The Hawkline Monster - a Gothic Western

You just never know what you are going to find at a library book sale.  A few months back, I went to the large book sale held at the Orlando Public Library in downtown Orlando (where else would it be?), and while I did not really expect to find anything that would interest me, I stumbled across this particular book, with its cover showcasing a rambling house with three chimneys pouring out black smoke, while far in the background, a man on a horse watches.  The tagline under the picture describes the book as "The bestselling author's wildly imaginative novel about a mansion, a monster, and a Magic Child."  Looking back up at the title, that is when I noticed the subtitle: "A Gothic Western."  Okay, that was definitely unusual.  One never thinks of Gothic novels being set in the Old West.  So, I pulled out my phone and did a quick search - and discovered that Richard Brautigan is known for his satire and surrealism, writing on themes that include the absurdity in modern life.  Well, I don't think anything could be more absurd than what takes place in this book!

 

The Hawkline Monster, which is Brautigan's fifth novel, published in 1974, centers around two bounty hunters (for lack of a better term) - Greer and Cameron. Interestingly enough, the book opens with them in Hawaii, where they are watching their mark - only to see him teaching his child how to ride a horse, at which point Greer complains that he cannot kill a man who is teaching his kid how to ride a horse (p. 9), so the two return to San Francisco, where they kill a Chinaman to make some money before traveling on to Portland - and that is where the weirdness begins.  As they are whoring up at a whore house (yeah, don't ask), Magic Child shows up.  Yes, Magic Child is her name.  An Indian girl.  Or so she seems.  She has a job for the two men, a job only they can do.  A certain Miss Hawkline, who lives in an old mansion on Dead Hills, needs them to kill a monster that lives under her house.  A monster that her father created.  A monster that killed her father.  A monster that is now trying to escape.

 

That doesn't sound too weird, you say?  Well, did I mention that Magic Child was not an Indian at all.  In fact, Magic Child did not exist at all.  Upon their arrival at the Hawkline house, Magic Child mysteriously changes into a perfect duplicate of Miss Hawkline.  Her twin sister.  And the two Miss Hawklines have no knowledge of Magic Child.  They just want the monster gone.  You know, the one that lives down in the ice caves below the house.  The house that is freezing in the middle of summer - freezing so much, there are drift piles of snow around the house.  Despite the heat outside.  Greer and Cameron want to kill the monster, but somehow, they keep getting sidetracked.  And what is that strange little glimmer of light that seems to be floating around the house, dragging a rather reluctant shadow with it?  Greer and Cameron have their suspicions, but Miss Hawkline and Miss Hawkline are oblivious to it.  Oh, and then there is the Hawkline's butler, a massive giant who is oh-so-gentle.   Sadly, he dies.  Before they can decide what to do with the body, Miss Hawkline and Miss Hawkline decide they want to have their way with Greer and Cameron -so they go upstairs to the bedrooms and pass the time.  When they return to the ground floor, they discover the butler - who is still dead - is now a dwarf, completely shrouded by the giant's clothes.  Just what is going on in this house?

 

Brautigan manages to write a creepy novel while having all of his characters maintain completely unruffled and nonchalant attitudes about all of the weirdness going on around them.  The lack of fear, the lack of surprise, and the lack of disbelief - all of it works together to make this book a thoroughly enjoyable and fun read!  I never expected to read a gothic novel set in the Old West (the book takes place in 1902, just after the turn of the century), but Brautigan makes it work.   There are vulgarities within the story - not just the language, but the sexual scenes, as well - but they actually fit with the characters from the Old West and do not detract from the gothic nature of the house and its monster.  While we do not have the standard damsel in distress, the fact that Miss Hawkline and Miss Hawkline are twins can be construed as Brautigan's way of poking fun at the gothic trope of a young woman being torn between two men - here, instead, we have the same woman duplicated, so that each man has their own version of Miss Hawkline.  In fact, until the monster is destroyed, the two women do not even have first names, so it is impossible to differentiate one from the other.

 

The realization of the monster in the book is also a unique take on the gothic theme.  In most cases, the "monster" turns out to be human, usually one of the men courting the main character.  In this instance, the monster turns out to be a very real creature, created by a mixture of supernatural and scientific experimentation, and it has taken control of the entire house.  It has a mind of its own; however, it is not completely evil, as it has a shadow that seems to have a conscience - a shadow that is being forced to follow the light everywhere it goes, unable to stop it from doing what it is doing to the inhabitants of the house.  Thus, instead of an internal struggle of good and evil seen in your typical gothic characters, we have a very visible struggle between good and evil,, lights and dark.  The book is truly a unique take on the genre. 

 

If you can manage to get your hands on a copy of this book, I would recommend it - it's worth the read!

 

RATING:  10 elephant foot umbrella stands out of 10 for mixing two genres with hilarious success and completely unexpected results! 

The Sherlock Society (Book One of the Sherlock Society mysteries)

This is another book that came to me as a recommendation.  I had it on my Amazon watchlist already, but I did not buy it until James Keeline gave me the heads up that the author, James Ponti set the book in South Florida.  I was aware Ponti was a Florida resident, but I did not know he was giving us a series set in my home state, so I went online and made the purchase.  I was even more excited to see that Amazon already had the second book available for pre-order!  Keeline told me that the writing of this book was "a cut above most juveniles," so I definitely went into it with high hopes.  I mean, how could it possibly fail - Sherlock, Florida, mystery, children's series - such a fantastic combination!  Well, as the old saying goes, don't judge a book by its cover...

 

The Sherlock Society introduces a group of three middle school children who are getting ready to spend their summer vacation doing the normal things to earn money - babysitting, moving lawns, etc.  Alex Sherlock and his two friends, Lina and Yadi, are not looking forward to the prospects; but they are enjoying the escape room that the school librarian created for them, giving them some fun puzzles to solve within a limited time in order to "escape" the library.  What they did not expect is for Alex's sister, Zoe, to show up and help them work together to "escape" before the time expired!  And even more shocking is Zoe's idea to form a detective club for the summer, to earn money doing something they love!  Enter: the Sherlock Society!

 

I was truly looking forward to an intricate mystery, filled with plenty of riddles and clues; however, what I got was a travelogue of South Florida with snippets of one mystery that gets dumped in exchange for another mystery half-way through the book.  Perhaps it is because I live in Florida, but I got quickly bored with all of the detailed descriptions of Miami,  Biscayne Bay, Alligator Alley, the Everglades, and the surrounding areas, along with considerable exposition about the history of these locations.  And when they made the decision to search for Al Capone's missing millions, allegedly buried somewhere in South Florida, I was actually rather intrigued.  The crew began following up on various clues they were uncovering - but when they reached the place where they believe the money was hidden away, suddenly the entire focus of the mystery changed - the search for Al Capone's treasure was dropped, and the Sherlock Society began searching for who was illegally dumping dangerous waste materials into the Everglades.  So, instead of searching for money that would make them wealthy (in their minds), they decide to save the environment and hunt down the men who are killing the animal and plant life of the Everglades.

 

Do you see the more than obvious morality lesson here?

 

Don't get me wrong - I'm all for saving the environment, and I do believe those who are illegally and purposefully dumping deadly waste into rivers and lakes should be ferreted out and punished.  What I do not particularly enjoy is when a good children's mystery is overtly written to push that idea.  At least Ponti did not have the kids completely give up on Al Capone's missing millions, as the very last chapter of the book has them stumble upon the possible location of the money - perhaps a lead-in to the second book?  (No, checking the description for Hurricane Heist on Amazon, which is set to be released in September, it appears that book has nothing to do with Capone's money.)  It simply feels like a bait and switch - here's a great mystery about missing money with some interesting clues to be discovered along the way - but wait, no, let's forget that mystery so I can teach you a lesson about caring for the environment!

 

With that being said, I did rather enjoy the characters - Ponti breathes life into them that makes them very readable and relatable.  Alex is your typical young teen, ready to jump the gun and get into the action.  Lina is the booksmart fish-out-of-water Midwestern girl, who knows how to research with a thirst for knowledge.  Yadi is the aspiring film maker, with some great devices to help the Society using modern technology (although the constant references to him being a "conspiracy theorist" because of some of his beliefs felt more like a political statement than a characterization).  Zoe is the not-so-stereotypical teenage girl frustrated with her parents for not allowing her to go to camp with her friends, but who learns what true friendship is within the Sherlock Society that she forms!  And Grandpa (the kids' mother's father) is a real hoot - helping the Society as their driver, but ultimately getting them into trouble by letting his own love of adventure take them into some very dangerous territory.  All of the characters (including Mr. and Mrs. Sherlock) play well off of one another, and Ponti creates a diverse, real-world cast that help save the story from being a complete failure.

 

Oh, and I must say - if you are hoping the book will have a lot of references to Sherlock Holmes, based on the title (which is actually a reference to the main characters' last name - Alex and Zoe Sherlock), you will be disappointed.  Sure, there are a few references scattered throughout, but not at much as one would expect.

 

Based on this book, I will not be picking up any further books in the series.  Perhaps the next book, and those that follow, will feature better stories than this one, and if that is the case, then great!  I certainly wish Ponti success with the series.  But I have enough ongoing mystery series, both children's series and adult series, that I find much more enjoyable and readable.  I gave it a shot, and it simply did not meet up to my expectations, particularly given the recommendation I received.

 

RATING:  5 well-loved books on botany out of 10 for creating a fun new cast of young sleuths who (hopefully!) will solve some great mysteries in the future.

Meg and the Disappearing Diamonds - Mystery #1 in a series

I can remember reading the "Meg" series of mysteries back when I was a kid, but the only thing I truly remember is a scene where Meg pretends to be sick, so she puts the thermometer into a cup of hot chocolate to make the temperature rise!  I do not even recall which book that scene is in, but I do remember at the time wondering if I could get away with that trick.  As an adult collector, I tracked down not only the six paperbacks I had as a kid, but also the six original hardback editions published by Whitman that came out nearly a decade prior to the paperbacks.  However, having them on the shelf and actually re-reading them are two different things.  Recently, though, my friend Jarrell Dickey was telling me he picked up and re-read a Meg book or two, and we got to talking about it, and I realized it was time to re-read this series - so, thanks to Jarrell, I've jumped back into the world of Margaret Ashley Duncan - the young sleuth known as Meg!

 

Meg and the Disappearing Diamonds is the first book in this series, written by Holly Beth Walker. From what I could discover, "Holly Beth Walker" is merely a pseudonym used by Western Publishing for the series.  It is believed Gladys Baker Bond (who wrote many Whitman Authorized Editions, as well as three Trixie Belden books) authored this particular Meg mystery.  The story centers around some precious diamonds owned by Mrs. Partlow, which she decides to show to the neighborhood ladies at an outside tea party.  The diamond bracelet, the diamond earrings, the diamond necklace, and the diamond snood (an ornamental headdress that is used to cover the hair on the back of your head, as Meg explains on page 53) all disappear from the party right in full view of the guests!  Meg, and her best friend Kerry Carmody, set about to discover who stole the valuable jewelry and return it to Mrs. Partlow in time for her to wear them to her niece's wedding.

 

The book only has 124 pages of story, of which 25 pages contain full-page illustrations and 11 pages contain half-page illustrations, which leaves less than 100 pages of actual story.  As one can imagine, this does not provide room for an in-depth, strongly developed mystery; rather, the mystery is somewhat simple and clearly aimed at younger readers (perhaps on the same reading level as The Bobbsey Twins or The Happy Hollisters).  That does not mean the story was not well-written, nor that it was not enjoyable.  On the contrary, the mystery was actually a fun read.  Meg is an independent, self-reliant young sleuth, and her friend Kerry feels like a combination of Bess and George - somewhat reluctant at times, but also ready and willing to jump in and help when needed.  Kerry's brother,Mike, makes a couple of appearances in the story, but he does not play a strong role.  Meg's Siamese cat, Thunder, on the other hand, plays a major role in this book!  In fact, for me, Thunder was the break-out character in the story.  He immediately recognizes the villain, being none too friendly with this person, and ultimately he has the secret to the hidden diamonds.

 

The character of Meg falls in line with so many of her contemporaries.  Her mother is out of the picture, and her father is a professional who permits his daughter considerable freedom.  In this instance, Mr. Duncan is described as "one of the men who work in government in Washington, D.C." (p. 14).  Meg is under the care of the Duncan's housekeeper, Mrs. Wilson, and her husband, Mr. Wilson.  The family lives in Hidden Springs, Virginia (p. 15).  While there is no city by the name of Hidden Springs in Virginia, there is a "Hidden Springs Family Farm" that dates back to 1731.  Within Hidden Springs is Holly House, the name given to Mrs. Partlow's homestead.  It could be the name was taken from the "author's" first name; however, there is a Holly Hill estate in St. Stephens Church, Virginia, which is a 200-year old estate that is registered as one of Virginia's Historical Landmarks - so perhaps the name was inspired by that house.  Since the Holly Hill estate boasts a lavish garden-view sunroom with a terrace overlooking formal gardens, that seems to mirror the beautiful gardens in which Mrs. Partlow throws her tea party in the book.

 

Speaking of those gardens, the story describes some very interesting plants that grow within Mrs. Partlow's gardens.  Arborvitae, creeping phlox, candytuft, and yellow alyssum all grow around the garden, and in the corner are holly bushes, which "gave the place its name" (p. 38).  I honestly had to look up these plans, as I had never heard of them!  Arborvitae are a family of evergreen trees that are very hardy and are often used to make evergreen hedges.  Creeping phlox is a low-growing plant that creates a carpet of flowers that bloom in early to mid-spring, often with a pink, purple, or bluish hue.  Candytuft is another low-growing plant, which blooms some beautiful white flowers.  And yellow alyssum is described as a "hairy" herb that produces stems of yellow flowers from May to July that eventually fade to white, with four small petals.  Clearly, Mrs. Partlow had quite an eclectic garden!

 

The internal illustrations of both the hardback version and paperback version of this book are the same, provided by Cliff Schule (1918-2000).  Schule was well-known for his portraits, including one of Henry Kissinger.  He served as a commercial illustrator for a number of years, providing illustrations for Western Publishing books.  The covers for the paperback editions featured covers by a different artist - Olindo Giacomini.  I much prefer the cover design and cover art to the paperback versions, but I was disappointed to find next-to-nothing about Giacomini online.  I found numerous books that he illustrated and/or authored, but I could find nothing about the artist himself.  The only thing I did find was on the "Find a Grave" website, which lists an Olindo P. Giacomini as having been born in 1930, died in 1989, and buried in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Holy Cross Cemetery and Mausoleum (Olindo P. Giacomini).  I was also able to find obituaries for Olindo's brother (Dino) and mother (Amanda), but none for Olindo.  I did find a mention of Olindo Giacomini as an art editor for the yearbook staff at Riverside High School in Milwuakee, Wisconsin, which would coincide with the city where he was ultimately buried. But nothing else! I find it extremely interesting that in today's day and age, someone could have so little of a digital trail, and that an author/artist who seems to have had a number of books with his work published has no information about his work out there.  A mystery to be solved!

 

The book may not offer up a difficult mystery for readers to solve, it does provide an enjoyable story that should bring a smile to your face by the end, making it worth the read.

 

RATING:  8 soft leather collars with tiny bells out of 10 for a cute, easy-to-read mystery with a perky young sleuth!

A Zebra Mystery Puzzler #17 - The Final Appointment

For whatever reason, Kensington Publishing Corp. decided to publish two Marcia Blair (a/k/a Marc Baker) mysteries right in a row.  Book 16, The Final Guest, was published in January 1979, while this book, Book 17 in the Zebra Mystery Puzzler series, was published one month later in February 1979.  While Jan Michaels had two books published somewhat close together (books 12 and 14 were Michaels' two Darby Castle mysteries), this is the first time (and I believe the only time) an author had two books in a row published in this series.  Not sure the reasoning, but it gave fans of the series an opportunity to read two Tory Baxter murder mysteries one after another!

 

The Final Appointment finds our young nurse detective actually being sought out and asked to help solve a case.  The book begins with Tory being followed by someone - and being the intuitive young sleuth that she is, she quickly outwits the woman and confronts her, only to learn that Dina Severson needs her help.  Dina and her two best friends, Felicia Adams and Candice Jeffers, believe they are in danger.  Someone has been entering Felicia's apartment and moving things around. Nothing is stolen, but paintings are turned upside down, vases are placed in the middle of the room.  Despite the locks being changed several times, the culprit continues to get in.  Now the matter has escalated, as Felicia has received a photograph of the three girls - with Felicia's face marked out with a big "X"!  It seems Candice knows Tory's Aunt Tildy, and Tildy told them about Tory's sleuthing abilities, so they sought her out to help them.

 

The mystery becomes more dangerous than Tory expects when Felicia turns up dead, found at the bottom of the stairs in the girls' apartment complex.  Tory's police friend, Lieutenant Jay Thorpe, rules it out as an accident, but Tory is not convinced.  Especially when they find Felicia's key ring with an added bonus: a small golden charm of a monkey with its hands covering its mouth.  Dina and Candice swear that Felicia never had such a charm. Plus, with Felicia out of the picture (no pun intended), it seems Candice is next on the list - her apartment is vandalized, this time with a warning about the her time in Paris with Felicia.  Candice swears nothing happened on their trip, but Tory has to wonder if they did not inadvertently offend some psycho who is now exacting his (or her) revenge.  Before you know it, Candice turns up dead, and Dina is afraid she is next!

 

The suspects include Felicia's boyfriend, who turns out to be related to someone accused of embezzling funds from the financial firm owned jointly by the girls' fathers.  There is also the mysterious blond haired woman who was seen putting envelopes into the girls' mailboxes at the apartment complex, as well as having purchased golden monkey charms from a dealer in San Francisco.  Then there is the Paris connection between the two victims, which seems out of place, since Dina did not go to Paris - so why would the killer target her?  Does everything tie back to their fathers' financial firm and the problems that occurred decades ago?  Or is the motive something much darker and more sinister?

 

Blair (Baker) tries to craft a great whodunnit, but, unfortunately, the identity of the killer is pretty easy to spot from the very beginning.  There are plenty of red herrings thrown out there, even though they are woven in for purposes of making the reader think this is the real trail of the killer.  I was a bit disappointed in that aspect, as the previous mysteries in this series written by Blair (Baker) were actually pretty well plotted.  That being said, I did enjoy the further developments with Tory's friendship with Dr. Sandy Brockman and her love/hate relationship with Lt. Jay Thorpe.  I feel bad for poor Sandy, who seems to always get the raw end of the deal, but at least Jay steps up by the end of this book to let Tory know once and for all exactly how he feels - it sure took long enough!

 

The cover art for this book is provided by Mel Greifinger, who also did the art on the cover of  The Curse of the Golden Skull, which was a Terry Spring mystery by Josephine Kains (a/k/a Joseph Goulart).  Rather than a particular scene from the book, we get a collage of Tory, the three girls, the son of the embezzler, and one of the girls putting on make-up.  I find it somewhat amusing that all of these Tory Baxter covers show Tory in her nurse's outfit, but share rarely, if ever, actually wears such an outfit in the books.  And speaking of inconsistencies in the artwork (yeah, so that was a pretty bad segue, but whatever!), the internals in this book have some glaring mistakes in them.  The first internal illustration, on page 21, shows Tory holding the picture while sitting in front of the three girls - Dina, Felicia, and Candice (see above).  However, in the story, Tory has come racing over to Dina's apartment because Felicia is missing - and in the particular scene depicted, Tory is talking only to Dina and Candice.  Felicia is not in the scene at all!  It leaves you to wonder just what kind of information are the internal illustrators given when they are told what scenes to draw!

 

Now, the third internal illustration, found on page 59, shows a woman who I can only assume is Tory (her appearance is never consistent in these internals) looking at a woman's hand that is holding up a key ring that displays the small monkey charm, with its hands cover its eyes ("see no evil").  The only problem with this one is that in the story, the "little figure was beautifully done and tiny hands were over its mouth" (p. 58).  That is a pretty glaring error, particularly when these monkey charms are supposed to be a clue to the killer's identity!  Again, what information was given to these illustrators for the scenes they were to draw?  Aside from that error, though, I will say that Tory (if that is her) in this scene bears a striking resemblance to the Rudy Nappi version of Nancy Drew that graced the covers of the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories in the 1960s and 1970s - similar hair style, facial expression, etc.  Perhaps the role of Tory Baxter was temporarily being placed by Nancy Drew (yeah, okay, probably not, but it is a funny coincidence).

 

While by far not the best mystery in the series, I cannot say it was a bad read.  With any luck, this was just a one-off for Blair (Baker), and the later mysteries featuring Tory Baxter will be a little bit more difficult to solve!

 

RATING:   7 wild blond mops of hair out of 10 for FINALLY moving Tory and Jay's relationship forward, which turns out to be the highlight of this book!

Murder by Cheesecake - the first Golden Girls' cozy mystery

"Thank you for being a friend ... traveled down the road and back again ..." I don't think there is a person alive that can read those words without actually singing them in your head.  If you're like me, you'll actually sing them out loud!  That theme song opened up 180 episodes of one of the funniest television shows to ever grace the small screen - The Golden Girls.  I watched every episode, from the first one in September 1985 to the last one in May 1992, and since then, I've re-watched episodes more times than I can possibly count.  The show put together the perfect cast, with the greatest writers, and it was a hit that never disappointed.  So, imagine my surprise when more than thirty years after the show ended, I happen across a book inspired by the television show - and not just any book, but an actual murder mystery.  That's right, you read that correctly!   Dorothy, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia now have their very own cozy mystery series, written by Rachel Ekstrom Courage, a publisher-turned-writer, and I could not wait to be reunited with these golden gals!

 

Murder by Cheesecake takes one of The Golden Girls' most popular props from the series and turns it into a murder weapon - sort of.  The story focuses on poor naive Rose, who is working overtime to pull off a traditional St. Olaf wedding in Miami for her cousin, Nettie, who is marrying a young man, Jason, who is NOT a native of St. Olaf - and the townspeople are not happy about it.  Rose's other cousin, Gustave (not to be mistaken with her cousin Gustav, who was the object of many St. Olaf tales...), does not think she will be able to pull it off, staying true to all of the St. Olaf traditions - such as the bridal shower (consisting of a REAL shower), the groom riding in a donkey, the Sharing of the Soup, and so on.  Rose is determined to prove him wrong, even if it kills her.  Unfortunately, it kills someone else - that someone being a man with whom Dorothy had just had a date - from a video dating service!

 

From the very first chapter, I felt like I was watching an episode of the show.  The comedic quips were all there - Sophia's crude remarks, Dorothy's sarcasm, Blanche's sexual prowess, and Rose's innocence and St. Olaf naivete - I could literally hear the actresses' voices in my head as I read each line of dialogue.  Courage managed to really capture the essence of the four women, making it a true joy to read.  Once the women stumble across the body in the freezer of the hotel owned by Jason's parents, there is (sadly) a lesser degree of comedy and a greater focus on the solving of the crime - particularly since Dorothy seems to be the police's prime suspect!  The question is, how can Rose keep all of the guests - the St. Olafians from Nettie's side and the Floridians from Jason's side - from finding out about the murder and destroying her chance to pull of a wedding in true St. Olaf fashion?  Thus, the antics to hide the horrific event from the guests, while at the same time looking for the killer to prove Dorothy's innocence, begins.

 

With regard to the murder mystery, I give Courage credit for creating a rather interesting plot that involves smuggling, crime rings, drag queens, mistaken identities, a threatened inheritance, and an exciting motorcycle chase with an exceptionally daring rescue!  There are plenty of clues spread throughout the story, with some red herrings to keep you from solving the crime too easily, and there are plenty of references to events that took place in the television show to remind you that this story is an actual part of The Golden Girls' lore.  I just wish the humorous quips that were present in the first couple of chapters (before they find the body) were as prevalent throughout the rest of the story.  Ther were a few humorous lines scattered here and there, but the story took a much more "murder mystery procedural" turn after the body and focused more on solving the crime.

 

The author does throw in a couple of surprising references to children's series books - the first appears when Nettie gives "Rose the same puppy-dog eyes she'd given her when she begged for a Nancy Drew Madame Alexander doll for her tenth birthday" (p. 33).  While many mysteries with female detectives make reference to Nancy Drew; however I think this is the first time I have ever come across a reference to the Nancy Drew Madame Alexander Doll, which was released back in 1967 but did not stay on the market long.  Now, since the book indicates it was Nettie's tenth birthday, and the book is set in the 1980s (at least 1985 or later), that would mean Nettie would need to be in her thirties for this book.  The second series book reference shows up when the Girls are keeping surveillance on suspects in the lobby of the hotel, when they spot Jason's sister arguing with her husband.  Dorothy makes the comment, "... I"m not so sure about the Bobbsey Twins.  I'm adding what we just saw to our case file" (p. 182).  Obviously, this reference is a bit off, since the Bobbsey Twins were brother and sister, not husband and wife; yet, it was still great to see that someone still remembers them!

 

One other thing worth mentioning is when Dorothy is told by the police that the dead man was a potential con artist who scammed a number of women out of money and other valuable objects, leaving her to wonder if "the same man [she went on a date with] was this thieving lothario ..." That is twice now that the word "lothario" has popped up in a book I've been reading, the first just days ago when I was reading Jane Withers and the Hidden Room, which also featured some con artists / thieves.  I have spent my whole life never hearing or reading that word, and now, in less than a week, it appears in two separate books written more than 80 years apart!  Talk about your mind-boggling coincidences!

 

Despite the downturn in humor after the murdered man is found, the book was still an enjoyable read, and I am hoping there will be more.  This book focused more on Rose and Dorothy, so I'm hoping the next book will give Blanche and/or Sophia a chance to shine!

 

RATING:  9 pairs of vibrant teal color sunglasses out of 10 for bringing The Golden Girls out of retirement and re-introducing them to a new generation of fans (as well as old ones like me!) in a brand new way!

Harlequin Gothic Romance Series No. 32009 - Return to Shadow Creek

"She returned to the place of her birth - only to discover a sinister web lurking in wait for her..." (cover blurb)

 

Helen B. Hicks returns to this series for her third and final entry in the Harlequin Gothic Romance line, and she is the first author in this series to have two books in a row (Hicks having also authored the previous book in this line, Legacy of Raven's Rise).  As with her other books, this book is set in California, although unlike the previous two, this book is set in the present time (well, present for when it was published back in 1986).  Hicks also strays from a number of the standard gothic tropes - there is no dark mansion, there are no hidden rooms, no "bumps in the night" ... but there is plenty of mystery and some great soap opera type moments to keep the story exciting!

 

Return to Shadow Creek is the story of Cindi Moore's return to Fairhaven, California, and more specifically, Shadow Creek - the place where she was born and spent her early childhood, until her father died and her mother moved them to Wyoming.  Now, nearly 20 years later, Cindi has come home.  Her mother, step-father, and fiance died in a tragic car accident, and unable to cope with the loss,Cindi has nowhere else to turn.  Royce Christopher, the man who manages Cindi's trust.  Kim Christopher, Royce's young sister who used to be Cindi's best friend when she lived there as a child. Laura Christopher, Royce and Kim's stepmother who continues to live on the ranch.  And Gabriel Dussault, Royce's cousin who is carefree and living live to its fullest.  They make Cindi feel welcome to their California ranch, but there is something a bit off.  Something Cindi cannot quite per her finger on...

 

Hicks provides readers with one heck of a great mystery.  What was so horrible in Cindi's past, that her mind has repressed it for so many years? And why did the tragic car accident that killed her mother, fiance, and step-father have such an affect on her?  And how could she not know that Royce and Kim's father left Cindi half of his estate when he died, giving only a fourth each to his son and daughter?  And what is going on in the avocado orchards that makes Royce keep everyone out of there?  And just what kind of evil does the old, abandoned stagecoach stop on the Christopher property contain?  Just being near the place sends Cindi screaming in the other direction!

 

I truly love the mystery aspect to this story.  Hicks builds the story nice and slow.  From the beginning, the reader knows that Cindi has no real memory of her childhood at Shadow Creek, and it is fairly obvious that something horrific happened to make her block it away.  The longer she stays, the more she begins to realize that whatever happened all those years ago is something so sinister that someone is desperate to make sure it stays in the past!  She catches someone watching her as she is out horseback riding.  Then she sees a mysterious man watching her as she enjoys an afternoon outing.  But when she is nearly run off the road by a speeding vehicle, Royce and the others realize that something is definitely wrong.  Cindi begins to suspect that someone at the ranch does not want her remembering the past - but which one is it?

 

The climatic moments in this story are so worth the read!  The cover art depicts those final moments, when Cindi is being chased by the madman across an old wooden bridge (pp. 207-11), and Hicks does a superb job of keeping that man's identity a secret until the final chapter - while Cindi recognizes him, Hicks merely refers to the man as "he" for those pages, not revealing his identity until the final chapter!  It makes for some great suspense, particularly when another character shows up to rescue Cindi, resulting in a deadly battle on the rickety bridge.  And, as one can see from the cover, the art is not the typical gothic scene - there is no dark house in the background, with a light in the upper window; rather, we get the open California countryside at night, the moon obscured by the shadowy tree limbs, and poor Cindy running fearfully from the shadowy man in the background.  While not necessarily gothic, it definitely sets the tone for the mystery within!

 

Overall, yet another winning story for this line of gothic romances, and a nice send off for Helen B. Hicks (this being her last book in the series).  One thing I do find odd, however, is that these books do not advertise the gothic line - instead, the final pages in the book tell readers about 'Six exciting series for you every month ... from Harlequin," and list the Harlequin Romance, Harlequin Presents, Harlequin Superromance, Harlequin American Romance, Harlequin Temptation, and Harlequin Intrigue lines.  At this point, the Gothic Romance line was still going, so I find it odd this series was omitted from the list.  Perhaps Harlequin was already aware the series would not be lasting much longer; or perhaps they felt the "Gothic" line would conflict with their new "Intrigue" line.  I would be curious to know if any of those six lines had an advertisement for the gothic books in them.

 

RATING:  10 shiny sky-blue convertibles out of 10 for a dark mystery involving illegal border crossings, get-rich-quick schemes, secret marijuana plants, and suppressed memories of even more illicit and evil crimes!

Jane Withers and the Hidden Room - the first Whitman Authorized Edition

While most of the books in the Whitman Authorized Editions are single-issued books, there were a few in the line that gave the characters two books - such as Shirley Temple, Deanna Durbin, and Betty Grable.  However, once actress was fortunate enough to get three books, published one a year from 1942 to 1944, and that was Jane Withers (1926 - 2021).  Now, I'll be honest, before getting these books, I had never even heard of Jane Withers before, let alone did I know who she was.  Upon performing a bit of researched, I was surprised to learn she was an extremely popular child star in Hollywood in the 1930s and early 1940s.  I was even more surprised to find that she was "Josephine the Plumber" in those old Comet cleanser commercials on television!  These three books from Whitman seem to have been published just as Withers' childhood fame was starting to die down, so it is interesting that of all the actors and actresses who had books published using their name, she is the only one to have received three!

 

Jane Withers and the Hidden Room was written by Eleanor Packer - and this was Ms. Packer's only contribution to the Whitman Authorized Editions.  The "hidden room" of the title is a bit misleading, as it is not necessarily hidden (since it is easily seen from the outside), but it is a room that is only accessible from the inside by going through a hidden panel in the back of a closet or from outside by clicking a secret release under the ledge of the window.  However, it is what is kept in that room, who is using the room, and why access to the room is so obscure that create the real mystery for this book.  The room, in fact, does not really come into play until nearly half-way through the story!

 

The book actually opens innocently enough, with you Jane Withers arriving by train in the small city of Hollytown-on-the-Hudson. (NOTE - there is no such city; yet, oddly enough, there are two special events that take place with similar names: (1) "Holi on the Hudson" is a Hindu festival that celebrates love, goodness, and renewal; and (2) "Hooley on the Hudson" is an Irish festival that celebrates their culture and heritage. It seems both celebrations on the Hudson River are relatively recent, so it is unlikely the author was inspired by either for the name of her fictional town.)  Jane has returned late from her summer vacation in California due to illness, so she has a lot to catch up on now that she is back at Holly Hall, the "school for young ladies" that is Hollytown's greatest pride (p. 16).  This includes the new professor of Romantic Languages, Paul Berthon.  According to Jane's best friend, Ellin Dwyer, the teacher is the talk of the school, as all of the students (and some of the teachers) are quite smitten with the handsome man.  Jane, however, is more worried about catching up on all of her missed schoolwork rather than silly, girlish crushes on a new teacher.

 

Holly Hall reminds me quite a bit of Starhurst School for Girls from the Dana Girls series.  Both are prestigious schools for young ladies; both are run by a stern, but fair older lady (in this instance, Miss Abigail the second heads up the school; her aunt, Miss Abigail the first, was the previous mistress of Holly Hall until her death); and both have students who become amateur sleuths who fall upon mysteries that must be solved.  While the Dana sisters are both involved in solving the mysteries, in this instance, Jane is on her own - even though her best friend Ellin is in the picture, she does not actually become involved in the mystery.  As this book was published in 1942, some eight years after the first Dana Girls books were published, perhaps Packer was influenced by the Dana Girls series (and numerous other girls series from that era and before that were sent in girls' schools).  

In any event, the mystery begins when Miss Abigail announces some of her jewelry was stolen from her room at the school.  When one of the missing earrings is found under Jane's hatbox in her room, Jane's inquisitive mind kicks into gear.  How did it get there?  Who could have dropped it?  The mystery deepens when Jane is invited to join Ellin at her parents' home for the weekend, and the new teacher, Paul Berthon, and his sister, Lucienne, are also there - and shortly after the visit, the Dwyers' jewels are stolen from their safe!  Jane begins to have suspicions about Professor Berthon and his sister, but Ellin and her parents dismiss them.  Yet, when Jane and Ellin are guests at the professor's cottage, Jane happens upon a small jewel case under the cushion of her chair, which only strengthens Jane's distrust of the professor and his sister.  She is determined to uncover the truth, so she goes to confront her professor - but, instead, she stumbles upon a sinister plot much greater than she had originally thought and becomes the captive of a group of ruthless criminals!

 

The story was actually one of the best of the Whitman Authorized Editions I have read to date.  A strong plot, a very likeable main character, and plenty of danger, excitement, and mystery to keep the story moving at a good pace.  There are definitely some more adult themes to this story, though.  The constant threat of death looming over Jane while held captive by the criminals keeps it very suspenseful, and the fact that they repeatedly make it clear the school's caretaker was "already taken care of" only strengthens the reader's belief that Jane's fate is sealed.  "The little black boy won't never talk again," one crook comments (p. 142); but a more insulting comment is made shortly thereafter, when the same crook sneers and remarks, "You didn't wait to let the Chief decide when you got rid of that darkie" (p. 143).  This kind of comment reminds readers how dated the book is.

 

In addition, Lucienne's rather sarcastic comment to her brother when referring to all of the schoolgirls who have a crush on him, calling him "my gay Lothario," has some very adult undertones, since Lothario often refers to a man who acts very irresponsibly with regard to his sexual relationships with women (which stems from a character of this nature from the 1703 Nicholas Rowe tragedy, The Fair Penitent).  I am surprised such a reference would have been allowed in a book intended for children and young adults to read back in the 1940s!

 

Aside from that, the book was a great read.  It is illustrated by Henrey E. Vallely, who seems to have provided illustrations for a large number of the Whitman Authorized Editions, for which I am glad, as he provides some very beautiful illustrations. The only negative observation I have to make (and it's not about his actual artwork, but rather, about the scene he draws) is with regard to the end pages.  This is not the first book where the end pages provides a dramatic scene which actually spoils the story if you pay attention to it before you actually read any of the book - stories about Ginger Rogers, Betty Grable, and Ann Sheridan also showcased art on their end pages that revealed dramatic moments, either from the end of those particular stories, or from climactic moments that revealed important elements of the story.  Not sure why Whitman would choose these particular scenes, but they should come with a "spoiler alert"!

 

After reading this first Jane Withers mystery, I am anxiously looking forward to the next two - especially since they are not written by the same author as this one, and I'll be curious to see in what direction they take the title character.

 

RATING:  10 little gold typewriter charms out of 10 for a well-written mystery that is pretty much on par with the Nancy Drew and Dana Girls mysteries being published around the same time!

Dana Girls Mystery Stories No. 3 - In the Shadow of the Tower

Book three of the Dana Girls Mystery Stories is author Leslie McFarlane's third entry into this girls' series from the 1930s, and I can see from this book how McFarlane was struggling with his writing of this series.  In the first two books, the stories flowed fairly well, and there was plenty of excitement and fun to move the story along; however, this book had considerably more unnecessary exposition that was not readily seen in the first two.  Perhaps he was simply more comfortable writing stories about boys, or maybe he simply could not settle into a groove with the Dana Girls; whatever the reason, this third book falls a bit short from the first two, with too many mysteries and too many convenient coincidences.

 

In the Shadow of the Tower continues the time line of the Danas, with this story being set in December (after the first book was September and the second was November).  The story center around a young girl who the Danas not only befriend but offer to help after accidentally causing her to lose a very important letter that also contained a thousand dollar bill (yes, you read that right!).  I have to admit, I was rather surprised to think that this girl, still in her teens, would be carrying around a thousand dollar bill in the early 1930s!  In today's money, that bill would be worth nearly $24,000!  Can you imagine carrying that amount of money with you everywhere you went?  But, that's exactly what Josephine "Josy" Sykes was doing when the Dana Girls happened upon her in the woods near Mohawk Lake.  Now, it is up to Jean and Louise to find that letter and the missing money and restore them to their rightful owner.

 

The story has some very odd elements to it.  First, when the Danas first see Josy, because of her deformity, "a hump that distorted [her] back, giving [her] a grotesque and dwarfed appearance" (p. 3), and the tattered clothes she is wearing, they mistake her for a boy.  They quickly learn Josy is a girl who ran away from the Home for Crippled Children at Bonny Lake (p. 13).  She ran away because at the same time she received the letter from her uncle with the money in it, the cash proceeds from a charity to benefit the Home was also stolen, and Josy was afraid she would be accused.  The sisters agree to help her, of course, but they find it will not be easy, because upon their arrival at Starhurst, Lettie Briggs and Ina Mason are the first to see Josy and immediately make fun of her, causing her to run off.

 

Throughout the entire book, there is an emphasis on Josy's hunchback and deformed nature, causing people to shun her, make fun of her, be shocked at her appearance, and fear her.  In fact, one of the characters in the book - Mammy Cleo, a cook - describes her as a "supernatural creature" that is "twisted and deformed" (p. 56).  McFarlane goes on to write how "the colored folk in the vicinity ... built up monstrous and weird legend" about Josy and her appearance (p. 71).  All of these descriptions and reactions would lead the reader to believe that Josy is horridly disfigured and frightening to look at, and so, I thought it admirable that the Danas overlooked her physical appearance and offered her their friendship and their aid in finding the missing money.  But then, at the end of the book, once the girls have successfully solved all the mysteries (and there are plenty of them in this book!), we suddenly learn that Josy's deformity is not so bad after all - "[w]ith the help of the Dana girls she had done some shopping ... New dresses had been chosen so that her deformity was scarcely noticeable. Happiness and good fortune had erased the pitiful lines from her face, and her natural attractiveness had been given a chance to assert itself" (p. 205).  Utterly amazing what a beautiful dress can do for a girl - transform her from a grotesque girl with a distorted back to a naturally attractive girl whose deformity was barely noticed!  (I realize there is a high level of sarcasm there, but such a transformation defies all ability to believe - and we cannot blame McFarlane for this one, as the change was specifically dictated in the outline from Edna Stratemeyer Squier.

 

Another strange thing about this book is the mystery surrounding the stolen money at the children's home. The Danas assure Josy they will find a way to clear her name and solve that mystery, and more than once, a nurse taking care of Constance Melbourne (an artist who lives next to Bessie Marsh, the Danas' cousin with whom they visit during the Christmas holidays), tells Jean and Louise she believes a Mrs. Rita Rye, a Trustee for the home, is the guilty party.  At no time during the entire book do the Dana girls actually visit the Home for Crippled Children at Bonny Lake, but suddenly, in the very last chapter on the next to the last page, the Danas announce that Josy has been cleared and the "real thief has confessed" (p. 216).  The thief did, indeed, turn out to be Rita Rye, who admitted to taking the money to pay overdue bills (p. 216).  For something that played such an important factor in Josy running away, one would have thought it would have made for a good mystery for the girls to solve; instead, it merely becomes an afterthought, mentioned only in passing at the very end to tie up that loose end.

 

Yet another mystery in this book centers around a stolen piece of art, painted by Ms. Melbourne.  A scam artist by the name of Claude Fayle, steals the portrait and passes it off as his own at an art show in the city of Majestic.  As it just so happens, Mrs. Crandall has plans to take the girls of Starhurst to that very art show.  And, by pure coincidence, Mrs. Crandall has invited Mr. Fayle to the school to discuss his art, unaware that the Dana girls have already met him and know he is a thief and a fraud.  This part of the mystery actually plays up nicely, as the sisters have a difficult time meeting Mr. Fayle and accusing him of his theft, and it ultimately becomes a climactic revelation made at the art show itself, just as Mr. Fayle is about to be awarded a medal for the portrait.  Of all the mysteries in this story, this one was probably the one I most enjoyed reading. 

One thing I do want to make note of is that this book features the internal illustration upon which the end pages for these early Dana Girls books was based.  The illustration by Ferdinand Warren inserted between pages 66 and 67 of the story features Jean and Louise finding a note from Josy left under their door at their cousin's house (see illustration to the left here).  It depicts Jean kneeling down to pick up and read the strange note, while Louise stands behind, looking over her shoulder.  The same scene was redrawn (whether by Warren or not is a good question) and expanded upon for the double-spread end pages (see above).  The end pages go beyond the door shown in the illustration and give way to a chair, a painting on the wall, and a grandfather clock standing beside them.   We also get a better view of Louise in the end pages, as she is closer to the wall, so that we can see her full face rather than a hidden profile as in the internal illustration.  

Last, but certainly not least, I must point out McFarlane's habit of inserting the name of the book into his mysteries.  In the first two books, the titles were casually inserted into dialogue at the very end of the story.  In this book, however, McFarlane really outdid himself - he managed to work the title into the story not once, not twice, but a total of NINE TIMES!  And this does not even count the title to Chapter XVI ("The Shadow Beneath the Tower").  

        p. 56 - in the snow "in the shadow of the tower"

        p. 86 - transpiring "in the very shadow of the tower"

        p. 93 - I wonder if she is down there "in the shadow of the tower"

        p. 93 - there was no one "in the shadow of the tower"

        p. 140 - "in the shadow of the tower" Josy was restored

        p. 143 - girls were standing "in the shadow of the tower"

        p. 214 - "shadows" fell across ... "beneath the shadow of the tower"

        p. 214 - down "in the shadow of the Tower" she saw movement

        p. 214 - I just saw them "in the shadow of the tower" 

I almost had to wonder if perhaps this phrase should not become a drinking game (although, if it did, I think most readers would become quite drunk before they finished the book!).  

Of these first three books in the Dana Girls' series, I have to admit, this was my least favorite.  There was too much going on, a couple of the mysteries were solved as mere afterthoughts in the last three pages of the book, and the miraculous manner in which Josy went from grotesque to attractive by just donning a beautiful dress was too much for me. Plus, I miss the practical jokes / pranks that the Danas and Lettie pull on one another.  This particular book only had one attempt at a joke, and the sisters easily defeated it.  We will have to wait and see what McFarlane's final Dana Girls book has in store when we read the next book in this series!

 

RATING:  7 radio dramas set on the Florida coast out of 10 for at least trying something different with this mystery - a handicapped child, a village of superstitious folk, a sleazy con artist, a missing relative, and a thousand dollar bill!