Buried in the Country

At the start of Dunn’s atmospheric fourth Cornish mystery set in the 1960s (after 2012’s Valley of the Shadow), Sir Edward Bellowe of the Commonwealth Relations Office invites retired widow Eleanor Trewynn to a hush-hush meeting in Tintagel to help reconcile two students, who represent opposing political factions in Rhodesia. A lifetime of traveling the world for an international charity has given Eleanor formidable diplomatic skills. Eleanor’s police officer niece, Det. Insp. Megan Pencarrow, is annoyed at being called off a missing-persons case to provide security for the meeting, until she spots two shady characters at the hotel where the meeting is taking place. As the story unfolds, connections come to light among the suspicious miscreants, the missing person, the diplomatic mission, and a murder in a nearby village. Eleanor’s travels have made her unusually open-minded for her time. The rewards of this entertaining cozy include characters with depth, an interesting bit of history, and an exciting chase through the moors. Agent: Alice Volpe, Northwest Literary. (Dec.)