BURIED IN THE COUNTRY

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, Eleanor’s 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. Dunn’s rural setting and femme d’un certain age protagonist offer a few comforting stock characters of the classic English country house murder—the proper vicar's wife, the imperturbable butler—but 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.