What do you think?
Rate this book
Cornish Mystery #1
Manna from Hades (Cornish Mystery 1) by Dunn, Carola (2013) Paperback
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.
Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
126 people are currently reading
949 people want to read
About the author
Carola Dunn
91 books886 followersCarola Dunn is the author of more than 30 Regency romances, as well as 16 mysteries (the Daisy Dalrymple mystery series is set in England in the 1920s). Ms. Dunn was born and grew up in England, where she got a B.A. in Russian and French from Manchester University. She travelled as far as Fiji before returning to settle in California. After 30 years in the US, she says she still sounds as if she arrived a month ago.
Prior to writing, Ms. Dunn’s various jobs included market research, child-care, construction--from foundation trenches to roofing--and writing definitions for a dictionary of science and technology. She wrote her first novel in 1979, a Regency which she sold to Warner Books.
Now living in Eugene, Oregon, Ms. Dunn has a son in California who has just made her a grandmother, and a large black dog named Willow who takes her for a walk by the Willamette River each morning. (www.belgravehouse.com)
Prior to writing, Ms. Dunn’s various jobs included market research, child-care, construction--from foundation trenches to roofing--and writing definitions for a dictionary of science and technology. She wrote her first novel in 1979, a Regency which she sold to Warner Books.
Now living in Eugene, Oregon, Ms. Dunn has a son in California who has just made her a grandmother, and a large black dog named Willow who takes her for a walk by the Willamette River each morning. (www.belgravehouse.com)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 235 reviews
July 17, 2018
I'm going to stay with Dunn's Lady Daisy mysteries because this book didn't really overwhelm me. One major problem was that it tried to convince me that a character was unlikeable but never showed it. Megan keeps complaining about the fact that her boss is a misogynist who hates the idea of a women in the police force but we never see him treating her badly. Sure he is not the warm and cuddly welcoming type but at no point did he behave like he thought Megan couldn't do her job because she's a woman. He yelled at her once because she did not report to him when she was supposed to but when she explains that she found a witness who had vital information for the case and couldn't risk to keep her waiting because then she might disappear again he understands. At least once he tells her to do something because he is convinced she would be better at it than him and when he interacts with her male colleagues he doesn't treat them any different than her so I really can't see the sexism.
The only person he really looses his patience with is Megan's aunt and I can sympathize with him there. If I was a cop and a vital witness who found a body in her charity shop can't remember if she locked the shop or her flat (which is above the store), is incapable of telling me if there is anything missing and only remembers two days later that there was an anonymous donation of jewellery to the shop which could be connected to the murder I would probably yell a lot more than the poor inspector. (Disclaimer: It makes sense in context for Eleanor, Megan's aunt, to have a hard time remembering to lock her doors and as she assumed the jewellery was fake and turned up a day before the murder it also isn't completely unrealistic for her to forget about it in the first shock...but when she remembers she putts of telling the inspector about it for ridiculous reasons so I really can't blame him for getting mad at her. Also just because her tendency to forget door-locks exists makes sense doesn't mean it's not frustrating to read about...)
So, this book would already have been much better if it hadn't tried to tell me that a character was pure evil without showing me him doing anything evil but there is also the matter of the case itself. I don't want to keep comparing two different series by the same author but here I can't help it: Daisy is a proper amateur sleuth. She isn't working for the police but thanks to her Scotland Yard-husband and circumstances that are certainly not realistic in the actual world but make enough sense in the cozy-crime universe she gets involved in various cases and then investigates them. She does sort of work together with her husband and Dunn does avoid most of the more annoying cozy-tropes but she remains a civilian who is investigating a crime.
In Manna from Hades there's Megan, who as said is a police sergeant and it's her job to investigate the murder. There's also her aunt who is sort of the little old lady investigates-type except that she doesn't do any investigating. She never takes an active interest in the case in the way Daisy does. Her contribution to it consists of falling over the body at the beginning and then conveniently falling over the solution at the end (which the police managed to figure out almost simultaneously). I'm really not sure what was the point of that. It seems the book is trying to appeal to the cozy reader-audience but it isn't a cozy, it's a regular detective novel with real policemen (and women) investigating. Except for that it spends far too much time with a little old lady who does exactly zero sleuthing. I think I would actually have enjoyed this more when it hadn't tried to be a cozy because Megan and the rest of the characters in the book are quite interesting (hell, even Eleanor is, I just don't want to spent that much time with her when the narration tells us every other paragraph that she again forgot to lock her flat/the shop/her car) and the book also shows Dunn's talent when it comes to giving us characters that aren't simply black and white (which really makes me wonder even more why she is trying to convince us the Inspector is) and I wouldn't mind meeting them again but not so badly that I am willing to ignore all the stuff I didn't like.
The only person he really looses his patience with is Megan's aunt and I can sympathize with him there. If I was a cop and a vital witness who found a body in her charity shop can't remember if she locked the shop or her flat (which is above the store), is incapable of telling me if there is anything missing and only remembers two days later that there was an anonymous donation of jewellery to the shop which could be connected to the murder I would probably yell a lot more than the poor inspector. (Disclaimer: It makes sense in context for Eleanor, Megan's aunt, to have a hard time remembering to lock her doors and as she assumed the jewellery was fake and turned up a day before the murder it also isn't completely unrealistic for her to forget about it in the first shock...but when she remembers she putts of telling the inspector about it for ridiculous reasons so I really can't blame him for getting mad at her. Also just because her tendency to forget door-locks exists makes sense doesn't mean it's not frustrating to read about...)
So, this book would already have been much better if it hadn't tried to tell me that a character was pure evil without showing me him doing anything evil but there is also the matter of the case itself. I don't want to keep comparing two different series by the same author but here I can't help it: Daisy is a proper amateur sleuth. She isn't working for the police but thanks to her Scotland Yard-husband and circumstances that are certainly not realistic in the actual world but make enough sense in the cozy-crime universe she gets involved in various cases and then investigates them. She does sort of work together with her husband and Dunn does avoid most of the more annoying cozy-tropes but she remains a civilian who is investigating a crime.
In Manna from Hades there's Megan, who as said is a police sergeant and it's her job to investigate the murder. There's also her aunt who is sort of the little old lady investigates-type except that she doesn't do any investigating. She never takes an active interest in the case in the way Daisy does. Her contribution to it consists of falling over the body at the beginning and then conveniently falling over the solution at the end (which the police managed to figure out almost simultaneously). I'm really not sure what was the point of that. It seems the book is trying to appeal to the cozy reader-audience but it isn't a cozy, it's a regular detective novel with real policemen (and women) investigating. Except for that it spends far too much time with a little old lady who does exactly zero sleuthing. I think I would actually have enjoyed this more when it hadn't tried to be a cozy because Megan and the rest of the characters in the book are quite interesting (hell, even Eleanor is, I just don't want to spent that much time with her when the narration tells us every other paragraph that she again forgot to lock her flat/the shop/her car) and the book also shows Dunn's talent when it comes to giving us characters that aren't simply black and white (which really makes me wonder even more why she is trying to convince us the Inspector is) and I wouldn't mind meeting them again but not so badly that I am willing to ignore all the stuff I didn't like.
December 23, 2013
This was the most gentle murder mystery that I have ever read. The plot moved at a snail's pace. The forgetfulness of the protagonist meant that discussing a simple plot point took a few days. I was about as frustrated as the grumpy, rude DI Scumble.
We are told at the beginning of the tale that Eleanor Trewynn, our heroine, studied akido. This is a trick. The book is mostly about Eleanor losing her keys, forgetting things, Nick the artist's paintings, grumpy policemen and a plucky policewoman. It's very slow paced.
Aside from my grumbles it was a very relaxing, almost meditative read.
We are told at the beginning of the tale that Eleanor Trewynn, our heroine, studied akido. This is a trick. The book is mostly about Eleanor losing her keys, forgetting things, Nick the artist's paintings, grumpy policemen and a plucky policewoman. It's very slow paced.
Aside from my grumbles it was a very relaxing, almost meditative read.
May 31, 2017
Around 2/3 of the way through, I lost the thread of the story . . . and didn't care. Wanda McCaddon's narration couldn't bring this tedious, dated story to life for me.
dnf-abandoned
September 27, 2019I am too old and cranky a reader to forgive the 60 something woman dressed in a track suit and trainers in the 1960s.
August 6, 2022
Fun light cosy mystery to curl up with a nice cuppa or glass of wine
January 10, 2022
Another great Audible Plus find. I love Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalyrymple series so was excited to give this one a try.
Eleanor is a widowed retiree settled in a small Cornish fishing village -- I'm guessing it's the 1960s? -- who pours her heart and much of her time into founding and keeping up a charity shop. What makes her a unique cozy heroine (in this first book, anyway) is that she doesn't so much investigate as stumble upon things, which she then forgets to tell anyone about until much later. Eleanor isn't a dotty old lady though -- she's sharp and smart and able to handle anything that comes her way but she has a very different outlook on life since she's spent the majority of her adult life working along side her husband on third world country missionary endeavours. What Eleanor thinks of as important and the 'modern' English person thinks of as important are starkly different and that makes for some great mix-ups as well laugh-out-loud moments.
We get two points of view -- Eleanor's and her Detective Sergeant niece, Megan's. That's all kinds of interesting, since women constables and especially detectives aren't all that common in Cornwall in this era. There's a great cast of secondary characters with the usual quirks and foibles I expect to find in a cozy and the mystery is really well done.
Excellent narration by Wanda McFadden added that much more enjoyment to my 'read'. I'm definitely continuing with this series.
Eleanor is a widowed retiree settled in a small Cornish fishing village -- I'm guessing it's the 1960s? -- who pours her heart and much of her time into founding and keeping up a charity shop. What makes her a unique cozy heroine (in this first book, anyway) is that she doesn't so much investigate as stumble upon things, which she then forgets to tell anyone about until much later. Eleanor isn't a dotty old lady though -- she's sharp and smart and able to handle anything that comes her way but she has a very different outlook on life since she's spent the majority of her adult life working along side her husband on third world country missionary endeavours. What Eleanor thinks of as important and the 'modern' English person thinks of as important are starkly different and that makes for some great mix-ups as well laugh-out-loud moments.
We get two points of view -- Eleanor's and her Detective Sergeant niece, Megan's. That's all kinds of interesting, since women constables and especially detectives aren't all that common in Cornwall in this era. There's a great cast of secondary characters with the usual quirks and foibles I expect to find in a cozy and the mystery is really well done.
Excellent narration by Wanda McFadden added that much more enjoyment to my 'read'. I'm definitely continuing with this series.
July 4, 2017
I wanted so badly to love this book since I love the Daisy Dalrymple series but I couldn't. I kept double-checking the publication date because all through the book there were references to people, things, phrases and attitudes of the 1960's, although, nowhere in the book (that I could see) did the author give a clear time line. So I started out thinking this was contemporary but kept getting odd, disconcerting references that made me think I was mistaken. This wasn't the only thing that confused me either. The main character is meant to be eccentric but endearing but I got irritated by her early on. No one could be that wooly-headed! Where are my keys? Did I lock the door? No, I left the keys sticking out of the door! For a woman who has supposedly traveled all over the world she is unsophisticated (not in a good way) and too trusting. Either that or she's suffering from PTSD from the shock of her husband's death that is hinted at as being violent. And it is just beyond my realm of belief that high government officials need her to stop a civil war in Nigeria. Inspector Scumble may be short tempered and gruff but I totally sympathize with him when dealing with Eleanor. Her behavior could raise anyone's blood pressure. Sorry, this was not a very enjoyable book. Plus, I never could work out what the title was all about!
October 29, 2013
Having read and enjoyed many of Carola Dunn's 'Daisy Dalrymple' series I was interested to try her new series, which is set in 1960s - 1970s Cornwall.
The plot revolves around Eleanor Trewynn, a retired widow who lives in a Cornish village. One day she and the vicar's wife find the dead body of a longhaired, scruffy-looking youth hidden in the stockroom of their charity shop. Then they discover that some donated jewellery 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.
The 'blurb' says the story is a case of daring theft, double-cross, and a wily older woman confronted by a case of murder most foul, which led me to think that this would be similar to the Agatha Raisin series, but in reality, it's the local police who do the work. There's also little to really make it feel the story is set in the 1960s - 1970s.
The story is easy to read but is lacks pace - at 300 pages, it only really came to life in the last 50 pages.
The plot revolves around Eleanor Trewynn, a retired widow who lives in a Cornish village. One day she and the vicar's wife find the dead body of a longhaired, scruffy-looking youth hidden in the stockroom of their charity shop. Then they discover that some donated jewellery 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.
The 'blurb' says the story is a case of daring theft, double-cross, and a wily older woman confronted by a case of murder most foul, which led me to think that this would be similar to the Agatha Raisin series, but in reality, it's the local police who do the work. There's also little to really make it feel the story is set in the 1960s - 1970s.
The story is easy to read but is lacks pace - at 300 pages, it only really came to life in the last 50 pages.
May 26, 2021
Apparently I read this back in 2016, but I have zero recollection of doing so. Did a re-read and the rating remains 3 ⭐. Further review pending.
April 9, 2012
A comfortable, slightly unusual mystery set in the 1960s in Cornwall, but I like Dunn’s Daisy Dalrymple series better.
The story starts with the protagonist Eleanor, a senior in a small seaside village, discovering a corpse in her charity shop. Or rather it starts even before, when she found a briefcase full of jewelry in her car, after she came home from collecting donations for her shop. And she doesn’t know who donated the mysterious briefcase.
This is the first mystery I’ve ever read with a witness as the protagonist. And an inept witness: she doesn’t remember so many details. She forgets to lock her doors. She didn’t remember to tell the investigators about the jewelry until a couple days after her discovery of the corpse. She is a kind, absent-minded woman, but her character is vague, blurring around the edges: for the lead investigator as well as for the readers. Not the best choice of a protagonist, in my opinion.
The lead investigator DI Scumble, on the other hand, is very well defined, the most colorful among the characters of the novel, although his role is less than secondary. The author tries to picture him as a rude, uncouth boor, but he comes out as competent policeman, perhaps a bit sarcastic and definitely overworked.
The exchanges between Scumble and Eleanor, as well as many other dialogs in the book are worth mentioning. As always, Dunn’s language sparkles. Not as distinctive as her vernacular for the Daisy Dalrymple books, it’s nonetheless marvelously inventive and funny.
For example, after one of his infuriatingly uninformative interviews with his dreamy witness Eleanor, Scumble sighs. “His sigh was deep enough to have originated in the Antipodes.”
Another quote – a snatch of a dialog – made me laugh out loud. In it, one of Scumble’s associates is questioning Eleanor’s friend Nick.
“… you don’t think I had anything to do with this murder, do you? I’m a pacifist.” [Nick said]
“Don’t tell the inspector. He was hit over the head with a nuclear disarmament sign by an Aldermaston marcher.”
“Strewth, you’re having me on!”
“It’s a fact….”
Overall, a nice cozy read.
The story starts with the protagonist Eleanor, a senior in a small seaside village, discovering a corpse in her charity shop. Or rather it starts even before, when she found a briefcase full of jewelry in her car, after she came home from collecting donations for her shop. And she doesn’t know who donated the mysterious briefcase.
This is the first mystery I’ve ever read with a witness as the protagonist. And an inept witness: she doesn’t remember so many details. She forgets to lock her doors. She didn’t remember to tell the investigators about the jewelry until a couple days after her discovery of the corpse. She is a kind, absent-minded woman, but her character is vague, blurring around the edges: for the lead investigator as well as for the readers. Not the best choice of a protagonist, in my opinion.
The lead investigator DI Scumble, on the other hand, is very well defined, the most colorful among the characters of the novel, although his role is less than secondary. The author tries to picture him as a rude, uncouth boor, but he comes out as competent policeman, perhaps a bit sarcastic and definitely overworked.
The exchanges between Scumble and Eleanor, as well as many other dialogs in the book are worth mentioning. As always, Dunn’s language sparkles. Not as distinctive as her vernacular for the Daisy Dalrymple books, it’s nonetheless marvelously inventive and funny.
For example, after one of his infuriatingly uninformative interviews with his dreamy witness Eleanor, Scumble sighs. “His sigh was deep enough to have originated in the Antipodes.”
Another quote – a snatch of a dialog – made me laugh out loud. In it, one of Scumble’s associates is questioning Eleanor’s friend Nick.
“… you don’t think I had anything to do with this murder, do you? I’m a pacifist.” [Nick said]
“Don’t tell the inspector. He was hit over the head with a nuclear disarmament sign by an Aldermaston marcher.”
“Strewth, you’re having me on!”
“It’s a fact….”
Overall, a nice cozy read.
June 12, 2018
How incredibly disappointing!
Given that I’m such a fan of Dunn’s Daisy Dalrymple series, I’m shocked that this book is from the same author. And Dunn can’t even use the Cornish series as having beginners struggles since it was written AFTER her wonderful DD series.
There was very little mystery here, and what there was lacked interest. No whodunnit. More like “keep reading and I’ll tell you what happened without even giving you a chance to figure it out for yourself.” I like mysteries where I at least have the chance of figuring out who the criminal is!
The majority of this book is a journal of the daily life of a Cornish retiree and her merry gang. The individual characters are not bad, but they didn’t do much to entertain me.
Early on, I seriously considered tossing this book and moving on to another, but I held on in the hope that Dunn’s book would turn around somewhere and become as awesome as her DD series. Alas, it was a false hope.
Wanda McCaddon’s great narration was the only thing that made this book tolerable enough for me to finish. I will certainly NOT be reading any more of this series.
Given that I’m such a fan of Dunn’s Daisy Dalrymple series, I’m shocked that this book is from the same author. And Dunn can’t even use the Cornish series as having beginners struggles since it was written AFTER her wonderful DD series.
There was very little mystery here, and what there was lacked interest. No whodunnit. More like “keep reading and I’ll tell you what happened without even giving you a chance to figure it out for yourself.” I like mysteries where I at least have the chance of figuring out who the criminal is!
The majority of this book is a journal of the daily life of a Cornish retiree and her merry gang. The individual characters are not bad, but they didn’t do much to entertain me.
Early on, I seriously considered tossing this book and moving on to another, but I held on in the hope that Dunn’s book would turn around somewhere and become as awesome as her DD series. Alas, it was a false hope.
Wanda McCaddon’s great narration was the only thing that made this book tolerable enough for me to finish. I will certainly NOT be reading any more of this series.
June 14, 2017
Manna from Hades was a random pick from my library. I have had some good luck with random picks, so I held out hope for this one. I love watching British shows like this on Netflix, so I was hoping for a good story set in a small English town in the 60s. Good old fashioned detective work without the technology of today is always fun to read about. The problem that I ended up having with this book was it was so boring. There were multiple characters that is was hard to keep thing straight. Eleanor kept forgetting to tell the detectives things and would feed them information piecemeal as she remembered them. It got annoying and was clearly a device to push the plot along.
Another problem may have been that I listened tot he audio version of the book. The narrator didn't do a great job of differentiating between characters with different voices. So it was easy to confuse who was speaking. At about 70% I fast forwarded to the end. I wasn't impressed. I doubt I will continue with any more of this this series.
Another problem may have been that I listened tot he audio version of the book. The narrator didn't do a great job of differentiating between characters with different voices. So it was easy to confuse who was speaking. At about 70% I fast forwarded to the end. I wasn't impressed. I doubt I will continue with any more of this this series.
November 12, 2022
Ever wonder why a woman proven to be highly intelligent has different priorities in her observation is labelled "scatty" or "dim" while a male is labelled "eccentric"?
This tale is set in the 1960s in England.
Eleanor Trewynn is herself in her 60's and widowed after a peripatetic life all over the globe with her husband.
DI Scumble is set in his ways and a veritable parody of the breed.
Eleanor's niece, DS Megan Pencarrow is more than capable despite having to tolerate her DI.
Eleanor finds a body in the back room of the charity shop where she volunteers, and then the lunacy begins.
It's a nice, slow cosy good for sitting with a mug of caffeine and simply enjoying a look at where we've bee, how far we've come, and, maybe, how far we still have to go.
The narration is very nicely done by Wanda McCaddon who made the voices differentiate well.
This tale is set in the 1960s in England.
Eleanor Trewynn is herself in her 60's and widowed after a peripatetic life all over the globe with her husband.
DI Scumble is set in his ways and a veritable parody of the breed.
Eleanor's niece, DS Megan Pencarrow is more than capable despite having to tolerate her DI.
Eleanor finds a body in the back room of the charity shop where she volunteers, and then the lunacy begins.
It's a nice, slow cosy good for sitting with a mug of caffeine and simply enjoying a look at where we've bee, how far we've come, and, maybe, how far we still have to go.
The narration is very nicely done by Wanda McCaddon who made the voices differentiate well.
June 18, 2009
This book has all the good things about a cozy. The small Cornish village and likable characters. Eleanor is always hazy about keys and whether she has locked up. She lives over the charity store she collects donations for. Her niece is a detective sergeant with the Cornish police. Her boss is a cranky man who isn't quite sure there should be women police.
When Eleanor puts the donations away after a collection trip, she finds a jewel case with jewelry inside. Who could have given her this case? And the enjoyable ramble begins.
When Eleanor puts the donations away after a collection trip, she finds a jewel case with jewelry inside. Who could have given her this case? And the enjoyable ramble begins.
January 1, 2024
I enjoyed Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple series, so I thought I would try this series, and I'm very glad I did. I like the setting and getting to know the characters was done in a fun and interesting way. The mystery was not easily solved. I'm not sure how the absent-mindedness of one of the main characters was perhaps a little annoying, but understandable. I'll be reading the next book in the series.
September 10, 2020
Entertaining little cozy. Lots of friendly people in the small village, from the C of E Vicar’s wife and the Methodist Minister’s wife to the little old lady (who knows Akido and has worked with Africans and Indians) who collects donations for the charity shop. Oh! And the little old lady has a niece who just happens to be a police detective. Set in the 1960s. Enjoy!
stopped-reading-unfinished
June 16, 2021I read about 2 chapters and stopped. It wasn’t terrible, but it was just too cute for me. It was more about describing the protagonist’s forgetfulness and her bumbling, small-town ways. I just didn’t feel like reading farther.
March 4, 2017
This was my first "cozy" mystery in a while and I am glad I chose it to reintroduce me to the joys of this genre. This little town in Cornwall is going to give me lots of lovely hours of mystery.
November 7, 2021
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
December 22, 2020
Most of Carola Dunn's are a bit too rich with the Regency setting for me, but I enjoyed this one. I'm looking forward to reading Book #2 in this series.
April 24, 2022
Well, there are no more Daisy Dalrymples to read, so I am pillaging the rest of Dunn's backlist. This is a different series, set about fifty years later, but I think I will enjoy it. It has an elderly (bit older than me?) protagonist, her niece the police woman, and assorted village friends. Oh, there was a mystery, and I figured out the important bits, so I felt clever. That's always nice.
January 26, 2023
Ok, at this point I’ve read a lot of different cozy mystery series and can tell you that this one is not even close to my favourites.
The story is pretty boring and at some points you even loose the connections between the scenes. The title mystery is basically ruined in the first chapter and after that all the potential twists are also smashed.
Unfortunately, though the characters are nice and the setting creates some cozy vibes, it’s not enough to make the story exciting and good.
The story is pretty boring and at some points you even loose the connections between the scenes. The title mystery is basically ruined in the first chapter and after that all the potential twists are also smashed.
Unfortunately, though the characters are nice and the setting creates some cozy vibes, it’s not enough to make the story exciting and good.
Read
October 6, 2017Charity shop setting during 1960s era along England's Cornish coast....
September 14, 2020
Tepid plot and overworked cliches, but quaint characters, including a dotty aunt, once a world-traveling diplomat who might be quite interesting in later books.
March 12, 2017
In Manna from Hades by Carola Dunn, set in 1960s Cornwall, Eleanor Trewynn, a widow returned after a lifetime of adventures all over the world on behalf of LonStar (London Save the Starving Council), comes downstairs one morning to discover the murdered body of a young man unknown to anyone in her area. Eleanor had spent the previous day collecting donations for the thrift shop that raises money for LonStar. Upon unloading her car, she found a briefcase anonymously left in her car filled with jewelry that she assumes to be paste. Living above the LonStar shop, Eleanor finds the body amid the new donations piled up in the store room. With her absent-mindedness about locking her doors and using her keys, often forgetting them anywhere, including in the door or car, the young man could have easily entered the building. But why anyone would have even wanted to get into a charity thrift shop confuses the police, which includes Eleanor's niece, Detective Sergeant Megan Pencarrow.
Read the rest of this review, more reviews, and other wonderful, geeky articles on FangirlNation
Read the rest of this review, more reviews, and other wonderful, geeky articles on FangirlNation
March 15, 2010
Eleanor Trewynn is a widow living in a small fishing village in Cornwall. Until her husband died, they had both traveled the world for a charity, easing political situations and helping locals to a better life. She now lives in a flat above a charity shop to benefit the organization she once traveled the globe for.
After a day of collecting donations, she closes shop. The next morning as she's sorting through the donations, she discovers the body of a scruffy young man. This brings in the police, the irascable Detective Inspector Scumble and his sargent, Megan, who happens to be Eleanor's niece.
In a complex set of circumstances, half remembered and absent minded recollections, the case is solved by a delightful group of quirky villagers.
After a day of collecting donations, she closes shop. The next morning as she's sorting through the donations, she discovers the body of a scruffy young man. This brings in the police, the irascable Detective Inspector Scumble and his sargent, Megan, who happens to be Eleanor's niece.
In a complex set of circumstances, half remembered and absent minded recollections, the case is solved by a delightful group of quirky villagers.
September 12, 2024
Is this book going to set the world on fire? No but that's great because I didn't want to read that kind of book.
I've been trying a bunch of new (to me) cozy mystery type books lately and a few have been ho hum but this one was good. It doesn't follow a strict cozy mystery road, it kind of meanders along like one of the Cornish countryside lanes the lead character drives.
I found most of the characters as likeable as they were supposed to be and the step back into a time without computers and smartphones was nice. I felt the author caught the discomfort of societal change well without making it a big thing. I'll definitely be returning for more from this series.
I've been trying a bunch of new (to me) cozy mystery type books lately and a few have been ho hum but this one was good. It doesn't follow a strict cozy mystery road, it kind of meanders along like one of the Cornish countryside lanes the lead character drives.
I found most of the characters as likeable as they were supposed to be and the step back into a time without computers and smartphones was nice. I felt the author caught the discomfort of societal change well without making it a big thing. I'll definitely be returning for more from this series.
January 11, 2012
I took me a little while to work out in which decade this book is set as the book I was reading was printed in 2009 and gave no other dates, but I worked out it was set in the 60s. Miniskirts are still frowned upon as are "dark eyeshadow and pale pink lipstick" (I had visions of Dusty Springfield).
The story is all a bit "stiff upper lip" for me. The characters are all Oh so British!! But it was somewhat entertaining especiall towards the end. A gentle read with no sex in it. Why has nobody turned it into a Wycliffe episode? Wycliffe could have Scumble's part.
The story is all a bit "stiff upper lip" for me. The characters are all Oh so British!! But it was somewhat entertaining especiall towards the end. A gentle read with no sex in it. Why has nobody turned it into a Wycliffe episode? Wycliffe could have Scumble's part.
January 7, 2018
This is easy reading when you don't want to think too hard and just want a lite read. It was fun and silly. The characters grew on me as I progressed through the book. The story line was simple, but enjoyable and there were enough characters to keep it interesting. One thing I do suggest - do not read this after a really great murder mystery that is intricate and the character development excellent - otherwise you will start off being disappointed. This isn't great fiction, but worth a read when you need a break.
December 2, 2021
I love the main character Eleanor and her attitude. She is always losing her keys and what she tells doesn't tell the detectives (because she didn't think it was important) shows such relatable character. Just reminds me of an older Grandma. The story is interesting and keeps my interest peaked. I did read #2 in the series before this one, but overall it didn't matter much because it is it's own story. Looking forward to reading #3 now.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 235 reviews