A review by nonna7
Valley of the Shadow by Carola Dunn

4.0

Carola Dunn is one of my favorite "cozy" writers. I've enjoyed her Daisy Dalrymple series for years although I came to it in the middle so I have some catching up to do. However, this is the third in this series featuring Eleanor Treywynn, a senior citizen who has retired to a small Cornish village. I started following the series as soon as the first came out. Cornwall is known for it's smugglers. It's apparently an easy journey to France where smugglers could bring back cigarettes and French goods that had high taxes on them. These books take place in the 70's before cell phones and computers. A young man is found nearly dead in the sea. Megan, a detective sgt, a niece of Eleanor's (known affectionately at Nell) has taken some time off for a picnic with her aunt and a local artist. Eleanor keeps hoping that a romance will develop between Megan and the artist, but so far no luck! Megan jumps into the sea to save him. Two hikers who are nearby offer assistance. Since there are no cell phones, Eleanor has to hike back up the steep hills, find a hotel nearby and a telephone. The young man is delirious and mutters something about the rest of his family in a cave. Of course, this being Britain, the fog rolls in and doesn't want to leave. However, rescue boats get out and finally find the family trapped in a cave. The family is Indian although they had lived in Africa for many years. However, now that the African companies are independent, they are expelling Indian families who have lived there for generations. Despite having British passports, they are not allowed into Britain which does not want an excess of dark skinned people in their midst. (Sound familiar?) The book was a bit slow in spots, but finishes at a rousing pace as everything comes together. It's an interesting look at a particular location in Britain that, like Ireland, Scotland and Brittany in France, had a large Celtic population.