Buried in the Country

October 10, 2016
At the start of Dunn’s atmospheric fourth Cornish mystery set in the 1960s (after 2012’s Valley of the Shadow), Sir Edward Bellowe of the Commonwealth Relations Office invites retired widow Eleanor Trewynn to a hush-hush meeting in Tintagel to help reconcile two students, who represent opposing political factions in Rhodesia. A lifetime of traveling the world for an international charity has given Eleanor formidable diplomatic skills. Eleanor’s police officer niece, Det. Insp. Megan Pencarrow, is annoyed at being called off a missing-persons case to provide security for the meeting, until she spots two shady characters at the hotel where the meeting is taking place. As the story unfolds, connections come to light among the suspicious miscreants, the missing person, the diplomatic mission, and a murder in a nearby village. Eleanor’s travels have made her unusually open-minded for her time. The rewards of this entertaining cozy include characters with depth, an interesting bit of history, and an exciting chase through the moors. Agent: Alice Volpe, Northwest Literary.

October 1, 2016
Intrigue comes to 1960s Cornwall in this fourth case for the sensible, keenly observant widow Eleanor Trewynn (The Valley of the Shadow, 2012, etc.).Retired from informal diplomacy and now running a village charity shop, Eleanor is called back into the game by Sir Edward Bellowe of the Commonwealth Relations Office. Accompanied by her faithful Westie, Teazle, she makes the trip to Tintagel, the seat of King Arthur, to aid in some small steps toward justice by reconciling future leaders of the anti-colonial movement in Rhodesia. Because this delicate negotiation could be hampered by any local or international interference, Sir Bellowe calls in the local police to look out for any suspicious characters. Meanwhile, the local country lawyer has gone missing. By happy coincidence, the detective on both cases is Megan Pencarrow, Eleanors niece. A pair of shady London blokes turn up at the conference hotel. Tracking them and the missing lawyer turns into a wild chase across the moors, complete with exhaustively detailed descriptions of the highways and byways of Cornwall. Dunns rural setting and femme dun certain age protagonist offer a few comforting stock characters of the classic English country house murderthe proper vicar's wife, the imperturbable butlerbut evokes the 1960s with a female detective and two African student revolutionaries. Ideal for those on a walking tour of Cornwall or anyone looking for a twist or two on the familiar cozy formula.

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