promise to a fallen comrade. Reluctantly taking him in, Jessalyn finds herself infuriatingly drawn to the sharp-witted stranger.Their bond grows when a mysterious creature begins brutally slaughtering the town's livestock. Determined to investigate, Jessalyn leads Sam and her friends in following a trail of clues that soon threatens to uncover the dark, unremembered history of Three Willows - and a terrible secret that some will kill to protect.Then Came the Thunder is the gripping first installment of the Three Willows series - a tender historical romance interwoven with a thrilling supernatural mystery that fans of Diana Biller and Dana Schwartz will find impossible to put down.