Return to Romance: the Strange Love Stories of Ogden Whitney

Prior to reading this collection, I had never heard the name Ogden Whitney before.  Apparently, Mr. Whitney was a comic book artist and writer whose work mostly appeared in the golden age of comics, although he continued to work into the 1960s.  While I did not know the name, upon researching his work, I found I have heard of one of his more popular creations - Herbie (a comic about a "short, fat, deadpan young Herbie, constantly nursing a lollipop... [who was] one of comics' most powerful beings" - Herbie, by Ogden Whitney).  While I have never read an issue, I have certainly seen some of the comics at conventions and in comic stores over the years.  Surprisingly, though, I learned he provided art for issues of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents and No-Man for Tower Comics, as well as for The Two-Gun Kid over at Marvel Comics.  But what this collection showcases is some of Whitney's work in the romance genre - particularly for My Romantic Adventures published by Best Syndicated Features in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Return to Romance (The Strange Love Stories of ... Ogden Whitney) collects nine stories published between 1959 and 1964 in various issues of My Romantic Adventures (issues 97, 110, 112, 121, 127, 130, 131, 132, and 138, although not presented in that order in this collection).  While the title of the book identifies these romantic tales as "strange love stories," the back cover blurb describes the stories as "an unsettling vision of midcentury American romance as a devastating power struggle, a form of intimate psychological warfare dressed up in pearls and flannel suits ... his men and women scheme and clash dominate and escape.  It is darkly hilarious, truly terrifying - and yes, occasionally even a bit romantic."  The introduction by Liana Finck and the afteward by Dan Nadel (one of the editors of this collection) both attempt to explain how these stories are twisted versions of the standard romance comics on the stands at the time, and that they stand out as some of the weirdest romance comics ever.  Yet, after reading all nine stories, I have to say - I did not find the stories to be twisted or weird at all - in fact, I found the stories to probably be more grounded in reality than most of the romance comic stories I have ever read!

Take, for example, the first story in this collection - "Return to Romance" (which is obviously the story for which this collection is named).  It is the story of Stan and Astrid Franklin.  Stan is a photographer and Astrid is his formerly beautiful wife.  But married life has caused a certain amount of settling, and Astrid has settled into the role of housewife without thinking about her appearance.  She has let herself go to the point where Stan divorces her for a younger, more attractive woman.  But the story does not end there!  Whitney gives Astrid the insight to realize what has happened, so she sets about restoring her vitality and beauty, and by the end of the story, Stan once again only has eyes for his former wife!   In today's society, this story may seem to place emphasis on the wrong things (i.e., a woman must be beautiful in order to keep a man!), but I think it goes much deeper than that.  I think Whitney's tale gives the reader a much more important moral - just because you are married no longer means you have to work at the relationship - you should still take care and keep that romance and love alive, and obviously that includes the outer appearance (after all - how many women complain about their husbands who, once they got married, let themselves go and become fat and bald - let's face it, it goes both ways!).  Thus, I would not call this story strange, but rather, an object lesson.

And so it goes with the remainder of the stories ... "The Red-Haired Boy and the Pug-Nosed Girl" is a tale of misunderstandings and competition that any number of people will be able to identify with ... "The Brainless Type" reminds readers that one must not judge someone based on preconceived notions ... "I Want a Real Man" actually gives readers a role-reversal of sorts, with the man being the object of the story, having to come to terms with what kind of person he really wants to be ... "Beat Romance" is another story about preconceived ideas (this time about how a doctor views a younger generation) ... "It's Never Too Late to Love" is a soap opera-style tale of a woman whose niece sets about to steal her one true love ... "The Guy You Love" gives readers a chance to decide whether love is more important than security ... "Courage and Kisses" deals with bravery and cowardice and how both can affect love ... and "Hard-Hearted Hannah" tells the story of a young woman burned by love, who sets out to prove that she does not need anyone else to succeed in life.

While the stories do provide happy endings for their protagonists, they do not come through good fortune or pure luck; rather, they come through hard work, sweat, and tears on the part of the protagonists, and usually, those lead characters learn a thing or two about life itself along the way.  These are, honestly, some of the best romance stories I have read.  And the art is somewhat minimalist in nature, as many of the panels have little to no backgrounds at all - simply the characters against a colored backdrop.  Which, quite frankly, works for these stories, as it keeps the reader attuned to the characters and not distracted by overly detailed scenery or backgrounds.  While I admit, I do love finely drawn detailed panels in comics (look at anything by George Perez, or check out the Mary Perkins, On Stage strip), they would not fit in these stories.  These stories are about the characters, not their settings.  What is behind them is, in most cases, irrelevant.  It is the drama that is occurring between and among the characters that drives Whitney's stories, so all the rest is unnecessary.  

If you are a fan of romance comics, then this is one collection that is a must-have for you to read!

RATING:  10 snazzy French import dresses out of 10 for not-so-strange tales of romance and reality that will really stop and make you think!

Ravensridge - a Magnum Gothic original

I had every expectation from the first page that I was not going to like this book.  With those opening two words, "My nerves..." (p. 5), I was already disappointed.  I am not a big fan of first person narrative. I can tolerate it when the story is sufficiently good, or if I am already a fan of the particular characters in the book.  But as a general rule, I prefer reading third-person narrative stories.  But, I took a breath and went on reading, figuring I could work my way through the story and at least see what happens and how it all turns out.  Well, despite the first person POV, by the third page of the story, I was thoroughly hooked.  And by the end of the book, I realized how glad I was that I did not put it aside after those first words.  This book has literally become on of my favorite gothic reads!

Ravensridge, published in 1971 under the "Magnum Gothic Original" imprint, was written by Jennifer Hale. According to the Paperback Warrior blog, Jennifer Hale is a pen name for Frank E. Smith (1919-1984), who was a successful author of police procedural novels.  Smith apparently used several other pseudonyms, but he began using "Jennifer Hale" for the five gothic novels he wrote between 1971 and 1978, including this one.  Thus, we have yet another male author hiding behind a female pen name for purposes of writing and selling gothic stories.  But I give Smith credit, as the story rates definitely on the high end when it comes to gothic greatness.  The book has everything a reader will want to see in a gothic story - a dark, gloomy house; a mysterious family with secrets; the death of a past resident under strange circumstances; a young protagonist who is thrust into the middle of all this darkness; threats that escalate as the story progresses; and danger, suspense, and mystery that keep the reader turning page after page after page!

Melissa Manion is the heroine of this particular novel.  She is a professional photographer who has come to Ravensridge at the invitation of her friend, Charles Courtney, to photograph the house and all of its priceless antiques.  But from the moment she arrives on the dark and stormy night, it is clear things are not right at the old house.  The housekeeper, Miss Kane, has no idea who she is or why she is there, and she makes it clear to Melissa that she is not welcome.  Charles is not at home, and Charles' older brother, Philip, was unaware of her visit, but he warily welcomes her into their home.  The groundskeeper and all-around handyman, Lennie, let's it slip that there have been deaths of other women in the past at the house.  And the young maid, Helen, is skittish and scared, worried that there will be more death in this house, particularly now that Melissa has arrived!  And last, but not least, the arrival of Stephanie Doyle, the woman who claims to be Charles' fiance and who is determined that Melissa will not steal her man away (despite the fact Melissa is not interested in Charles and plainly tells her so!).  Then, when Charles does finally appear, he is haggard and depressed.  There is so much going on at Ravensridge that Melissa begins to wonder if her coming there was a mistake...

Oh, yes, let's not forget the local townsfolk, as they definitely play a large part in the story.  There's Earl Mitchell, whose sister Nancy was killed in the local cemetery - and he firmly believes Philip Courtney was the one who did it!  There's Alan Greer, the man that some people claim Philip's wife ran away with (although others believe his wife is dead, murdered by someone at Ravensridge!).  And we musn't forget Floyd Emmert, the former deputy sheriff and brother to Philip's wife, who has insinuated his way into Ravensridge with his other daughter.  Of course, there is also Burt Loftus, a dangerous man who believes Charles is having an affair with his wife - and who gives Melissa a very terse warning to pass on to Charles when she sees him: stay away from his wife, or Charles will find himself as dead as Nancy Mitchell!

Plenty of characters, plenty of secrets, and plenty of suspicions to go around!  And poor Melissa finds herself drawn into all of it.  At first, it is innocuous enough - a missing lipstick, a stolen photograph.  But then matters begin to escalate.  A large gargoyle falls from the roof of the old house, nearly crushing Melissa.  Then, she is nearly killed when a gas line is opened in her room while she is asleep - a sleep from which she nearly never awakens!  It all culminates in the Lost Souls Cave on the outskirts of the Courtneys' property, where Melissa faces off against an insane evil that has been terrorizing Ravensridge for some time - and our young heroine nearly loses her life, only to be rescued by the man she at one time thought might have been behind all of the horrors at the old house.  

I was drawn into the story from the first few pages, and I simply could not put it down until I had finished it.  The suspense, the mystery, the drama, the characters, the setting - they all blend together so seamlessly to create a terrifying tale of gothic horror that any fan will thoroughly enjoy.  The cover art is gorgeous, with a semblance of connection to the story (even though the winged creature is not technically a gargoyle, and neither is is located on the upper roof of the house, but at least it signifies some form of danger from a statue in the tale...); however, there is no artist signature and no artist is identified on the copyright page or the back cover - so we are left to wonder who painted this haunting image.

This is DEFINITELY a gothic novel I highly recommend - well worth the read!

RATING:  10 expensive wide-angled lenses out of 10 for a story of mystery and suspense superbly written in true gothic fashion.

Treasure Beach - A Cassandra Mystery #4

Fist, she visited England.  Then she traveled to Kentucky.  From there, she went to Hollywood.  Now, in this fourth and final Cassandra Mystery, amateur sleuth Cassie B. Jones a/k/a Cassandra Best is invited down to the Florida Keys to help her wealthy friend's aunt solve a mystery involving strange accidents happening to a treasure hunter.  I did not intentionally choose to read this book because of the Florida connection, but it is a rather funny coincidence that this book is set in Florida, after the number of "Florida" series books I have read lately. I suppose it was fate or kismet or whatever you want to call it that drew me to this book to read.  As with the other books I've been reading recently, I went into this one wondering how many, if any, actual locales would make an appearance in the book.

Treasure Beach is set on the fictional island of Sand Dollar Key.  There is, however, a small stretch of land off of Siesta Key known as "Sand Dollar Island."  From what I could find online, this was originally just a large sandbar that appeared when the tide was low, but over the last several years, it has apparently grown to the point where it now rests above the high tide line.  (Sand Dollar Island).  I'm not sure if this "island" was actually visible or known back in 1990 when this book was published, but it does indicate the only way to reach the "island" is by boat (just like in the book).  However, since Siesta Key is actually located just off the shore of Sarasota on the west coast of Florida, it would unlikely be the same location, since Cassandra and Alexandra were down in the actual Keys at the bottom of the state.

Another Florida site from the book is Oyster Key, which is the place where the treasure hunter and the saboteurs are trying to locate the missing pirate ship and the fabled treasure.  While there are actual Oyster Keys in Florida, they are located just off the southern coast of the Everglades National Park, a bit southeast of Flamingo, Florida.  They are nowhere near the real Sand Dollar Island, and they are too far from the Key West area to reach it by boat in the short amount of time described in the book.  Yet, the name does exist, as does Sand Dollar Island (not "Key"), leaving one to wonder if the author simply lifted the real names and then simply fictionalized their locations for the story.

The title of the book refers to the stretch of beach on Sand Dollar Island, where Alexandra's aunt lives.  There is no actual "Treasure Beach" in Florida, although there is a Treasure Island off the coast of St. Petersburg.  It's a beautiful place, with white sandy beaches, which was first settled back in the mid-1800s.  It's name, funny enough, came from a land owner who wanted to generate interest in the area, so he and a friend pretended to discover treasure buried on the beach, and word swiftly spread about the treasure island just off of St. Petersburg beach (Treasure Island).  Since this book also deals with the search for a hidden treasure, it does make quite the coincidence.

The mystery revolves around Whit Bromfield, the man who owns the half of the island not owned by Aunt Owena.  Whit is a treasure hunter, and he has nearly located an old ship that went down centuries ago, aboard which is alleged to be a bountiful treasure, including a legendary golden jaguar, made with an emerald collar and two huge emerald eyes (p. 150).  He and his team are close to locating the wreck, but someone keeps sabotaging all of their efforts.  Cassandra agrees to help figure out who is causing the problems.  There are several suspects, including the son of Aunt Owena's housekeeper, whose brother died during a horrific storm while helping Whit search for the treasure.  Cassandra quickly learns how to scuba dive so she can not only solve the mystery, but also help with the search. She and Alexandra end up in quite a bit of danger, particularly when some unscrupulous men chase them with spear guns into a coral maze under the water!  Needless to say, Cassandra eventually reveals the identity of the saboteurs, and in the process, finds the sunken treasure!

One thing I found to be a bit humorous was the description of the cat statute made out of gold.  It was mentioned several times that it was emerald eyes, and at every mention, all I could think of was No. 75 of the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, The Emerald-Eyed Cat Mystery (published 1984).  In that book, published six years prior to this one, the mystery does involve a hidden treasure, but the emerald-eyed cat is a real one, and not a statue like in this one.  Yet, it is an amusing coincidence (and doesn't this book seem to have a lot of them?).

Finally, there is a scene in the book, nearly half-way through the story, where Cassandra walks into her bedroom to find hanging over her bed a dead chicken.  "The body was dirty gray, and the head, with its saucy red comb, flopped limply to one side.  Around its neck hung a string of ragged red cloth, shells, yellow feathers, and bleached bones" (p. 69).  Cassandra immediately recognizes it as a voodoo fetish.  I mention this only because I recently read the fifteenth Penny Parker book (Whispering Walls), and that also featured some voodoo paraphernalia, such as ouange charms, effigy dolls, and even a warning that contained two black feathers, the wing of a bird, unidentified herbs, a bit of bone, and some damp earth!  Again, we'll simply have to chalk it up to coincidence (and remind ourselves that without coincidences, these amateur sleuths would likely never solve their mysteries!).

Although the book ends with the statement that "Cassandra Best, detective, could hardly wait for her next case" (p. 155), the poor girl will have to wait forever, as this was her last mystery.  Whether it was sales or simply a lack of desire to continue the series by the author, I suppose we will never know.  But with this book, the adventures of Cassie B. Jones a/k/a Cassandra Best came to an end.  At least the mystery was a pretty good one, letting her go out on a high note!

RATING:  9 leaky pressure valves out of 10 for a fantastic finale to the crime-solving career of yet another amateur sleuth.

A Zebra Mystery Puzzler #8 - Murder in the Act

The eighth Zebra Mystery Puzzler brings us another new author into the series.  Elizabeth St. Clair is yet another pseudonym, but surprisingly, this time it is not for a male author.  St. Clair is actually a pen name used by Susan Lois Handler-Cohen, who utilized the name for eleven gothic romances and mysteries (including three in the Zebra Mystery Puzzler line).  And she offers up a wonderful mystery with more suspects than you can shake a stick at - in fact, I think this is the first Puzzler that I was not able to figure out the identity of the killer before reaching that sealed final chapter!

Murder in the Act features an actress turned director turned amateur sleuth by the name of Marilyn Ambers.  Not gonna lie here, when I first saw that name, my mind automatically thought of a certain "actress" by the name of Marilyn Chambers (if you know, you know).  Not sure if St. Clair (Handler-Cohen) actually pulled the name from that actress, but considering Chambers' notoriety after that film of hers debuted in 1972, it would not surprise me if the author saw that name in the headlines and simply altered a bit for her main character here.  In any event, Marilyn Ambers, in this book, is an actress who is ting her hand at directing for the first time in a small town dinner theater.  The show is being financed by Silas Bishop, a rather wealthy businessman whose wife also happens to be in the starring role of the play.  But Bishop is a rather unlikable man, and every person in the cast has a distaste for him.  So, when Marilyn discovers him dead behind his desk at his cottage, she has no shortage of suspects from which to choose!

Handler-Cohen (a/k/a St. Clair) offers up a superb mystery that, quite frankly, kept me guessing up until that very last chapter, and even then, I didn't have it figured out.  She gives readers plenty of suspects, all of whom have good motives and opportunity, and just like Marilyn, it's almost impossible to narrow it down.  And I give Handler-Cohen credit for truly misleading the reader, as there some very subtle clues that come into play along the way that lead you to believe one particular character is pretending to be someone he is not, and that he is the killer, but the author pulls another twist, which left me quite surprised, but thoroughly pleased.  It's always a joy to read a mystery where the killer does not become obvious within the first few chapters, and it's even more exciting when the killer's identity remains a secret until the very end reveal!  Such is the case with this book.

Dalton Perez is the self-absorbed actor who thinks he is God's gift to the theater world.  Sally Bishop is the producer's wife who lacks talent and appears to be having an affair with Dalton.  Randolph Rivers is an aging actor, always on the brink of failure, who desperately needs this play to be a success.  Vana MacIntyre is an actress whose career is just starting, but who got the part solely because Marilyn did not want her in the play and Silas forced her to take her on just to remind everyone who was financing the show.  Peter Dennis only has eyes for Vana, and he will do anything to protect her.  Richard Riordan is a professor of drama at Yale who only acts part time simply for the fun of it, and he quickly becomes Marilyn's friend and confidant.  Then there is Evelyn Blake, who has been Bishop's personal secretary for the past twenty years and who has a few secrets of her own.  And poor Ed Simpson, who is the chief of police for this small town, bounces from one suspect to the next, although in his eyes, Perez makes the perfect killer - after all, it was one of Perez's handkerchiefs that was found at the crime scene.  Marilyn is not so sure, since Bishop was found clutching one of the programs for the upcoming play, The Executive Secretary, which has the word "secretary" circled.  This would point to either Bishop's wife (who plays the secretary in the play) or Evelyn Blake, who was his actual secretary.  But, as Marilyn eventually learns, one word can have more than one meaning...

No clue as to who provided the cover art for this book, but the interior art was provided once again by Luke Ryan (who signed his name to the last internal illustration).  I believe this is the third or fourth Zebra Mystery Puzzler that boasts his interiors.  He provides beautiful pencil drawings, and it is always fun to carefully comb over each illustration to figure out exactly what clue each one contains.  After all, as the cover says, it's up to the reader to find the clues in the story, one the cover, and in the illustrations - before you cut open the final, sealed chapter!  And it is somewhat amusing, because the final illustration actually has a key that someone is holding, and the key represents a "key" clue that will help the reader (and Marilyn!) confirm or eliminate at least one suspect.  I thought this was a fun visual "pun."

Handler-Cohen (St. Clair) does give readers an exciting payoff for the conclusion to the mystery, as Marilyn faces off against the killer in the very same place where she found Bishop's body. And once the killer's identity is revealed, certain moments in the story suddenly come together and make a lot of sense - which shows some excellent writing, as this person is actually presented as one of the least likely of suspects, if not the most unlikely of all the suspects.  But it works, although the motive is not something that the reader could pick up on throughout the story, as that revelation is completely out of the blue.  That's okay, though, because the writing is riveting, that climactic confrontation is well worth the wait!

Thankfully, Handler-Cohen wrote a few more Zebra Mystery Puzzlers in this series, so I know we'll get to see Marilyn Ambers pop up again to solve another murder or two before the series ends.

RATING:  9 loudly quacking birds eating bread crumbs out of 10 for an exciting, engaging, and expertly-plotted murder mystery that should definitely not be missed!

Pleasures of Peyton Place - the third Peyton Place novel by Roger Fuller

It was definitely time to take a return trip to Grace Metalious' fictional town of Peyton Place.  After two books written by the creator of the series, and then two books written by Roger Fuller, who continued the stories of the citizens of Peyton Place, it feels like the small New England town has been fleshed out, and the expanding cast in this sequel series creates a true soap opera realm for Fuller to play in.  First, we had Jay and Eileen's tragic story (Again Peyton Place), and then we read about the difficulty the Welles' family faced because of their sinful past (Carnival in Peyton Place).  Now, readers are introduced to yet another family who has moved to Peyton Place - a family with some twisted morals who are about to come face-to-face with the consequences of their actions ... or in one person's case, inaction.

Pleasures of Peyton Place brings famed artist Joe Fiske and his family to the small community.  Fuller takes his time to thoroughly introduce the readers to each member of the Fiske family and give readers some insight as to why each character is the way he or she is.  Gus and Berte are the twins, the youngest children.  The two are opposites, with Berte describing herself as the "Gorilla Girl" (p. 40) because she was tall and had inherited her father's bone structure.  Gus, on the other hands, was "short and slight, with such delicate features, small hands and feet and long lashes..." (p. 41).  Yet, Fuller makes sure to let readers know that Berte is still feminine and attracts boys, while Gus never had anything "swishy" about him (p. 41).  I suppose Fuller did not want any of his readers to think Berte or Gus was anything but heterosexual.  Tom is the first born, a wild child who seems to only act out of rebellion, having been tossed out of one school after another because of the trouble he causes.  Then there's Scotty Fiske, Joe's beautiful wife.  She is the perfect artist's wife, who will do anything to make sure her husband's genius is catered to, even if that is at the cost of her children and her own marriage!  Of course, there's Joe Fiske himself - a self-made man, who rose up from nothing to make a name for himself with art that never fails to sell at unbelievably high prices.  He can do no wrong, so he has no guilt when it comes to sleeping around with women that he meets, believing it is just something that geniuses do.  After all, he justifies, they are just dalliances that never last, and his true love is only for his wife. Until he comes to Peyton Place...

Now, Fuller does not focus solely on the newcomers.  He also introduces readers to Harvey Peddrick, the bank manager at Citizens National Bank.  Harvey is a hardworking man who is dedicated to his job and his wife, Edith.  Edith is his second wife, who he met while on a business trip in Tampa, Florida a few years before.  His first wife had died, and so he and his son, Robert, had been on their own - until that fateful day when Edith joined Harvey on a bench looking out over the beach in Florida.  Although somewhat younger than Harvey, Edith is satisfied with her marriage.  She is not in love with him, but she loves him and loves how he cares for her and gives her a steady, secure life.  There is nothing exciting about their hum-drum existence.  Until the day her car slides into a ditch in front of the Fiske's new home ... and Joe Fiske happens to be on hand, ready to assist ...

It doesn't take a genius to figure out where this story is headed.  Joe, who normally does not paint women, suddenly finds himself inspired by Edith.  Edith is not really interested in posing, but her husband is thrilled at the idea of a famous painter using his wife as a muse.  Thus, the two are thrown together, and as one can expect, they begin a torrid love affair.  The only problem is, they actually fall in love, leaving them in a quandry as to her husband and his wife and family.  Well, circumstances conspire to bring their affair to the light of the citizens of Peyton Place (after all, it is a small town, and everyone talks!), and before you know it, all parties involved must face the truth and figure out what to do about it.  Along the way, Fuller provides side stories involving Berte's attempts to fit in at the high school and Gus's battle for a spot of the school baseball team. We also read about Tom's efforts to bed the local ladies and find a spot that will satisfy his rebellious desires - booze, sex, and drugs.  And find a place, he does, just outside the county line...

This book is definitely more focused on the standard romantic entangles of the characters than the previous two books by Fuller, but there is still some tragedy that strikes.  One of the characters does not make it out alive, and love definitely does not conquer all in this story.  Fuller provides readers with a bit of a moral reckoning for both Joe and Edith by the end of the book, as a gentle reminder to readers that "love" is not always what it seems, and one should be careful about looking outside of marriage for it.  Lust is easily mistaken for love in the heat of the moment, and in this story, Joe and Edith find out the hard way exactly what that costs.

This book was published back in 1968, and back then, many of the mass-market paperback novels came with ad inserts, often for cigarettes, but also for other books or magazines.  In this instance, however, there was an ad insert promoting the "Famous Writers School" out of Westport, Connecticut.  "Do you have writing talent?" the insert asks.  "Find out by taking this Aptitude Test created by 12 famous authors," the ad boastfully promotes.  Supposedly the test was crafted by authors such as Faith Baldwin, Rod Serling, Max Shulman, and others. Readers could fill out the card, detach it, and mail it in for a free aptitude test that they could take without any obligation.  Heck, even the card had pre-paid postage on it.  So what did these readers have to lose?  There is even a small blurb that tells you "Why writing can be a godsend for woman."  Because, apparently, a writing career can provide women with "money, recognition, and freedom to work when and where you choose."  I find it interesting that they focus their blurb on women, presumably because the publisher assumed only women would be reading novels about Peyton Place.  I wonder how many men saw this and were turned off by the fact that ad was geared towards women and not just readers in general.  

In any event, this third Peyton Place novel in the sequel series provides a standard soap opera tale, and Fuller shied away from the explicitness of his previous novels.  Sure, there are some steamy scenes, but they are toned down considerably, and readers only get the opening kisses and the after glow to read about. Even the tragic death of one of the characters occurs completely "off-screen," and the readers, along with the Fiskes and Peddricks find out about it after-the-fact.  And before you get too concerned, some of the regulars of Peyton Place do make appearances in the book - Michael Rossi and his wife, Connie; Dr. Swain; and the good ol' Sheriff, who is always looking to stamp down on those no-good teenagers that are bound to cause trouble at some point.  Oh, and I musn't forget the Coolie Smith, who is Joe Fiske's right-hand man, who takes care of everything for him - his schedule, his family, his house.  In fact, Coolie is the glue that holds the Fiske family together and takes care of all of the problems that arise. 

RATING:  7 damaged blocks and drive shafts out of 10 for showing how the pleasures of this life can ultimately lead to nothing but pain and heartache!

Penny Parker Mystery Stories No. 15 - Whispering Walls

As I finished this fifteenth mystery in the Penny Parker series, I realized with sadness that there are only two books left before I take leave of Mildred Wirt Benson's perky little amateur sleuth.  This truly has been a wonderful series to read, with only one or two stories lacking the strength that most of the series has.  As the series has progressed, I also noticed that Benson's writing also matured - the stories became more adult and darker in nature, and the writing became less geared towards young adults and more similar to adult mysteries.  Benson never shied away from having her characters carry and use guns; poor Penny faces some truly life-threatening situations; and, in some instances, characters actually died as a result of their actions (as I found out in this book!).  I would love to know the real reason why the Penny Parker series ended after the seventeenth book - had sales truly decreased?  Did Benson simply not want to write any more?  Did the publisher decide the series had run its course?  Or were there other factors that contributed to the demise of the series?  I suppose that nearly 80 years later, we will likely never know for sure...

Whispering Walls is definitely much darker, dealing with black magic and its affects on people (regardless of whether the "magic" itself was real or not).  The story begins innocently enough, with Penny using her press card (p. 3) to get into a bank where the police are investigating the disappearance of the bank president, Hamilton Rhett (p. 5).  And before we go any further, let's take a look at that name - my friend, Pam, pointed out to me that the name "Hamilton Rhett" appears to be a combination of Ashley "Hamilton" and "Rhett" Butler, the two loves of Scarlett from the novel/film, Gone with the Wind.  Having never read the book, nor seen the movie, I would not have caught this, but since the book came out just 10 years prior to this book, and the film was only 7 years prior to this book, it is possible Benson had read the book or seen the film, and the names just stuck with her.  In any event, back to the story at hand - it seems Mr. Rhett's disappearance happens to coincide with the disappearance of $250,000 in negotiable government bonds (p. 6), which would equate to well over $4.2 million in today's cash!  While Penny is trying to get the story, she happens upon a piece of paper with the drawing of a "crude and sinister looking winged serpent" (p. 10), which thus begins her descent into the world of black magic.

From the president's secretary, Albert Potts, Penny (and the reader) learns that Mr. Rhett collected weird trophies of ancient cults from around the world (p. 12), and the drawing was that of a plumed serpent - which, in the real world, may represent Quetzalcoatle from the pre-hispanic Mesoamerica (Central Mexico).  When Penny goes back to the newspaper to tell the editor what she has learned, DeWitt sends her to the Rhett mansion to "get all the dope you can from Mrs. Rhett" (p. 15).  The mansion is described in typical gothic terms - discolored, with trees and bushes overgrown from lack of care, while the house itself has on each side a circular tower room with two small windows "which resembled human eyes" (p. 21).  That last description seems to give the Rhett house a life of its own, as it if were its own character in the story, watching over the other characters as the drama unfolds.  Mrs. Rhett is a recluse who refuses to admit anyone to the house and is adamant about not wanting the police or reporters anywhere near her.  Penny, however, meets Rhett's step-daughter, Lorinda (interesting name!) when the girl shoots an arrow that barely misses Penny's head in an effort to keep Penny out of a thatched-roof cottage located behind the house (p. 24).  Of course, Penny befriends Lorinda and offers to help her and her mother find out what really happened to Mr. Rhett.

Penny meets Anton and Celeste, the Rhetts' handyman and housekeeper, who are oddly enough described as "dark-skinned" (p. 38) rather than colored, black, African, or any other term.  And I say "odd" not because the characters are black, but rather because Benson has never shied away from using derogatory terms to refer to non-white characters, so to see her not use them to describe Anton and Celeste seems a bit out of the ordinary for her.  Penny (and the reader) quickly learns that Anton and Celeste were brought to America by Mr. Rhett, and that they are "natives" from an unnamed country that practices voodoo and other dark rituals.  In fact, Benson points out in the story that Celeste is wearing "one of those heathenish ouange charms" (p. 39).  I was curious as to what "ouange" meant, and a search for that word revealed it was actually the name of a movie from 1936 that is heavy with voodoo.  In the film, one of the characters use a death charm known as a "wanga."  Also, one of the character is named Klili, but on the movie poster for a renamed cut of the film called "The Love Wanga," the character's name is spelled "Clelie."  Interesting that Benson would choose to name her character "Celeste" and have her wear an ouange charm!

What is more intriguing about the writing of this mystery is Benson's use of the Zudi Drum as a major plot point in the story.  This book is not the first Benson book to have a mystery involving a Zudi Drum.  Back in 1932, some 14 years prior to this book, the second Madge Sterling mystery, The Deserted Yacht, also featured a Zudi Drum at the center of the mystery.  What is especially interesting to note is that Benson not only utilized the same plot device, but she also lifted an entire scene from that earlier book and re-purposed it in this book (compare the description of Enid removing the Zudi Drum from her father's wall safe in The Deserted Yacht at pages 81-82 with the description of Lorinda removing the Zudi Drum from her father's wall safe in Whispering Walls at page 49).  But Benson goes much further with this story into the superstitions and omens that Anton and Celeste have brought with them - from an evil ouange of two burnt matches with their ends tied together with a bit of scarlet string (p. 40) to an effigy doll of Mrs. Rhett, intended to frighten her (p. 98).  Penny and Lorinda even uncover dark rituals being performed in a cave not far from the Rhett mansion (p. 172), where Anton and Celeste, with some others, are chanting and performing weird rites to their Serpent God (pp. 171-72).

 

The thing that probably surprised me most about this story is the event that takes place during the hurricane.  And yes, you read that right.  Benson, who is famous for utilizing storms to create tension within her stories, brings a hurricane far enough inland to affect Riverview.  During the storm, Penny, Jerry (yes, he's back!), and Mr. Rhett chase Celeste down to the docks.  The storm becomes so intense, Penny and the others take shelter in a shed - but poor Celeste remains out in the storm, and the strong winds sweep her off the dock ... she tries to cling to a dock post, but she loses her grip and "with a scream, topped over the edge into the churning water" (p. 198).  I don't believe I've read such a horrific description of a villain dying in any children's mystery before, and it came as a shock to read it in this one.  At least when the dam burst in Hoofbeats on the Turnpike, the characters we thought died actually turned up alive in the end.  But not this time.  Celeste meets her demise, and such a tragic way to go.

K.S. Worner is back to provide both the cover art and the line illustration in the front of the book.  The cover art gives us a overly-dramatic confrontation between Penny and Celeste, while the frontis piece inside marks the moment when Penny discovers the hidden staircase that leads them down to the cave where Celeste and Anton hold their dark rituals.  In both illustrations, Penny is missing her trademark bow in her hair that so many of Worner's earlier illustrations had, leaving me to wonder if this was perhaps a way of showing how Penny has grown up over the course of the series (from being simply an amateur sleuth who happened to have the good fortune to fall into mysteries to a determined young reporter who, even though she is still in school, knows how to scoop out a story when she sees one!).  

One final observation is that regarding the budding romance between Jerry Livingston and Penny Parker.  While it was hinted at in prior books, there's been no opportunity for Benson to explore that avenue, since she sent Jerry off to fight in the war.  But in this book, Jerry is back full time, and he assists Penny in some of her detecting.  At the end of the story, after all has been resolved, and Mr. Rhett restored to his family and the truth behind the missing bonds revealed, Jerry and Penny have a rather amusing moment

"My reward or tonight's work.  Girl reporters, even cute little numbers like you, can't snatch my by-lines without paying the piper."

 

"And what fee do you require?" Penny asked with pretended innocence.

 

"We'll go into that later," [Jerry] chuckled, pinning her neatly into a shadowy corner of the vestibule. "Just now, I'll take a little kiss on deposit!"  (p. 212). 

I have to say, this scene has quite a bit of innuendo and some not-so-subtle subtext that could make even an adult slightly blush.  Between the dark tone of the mystery, the horrific death of Celeste, and this scene, this story could easily have been written and marketed to adults rather than young adults!  It leaves me anxious to see what the last two books in this series has in store!

RATING:  10 whispering, drum-pounding walls out of 10 for a superbly-plotted tale of magic, mystery, and mischief!

The Happy Hollisters and the Missile Town Mystery (HH19)

It's time to return to Florida with the Happy Hollisters!  While the Hollister family visited some fictional sites in their previous Florida adventure, (The Happy Hollisters at Circus Island), this time around, the Hollisters visit actual locations on the east coast of the Sunshine State!  Author Andrew Svenson (a/k/a "Jerry West") reveals in a letter written to a fan back in 1961 that he made a special trip down to Cape Canaveral (back before the name was changed to Cape Kennedy for a period of time) to do research for the book.  And interestingly enough, when the name changed from Cape Canaveral to Cape Kennedy, Svenson revised the text for the story to reflect the name change (meaning, for the die-hard collectors out there, there are two versions of this particular book to be found!).  Living not far from the Kennedy Space Center, I was eager to see what this mystery had in store.

The Happy Hollisters and the Missile Town Mystery takes the Hollister children and their mother down to Florida to visit Mrs. Hollister's sister, Carol Davis, and her family at Cape Kennedy (for the sake of consistency, I'll simply refer to Cape Kennedy, since the latter versions of the book used this name).  Mr. Hollister has work that prevents him from making the trip, but there's no need to worry - Aunt Carol's husband, Uncle Walt Davis, provides a steady male father-figure throughout the story, and he even works at Cape Kennedy, to boot!  The Hollisters are excited at the prospect of watching a rocket launch, but their first one turns into a disaster when the missile explodes shortly after take off - which leads the four older siblings on an adventure with their cousins, Randy and Sharon, to see if they can find any parts from the exploding missile which may have crashed along the coast, in the hopes that the scientists and engineers at Cape Kennedy can determine the cause of the explosion.  Plus, there's the three million dollar payload in the missile's cone that could potentially be out there somewhere in the ocean or along the coast, and the government is definitely anxious to recover that before someone else does!

This mystery is much more entailed and certainly provides considerable more danger to the children (although they are not necessarily aware of the danger).  A rundown shack on Cocoa Beach is home to a rough old man who makes it clear the kids are to stay away from there - but they begin to suspect something is wrong when a retired space monkey goes missing, and they ultimately find him coming out of that very shack!  There is also the trouble maker, Marshall Holt - who is very reminiscent of Joey Brill back in Shoreham! - who seems ready to cause trouble than for no other reason that he wants to show off.  When the children find clues that could lead to the discovery of the missing payload, they are put in grave danger - one of the villains sabotages Uncle Walt's car so that it runs off the road and crashes onto its side with Pete and Pam inside!  And the criminals have no issue with animal cruelty when they take the Davis family's small dog and just toss him overboard into the Atlantic, leaving the kids to scramble like crazy to get to the dog before he drowns!  Sure, the kids do seem to have a bit more freedom than children their age would normally have, and they definitely have some lucky coincidences in finding things the U.S. Government, with all of their technology and equipment could not find - but, c'mon, this is a children's mystery, after all, so there has to be a certain suspension of disbelief.

And although the first missile the Hollisters see take off explodes, they do have the chance to watch a launch from the beach, and Pete, Randy and Ricky even manage to get to see an underground launch from a restricted area after their boat runs out of gas near Cape Kennedy!  Speaking of which, Svenson uses a good amount of real locales for this book.  The Davis family resides in Cocoa (p. 28), which is situated on the Indian River (p. 28).  Later, the Hollisters are driven along the causeway, through Merritt Island, to read Cocoa Beach (p. 34), where they learn Cape Kennedy is on one end of the beach (p. 34), and Patrick Air Force Base is on the other end (p. 35).  The Hollisters also get glimpses of the Banana River (p. 94), which flows between Cape Kennedy and Merritt Island (p. 94).  And their visit to Port Canaveral, where they see the shrimp and snapper boats (p. 112) would probably make one think of the tropic port from which the castaways sailed in that old television show from the '60s (you know which one!).

Also, as with any good children's mystery, Svenson throws in some educational tidbits - such as how the city of Cocoa got its name (p. 52), as well as the meaning of Canaveral (p. 53) and why the name was changed from Cape Canaveral to Cape Kennedy (p. 53).  There's also explanations as to the firing of an underground rocket (p. 105), as well as how the fishing for shrimp (p. 113) and snapper (p. 147).  Thus, those who read the story will get an education as well as an enjoyable mystery.

In the recent hardcover reprints of the series, Svenson's grandson added some "extras" to the book, including family photographs, fan letters, newspaper articles, original outline and character pages, as well as some details as to where Svenson got his inspiration and information for the story.  It's fun to think that the author actually made a visit to Cape Canaveral and its surrounding area so that he could accurately portray the locales when writing the story - giving the mystery some realism to keep the story grounded.  It shows the care he took in crafting the series and how much he wanted to ensure his young readers were not only entertained, but also took away some knowledge after finishing the book.  You don't often find that kind of dedication in writers of children's series.

The Happy Hollisters are always great books to read, and this one especially so, since it is set so close to home!

RATING:  10 hidden message written in onion juice out of 10 for good, clean fun in the Florida sun with some missiles and mysteries, and even a monkey, too!