Valley of the Ravens

by Nancy Buckingham

Following her father's deathbed wish, Sarah returned to live at the family's Elizabethan manor on Exmoor where she had spent a happy childhood. At first it seemed a magical place, but soon she felt a curious foreboding. She faces hostility, others believed that her sister Felicity had eloped with the coachman’s son after stealing jewelry.

Desperate to clear her sister’s name, Sarah finds that only her second-cousin Jerome is sympathetic. Jerome, the heir, has a wife, but Sarah cannot help loving him. But, what was it that he did on his visits to the abandoned hunting lodge in the Valley of the Ravens, and why did the smiles and charming ways of his invalid wife Nadine always seem so false?

Gothic Romance by Nancy Buckingham; originally published by Hawthorn Books.

Genres: Gothic

Audio Cassette

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Nancy Jean Buckingham was born on 10 August 1924 in Bristol, England, UK. In 1949, she married John Sawyer, born on 4 October 1919 in London, England, UK. They formed one of the most popular writing-team marriages. The first books, published under her maiden name Nancy Buckingham since 1967, are classical gothic novels. In the 1970s, they started to used the pseudonyms Christina Abbey and Erica Quest. In 1980, they sold her first novels to Silhouette, and combined their names to create the pen name Nancy John. They also published one novel as Hilary London. The last novels that they published are a popular police series as Erica Quest, protagonized by the Detective Chief Inspector Kate Maddox. Their last novel was released in 1992.

Nancy Jean Buckingham Sawyer was the eighth elected Chairman (1973-1975) of the Romantic Novelists' Association, and is now one of its vice-presidents. John passed away in 1994.

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was your typical Gothic novel, better than some, worse than others. I liked it, but not more than 3 stars. It takes place in England in an earlier time of carriages. After Sarah's dad died she returned to Farracombe, the manor house of her childhood. But it's a dark and brooding place with tensions beneath the surface. Her older sister disappeared from here five years earlier and the family said she ran off with the nephew of a servant but Sarah is sure that didn't happen. No one wants to answer any questions, though. Then accidents start to happen. Are they accidents? Does someone want her dead?

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normal Gothic romance novel. Only real complaint is never cared about any of the characters and goodness gracious does Sarah (main character) completely and utterly accuse people without any shred of evidence.

It was decent to say the least.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun little gothic romance/mystery, there's something quaint about this genre. Anyway I'll forget it tomorrow.