Robots of Saturn - the Fifth Dig Allen Space Explorer Adventure

This penultimate adventure of Dig Allen, Space Explorer brings us one step closer to the final book in the series.  We have visited Mercury, Venus, Mars, the asteroid belt, and Jupiter, and now, in this fifth book, author Joseph Greene takes us on a trip to Saturn - or, more specifically, the rings of Saturn.  Greene offers a great dedication at the beginning of the book, "To the young people whoa re reading stories of space today, and who will on the moon tomorrow."  Since this book was published in 1962, Greene and his readers were still seven years away from man actually walking on the moon; thus, his dedication was more prophetic than he likely ever knew.  Greene lived until 1990, so he was alive to see a number of trips into space and the moon, and one has to wonder if he ever looked back at his science fiction stories and realized just how far-fetched many of them were in light of what science was discovering about our solar system and the planets in it.

 

Robots of Saturn is certainly a dead-on title for this book, since the story deals with exactly that - robots being used to mine the rings of Saturn.   When Dig and his friends get a call from Dr. Barry (the twins' father) asking for their help, they head out immediately.  What they learn is that Dr. Barry is heading an expedition to the rings of Saturn, where they will mine some very rare minerals that cannot be found elsewhere - minerals that can be used to create an indestructible metal that can withstand even the heat and deadly radiation of the sun itself!  But the only way to mine the minerals is through a new technology that allows man to interface with robots - in other words, they can transfer their minds and essence into a robot that they can then "live" through to do work a normal man cannot!  Professor Norwyn is the scientist who has developed these robots, and Greg and Maxie are the two space men who have volunteered to transfer themselves into the robots to mine the rings.  Needless to say, there is trouble when robot disappears, and it seems someone is out to sabotage the entire mining operation!

 

Published in 1962, one wonders if author Joseph Greene got some of his ideas for these robots from the great sci-fi author, Isaac Asimov.  Asimov introduced what is known as the "Three Laws of Robotics" in his 1942 short story, "Runaround," which include (1) a robot may not injure a human being or allow a human being to be harmed; (2) a robot must obey human orders except where such order would conflict with the first rule; and (3) a robot must protect its own existence as long as that protection does not conflict with the first two laws.  Greene, in this story, sets up very similar rules, but expands it to five rules:  (1) a robot shall not harm a human being; (2) a robot shall not permit a human being to be harmed; (3) a robot shall not permit a human to bring harm to himself; (4) a robot must obey all orders given by a human unless it conflicts with the first three rules; and (5) a robot must protect itself, unless it conflicts with the first four rules.  As you can see, these are basically the same rules established 20 years prior to Asimov in his short story.

 

Greene does provide some scientific detail (at least, what was known at that time) regarding the various rings of Saturn.  Most of the story, however, takes place in the Central Ring and the Cassini Space-Gap that separates the outer ring from the next one heading towards the planet (p. 61).  As it turns out, these facts are accurate.  The "A" and "B" rings are the brightest, separated by the "Cassini division."  Both of these rings are made up of chunks of water ice, some only an inch in diameter, while others are larger than buildings.  Now, in the book, The Cassini gap is described as being "3,360 miles wide" (p. 61); however, in reality, scientists have determined the separation is actually more like 2,290 miles (4,700 km) wide.  That's still a large distance to cross!

 

The story is adventure from the first chapter to the last, as Dig and Ken have their turn in the robots, only to learn that the saboteur has no problem with trapping them with the ice of the inner ring, or even worse - electrifying the robots to destroy their brains, and thus killing the two boys!  The discovery of more robots (even after the Professor indicated that there were no more built yet) only makes the situation worse, as Dr. Barry and the boys are left to wonder - is someone controlling the robots, or have they gone rogue and are following their own directive?

 

This book sees the return of Myron Strauss as the illustrator (he provided the illustrations in the first book).  Strauss's art is just as good as it was for the first book; however, there are much fewer illustrations, and most of the ones in this book are of the robots - we get very few illustrations that show human characters.  There is no indication who provided the cover art, but since there is no other reference, we can assume that Strauss provided the cover art (since the last book specifically indicated there was a different cover artist than the interior artist).  The only thing I find odd about the cover is Saturn with its rings are shown in the background, but the boys with the two robots are some distance away in the foreground.  No scene like this appears anywhere in the book.  I assume it was simply an artistic way to show the entirety of Saturn, while also showing the main characters and the robots.

 

Everyone that has praised this series definitely has had reason to do so.  I believe the stories have gotten better and stronger as they series progresses (even if some of the sci-fi aspects are way beyond believable at times - but, hey, written back in the early '60s, after coming through a decade of sci-fi schlock at the theaters, what can we expect?).  It's rather sad that the next book is also the last.  One must wonder, if the series continued, would we have seen trips to Neptune and Pluto, and maybe even beyond?

 

RATING:  9 deadly bolt bombs out of 10 for a crazy-fun robot adventure filled with space-faring feats of bravery and quick-thinking, with just a smidge of mystery to boot! 

 

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories # 142 - The Case of Capital Intrigue

"Nancy's in Washington, D.C., and she's uncovered a monumental mystery!" (cover blurb)

 

"Nancy investigates a shocker of a crime - at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue!" (back cover blurb)

 

Published in April 1998, this Nancy Drew digest is unique - in some ways, it follows the books that have come before; yet, in other ways, it digresses greatly from the typical Nancy Drew Mystery Stories formula.  According to Wikipedia (and yes, I do realize, you can't take everything there as the gospel truth), this particular book was ghostwritten by Elizabeth Nugent.  I am not familiar with this name, and I only find two authors by this name:  Liz Nugent, a bestselling author who also worked in film, theatre, and television and who currently lives in Dublin; and Elizabeth R. Nugent, an assistant professor of politics at Princeton University, whose research and writing focuses on the politics of authoritarianism and religion in the Middle East.  Quite honestly, neither of these seem to fit the bill, with the latter being (I believe) too young to have been writing books back in 1998.  It is coincidental, however, that the latter Ms. Nugent teaches politics, and that's exactly what this mystery is all about!

 

The Case of Capital Intrigue takes Nancy Drew to Washington, D.C., where she is visiting her best friend, George Fayne, who has an internship as a photographer's assistant at the White House. Now, those who have read the past couple of books are probably asking yourself - didn't George and Nancy just have an internship at a television station in the last book?  And were they not volunteering (interning) for a non-profit organization that helps teenagers in the one before that?  What was going on at Simon & Schuster around this time, that all of Nancy's mysteries seemed to center around some form of internship to get the mystery off the ground?  And let's be completely honest here - how in the world would an eighteen year-old girl with absolutely no photography experience get selected to be an intern at the White House, of all places?  And how in the world would she be allowed to invite her best friend, who is also just eighteen years of age, to come visit her on the job?  Talk about some major suspension of disbelief!  Even in 1998, I do not believe the White House and jobs associated therewith were that easy to get.

 

Aside from that, Nancy gets involved with some political intrigue, as a precious gift that was being presented by the President of the fictional South American country of San Valente goes missing, right under Nancy's nose (quite literally, as she is looking at the gold hummingbird statue when someone konks her on the head, knocking her unconscious, so they can steal the statue (p. 24)).  If news of this theft gets out, then it could not only destroy the treaty being signed between the countries, but it could look very bad for the current administration (and, this being 1998, that would have been Bill Clinton's administration).  Thus, Nancy sets about trying to find the thief, while trying to navigate all of the game-playing that goes on in Washington - and, oh, yes, there is plenty of that.  It seems everyone is out to get everyone else's job, and that includes poor George.  I mean, seriously, who would really be so interested in getting an assistant photographer job that they would send threatening notes and even poison George's food?  Well, that someone is definitely there, and unfortunately, those incidents become red herrings in Nancy's search for the hummingbird thief.

 

Now, if George getting the internship and Nancy being allowed access to the White House weren't enough unbelievable events, then I won't even bring up the moment where Nancy sneaks into the office of a secret service agent, figures out what the password to his computer is, peek at some highly classified files, and then talk her way out of the whole thing when the agent's secretary returns before Nancy can get out of the office (pp. 58-65)!  I realize this is fiction, and the story is not intended for adults, but seriously?  I think even pre-teens would be intelligent and savvy enough to know there is no way an eighteen year-old girl would be able to get away with that.  And let's not discuss how the White House security not only believe her in the climactic moments of the story, when Nancy figures out who the thief is and goes about to set a trap for him in the White House, but they allow Nancy to plan out the details and direct them in what they need to do!  Even my ability to suspend my disbelief was pushed to the limits with that one.

 

All of that being said, the story was not really bad at all (when you overlook those unbelievable scenes).  The danger is extremely high, as not only do George and Nancy nearly get run off of the third story of a parking garage, but Nancy actually gets shot at not once, but twice, over the course of the story!  I was rather surprised, as I recall one of the Stratemeyers' big rules was that there was never any guns in play.  Of course, this was years after Simon & Schuster took over the properties, so those rules were likely thrown out the window some time prior; however, that level of threat, along with the political intrigue, made this feel more like a Nancy Drew Files mystery than a regular Nancy Drew Mystery Stories tale.  In fact, since the Nancy Drew Files came to an end in 1997, one has to wonder if this was perhaps a left-over story that got repurposed from the Files to the Mystery Stories series.  This might also explain why Nancy has an admirer in the story that she not only encourages, but she allows him to kiss her - twice!  What in the world would Ned think of that?

 

A few fun facts come out of this book - first, Chicago is firmly established as "the neareset big city to her hometown of River Heights" (p. 2).  I don't recall any of the digests so blatantly making such a statement, but if I recall correctly, a friend has told me the Files make reference to Chicago more often than not (which would support my believe this manuscript was originally intended as a Files story).  Second, George is said to be "five foot eight," while Nancy is "five foot seven," both eighteen years old (p. 31).  We knew the age, but I cannot recall if these heights were ever stated so definitely before.  Third, ipecac, which is used to poison George, is an actual mediation that is used to induce vomiting and could potentially cause dangerous complications, as described in the book (p. 77).

 

The cover art is one again by the super-talented Ernie Norcia, who manages to create a somewhat dramatic scene with Nancy and Eduardo (the son of the San Valente ambassador, who, by the way, gets kidnapped towards the end, with his life threatened if Eduardo does not makes sure the treaty never gets signed!).  I had always thought the man in the cover art was Ned, but nope - it's Eduardo, as he and Nancy make a run for it in the rain when a sniper tries to shoot them while they are visiting the Lincoln Memorial (p. 107).  And, surprisingly, Norcia very nearly got the clothes the two of them are wearing, based on how they are described n the story.

 

Setting aside the hard-to-believe elements of the story, the book was actually a pretty solid read, with good pacing and a well-plotted mystery.  I would mark this as one of the better of the Nancy Drew digests.

 

RATING:  8 regular turkey and Swiss cheese sandwiches out of 10 for upping the ante a bit for Nancy Drew, giving her a more mature and far more dangerous mystery to solve than she is used to (in this series, at least!) 

A Zebra Mystery Puzzler #30 - Murder by Degrees

This book is the half-way point of the Zebra Mystery Puzzlers, as the series ended after 60 books.  The book offers up yet another new author to the series, Ann Pearson.  There are apparently a number of authors by this name, but with some research, it appears Ms. Pearson is (was?) a resident of Alabama (where this book is set), having received a PhD in English from Auburn University (which would explain why her protagonist is an English teacher at an Alabama university!).  She has authored a number of articles about local Alabama history, as well as historic preservation.  According to the sources I was able to find, the three mysteries she wrote for this series are the only three fiction novels she wrote.  Thus, her background and profession play a large part of this mystery, leaving one to wonder if perhaps Ms. Pearson was not putting herself into the story...

 

Murder by Degrees is one of those mysteries where the body is discovered within the first few pages, and the rest of the book is spent backtracking as the police, and our intrepid amateur sleuth, must sift through everything that happened the previous night in order to figure out just whodunnit.  The title is clearly a play on words, since the murder victim was the head of the English department at an Alabama university, and all the suspects are professors, some of whom have PhDs, others of whom do not.  As for the story itself - well, let's just say it surprised me.  A lot!  The writing of this book is unlike any in the series thus far.  While Maggie Courtney, a teacher at Jernigan College, is the main character and Pearson's amateur sleuth, the narrative does not stay on her; rather it seems to pivot among three characters - Maggie, of course, but also Jake Travis, the detective with the local police force, as well as Ted Meredith, a fellow teacher at the college.  There are also moments where we get snippets of some of the other characters, apart from Maggie, Jake, and Ted, and it gives the readers pause, wondering if the people we are following in the narrative could be the murderer, or if it is going to be someone from whom we do not get their point of view.  In fact, Maggie does not really take any active role in investigating until more than half-way through the book!  Her ultimately solving the puzzle is more by chance than any actual sleuthing on her part.

 

The story is also filled with a plethora of characters - and I mean a real plethora! In most mysteries, you get a few suspect, or in some instances, maybe five or six suspects.  Not in this book!  No, in this book, you get more suspects than you can possibly keep track of - and I'm not exaggerating.  The murder victim is Dr. Ruby Murdoch, Dean of Humanities and the Head of the English Department at Jernigan.  (And in case you are wondering, no, there is no real Jernigan College in Alabama.)  When Detective Travis begins his investigation, he quickly learns that Dr. Murdoch was not liked by very many people - in fact, most of the people who knew her had reason to hate her, giving them all motive for murder.  (1) Albert Cannon, assistant professor of English who is up for tenure; (2) Joe Waters is a teacher without a Ph.D. who is also up for tenure, worried that his lack of degree could hurt his chances; (3) Harriet McGraw, an assistant professor who shares a house with Maggie, who butted heads with the deceased over an art festival; (4) George Purvis, another assistant professor, about whom are a number of rumors regarding his proclivity for male students, as well as his drinking and debt problems; (5) Ronald Weir, a professor with tenure, suffering from Hodgkins' disease and a distant relative of the deceased; (6) Mrs. Boykin, a middle-aged widow who teaches only literature classes; (7) Jane Stone, the youngest instructor in the department who is reserved and keeps to herself, earning her the nickname "the Sphinx"; (8) Lorene Murphy, who is rumored to be having an affair with one of the other instructors at the college; (9) Paul Perry, the student liaison for the freshman English committee who is slick as oil and loves playing two sides against each other; and (10) Lucy, the English department's housekeeper, who seems to always be listening in or watching everything around her.  Of course, we must also remember that as far as Lt. Travis is concerned, Maggie and Ted are both suspects (but, of course, the reader can discount them, as they are both main characters, unlikely to be the culprit!).

 

Another oddity about this book are the illustrations, once again provided by Sanford Hoffman, making this the ninth book in the series illustrated by Hoffman.  The art is up to Hoffman's standard, but the scenes depicted are so bland and nondescript, one is left to wonder what possible clues could any of them hold?!  From scenes of Maggie dialing a phone with Cannon standing in the doorway, to Jane Stone sitting on the witness stand at the inquest, to three characters walking away from a shed, to a suicide note, to Lt. Travis looking at shelves of paperweights.  None of illustrations stand out as having any clues, and, quite honestly, it was not until I was reading the next to the last chapter that clues from the illustrations started to come to light - they are so subtle, so ingeniously placed, it changed my whole attitude about the book.  In fact, the clue on the cover was not at all what I thought it was; but when I realized what the real clue was, everything made perfect sense, pointing to the killer almost from the very start of the story.  For that, I have to give the author, illustrator, and publisher credit for taking what started out as a very dense, uninteresting story and turning it into quite a complicated murder mystery - one steeped in English literature.

 

Speaking of which, it should not be surprising the story is dosed with quite a bit of literature references, but one thing I did not know and learned from reading this book is that George Eliot was actually a pseudonym for a woman!  When Maggie first referred to Eliot as "her," I thought it was merely a typo.  But when Ted also refers to Eliot as "her," I looked it up and discovered that George Eliot was actually Mary Ann Evans, an English author, journalist, and poet who published her work under the Eliot pen name.  Just goes to show, you can learn something new every day!

 

What I thought was going to be the worst book in the series ultimately turned out to be one of the best, and definitely one of the most unique in writing style.  Pearson has two more books in the series, and I look forward to seeing where she takes Maggie Courtney from here.

 

RATING:  9 brand new literature book dust jackets out of 10 for a cunningly crafty murder mystery that gives readers an inside look into the lives of college instructors! 

Marriage is Murder - A Posie Parker Mystery, Book 9

I did not realize it has been over a year since I read my last Posie Parker mystery.  I love this 1920s female sleuth, who shares the same last name as Mildred Wirt's teenage detective from the 1940s and whose name is the reverse of a certain American actress of today.  Author L.B. Hathaway has crafted a world and characters that draw you into the story so easily, and murder mysteries that will keep you guessing right up to the end!  The world Hathaway describes is so vibrant and real, it is so easy to picture in your mind, and the characters are so distinctive and well-rounded, that you cannot help but love or hate them (depending on what the story calls for).  When I got this ninth book in the series from Amazon, I will admit I was surprised at how thin it was - I did not realize when I purchased it that it was simply a novella - a short story that tells the story of how Posie Parker and Scotland Yard's own Richard Lovelace finally tie the knot.  But, of course there are some complications along the way...

 

Marriage is Murder?, and yes the question mark is a part of the title, is only 66 pages in length, but it sure packs a lot into those 66 pages!  It opens with what is supposed to be the most magnificent day of Posie Parker's life. With two previous fiances left behind, Posie is absolutely sure that Richard Lovelace is the one.  After all the dangers they have faced together solving quite a few murder mysteries, and now that they are adopting Katie, the little baby left behind with no family but Posie and Richard, there can be no doubt that the finest that Scotland Yard has to offer is the man who will finally become her husband. So, why, then, is she so nervous?  Is it simply pre-wedding jitters?  Or is a premonition that even the best laid plans never go off without a hitch.  And boy, is there a hitch or two (or three, or even four!) this time!

 

First, the flowers are wrong.  Posie arrives at the church to find yellow mimosa all over the place, instead of all of the white roses she had ordered and paid for herself.  Where did her flowers go, and who replaced them?  Then, who is that minister standing at the altar?  That's not Father Rene Hoffman, the French-speaking reverend who Posie and Richard had specifically hired for their ceremony.  And what in the world was that persistent knocking noise, that seemed to come from somewhere behind the minister?  And more important than any of those things, where in the world was Richard Lovelace?

 

It seems the mystery is one of a missing person.  Until they hear the faint cry for help from behind the wall in the cupboard.  Until the telephone call the Chief Inspector takes that provides a riddle as to Richard's whereabouts.  Until Posie goes racing off to find her betrothed, unaware of the guns being fired into the church sanctuary.  Until Posie arrives at Scotland Yard to find it completely empty - not just of law enforcement, but of all the criminals where supposed to be locked in their cells.  Until Posie discovers she has been tricked, led into a deadly game of cat and mouse.  Until she finally comes face-to-face with an old enemy, one she thought long dead - one who intends to make her his own wife and take her far away from England and the man that she loves. And that is when Posie does something she thought she would never have to do.  What is that, you ask?  Well, you really don't think I'm going to tell you and spoil it!

 

The story is a fun-filled romp from the blessed halls of God's house to the filthy boardwalk along the wharfs, with Posie running here and there and everywhere in her beautiful wedding down and veil.  Oh, and yes, this is the dead of winter, so it's freezing outside, snow on the ground, and a harsh snowfall raining from the sky.  As if things could not get any worse for poor Posie.  It's a thoroughly enjoyable read that flies by way too quickly.  It's a good thing I found a number of the remaining books in this series at my local used bookstore, because now I do not have to wait to receive them from Amazon in order to read the next book - I already have it in hand!

 

If you are not reading this series, you should.  You must!  Hathaway is an amazing author, her mysteries are perfectly plotted, and Posie Parker is definitely one of the finest female detectives out there - right up there next to Miss Marple and Nancy Drew!

 

RATING:  10 cases of mistaken identity out of 10 for a wonderful winter wedding murder mystery well worth the read! 

Lucifer Cove, Book 4 - Masque of Satan (Virginia Coffman's Thrilling Occult Gothic Series)

"Jean Benedict came to the Cove to save a soul ... but the lure of its evil threatened her own." (cover blurb)

 

We are now past the half-way point of Virginia Coffman's occult Gothic series, with the fourth entry into the ongoing saga of the posh California spa that is way more than what it first seems.  Originally published in 1971, this later edition was published in 1973 with the stylish logo and similar covers to entice new readers to the series.  In true soap opera style, the series features a number of characters in every book, yet, at the same time, gives us a new protagonist to follow, which provides us with a fresh look at the Cove and unlocks more and more secrets as to what is actually going on in this den of iniquity!

 

Masque of Satan introduces Jean Benedict, a missionary of sorts who has come to Lucifer Cove at the request of Edna Schallert, one of the long-term residents at the spa.   (Oddly enough, the description on the back cover of the book asks the question "But what was Lucy Schallert's plight?" - yet, from the beginning of the series, the character has been named Edna, so not sure whose error this was - the publisher, the editor, or who, but clearly they goofed!)  Good ol' Edna Schallert has been around since the first book, more or less just a supporting character who, when we first meet her, admits to having stolen the man with whom Christina Deeth had an affair while she was married; then later, poor Edna falls for another man at the spa who is little more than a money-hungry swindler.  Now, in this book, Edna's problems come a bit more to the forefront, as the young Jean Benedict arrives, having been asked by Edna to come and help her and Buddy "fight an almost inconceivable menace" (p. 17).  While Jean does not understand what Edna is talking about, by now, readers most certainly know to what ... or rather, to whom ... Edna is referring!

 

Coffman takes a different turn with this book, as she turns the focus not just on a good person being enticed by the attractive temptations within Lucifer Cove, but she addresses how the lure of simple things, such as make up, clothing, and beauty could be a temptation for a woman who has lived her life in a way she believes is in service to God.  Let's face it, by now (the fourth book!), every reader knows that Lucifer Cove is a hotbed of sin and debauchery, with Satan himself personally present in the form of Marc Meridon (and if he turns out to be anyone else, I would be surprised).  Thus, to have a young woman in the form of Jean Benedict arrive, and to have her faith in God, her devotion to serving others and not allowing the ways of the world to detract her from her work, be tested in this way actually made for a very good read.  

 

I honestly did not expect Coffman to bring God into the equation in this series, other than in passing.  And although Jean Benedict is what I would call a borderline God-fearing person (she even admits at one point in the story that she battles her own pride in the work she does, questioning whether she is truly doing it for God or doing it for her own glory so people see what she has done), I thought Coffman did a great job showing how easy it is to be enticed by temptation - it starts off with something small (seeing how well-dressed everyone around you is), then it builds (back-sided compliments of what one could look like), and then an offer to make you look better than you imagined - and then ultimately seeing the difference those superficial changes make and allowing them to lure you into other temptations.  Jean, used to her look being simple and unadorned, never allowing frills or excess to enter her mind; but, from the moment she arrives in Lucifer Cove, she is surrounded by beauty and perfection, and it begins to make her question whether adorning one's self and paying attention to how one looks is truly prideful.  The longer she is kept from seeing Edna (which should have raised questions in her mind right away!), the easier it becomes for her to start questioning her beliefs.

 

The horrors of Lucifer Cove continue, as Jean is confronted with a dead man hanging from the ceiling in her room right after she arrives, and is confused to learn the man is Edna wrote to her about, asking for her help.  Already feeling like she has failed her friend (which failure makes her easy prey for the temptations offered by the oh-so-handsome Marc Meridon), she struggles to not only find a way to convince Edna to leave the place, but also to face the devil-worshippers of Nadine Janos up at the temple on the mountainside.  It seems like no matter what she does, there is no winning, and as she begins to lose hope, she begins to fall away from her faith and right into the hands of evil itself.  And when she is tricked into getting a make-over, even unwittingly signing a simple employment contract to work off her payment for the room and board while she is there (after all, as a disciple of God, she does not have the money to afford to stay at such a posh resort and spa), Jean discovers there is more evil within the confines of Lucifer Cove than she imagined - and her name on that contract could very well prevent her from ever leaving, even if she wants to!

 

And like with the last book, that gave us a quick glimpse at Jean's arrival in Lucifer Cove, so does this book give us a hint of who is to come in the next book:  "Kay Forest-de Landreau-Aronsen," described as "Only the richest female in the world ... Three, maybe four husbands" (p. 185).  Other that those few lines, we do not get any more information about this woman, or why she is coming to the spa. Like a well-written soap opera, Lucifer Cove has ongoing sub-plots, continuing stories involving certain characters that build slowly, and central stories that feature heavily on one or two characters, while giving us quick mentions now and again of what is to come.  This series could easily transition into a television show, and considering the craze for supernatural in today's media, it would likely do pretty well!

 

This book, just like the previous three, sports three different covers, depending on the edition.  I still like the blue-sky, stylized logo cover (first above), which features what I feel to be the best art of the three.  The look of the tudor-style building in the background, the beauty of the women on the covers.  This one, though, appears to set the house on the water's edge, which does not fit the location of the story inside.  I do like the bits of fog/mist that can be seen rising from the ground.   The Pinnacle Books edition (above center) does give readers the hint of evil that rests within Marc Meridon, as Jean appears to be fearful of him (despite her intense attraction to him within the story itself).  The Lancer Books edition (above to the right) features the same tudor style house, only bigger, at the water's edge as my copy (even having a mountain of sorts coming out of the water on the left side of the cover!); however, this edition finally acknowledges on the cover the fact that Marc Meridon is actually that lovable little cat, Kinkajou, with an image of Marc superimposed over the face of a cat.  The rendition of Jean is probably the most accurate, as this version is very unattractive and plain, which would correspond to the description of her in the book.

 

One of the better books in the series, for sure.  Now I'm well beyond the half-way point in this series, with only two more left to read.  I'm getting anxious to see how things are going to play out and whether Coffman will fully resolve all of the stories before the final book!

 

RATING:  8 cards flagged for the black box out of 10 for upping the ante in the battle of good vs evil, and showing that even the most desirable lure of temptation can be overcome with the right amount of faith and determination! 

Make-Believe Daughter - a Mystery Featuring the Three Matildas

I remember growing up and seeing various Whitman books on the shelves at K-Mart and Kresge and Woolworth's, and I always thought they were sub-par books, not at the same level as series books, such as Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, etc.  It seemed to me (as a kid, anyway) that the quality of the Whitman books were not as high as those from Grosset & Dunlap.  As an adult, however, my views on this have changed.  I have come to realize that while Whitman may have used lesser quality paper, and they may not have offered series with the longevity of Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys; yet, I've been finding in recent years that the stories are actually not bad at all - in some instances, equal to, or even superior to, some of those Grosset & Dunlap series!  Now, that being said, this particular book is one I passed on many times when I saw it in antique malls and used book stores.  One day, though, I happened across a copy of the book in excellent condition, with a tight binding, and for a relatively inexpensive price, so I thought - why not?

 

Make-Believe Daughter does not sound like the title to a mystery; and, although it is tagged as a mystery on the cover (in two places: along the top, it says "A Whitman Mystery," while under the title, it says "A Mystery Featuring THE THREE MATILDAS"), the story itself does not have much of a mystery to it - in fact, the first hint of the mystery does not come into play until after page 100!  The first half of the book reads more like a "malt-shop" story, as readers are introduced to Matilda Sterling - a young girl who lives in an apartment building over Brackenbat's International Restaurant in New York City.  She lives with her parents, and the older couple who run the restaurant (who live in the apartment just above the restaurant, while Matilda and her parents live in the apartment above that) are "Uncle" Tor and "Aunt" Alma.  They allow Matilda - or Tilda, as she is called - to stay in the restaurant and do homework every day after school until her parents get home from work.  Tilda's one wish is that she had friends in her area with whom she could hang out.  Sadly, Tor and Alma Brackenbat have no children, nor does Louis Confrere, the single French man who lives in the apartment above Tilda's family.  The top floor apartment is empty, and Tilda believes it is haunted, the way people move in and out so quickly.

 

The story begins with Mr. Confrere's dilemma - he has told his aunt, his only living relative who still lives in France, that he is married and has a daughter named Matilda.  A daughter the same age as and who looks just like Tilda!  This would not be a problem, except Aunt Therese is now coming for a visit and wants to meet his daughter!  Tilda rather likes the idea of pretending to be the Frenchman's make-believe daughter, but her parents are not amenable to the lie.  And that's when we, the readers, meet the second Matilda - also known as Mat.  The young girl is there in the restaurant when Tilda comes running in from the rain after school.  Tilda quickly learns that the girl has been raised in the circus, where her father worked until he died.  The circus fortune teller dropped her off at the international restaurant, and when she does not come back, Mat gives Uncle Tor a letter that reveals the fortune teller has no intention of coming back, asking the bearer of the letter to take Mat in and give the young girl a proper life!  Of course, Tor and Alma readly agree to take her in, and Tilda is thrilled to have a girl her own age in the building.  It seems things are working out for the girls ...

 

Enter: the red-headed Matilda!  Before you can blink an eye, a new family is moving into that top-floor apartment.  Big Chief, the huge red-headed man who is an artist, with his son, Genius (not his real name, nor does it accurately describe his intelligence, or lack thereof!), his wife (called nothing more than "Mother"), and Red-Top, which is the third Matilda's nickname.  An unusual family, but Red-Top just happens to be the same age as the other two Matildas, and as such, the Three Matildas are formed!

 

The book merely follows the day-to-day lives and adventures of the three Matildas until Aunt Therese arrives.  It is while at the docks where the huge boat has brought Mr. Confrere's aunt and many other travelers that the mystery begins.  Tilda notices a man in a grey suit appears to be following Aunt Therese, and while she does not like his face, nor the smell of his suit (she eventually realizes it is the smell of mothballs!), she keeps her concerns to herself, as the families welcome Aunt Therese into their building.  Tilda might have forgotten about the man, except she sees him again in the Brackenbat International Restaurant the same night a dinner party is thrown in celebration of Aunt Therese's arrival.  She soon forgets about him, though, as summer vacation begins, and the three Matildas explore New York City with their new "aunt."  A decision is eventually made to take a three-week trip in August across the United States, and it is during that trip that the mystery man makes more appearances, and the actual mystery starts to develop.  But, if you are expecting to have any idea what the mystery actually is, don't get your hopes up.  The actual mystery is revealed in the last two chapters, and it is so quick, you might miss it if you blink!  It's rather a shame we did not get any kind of hint as to the mystery earlier in the story, as it might have actually made it a bit less out of left-field. 

 

One aspect of the book I did rather enjoy was the distinctly different characteristics for each of the Three Matildas.  Tildy, with the light brown hair, was the more curious one; Mat, with the black hair and big hoop earrings, was the serious one; and Red-Top, with the red hair and jump rope, was the playful one.  Each was her own individual, and they actually complemented one another within the context of the story, thus making a simple story more interesting than it otherwise could have been. 

 

The author is Laura W. Douglas, and I'm not sure if this is a real person or a pseudonym (although I'm leaning toward a real person).  What I was surprised to discover, when I went searching for information on Ms. Douglas, is that she authored a book I already have in my possession, The Mystery at Crooknose.   That particular book is aimed at an older audience than this one.  I also found she wrote a third book titled The Mystery of Arrowhead Hill, which I do not have - but which I plan to hunt down and buy.  Both Crooknose and Arrowhead were published in various formats, including paperbacks under Airmont's "Mystery House" banner.  There were no other "Three Matilda" books published, which is rather a shame, as this one ends with Big Chief making an announcement that clearly was intended to be a set up for a second book (and a story that I would have loved to have read!).

 

The illustrations in the book are by Al Fiorentino, who was a talented painter / artist who received his training at the Museum of School Art in Philadelphia.  He worked as a commercial illustrator before becoming freelance in 1960.  A number of children's books containing his art can be found on eBay or other sites.  His work on Make-Believe Daughter is very well done, each illustration being careful to fully depict the scenes from the book down to some of the smallest details (such as Mat's dog stretching its front legs as the girl is getting acquainted with her new room in Tor and Alma's apartment).  A great choice of artist for this book!

 

RATING:  8 white mice rescued from a garbage can out of 10 for a uniquely fun concept that definitely deserved more than just one book!

Trappers of Venus - the Fourth Dig Allen Space Explorer Adventure

Four books in, and this one, by far, is the best one yet!  I was actually caught by surprise as to how much I really enjoyed this story.  The author, Joseph Greene, has definitely got a much stronger feel for his main characters in this book, and he focuses less on back story and more on the actual adventure, which starts right on page one.  This is the second of Greene's planet-hopping books, with the previous one taking Dig and his friends to Jupiter - now they head to Venus, before journeying to Saturn in the fifth book and Uranus in the sixth, and final, book in the series.  With each book better than the last, I can only imagine just how good the stories will be in the last two entries.

 

Trappers of Venus begins with Dig sneaking out for a clandestine meeting with an unknown person (well, unknown to the reader, anyway). Once meeting his contact, Chips, Dig learns he has been asked by an old space pirate friend of his to assist a trapper from Venus named Tim Buckle.  Dig saves Tim's life, after they find him attacked by some hunters, but Tim turns out to be far from grateful.  As Dig is getting ready to blast off, taking Tim back to Venus, Tim wakes up and takes over the ship, blasting off with too much speed and force, sending them way off course!   Dig manages to gain Tim's trust and gets the ship back on track, learning that he, as a Space Explorer, needs to help Tim and his friends on Venus protect the lives of an indigenous species known as the Kohoolies.

 

Meanwhile, twin brothers Ken and Jim Barry are visiting their father on the asteroid science center, where they meet the business man, Linton Wells, and his prideful, egotistical son, Chuck.  It seems Wells needs some Space Explorers to come to Venus with him to determine that an indigenous species there is nothing more than another animal species, not as intelligent as man, and therefore open for hunting.  The brothers, while not particularly liking Wells and his son, see no issue with going to Venus to make a determination of the alien species' level of intelligence and humanity, so that a report can be made to the scientists who will give authorization for hunting or protection of the animals.

 

Can you see where this is headed?

 

Greene goes beyond just your typical adventure story with good guys vs. bad guys.  In addition to that, we get the misunderstandings that cause a rift between Did and the Barry brothers; we get the mystery surrounding the Kohoolies and whether they are intelligent life forms; we get the question of who are the real good guys and who are the real bad guys; we get some very intense life-and-death scenarios; and we get a story of real redemption for one, if not two, of the characters in the tale.  There is a strong human nature element to the story that causes you to suspend your disbelief over the idea that Venus no only has a breathable atmosphere for humans, but also has a thriving planet of fauna and life forms.  In reality, we know its closeness to the sun would prohibit life as we know it; but hey, this book was published back in 1961, back before man ever actually reached the moon and not long after all of those wacky space films from the '50s. 

 

The rotation of artists for this series continues with this book.  Walter Dey, who provided both the cover and interior art for the third book returns to provide the cover art for this book.  Honestly, the art is not quite as crisp and defined as his cover for Journey to Jupiter was, but it is definitely superior to that of the second book.  The interior illustrations, however, are provided by Charles Beck - who, as it turns out, was an artist for Fawcett Comics, illustrating the first Captain Marvel (a/k/a Shazam!) stories!  When he severed his ties with Fawcett, Beck moved for Florida, where he became a freelance illustrator.  This was the only book in the series that Beck illustrated.  (One disappointing thing I have noticed about this series is that the further it goes, the less interior illustrations each book seems to have!)

 

The back cover for this book (my copy, at least) features the same design as that on my copy of the first book; however, my copy of Venus is obviously an earlier printing that my copy of Forgotten Star, as the series all list fewer books than the earlier novel - and Vicky Loring is listed as "Coming Soon" rather than the three titles shown on the first book.  

 

This book definitely cemented my enjoyment of this series, and I'm now really looking forward to the last two books.

 

RATING:  9 deadly scorpion lizards out of 10 for science fiction, space adventure with a strong dose of human drama and good vs. evil!