Children of the Valley (Lucian Wing Book 3)

Nice little gem of a book. Freeman’s writing reminds me of James Sallis. Heartfelt, rough, at times funny. Beautiful prose. Hardscrabble characters. The third in the Lucian Wing series, CHILDREN OF THE VALLEY follows the sheriff and a cast of rich characters on the trail of a local boy, Duncan, and a young girl from his boarding school. It appears as though the girl’s rich stepdad has done her untold harm, causing her to run off with protector Duncan, and now has sent some henchmen to bring her back. I say appears because something else altogether may be happening. The ride to find out isn’t a long one but it is enjoyable.

Children of the Valley is the third instalment in the Sheriff Lucian Wing series, set in rural Vermont. Having been called to the scene of a disturbance where a man named Rhumba is holed up keeping his wife and four kids inside and apparently brandishing a gun, Lucian talks to him to try and diffuse the situation, which works like a charm. Returning to his office at the sheriff's department recently relocated from the county courthouse to the old District 4 school in South Cardiff, he is greeted by a man in his fifties dressed in a sharp pin-stripe suit. The patronising Carl Armentrout is a Special Assistant, aka lawyer on retainer, at Lord Enterprises in New York and has been sent to visit Lucian by his employer, Rex Lord, whose 17-year-old stepdaughter, Pamela, has been missing for four days. Having been attending St Bartholomew's boarding school near Boston, Massachusetts, she had agreed to spend her summer vacation with her father, but when his driver had gone to collect her she was nowhere to be found and no one has heard hide nor hair of her since. Through sources, her father believes her to be in the Vermont area and that she may have run off with protector, football player Duncan March due to a troubled relationship with Rex.

Lucian drives out to South Devon to speak to retired lawyer Addison Jessup, who is familiar with both Duncan and Rex Lord's estranged wife, and Pamela's mother, Carlotta Campbell. Pammy was the product of Carlotta and State Department Diplomat Roger DeMorgan's marriage. It appears that Rex Lord is a ruthless criminal but with so much wealth and power, he is seemingly allowed to act with impunity. Can they find the girl and work out why she disappeared before Rex has his underworld connections put pressure on Lucian? This is a compulsive and addictive thriller filled with action and intense drama. I loved the refreshing storyline and the way it is written pulls you into the story and refuses to let you go from the very beginning. I adored the snarky humour throughout and the well-drawn cast of characters, most of whom are highly unlikeable, are engaging. Lucian and his colleagues are hard done by local cops who are forthright and no-nonsense. It's a richly woven tale, which is more complex and convoluted than it initially appears, and the pressure to find the girl, due to those who are on Lucian's back, adds an extra element of tension. A thoroughly enjoyable read and one I highly recommend.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Farrago Books for a review copy of Children of the Valley, the third novel to feature Sheriff Lucian Wing, set in rural Vermont.

Lucian is approached by Carl Armentrout, fixer to New York millionaire Rex Lord who is looking for his runaway teenage stepdaughter, Pamela deMorgan. Lucian doesn’t like Armentrout’s strong arm tactics and likes even less the muscle he brought with him and wonders about their motives.

I enjoyed Children of the Valley which is the first novel in the series that I have read. The plot is fairly straightforward, protect Pamela and sort out the bad guys, but Lucian cannot control the vagaries of rural life, like a rampaging Big John and several eccentric locals. It’s interesting and even laugh out loud funny in parts. There is, however, one slight catch to the novel for me. I know nothing about rural life and even less about Vermont so I thought some of the characters seemed caricaturish. It may well be that I’m wrong but I have no points of reference.

On the other hand I like Lucian Wing and I thought that his depiction of life as a rural sheriff, chronically underfunded, ignored or looked down on by the state police and relegated to policing minor crime, rang true. I haven’t quite worked out his relationship with his wife which seems decidedly volatile so I’ll have to read the other novels in the series.

Children of the Valley is an entertaining and undemanding read, ideal for a spot of escapism.

Children of the Valley by Castle Freeman is third in the Lucian Wing series. Another entertaining read with a touch of humor, mystery, suspense and a unique cast of characters. At the heart of it is the down to earth sheriff, Lucian Wing. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.