Valley of the Lost (Trafalgar Mystery) (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of Delany's engaging second mystery to feature Constable Molly Smith (after 2007's In the Shadow of the Glacier), Molly's mother is leaving work one evening at the Trafalgar Women's Support Center in British Columbia when a baby's cry draws her to the nearby woods, where she finds a baby boy, wrapped in a blanket—and the body of a young woman. The victim, presumably the boy's mother, appears to have died from a heroin overdose, but restraint marks on her wrists point to foul play. Molly and her mentor, Sgt. John Winters, comb Trafalgar in an effort to identify the woman. After discovering that her first name was Ashley, the police officers learn that the developer of a controversial new resort being built outside of town had a heated argument with Ashley shortly before she died. Delaney explores the social dynamics of a small mountain community as well as deftly handling the plot's twists and turns as it builds to a pulse-pounding conclusion. (Feb.)
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From Booklist

Lucky Smith finds a young woman, dead of a heroin overdose, and her infant son, Miller, when she is leaving the Women’s Support Center for the day. When it turns out the woman shows signs of having been restrained, Trafalgar, British Columbia, Sergeant John Winters investigates her murder with the help of Probationary Constable Molly Smith, Lucky’s daughter. Meanwhile, Molly is still recovering from the death of her fiancé, and Lucky volunteers to take Miller in until his relatives can be found. This second Molly Smith mystery, following In the Shadow of the Glacier (2007), again contrasts the beautiful British Columbia wilderness, vividly described by Delany, with the sober realities of contemporary crime, in this case, murder and drug use. Molly, a dedicated cop determined to succeed in what is primarily a man’s profession, makes an engaging lead character. --Sue O'Brien

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 291 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press; 1 edition (February 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159058595X
• ISBN-13: 978-1590585955
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,086,700 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Valley Of The Lost, February 28, 2009

By	Dorothy McIntosh - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

New and interesting settings encourage me to take a second look at a book and I loved the scenes in this one - the mountain village of Trafalgar, a place of last resort for transients and ex-hippies in the rugged and beautiful British Columbia Kootenays. The plot gets strong kick start when an abandoned baby lying near his dead mother is discovered on the murky, brush strewn slopes of a forest. Equal to the mystery is Molly Smith, a young, ambitious constable eager to prove herself. I found the interplay between Molly and her mentor, Sergeant John Winters, really convincing. I also liked watching relationships between the town's characters unfold as we're caught up in the central intrigue. A very good read!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great read!, March 5, 2009

By	Madeleine G. Harris - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Valley of the Lost is an engaging, light-toned police procedural that doesn't shy away from exploring social problems in a small west coast town: underage pregnancy, sexual interference and illegal drugs. Constable Molly Smith is a sympathetic protagonist new to the job who must contend with a demanding boss and her aging hippy parents. Plenty of humour when her parents' views of the justice system and marihuana grow-ops don't quite line up with her own.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific light mystery, February 12, 2009

By	Reader Views "www.readerviews.com" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

Reviewed by Deb Shunamon for Reader Views (11/08)

When the personalities and daily lives of the characters in a book are so interesting that they can cause a reader to forget that a murder has just taken place, you are with a good writer. The thoroughly enjoyable "Valley of the Lost," is the second in a series by Canadian author Vicki Delany, featuring Trafalgar City Police investigators Detective John Winters, and Constable Molly "Moonbeam" Smith. Although the suspicious death of a young mother is the main focus of this mystery, the brilliant portrayal of the people living in this Kootenay mountain-like setting is simply wonderful, and locating the woman's killer was not a major concern for me most of the time...until the unexpected happened. Molly's community-minded mother cares for the dead woman's orphaned baby, a controversial development project becomes an unwelcome part of Winter's life, and the boundaries between personal life and police work are played out while solving a crime that stretches the length of the Pacific Northwest.

There is a leisurely pace to this story, and along the way it exposes some idiosyncrasies of smaller communities such as the boredom of the young and free-spirited "hippy" vs. traditional lifestyles. Although bits and pieces of clues are steadily given, there was a sudden jolt back into the nastiness of the crime which I was unprepared for and loved. Vicki Delany is a good writer, and I did not want to leave these crime solvers and their community, so I am glad she is writing a series. A very intimate feeling was created, and for a very personal kind of mystery book that is hard to put down; where a strong connection between the reader, the protagonists, and the characters in their lives is effectively created, give "Valley of the Lost" by Vicki Delaney a try. It is truly a terrific, light mystery novel.