The Valley Beyond by Trevor Hudson

The Three Sisters thanks to Blue Mountains Tours

Title: The Valley Beyond 

Author: Trevor Hudson 

Publisher: not known 

Source: TV Series Murder She Wrote S5 E18 Trevor Hudson’s Legacy

The Valley Beyond is Trevor Hudson’s last book, written when he knew he was dying. Everyone says it’s a masterpiece and will secure his literary legacy.

As a member of the Trevor Hudson Literary Heritage Foundation, Jessica Fletcher recommended a writer friend, Robert “Bob” Jarrett, to edit the 400 page unfinished manuscript the Hudson family claimed they had found after Trev’s death. 

Trouble is, Trev, a hunting shooting fishing sort of Hemingway clone, didn’t write a book when he was dying, not even half a book. He was far too ill. Bob was presented with about 10 pages of notes written by Trev, and some incoherent scribbles in his daughter Maria’s handwriting which he was expected to turn into a novel. 

After Bob has finished his book, the best book he’s ever written, he gets cold feet and wants to come clean about the lack of source material. It feels like fraud. The family, especially grasping, expensively dressed, daughter Maria, who have been trumpeting the posthumous book, are livid. Bob opens up to Jessica about the fraud and she believes what he has to say. Maria, however, is determined to continue with the fiction that her father wrote The Valley Beyond, and Bob was merely the editor.

Before the situation can be resolved, the wretched Bob is murdered by - no I’m not going to tell you. And reprehensible shenanigans ensue.

We also learn that Trevor Hudson was the author of the Green Forest trilogy which is set in Maine. Trev lived in Maine for several months when he was researching these books and that’s when he became friendly with Jessica. He winkled out every single Down East anecdote that Jessica could think of to give his books the right flavour. A school teacher in the trilogy is based on Jessica.

The Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales
thanks to the University of Delaware abroad blog