Daisy Dalrymple series author launches new mystery book series set in 1960s Cornwall, England *** 3 Stars

By Gabrielle Pantera

Manna from Hades by Carola Dunn

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 5/11/2009 – “When I finished Manna from Hades my daughter-in-law arranged a tea-party to celebrate the completion of my 50th book,” says Manna from Hades author Carola Dunn. “We went to a fancy resort hotel. The staff somehow got the idea that it was a birthday party and they all gathered around to sing happy birthday.”

Manna from Hades is set in Cornwall during the 1960s is a new series by Carola Dunn. Dunn writes the Daisy Dalrymple series. Eleanor Trewynn, a well traveled widow gathers donations for the local charity shop, Lon Star, in Port Mabyn where she retired after her late husband died. One morning she finds a dead body in the shops storeroom and becomes embroiled in the investigation. Det. Sgt. Megan Pencarrow, Eleanor’s niece and Detective Inspector Scumble arrive to find out more about the possible murder. Scumble’s not a fan of women on the police force, and gets exasperated with Eleanor’s idiosyncrasy. Eleanor’s pron to forgetting to lock doors and doesn’t remembering little facts until later. Megan is under pressure to prove herself to her boss.

“About three years ago I got the idea for Manna From Hades,” says Dunn. “In a sense I’ve spent all my life researching for Manna from Hades. From the age of 8, I spent summer and often Easter holidays with my family in North Cornwall. Now my sister lives on the other side of the county, on the banks of the Tamar north of Plymouth. So my connection with the county goes back a long way.”

Dunn talks about how she started writing “I sat down at the kitchen table with a ballpoint pen and a stack of paper and wrote. I never took any creative writing classes or read any how-to books, but I’ve always read a lot,” says Dunn. “I wrote my first book in 1979, sold it in 1980, and it was published in 1981.”

About writing two different series at the same time. “Fun. The time periods and characters are so different, I manage to keep the two separate in my mind except for an occasional temptation to use 1920s slang in the 1960s,” says Dunn.

“I’ve had signings at independent mystery bookstores up and down the West Coast, and I have more planned in my hometown of Eugene,” says Dunn. “And the Portland chapter of Sisters in Crime threw a party in honor of my 50th book. It’s the first time I’ve ever worn a tiara!”

Dunn has written 51 books not counting novellas. The 18th in her Daisy Dalrymple mystery series, Sheer Folly, will be out in September and she’s working on the second in the Cornish mystery series.

This 1960s English village mystery is very different from her Daisy Dalrymple series. It’s a character driven police procedural, with amateur sleuth thrown in. The character development is slower then most people will like, but it fits the pace of life in the small Cornish village. Each character does have strong personality traits and you can see how they might grate on the other characters. It will be interesting to see how this series progresses.

Manna from Hades by Carola Dunn
Hardcover, 320 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Release: March 17, 2009
ISBN 9780312379452