Book Review: The Queen of the Valley by Lorena Hughes
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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.
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