Book Review: The Queen of the Valley by Lorena Hughes

Rating: 3.75⭐

Set in Columbia in 1925, during the Cali earthquake, the narrative of The Queen of Valley follows Maria Purificacion “Puri” de Lafont y Toledo as she travels to Colombia in search of Martin Sabater, with whom she shared history and who was her cacao supplier for her chocolate business. Martin owned his own cacao plantation and was in contact with Puri until recently. Martin’s most recent correspondence has Puri concerned for his wellbeing and when she arrives at his hacienda in the aftermath of an earthquake, barely escaping being attacked by miscreants on the way, she comes to know that Martin disappeared on the night of a fundraising gala held at his residence three months ago and is presumed dead. Puri, posing as a nun, finds a position helping take care of patients amid a cholera outbreak while she searches for clues that could lead her to the truth behind Martin’s disappearance. His hacienda has been converted into a hospital run by his childhood friend Dr. Farid Manzur, whose sister Sor Camila, a nun, is working as a nurse in the hospital. Another childhood friend of Martin’s, photographer Lucas Ferreira is also present on the premises, curious about what happened to Martin and on a personal quest for answers to questions about his own family history. The narrative follows Lucas, Puri and Camila as they try to make sense of what happened to Martin.

I really enjoyed The Spanish Daughter by Lorena Hughes and was eager to meet Puri and Martin once again and see how their story continued. The Queen of the Valley by Lorena Hughes is a well-written novel. I enjoyed the setting and the suspenseful vibe. Combining elements of historical fiction with family drama and an intricately plotted mystery set amid the Cali earthquake of 1925, I found this to be an engrossing read. Presented from the perspectives of Lucas, Puri and Camila, the author deftly weaves past and present timelines into a well-rounded narrative. The pacing is a tad uneven but not so much that messes with the flow of the story., The mystery behind Martin’s disappearance was well crafted but with so many subplots and storylines in the mix, I thought the narrative got a tad convoluted which did detract from the overall reading experience and left me with some questions at the end. Overall, while I enjoyed the story, I did not find it as compelling as The Spanish Daughter.

Though this novel can be read as a standalone, I would recommend reading The Spanish Daughter before picking this one up to fully appreciate Puri and Martin’s backstory.

Many thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.