The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of Cabin Island (Hardy Boys Mystery Stories # 8 - Revised Text)

Okay, if the title to this book looks familiar, it should.  Just a couple of months ago, at the urging of some friends, I read the original version of this book, which was published nearly 100 years ago in 1929.  Approximately forty years after its initial publication, the Stratemeyer Syndicate, during the course of its revisions project, revised this particular book.  Andrew Svenson, best known for his own series, The Happy Hollisters, was given the task of writing the revised version of this title, reducing the story from 25 chapters down to 20 and the page count from 214 down to 178.   In some cases, the Syndicate merely cut out dialogue or certain scenes to reduce the length; however, in this instance, instead of simply shortening the story, Svenson gives readers what I would call a "re-imagining" of the story.

 

In both the original and the revised texts of The Mystery of Cabin Island,  Frank and Joe Hardy, along with their friends, Chet and Biff, investigate some mysterious goings-on at a cabin owned by Elroy Jefferson, a wealthy man whose automobile the boys had recovered when they solved a previous mystery involving car thieves. But, other than that basic premise, the remaining adventures are changed, sometimes in rather drastic ways.  The opening of the revised edition removes a rather large chunk of story from the original text, where the boys visit Cabin Island long before they get permission from Mr. Jefferson to stay there with their friends over the Christmas holidays.  In the revised, the first page reveals the boys have received permission to stay on the island as a "reward" for recovering the older man's car, and not only that, but Mr. Jefferson also has a mystery he wishes the boys to solve.  Thus, while the original had a somewhat slow build-up, the revised jumps right into the heart of the story, letting readers know from the very first page that Frank and Joe were going to be solving a mystery at Cabin Island!

 

Chapter after chapter, page after page, more and more of the story is changed in ways that seem to emphasize action more than anything else.  In the original, the boys did not face a run-in with another ice boat until the end of the second chapter; however, in this version, the ice boat handled by Tad Carson and Ike Nash runs them down in the first chapter (with a nice, two-page spread line illustration that seems to be a redux of the frontis piece from the original text).  And for those who remember the second ice boat incident in the original, where poor Chet could not gain control of his boat, it might surprise you to discover that in this revised version, it is the vile Mr. Hanleigh and Tad Carson who purposely attack the Hardys' boat, knocking them out onto the ice along with old Mr. Jefferson!  Poor Mr. Jefferson is injured, and the Hardys end up taking him back to the cabin, where he spends the night - a scene that never took place in the original.

 

There are quite a few other differences that deviate from the original tale.  One major difference is the fact that Mr. Jefferson has a grandson in this revised text, who disappeared and is the center of the mystery that Mr. Jefferson asks the boys to solve.  And in the original story, the boys learn about Mr. Jefferson's stolen stamps from the general store owner, Amos Grice, while in this version, Mr. Jefferson himself relates the story of the stolen medals to Frank and Joe - and yes, that's another revision. Perhaps by the late 1960s, stolen stamps would not seem as valuable to stolen medals, so the Syndicate changed the object of the theft - which creates another big change, as a "ghost" that is scene on the island (mostly by Chet) turns out to be the representative of the great Shah Ali, who has come to seek out Mr. Jefferson in the hopes of buying back one of the medals in his possession (or, rather, in his former possession, since the medals are missing).

 

One incident in the original text that I am actually glad they removed was the fox hunting chapter, where the boys hunt down and kill some foxes that Mr. Grice believes stole some of his chickens.  In the original, the Hardys use the rifles given them as Christmas presents by their parents; in the revised, the boys receive much needed snowshoes instead and there is no mention of stolen chickens or fox hunting.  And speaking of Christmas, that is yet one more revision in the text - in the original story, the boys spend Christmas day together in the cabin; in the revised tale, the boys spend Christmas morning with their families, and they do not head out to Cabin Island until after Christmas.  And the climactic scene where the tree comes crashing down on the cabin in the original?  Nope, it is removed from the revised, and the boys instead merely face a fierce snow storm that breaks through the windows, sending snow and cold into the cabin.

 

There is one difference that I found made the story a bit more challenging for the boys, and that involves the cryptogram.  In the original, the code to solve the cryptic message was simply reversing the alphabet:  to wit, A = Z, B = Y, C = X, and so on.  In this revised version, however, Svenson gives Frank and Joe (and the reader) and much more challenging solution, as the code actually makes use of the thief's name - John Paul Sparewell, Houseman (i.e., A = J, B = O, C = H, D = N, and so on).  I found that to be a much more creative solution, which would explain why the boys had such difficulty in solving the puzzle.  In the original, the solution proved way too easy and basically made the Hardys look inept, in that they could not have deciphered such a simple code.

 

Something I found both books to have in common is the illustrations of the ice boats.  In the original text, the plain frontis piece (by artist Ausott) shows Frank, Joe, and Chet in their iceboat, which has very little room for anything other than the three of them.  In the revised text, the frontis piece, as well as the two-page spread on pages 8 and 9 show ice boats with barely room for the riders - the frontis has only Frank and Joe with room for no one or nothing else; and the two page spread shows all four boys in the boat (and it is supposed to be the same boat, so how did they manage that?) with no extra room.  So this begs the question - how did these four boys fit into the ice boat, along with all of their gear, clothes, and the boxes of food that Chet brought, when those illustrations make the boat appear to have very little free space, if any at all?!  Artistic license, I suppose...

 

While I cannot say that either of the Cabin Island texts were overly enjoyable (remember, I am not much of a Hardy Boys fan to begin with), I can say that the original text offers up a richer tale with stronger characterization.  The revised text seems to focus more on fast-paced action, with constant accidents, danger, scares, and such, relying on the action to move the story rather than the mystery itself.  I think I prefer Svenson's Happy Hollisters' series far more than I did this Hardy Boys tale.

 

RATING:  5 handsome, gleaming medals out of 10 for the attempt at re-imagining a 1920s mystery for the 1960s (leaving one to wonder what a re-imagining of this tale for the 2000s would look like?)

Exploring Series Books in Florida, Part 1 - the Space Coast

After our fun-filled exploration of Cooperstown, New York (The Secret of Mirror Bay), my friend, Pam, and I decided it would be fun to take a look at some books set in my home state of Florida and, if we found any real locations referenced in the books, to take some time out and explore those places!  Well, we quickly discovered that there are quite a number of books set in Florida - from Betty Gordon to the Bobbsey Twins; from Connie Blair to the Happy Hollisters; from the Moving Picture Girls to Nan Sherwood; from the Outdoor Girls to Vicki Barr; from the Hardy Boys to Nancy Drew; and quite a few others.  We were astounded by how many young sleuths made their way to the Sunshine State for adventure and mystery, and we could not wait to delve into these books and see just what actual places we would find in our reading!

 

Once we started reading the various books, we quickly realized the best way to do this was to group the books by location, so that we could explore one location at a time.  Pam made plans to come down last autumn for our first excursion, planned for Tampa; but our plans got rather sidetracked by that pesky Hurricane Milton! However, we were not waylaid; rather, we simply altered our objective(which, as we learned later, turned out for the best!) and started with a different location - in this instance, we headed over to the East Coast instead of the West Coast and visited some locations that the Hardy Boys, the Happy Hollisters, and Nancy Drew visited in some of their mysteries.

 

The Happy Hollisters and the Missile Town Mystery, first published in 1961, was the first of our books to feature the Space Coast, as it is referred to here in Florida.  In this book, the Hollister family visits their friends, the Davis family, who reside in the town of Cocoa (p. 28), and they make visits to Merritt Island and Cocoa Beach, where Cape Kennedy a/k/a Cape Canaveral is located on one end of the beach (p. 34).  The book even discusses Banana River, which runs between the Cape and the town of Merritt Island (p. 94).  We drove through these towns and along the river as we made out way down the coast.  We visited Cape Canaveral, just like the Hollisters, who learned that "Canaveral" meant "canebrake" in Spanish, referring to the sugar cane that was raised in the area (p. 53).  It is likely the Cape looked considerably different back in the early 1960s compared to today, but the location of the Space Center remains the same.

 

The Hollisters also visited Patrick Air Force Base, located at the other end of the beach (p. 35).  Pam and I drove down the causeway, hoping to have an opportunity to visit the base, and we had a bit of difficulty getting in, as the entrance is some bit before the actual base itself.  Also, something that threw us off a bit is the fact that the air force based has since been rename - it is now called U.S. Space Force: Patrick Space Force Base!  Which just goes to show just how far we have come since the 1960s!  Unfortunately, due to security concerns these days, casual visitors are not allowed onto the base, so we were not able to get beyond the welcome center (although I think the servicemen at the desk were taken aback by the idea that the base actually appeared in children's mystery books!).

 

Following the trail of the Hollisters, our next stop was Cocoa Beach itself.  In the book, the Hollister children comb the beach, hoping to find some part of the missile that exploded just after take-off (pp. 35-37, etc).  Pam and I did not necessarily search for parts of a missile, but we did search for shells and enjoyed the cool breeze coming in off the Atlantic Ocean!

 

 

It is easy to see why the Hollisters had so much fun while in Florida - they got to enjoy the sunny beach, they got to experience the excitement of a missile launch at Cape Kennedy a/k/a Cape Canaveral, and they were able to experience what life is like for those who live here.  While Jerry West (Andrew Svenson) did embellish the story, including some fictional locations and events, he did include enough real locations that we were able to follow in the family's footsteps.  Sadly, time did not permit us the opportunity to go to the port and see about fishing for shrimp (p. 113) or snapper (p. 147) - perhaps another time!

 

Moving right along, we look at the next book on our list, which is Nancy Drew's eighteenth mystery,

Mystery of the Moss-Covered Mansion (revised text), which was published in 1971, just ten years after the Happy Hollisters book. In the revised text of this book, the story for which was completely different from the original, Kennedy Space Center plays a central part of the mystery.  Therefore, since Pam and I were already there, we decided to make the most of it!

 

 

 

Nancy and her friends start off at the Visitor's Information Center Op. 30), and so Pam and I began our adventure there, taking note of the mock-ups of missile and rockets (p. 30). Inside the Information Center, there were plenty of toy rockets, mock space candy, and books about the Center and the history of man's reaching for the stars.

 

The next stop was the Vehicle Assembly Building, which George called "a real skyscraper" (p. 32).  There can be no doubt she was correct in her description, as Pam and I had to look way up to see the top of that building, which is a whopping 52 stories high! We would have loved to have gone inside and explored a bit, but unfortunately, time simply did not permit that day (remember, we were doing all of this right before a hurricane was going to cross the state, so there was not a lot that was open!).

 

At the end of Moss-Covered Mansion, Nancy and her friend were fortunate enough to countdown to the launch of a rocket (pp. 175-76); while we did get to see a huge countdown clock, unfortunately it was not connected to any actual launch that day (I can't begin to imagine them trying to launch a rocket right before a hurricane!). 

For the next book on our journey, we had to jump ahead twelve years to 1983, with the publication of The Hardy Boys No. 79, Sky Sabotage.  In this book, Frank and Joe do quite a bit of traveling around Central Florida, from Orlando over to the Space Coast, then back inland, then down to south Orlando, and back to the Space Coast.  While the timing of all that travel is quite a bit off (trust me I've driven those distances, and there is no way those Hardy Boys could have made it in the times they did!).

 

This book only contained a few real references, the first being the boys' arrival into Florida at the Orlando International Airport.  This is the same airport into which Pam flew down from Canada, and I can promise you that the OIA (as it is referred to here in Central Florida) is quite a bit different and much, MUCH larger than it was back in 1983.  It is doubtful the boys would have had as much difficulty as travelers today have in navigating the terminals.

 

In their travels throughout the book, the brothers make a stop at the police headquarters in Melbourne (p. 76), a city that is south of Cape Canaveral and Patrick Space Force Base (but still located in the same county).  In our own travels, we learned that the City of Melbourne has built a new headquarters since then, so the police station there now would not have been the one the Hardy Boys visited during their trip.

 

Probably the biggest nod to a real location in the book is when the boys pay a visit to "Fantasieworld" theme park (pp. 104, 107, and 108), in which they see rides such as "Outer Space Planet," "Deep Sea Submarine Ride," "Bear Dance," Island Pirates," and "Haunted House" - all of which are obvious takes on Walt Disney World and its famous rides, Space Mountain, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Country Bear Jamboree, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Haunted Mansion.  We did not go inside of Disney (do you have any idea the cost of tickets these days?  egads!), but we did find it amusing how conspicuous the ghostwriter made the names of those rides.

 

Now, for the last book on this jaunt, we only had to jump ahead two years, to 1985, when the Hardy Boys once again visited Florida in The Skyfire Puzzle (which was originally going to be titled The Mystery of the Space Shuttle).  This book finds the brothers experiencing way more of Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral than we ever could, since they were not only able to explore a lot of secure areas, but they actually get to go up into space in a shuttle!  I do not think either Pam or I was ready for that!

 

 

 

Since the boys were invited to parts of Cape Canaveral that is only open to employees, Pam and I thought we would try and sneak a peak at one of those "crew member" only areas.  We got to take a peak through the fence before a very nice employee led us away and to the actual guest entrance.  

 

In the book, the Hardys were able to tour " detailed mock-up of the shuttle" (p. 84), as well as visit the Vehicle Assembly Building (p. 86).  As indicated above, we did not get to see the inside of the Vehicle Assembly Building, but we did get to see a number of missiles on display at the Space Center.

 

And last, but not least, we did pass by the same Mosquito Lagoon that Frank and Joe saw in the book (p. 26) as they were making their way to Kennedy Space Center.  We learned that this lagoon is one of the least developed regions along the East Coast of Florida and it actually has a population of bottlenose dolphins that take up residence there.  We were not lucky enough to see any of those dolphins as we passed by the lagoon.  Kennedy Space Center, along with the cities of New Smyrna Beach and Edgewater, adjoin the lagoon.

 

Pam and I had a grand time exploring the Space Coast region, searching out the locations that the Hollisters, Nancy, Frank, and Joe visited in their books.  We know that Andrew Svenson actually visited the area prior to his writing of the Happy Hollisters story, which is why that book has the most accurate depictions of the area (at the time). Harriet Stratemeyer Adams is credited for writing the revised Nancy Drew book, and Neal Barrett, Jr. is said to have written The Skyfire Puzzle for the Hardy Boys.  Both of those books have at least some semblance of real locations within the stories.  The other Hardy Boys mystery, however, has very few real locations referenced, and I was unable to find the identity of the ghostwriter - leading one to believe that the writer may not have had a much knowledge of Central Florida and the Space Coast as the others did.

 

Having now toured the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, and its surrounding areas for these four books, we wondered where our next adventure (after the hurricane passed through!) would take us...

 

COMING SOON:  Exploring Series Books in Florida - Part 2 (St. Augustine)!

A Zebra Mystery Puzzler #14 - Death on the Late Show

Country singer Darby Castle, who appeared just two books prior when she solved the murder of her music promoter (Sing a Song of Murder), is back for her second and last appearance in the Zebra Mystery Puzzler series.  While the series is known for its recurring sleuths, I am surprised they brought one back so quickly after her first appearance - usually there are at least two or three books between appearances.  I guess at this late date we are likely to never know the reasons Zebra Books published the books in the order they did, but the obsessive-compulsive in me would have preferred if they had kept some semblance of order as the appearances of the sleuths!  Nevertheless, I do like the character of Darby Castle, so I am glad she at least got one more opportunity in the series to solve a murder...

 

Death on the Late Show takes Darby out of Tennessee and thrusts her into the hustle and bustle of New York City for three days of concert, as well as a number of interviews and one fateful appearance on a late night show.  "The Gordon Garrity Show" is hosted by a rather unlikable man who would rather insult his guests for ratings than actually treat them with respect.  Darby is not looking forward to her appearance, and upon arriving at the studio, she quickly learns the man has more than earned his reputation.  The firing of the make-up man leads to a staged walk-out of the show just before it goes on air, requiring some quick backtracking in order to keep the guests - including Darby (the country singer), Anthony Vickers (a Shakespearean actor), and David Kirk (an aquarist who caters to the wealthy).  Once on air, Garrity is surprisingly cordial to Darby and Vickers; however, when Kirk comes on to display his aquarium filled with a variety of fish, including some very deadly ones, Garrity turns hostile.  Well, of course, Garrity is encouraged to reach in to touch one of the fish, but he inadvertently gets stung by the deadly stonefish and within moments, he is dead - live on air!  Darby does not believe it was an accident, and she sets about proving that Garrity was murdered.  The only question is, who did it?

 

Jan Milella, writing under her pseudonym of Jan Michaels, gives readers an even faster-paced story than her previous entry in this series.  The story is only 138 pages, nearly 40-pages less than her prior book, so there is less time for build-up and investigation.  Darby has to move quickly if she is going to sift through the suspects and clues to reveal the killer's identity.  There is the make-up artist who was fired, an obvious suspect.  There is also the show's producer, who it turns out was already trying to find someone to replace Garrity on his own show.  There is Garrity's wife, who was having an affair, as well as the man with whom she was having the affair.  Then there is the aquarist who brought the dangerous fish to the show, as well as his assistant, who Darby leans has a criminal record he does not wish to be made known.  Finally, there is Garrity's second-hand on the show, who is up for the position of taking over the show if Garrity were to be out of the picture.  So many suspects with so many reasons to get rid of Garrity, Darby (and the reader!) definitely has her work cut out for her.

 

The mystery is well-written, and the murder itself is quite creative!  While the clues are a little bit obvious, making the killer not that much of a surprise, it is still a fun read to follow along with Darby as she works with New York City police lieutenant Peter Riley to catch a murderer.  It's funny how easily both the Tennessee police and now the New York City police allow Darby to tag along with them during the investigation, even allowing her to be a part of the interrogations.  This definitely reminds the reader just how fictitious the story really is (very reminiscent of how Nancy Drew always has cooperation from the police, no matter where she is).  At least Milella a/k/a Michaels does have Riley admit he spoke with Charlie Hanson, the police detective from Nashville from the prior case, who vouched for Darby (p. 61).  I suppose that does give some credence to Riley's willingness to accept help from Darby.  

Since this mystery is set in New York City, there are a number of references to actual streets, intersections, and locations, including the twin towers of the World Trade Center (p. 7).  That sort of stopped me for a moment, until I remembered this book was published back in 1978, more than twenty years prior to that horrific day when the towers fell.  There are also a couple of pop cultural references to Archie Bunker (p. 48) living in Queens, and Kojak (p. 60) with regard to the Midtown South precinct.  There is also a surprising reference to Joey Gallo (p. 81), known in real life as Joseph "Crazy Joe" Gallo, a mobster in New York about whom a movie titled Crazy Joe was made.  Interesting that the author tied in one of her characters to this mobster, who was shot and killed six years prior to the publication of this book.

 

Unlike the last Darby mystery, the artist for this book's cover is clearly identified as Bruce Emmett, whose signature appears on the bottom right hand corner of the cover.  Since this is a different artist, poor Darby looks completely different than she did on the cover of the previous book.  The only similarity is that on both covers, she is wearing a scarf around her neck (red on the first cover, blue on this one). The interior artist is also plainly not the same, as the art style is vastly different; however, as with most of this series, there is no credit given, and none of the black and white illustrations have a signature on them.  Not really sure which of the interior artists I prefer (this book or the last one), but I do wish Zebra / Kensington had maintained some level of consistency with the books.  Changing artists throughout the series would not be bad if they had simply put the same artists on the same author's books.  

 

Something that stands out about the interior illustrations - well, two of them, anyway - is that they were not inserted in the proper order.  On page 113, there is an illustration of someone holding a receipt for the purchase of a wall safe.  This confused me, as there was nothing at that point in the story that referred to such a scene.  At that point in the mystery, Darby and her manager are questioning Garrity's producer.  Well, in the next chapter, on page 122, there is an illustration that aptly fits that particular scene; and just one page prior, on page 121, is the moment where Darby's manager discovers the receipt for the safe.  Thus, it is obvious the two illustrations were somehow switched when the book was put together, and no one caught the error before it was published and sent out to stores!

 

I enjoyed both of Darby's appearances in this series, and it's a shame she only had these two books.  I suppose we can assume her singing career took off after the three sold out concerts in this book, and she simply did not have time to solve any more murders after this one (which, no doubt, made her manager / boyfriend a very happy man!).

 

RATING:  7 small capsules of tetracycline out of 10 for giving readers a completely new type of murder weapon and a rather ingenuous method of perpetrating the crime!

The Ninth Veronica Speedwell Mystery - A Grave Robbery

It's been almost a year since I read the last Veronica Speedwell mystery, but with all the books I've read in-between, it seems so much longer than that.  I really wish these books came out more often, as I gobble them up, and once I'm done reading one book, I am ready for the next - but find myself having to wait a whole year before I can get my next fix of Veronica and Stoker!  But, of course, each book is well worth the wait.  Deanna Raybourn is a master storyteller, and her way with characters brings them to life like few other authors can.  One readily feels like they know (and love!) Veronica, Stoker, and all of the supporting cast who come and go throughout the series, and so when each new book comes along, it is merely like reacquainting one's self with a friend who has just returned from a long trip and is ready to share their latest adventure...

 

A Grave Robbery, thankfully, finds Veronica and Stoker back in their familiar relationship, enjoying their usual fun banter, when their host brings them the most unusual oddity - a waxwork woman that he wants Stoker to install with mechanical workings to make it appear as if the was figure is breathing as she sleeps.  Stoker is all too ready to perform this task, especially since it is for the benefit of their benefactor's young daughter, Rose. There is only one problem - when they begin to study the female figure, they are shocked to learn she is not a waxwork at all, but, rather, an actual human being, perfectly preserved - and most definitely dead! So, this raises the questions - how did she die? how was she so perfectly preserved? who was she? And most importantly - who did this to her?  Thus, Veronica and Stoker are off on their next great adventure, to solve the mystery of the waxwork beauty!

 

Raybourn has crafted a wickedly good tale, full of unexpected twists that remind the reader that with these mysteries, one never quite knows what will happen next.  Lord Rosemorran insists that no police be involved, as he does not want a scandal surrounding his purchase of what he thought was a waxwork figure. Thus, Veronica and Stoker must resort to more private means of learning the truth about the poor woman they have come to refer to simply as "Beauty" (after the obvious similarity to the sleeping fairy tale character); which is a perfect opportunity for Raybourn to bring back the oddities of Professor Pygopagus' Travelling Curiosity Show (after all, who else better to ask about the strange nature of waxwork figures than those odd individuals who made up the circus of which Stoker used to be a member!), as well as the beloved J.J. Butterworth, the lady reporter who was one of the few people in the world to know the truth of Veronica's heritage, and Detective Inspector Moraday, a member of the Special Branch of Scotland Yard who Veronica knows can be trusted despite his affiliation with the law. Besides, J.J. and Moraday's irritation with Veronica and Stoker's adventures is too much for Veronica to resist...

    Mornaday covered his face with his hands while J.J. gave me a level look.  "I swear before the almighty god, Veronica, if this is another of your ridiculous and outlandish investigations-" she began.

    "Oh, nothing like that," I put in hastily. "It is just that we seem to have acquired a body."

    Mornaday peeped through his fingers, clearly intrigued in spite of himself.  "A body?"

    "Whose body?" J.J. demanded.

    "That is what we were hoping you could help us discover," Stoker said.

    "But how?" J.J. asked.  "How does one simply acquire a body?"

    "Ours was purchased at an auction," I told her.

    Mornaday groaned again, and Stoker passed him the decanter as I rose.

    "Come along," I said briskly.  "Let us introduce you to the Beauty." (p. 98).

 And if that doesn't whet your appetite for this fun little mystery, I don't know what will!  Raybourn has a way with her characters and dialogue that bring them to life in such a way that you can't help but love each and every one of them.  They are all quirky in their own way, and it makes for a much more enjoyable read to have characters that are real, flawed, and come to life on each and every page.

 

The story takes a rather dark turn, as it involves scientific experiments that border on the fantastical fiction side of things, along the likes of Dr. Frankenstein himself.  Our intrepid investigators learn that one Julius Elyot was researching the ability to bring the dead back to life, with the help of his sister, Eliza, and the wealthy Lord Ambrose.  Unfortunately, Julius Elyot died fifteen years prior in a fire, and Eliza Elyot, despite her affinity for scientific endeavors, has never fully recovered from the death of her twin.  Lord Ambrose Despard, on the other hand, is more than willing to welcome Veronica and Stoker into his home, to show off his myriad of collections, including that of waxwork figures known as Anatomical Venuses, which, it turns out, were actual, life-sized wax figures of women used by universities as teaching aids to their medical students back in the late 18th Century and well into the 19th Century (Anatomical Venuses), showing Raybourn did her research when weaving this into her story.  Of course, Lord Ambrose clams up when Veronica and Stoker begin to question him a bit more, starting them on the path to uncovering the truth behind the Beauty and the madness that led to her creation!

 

Perhaps one of the most amusing scenes in the entire book (which does, incidentally, play a very important part in answering several questions about the mystery!) is when Veronica and Stoker attend a "tableaux vivant" at the Curiosity Club for Woman, in order to have an opportunity to meet Eliza Elyot and her companion, Undine Trevelyan (as Stoker so eloquently asks, "Why do they all have such unfortunate names? First Parthenope Fleet.  Now Undine Trevelyan.  Why do we never meet a Mary Smith?  I should like, just once, to meet a Mary Smith" [p. 168]).  Although "attend" is not really the proper word - "participate" is more appropriate, since the only way Veronica could get her and Stoker into the event was to agree to pose as one of the living portraits ("tableausx vivant" does mean "living picture" after all, and this type of performance art is a real thing, as well).  With Stoker dressed only in a loincloth and Veronica in a flowing silk gown of blue pose as Samson and Delilah, based upon a painting by a Basque artist named Echena (p. 174) - who just so happens to be a real artist by the name of Jose Ignacio Luis Echenagusia Errazquin (Jose Echena).  The reactions of the patrons, as well as what happens next when Veronica and Stoker attempt to meet up with Elyot and Trevelyan (while still in costume, mind you) will have you smiling, chuckling, and ultimately cheering!

 

I do sincerely hope that one of the new characters introduced in this story, Wilfred Plumtree, makes a return appearance at some point in the future.  He was fun and, like of the rest of them, quite quirky enough to fit in with the rest!

 

Raybourn will keep you guessing, bouncing back and forth between suspects, but there are a few subtle hints dropped along the way that will lead you to the right culprit if you really pay attention (although, to be honest, they did lead me to wrong person first, until a person thought dead is found to be alive, at which point, I realized what was really going on!).  This is another truly captivating story that will leaving you wanting for more by the end - and there had better be more adventures of Veronica and Stoker, because that last page has left me wondering if A Grave Robbery is the end of the rails for our dynamic duo! Please say it isn't so!!

 

RATING:  10  awls out of 10 for an inspired mystery of stolen corpses, horrific experiments, deadly weapons, and one exuberant little golden lion tamarin with a deep affection for Stoker!

Harlequin Gothic Romance Series No. 32006 - Double Masquerade

"She was unaware of the bizarre web of deceit being spun around he - until it made her its target..." (cover blurb)

 

This is the second of the two Harlequin Gothic Romance novels written by Dulcie Hollyoak, the other being published just two books prior to this one (An Innocent Madness).  Hollyoak is the first author in this series to have two books published in it (although there are other authors who have more than one book in the series - Hollyoak is simply the first).  As with the first book, this one is set in Ireland during the 19th Century, during the great potato famine that occurred between 1845 and 1852, which resulted in mass starvation, disease and emigration in the country.  As with Hollyock's prior entry into this series, the story is dark, and the young lady in distress faces some what appears to be inescapable circumstances!

 

Double Masquerade (the title made me think of the Nancy Drew mystery, The Twin Dilemma) is the story of Hannah McCabe, an adopted peasant on the Irish countryside during the harsh conditions of the potato famine in the year of of our Lord, 1848.  Hannah's adoptive father has died, and her mother is being evicted from their home.  Hannah assumes she will go with her mother, Anna, and her two adopted sisters; however, fate has other plans.  It seems Anna has willingly given Hannah to be returned to the Big House, Balaleigh, where she was born to a lady's maid to the countess who resided therein.  The house is run by Mr. Scott-Ryan and his wife, Mrs. Scott-Ryan, with the overly stern housekeeper, Mrs. Rundle, and her nosy maid, Katie.  The countess, who will 103 this particular year, only returns to Balaleigh on special occasions.   Hannah is uncertain why she was brought back to the great house, and no one will tell her - but one thing is crystal clear - no one wants her there, and everyone things she is up to some devious trickery.

 

Poor Hannah is a lot like Victoria Winters was during her tenure on Dark Shadows - completely clueless as to what is going on around her, and sadly naive enough to believe the things she is told. Hannah even has the same dark hair as Victoria, and the disclosure of her ultimate true identity bears a striking similarity to the revelation that would have occurred with Victoria had she remained on the show.  But in the early part of the book, Hannah is filled with questions that remain unanswered and succumbs to the fact that she has no other choice but to do as she is told in a household of people who appear to resent her.  Well, not everyone does.  There is Richard Ralston, a man whose position in the house is unclear, but to whom, Hannah finds herself becoming attracted, even if only because he treats her with some small level of respect.  It does not take long, however, for the terror to begin.

 

Hannah gets tricked into being locked in a dungeon, only to escape with the help of a wild-haired old man that she thinks may be a ghost! She is nearly crushed by a rock that comes crashing down from the high wall of one of the turrets (p. 39).  This seems to be a common trope in these gothic novels, as I can recall several books other than this one where someone pushes a rock, a gargoyle, or some other heavy object from a high wall in an effort to do away with the young ingenue.  She is sexually assaulted (but thankfully not raped!), and she is tricked several times into wearing clothes that belonged to the master's dead wife or going into places where she has been warned never to go.  Ultimately, she learns the truth behind the countess' longevity and Mr. Scott-Ryan's plans for her, which all lead to her being locked up like Rapunzel in the high tower room with no hope for rescue.  And even after all this, Hollyock is not content to give her a reprieve, for when she does find a way of escape, Hannah is tricked a final time, where she finds herself trapped in a workhouse with other orphan girls, all of whom will be shipped off to Australia to become servants to the upper class living there!  Does the poor girl have any chance at a future?  Well, this is a typical gothic, so what do you think?

 

Hollyock keeps the story set entirely in Ireland, and in particular, the slowly dying area around Balaleigh. While no such house exists (that I was able to find), there is a townland in Ireland called Balally in County Dublin.  There is also the Thoor Ballylee Castle near the town of Gort in County Galway, Ireland.  Thus, Hollyock may have taken her name from either of these Irish settings.  However, Hollyock does make several mentions of Australia in the story, as Richard Ralston is establishing a life for himself there and intends to take his new bride (will it be Lady Caroline or Hannah?) to live there as well.  Yet, Hannah seems to have no knowledge of Australia, and Richard must tell her about the koalas and kangaroos and the fight for survival there.  Some research reveals that Hollyock based her workhouse girls on historical facts, as it seems more than 4,000 young female orphans from Irish workhouses were deported to the Australian colonies during the years of the potato famine to be sold as household servants for the wealthy.  As for Hannah's lack of knowledge of Australia, that is somewhat odd to me, since the research shows that Irish were going to Australia as early as the late 18th Century; however, in the early years, a large portion of those transported were convicted criminals - free settlers did not really start emigrating there until the 1840s when the famine began.

 

Another factual reference in her story is Hannah's reading of the serial, "Vanity Fair," in Punch (p. 60). As it turns out, Punch was a weekly British magazine which began publication in 1841, just seven years prior to the setting of this story.  The story, "Vanity Fair," written by William Makepeace Thackeray, was a 19-episode serial published from 1847 to 1848 in Punch, and therefore, when Hannah is said to be reading the issue (Spring of 1848), she would have been near the end of the story, since it concluded in the July 1848 issue.  Thus, once again, Hollyoack is accurate in her use of factual instances, whether it be historical events or published works.

 

I do like the fact that the author uses a locket as a key focal point of the story.  From the moment Anna McCabe thrusts the locket into Hannah's hand just before she is whisked off to Balaleigh, to the time when it is taken from her and she is accused of stealing it from the Scott-Ryan family, the reader knows that the locket holds something vital that could change everything.  The gold locket seems to go from hand to hand and person to person (sort of like that pesky bleeder valve in Dark Shadows), and when the contents are finally revealed and Hannah learns the truth, it comes as a huge relief to the reader - a sign that, in the end, everything is going to work out and Hannah will finally get the happiness she deserves.  There always seems to be some inanimate object that is the focal point of these gothic stories - whether it be lockets, broaches, letters, albums, or other items - and they manage to become the clue that provides a solution to whatever mystery is lurking behind the ancient walls of the dark, brooding homestead where the young, innocent woman finds herself.  It is part of what makes the gothic mystery so enjoyable, and it is something that carried over into the early children's mysteries of the first half of the 20th Century, such as in Nancy Drew (The Clue of the Broken Locket, anyone?), the Dana Girls, and their contemporaries.

 

Another great win for both the Harlequin Gothic Romance line and for Dulcie Hollyock, librarian and author!

 

RATING:  10  plates of stale bread and cheese out of 10 for spinning a gothic tale of terror, mystery, and suspense that keeps the reader fully engaged from the first page to the last!

Carol Plays Summer Stock a/k/a Carol in Repertory - the Second Carol Page theater story

Reading this series is pure joy for me, as it brings back so many wonderful memories of performing in community theater.  The author, Helen Dore Boylston, properly captures the excitement, the hard work, the disappointments, the backstage drama, the camaraderie, the hopes and dreams, the last minute mishaps, and everything else that goes into getting a play ready for that opening night!  And the continuing drama of what happens once the play begins - well, there's plenty of that, as well!  Boylston even offers up a word of thanks in an Author's Note at the beginning of the book - acknowledging how much she "looked to Jane Cobb for her lively suggestions and her true ear for dialogue.  In this new story of Carol she has cheerfully assumed the role of collaborator and godmother, and in gratitude I should like to dedicate the story to her." According to a tribute to Cobb in the New York Times (Jane Cobb - Author), she was a writer, too, having stories published in numerous magazines and a silent co-author of the Sue Barton books.  Thus, it is nice to see Boylston acknowledge her part in the creation of this series.

 

Carol Plays Summer Stock (a/k/a Carol in Repertory) picks up shortly after the conclusion of the first book.  For those who do not recall, at the end of the last book, Carol and her friends, Julia Gregg, Mike Horodinsky, Keith Macdonald, and Nan Walton were all selected to spend the summer at the Richards Village Theater in Winasser, Maine - Mike as a stage manager, Julia, Keith, and Nan as apprentices, and Carol in her first paying job as second ingenue!  The book opens as they arrive at the small town theater, full of hope, dreams, and excitement about the summer that lies ahead of them - and little do they know just how much drama they are going to experience - both on stage and behind the scenes!  Boylston ups the ante for this story, as her characters now have a bit of experience under their belts, so she puts them through some true challenges that test not only their dedication to the theater, but also their loyalty to one another.

 

With this book, readers are introduced to a small batch of new characters - Pete Gregory, Remember Hingham, and Orchid Wynton - two of whom become fast friends with the group, and one of whom defines the epitome of acting, both on and off the stage!  Pete, Julia, and Nan are relegated to classes and backstage work, while Mike becomes the assistant to the theater's own stage manager, Bill Dolan.  Carol is given a script for her first play, at which time she learns that Jane Sefton - the actress who gave Carol a ride in her car in the first book - is going to be performing at the theater that summer, and she has high hopes that she will have the opportunity to share the stage with her.  And it seems like she may get her chance, until a very sly Orchid Wynton decides she wants the role, and she tricks her way into it!  Yes, the story features an ongoing feud (of sorts) between Orchid and Carol, as Orchid is determine to keep her "star" status at the theater, even if that means making Carol look bad on stage.  But once Carol figures out what the other girl is up to, she manages to circumvent the mishaps and, once again, save the theater in the most imaginative way.

 

While I suspected in the first book that Carol and Mike were destined to get together - after all, it's the oldest trope in the world to have the two people who can't stand each other at the start end up together in the end! - this book seems to further the idea that while Carol and Mike have mutual respect for one another, their relationship is nothing more than friends in the theater.  That is not to say their friendship is not tested, as Boylston uses Orchid to come between the two in some rather devious ways, but despite her flaws, the one thing that can be said about Carol Page is that she is loyal to those she cares about - and it is her loyalty to Mike that helps save him from destroying his future by the end of the book.

 

There was an interesting comment in the book, when Mike gets irritated and makes the comment, "What's the Wonder Girl going to do now - imitations?" (p. 132).  As a long-time fan of the Wonder Woman comics from DC Comics, I was curious as to the name.  It seems this reference, published in 1942, actually predates the first appearance of Wonder Girl in DC Comics, who did not make her first appearance as a teen-age Wonder Woman until 1947!  However, the character of Wonder Woman had made her first appearance in All-Star Comics issue 8, published in 1941, just one year before this book was published, thus leaving one to wonder if the "Wonder Girl" reference was a simple play on words from the Wonder Woman character.

 

 Something that did surprise me in the book is a reference to divorce.  Remember (the character) admits to Carol that her father and mother were divorced, and that her father has re-married three times since then, and her mother twice (p. 155)!  While divorce was not necessarily uncommon by the 1940s, it was still unusual to see if mentioned in a young adult novel - and to think that the divorced man and women remarried multiple times after that, why, it is shocking!  According to a study by Bowling Green State University, in 1940 "approximately 3% of ever-married women in all education groups were separated or divorced"; however, the '40s basically started the increase in divorce rate, which grow higher and higher with each passing decade.  Now, it is fairly common to read about divorces; but in the early 1940s, it was a completely different story.  As such, I'm surprised not only that Boylston chose to give her character such a background, but that the publisher (Little Brown & Company) allowed it to be published.

 

As with the first book in this series, the plays referenced in the story are actual plays - from Dear Brutus, by J.M. Barrie (p. 21) to The Red Coat, by John Patrick Shanley (p. 33) to the musical Camille (p. 190) and even Seagulls Crying (p. 190), which is probably a take on Chekhov's 1895 play, The Seagull - while others are fictional in nature, such as The Upper Brackets (p, 68) and The Merry Woods of Windsor (p. 89), which is likely a take on the real play, Merry Wives of Windsor, as well as Run for Your Money (p 190), which, interestingly enough, was the name of a film in 1949.  Likewise, the location of this small town theater, Winasset, Maine, is fictional, but bears a close resemblance to the town of Wiscasset, Maine (although I could not find any community theaters in Wiscasset back in the 1940s when this book was written and published).

 

The artist on the internal illustrations changed - while the first book featured illustrations by Frederick E. Wallace, this book features internals by Major Felton.  From what I could learn online, Felton provided book illustrations and painted posters in the 1930s, '40s, and '50s, and his biography page on Wikipedia ( Major Felton - Artist) even acknowledges his work on the Carol page and Sue Barton series!  And like the first book, the British edition published two years after the first American edition, changed the title, this time more drastically to Carol in Repertory.  The British edition does feature the same internal illustrations, but the cover art is merely the same painted headshot that appeared on the cover of the first book.

 

This second book confirms my love of the series and the characters, and as indicated in the final chapter of this book, Carol and Mike are off to Broadway to see if they can make a name for themselves!

 

RATING:  10 carefully carried cups of tea out of 10 for another fun romp in the world of theater and acting with some very real, very flawed, and very enjoyable characters!

Secret of the Forest - a Children's Press mystery (the second Roger and Jimmy Keene mystery)

The Children's Press (London and Glasgow) seems to have published a number of books for boys and girls back in the mid-20th Century under "The Boys' and Girls' Library" heading.  I own and have read a couple of books from this series of titles (Kit and the Mystery Man and The Headland Mystery), and since both of those books were fairly decent reads, I will pick up books from this publisher when I happen across them - which is not too often.  This particular book was found by a friend of mine in Canada (as I rarely see these titles here in the States), and when she sent me an image, I immediately said, "Yes!"  Three teens - two boys and a girl - held at gunpoint by a white-haired villain in what appears to be a cave - yes, there could be no doubt in my mind this would make for an interesting story!

 

Secret of the Forest, as it turns out, is the second mystery to feature Roger Keene and his younger brother, Jimmy. I was not aware of this when I bought it and started reading it, but now that I do know, obviously, I need to find a copy of the first book in this 2-book series.  The author is H.J. Goodyer, and there is not much information out there about this particular writer, other than the fact that he/she wrote three books - this one, the first Keene Brothers book, and a third book entitled Time for Reflection: Love is Every Child's Birthright (which is clearly not a mystery like the other two!).  I find it odd that there is little to nothing on the internet about Goodyer, leading me to wonder if the name is simply a pseudonym.  In any event, Goodyer does offer readers a rather tense mystery involving World War II, spies, and counterfeit money.

 

The adventure begins as brothers, Roger and Jimmy Keene, are traveling the German countryside with their Uncle Arnold, headed for a guesthouse  named "Der grun Specht," which translates into The Green Woodpecker.  Back during the war, the building was taken by the British and used as a temporary headquarters for the Colonel and his men. Eventually, it was purchased and turned into a guesthouse, and a former soldier friend of Uncle Arnold's had offered them a stay at the old place.  Upon arrival, though, they begin to find things are a bit off.  Herr Holz appears cordial enough on the surface, but his wife, Frau Holz, seems extremely fearful and nervous.  The young chap, Willi, who seems to be the hired help, is anything but friendly.  There's also the waiter, Hans Gruber, who Uncle Arnold remembers from the war - but Hans begs his former friend to forget he ever knew him!  And then there is General von Tarkenheim and his daughter, Grizelda.  The General owns the guesthouse, but he does not communicate with his guests and appears to be angry most of the time.  And last, but not least, we must not forget Paul Konrad, who is all smiles, yet, behind those pearly whites, he is hiding a very important secret...

 

Robert and Jimmy are not really looking for a mystery, yet, at every turn, they come across more and more strange happenings.  When they notice the things in their room are being rifled through, and some things even go missing, they decide it is time to start investigating.  Then Grizelda comes to them for help, as someone is blackmailing her father, the General.  The three teens (hmmmm, Frank and Joe Hardy with Nancy Drew, perhaps?) team up to uncover the truth of what is going on at The Green Woodpecker.  It quickly turns into a very deadly game, as Gruber is run down and killed, and a merciless treasure hunter takes the brothers and their new friend deep within a cave and leaves them there to die with no way to escape!  This story is definitely not your typical children's mystery fare, but a much more mature tale of war heroes, unrepentant villains, deadly killers, and ruthless treasure hunters. 

The story mentions several places in Germany, and I was curious as to whether any of them were real.  The small village of Kallendorf that the Keenes and their uncle pass through early in the story (p. 10) is likely a variation on the real city of Allendorf, Germany.  The author does make reference to Hanover, Brunswick, and the Harz Mountains (p. 27), all of which are actual places in Germany.  The boys also indicate they "thought of running down to Goslar," which Konrad describes as "a delightful town ... much of the medieval so well preserved..." (p. 30).  Such town does exist, and it is an historic town that is famous for its ore mines.  It is also just south of Brunswick and southeast of Hanover, which would fit with the other cites the Keene brothers were planning to visit during the stay.  The ore mining would certainly explain the caves in which the teens find themselves captive, and the details of the location lead one to think the author might have visited there or otherwise be familiar with the area.  Again, I'm a sucker for books that integrate factual locations or other elements into the stories, as it tends to ground them a bit more, making even the most unbelievable tales somewhat more believable.

 

While it is definitely more of a mature story than the standard children's mysteries here in the States, this is a pretty good book and worth the read.  Leaves me with a desire to find that first Keene brothers' book and read it!

 

RATING:  8 wild boars with wicked-looking tusks out of 10 for a suspenseful story with a rather intricate and at times very dangerous plot.