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Summary
Summary
Eleanor Trewynn is a widow of some years living in Port Mabyn, a small fishing village in Cornwall, England. In her younger days, she traveled the exotic parts of the world with her husband. These days, she's retired and founded the local charity shop. Her niece, Megan Pencarrow, transferred nearby, and was recently promoted to the rank of Detective Sargent. Perhaps the only downside is that she is now working for a DI who doesn't approve of women on the police force and who really doesn't much approve of Megan's aunt Eleanor, as she is something of a thorn in his rather substantial side. All of these factors collide when, the day after collecting donations, Eleanor and the vicar's wife find the dead body of a longhaired, scruffy-looking youth hidden in the stockroom of the charity shop. Then they discover that some donated jewelry thought to be fake is actually very real, very expensive, and the haul from a violent robbery in London. Making matters more complex, the corpse found in the storeroom is apparently not one of the robbers. Carola Dunn's Manna from Hades is a confounding Cornish case of daring theft, doublecross, and a wily older woman confronted by a case of murder most foul.
Author Notes
Carola Dunn was born in England on November 14, 1946. She received a B.A. in Russian and French from Manchester University and took a secretarial course for graduates at Oxford Tech. She traveled to numerous places around the world including Samoa and Fiji before getting married and settling in California. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, she worked in child-care, market research, construction, and wrote definitions for a science and technology dictionary. Her first book, Toblethorpe Manor, was published in 1979. Since then, she has written over 50 books including more than 30 Regency romances and the Daisy Dalrymple mystery series.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Set in Cornwall "somewhere in the 1960s and '70s" (per an author note), this lively first in a new cozy series from British veteran Dunn (Death at Wentwater Court) introduces Eleanor Trewynn, a plucky widow who runs a charity shop in the village of Port Mabyn. Eleanor gets entangled in a murder investigation after she and her curious dog, Teazle, happen on a dead body of what first appears to be a tramp in the shop storeroom. Eleanor exasperates Detective Inspector Scumble as her less than perfect memory trickles out details of her discovery. Scumble, whose partner is on sick leave, doesn't relish pursuing the case with Eleanor's determined niece, Det. Sgt. Megan Pencarrow, who has to continually prove herself to the gruff, old-school inspector. Adept at showing character through witty dialogue, Dunn paints an amusing picture of a small town that readers will want to visit again soon. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Welcome to Cornwall, beautiful land of Cornish pasties, cream teas and murder. Eleanor Trewynn, aka Aunt Nell, lives in the village of Port Mabyn, where she collects donations for the local charity shop she founded. In her time, she was a world traveler who lived in some pretty dicey places. Now she and her terrier Teazle are leading a more peaceful lifethat is until Teazle sniffs out the dead body of a scraggy youth in the thrift-shop storeroom. Eleanor is more pleasantly surprised when she finds a briefcase full of beautiful paste jewelry among her latest collection. Her niece, DS Megan Pencarrow, recently transferred from London, works the case with DI Scumble, whose choleric, misogynist disposition is not sweetened by the fact that Aunt Nell has a tendency to forget things. When the jewels turn out to be the real thing, stolen from a London jeweler, Megan's old boyfriend is sent over to help. As Scumble waxes more and more annoyed, Megan travels to a Bristol squat in hopes of identifying the corpse, and the dithering but self-sufficient Eleanor, slowly remembering bits and pieces with a little help from a neighboring artist (just the man for Megan!) and the vicar's formidable wife, stumbles upon the clues that will solve the case. Shades of Miss Marple. Dunn's departure from Daisy Dalrymple (Black Ship, 2008, etc.) is a serviceable modern-day version of the classic English village mystery. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Eleanor Trewynn, a widow who traveled the world with her husband, is now living in Port Mabyn, a small Cornish fishing village, where she runs a secondhand store that supports a charity. Her niece, Megan Pencarrow, is a recently promoted detective sergeant now assigned to a local station. Unfortunately for Megan, her DI does not approve of women on the police force. He also does not like Megan's aunt, who rather enjoys baiting him. When Eleanor and the vicar's wife find the dead body of a scruffy-looking young man in the stockroom of the shop, Eleanor becomes involved in the investigation. Then, after some donated jewelry that they thought was paste turns out to be very expensive and stolen in a London robbery, everyone assumes that the two cases are related. Dunn has a knack for writing meatier-than-usual cozies with strong female characters, and she has another charming winner here.--Bibel, Barbara Copyright 2009 Booklist
