Lucifer Cove, Book 5 - Chalet Diabolique (Virginia Coffman's Thrilling Occult Gothic Series)

"Kay Aronson sought a murderer at the Cove ... and was trapped in a terror greater than death!" (cover blurb)

 

This is the penultimate book in author Virginia Coffman's occult Gothic series, Lucifer Cove.  Published in 1971 (with my copy being a second edition, published in August 1973), this book continues the mystery of what is really going on in this posh, hidden California spa run by the enigmatic and devilishly handsome Marc Meridon.  As with each of the prior books, this fifth entry into the series introduces readers to another new main character; however, this book reveals more of the dark secrets surrounding the spa and Meridon himself, and sees more of the supporting cast meet their ultimate doom (which they have brought on themselves by the choices they made...).

 

Chalet Diabolique centers around the cottage in which Edna Schallert had been staying (those who have been reading this series might remember that dear Edna is the one who brought Christine Deeth to Lucifer's Cove in the first book, basically setting in motion all of the event that have led us to this point).  It turns out the chalet was actually owned by one Leo Aronson, a rather successful businessman who managed to leave Lucifer Cove some time ago.  But, as with everything connected to the place, evil manages to reach out beyond the borders of the spa, and Leo winds up dead after having made an unscheduled and unexpected visit to the Cover.  Now, his wife, Kay Aronson, and his secretary, Arthur Dugald, have come to Lucifer Cove to uncover the truth behind Leo's death.

 

As this series has progressed, Coffman has inserted Christine Deeth less and less into the stories. In this fifth installment, Christine shows up only twice - both times, to save Kay's life (quite convenient, plot-wise).  Nadine Janos, that conniving devil priestess, makes a brief appearance, as does her Irish boyfriend - who also manages to give aid to Kay by giving her directions on how to escape the Cove.  Caro Teague, who was on the fast-track to being eliminated, gets a new lease on life (literally!) when she is assigned to be Kay's personal maid and assistant during her stay at Lucifer Cove.  And Marc Meridon, as well as Kinkajou, make a number of appearances (although they are not quite as many as in previous books).

 

Coffman's focus for this story is Kay's investigation into her husband's death.  She at first suspects Meridon has something to do with it, but after meeting him, she finds herself uncontrollably attracted to the man (as does every woman he ever comes in contact with!).  She also has suspicions about Arthur, her husband's secretary and right-hand man, who seems to know quite a bit about the Cove and continually warns her not to confide in anyone who lives at the spa.  She even becomes concerned about Caro, wondering if she was placed in the chalet as a means for someone to keep tabs on Kay and her movements.

 

For those who have been reading the series, it is not much of a mystery, really.  It is obvious Leo Aronson made a deal at the Cove at some point in the past, and the time had come for him to pay the piper.  What is engaging about the tale is Kay's suspicions and investigations, and her growing fear as she begins to realize some of the truths about what is really going on at the aptly named Lucifer Cove.  When poor Edna Schallert's body is found in the tunnels under the chalet, and Kay is lied to about the woman's funeral and the disposal of her body, Kay begins to realize she could be in danger as well and must get out.  When Arthur disappears, Kay is left with the quandary - does she trust Arthur and try to rescue him, or is he a part of the plot and someone from whom she must escape?  The one thing I especially like about Kay is that despite the attraction she has for Meridon, she does not give in to those feelings, and she is smart enough to have brought a gun with her, which she keeps with her each time she goes off to investigate on her own (p. 121, for example).  This is probably one of the strongest female characters Coffman has offered up in the series to date,

 

Coffman provides some revelations and confirmations in this book that readers have likely begun to suspect by this point.  The major one, of course, is the direct connection between Marc Meridon and the cat, Kinkajou.  There is also confirmation about those strange index cards introduced in the previous book and the consequences to those whose names appear on those cards, as well as the "leases" (a/k/a "contracts") that the people who live at the spa have signed and how it affects their lives - quite literally!

 

This book, as with all the others, sports three different covers.  The cover to the edition I own (above, top) is by far my favorite - and FINALLY, it has a proper portrayal of the main character from the story.  Kay is described as having long, blond hair, as the woman painted on the cover has, although she never went outside in her nightgown as the cover artist has depicted her.  The cover to the Pinnacle Books edition (above, right) comes much closer to an accurate scene from the book, with Kay (blonde) being surprised by a man we can assume is Marc Meridon - which does happen once or twice in the story. The third cover art, on the later Lancer editions, seems to follow the tend of the Lancer cover for the fourth book, with the young woman out in front of the spa, the ocean off to the left with what appears to be an island in the water, and the ghostly image of Marc Meridon looking down over the building in the background.  Only, on this cover, Meridon looks closer to a vampire than just a devilish, evil man, what with the cloak and the slanted eyes.  (NOTE - I do not have a copy of this particular cover, and finding one online was not easy - thus, the copy you see to the left is somewhat off-center.)

 

Honestly, of all the books in the series thus far, I think this one is my favorite.  Not only do we get a strong, determined lead character that does not back down, but Coffman finally stops hinting around at what is really happening at the Cove and  let's readers see Meridon for who he truly is.  With these kind of revelations, I am hoping that the next book, which is also the last in the series, will tie up all the loose ends and give readers a very satisfying conclusion to the series!

 

RATING:  9 avocado-green enamel tea kettles out of 10 for giving faithful readers a bit of payoff for the building subplots in this series and introducing a character who could give the devil a run for his money! 

The Unseen Enemy - a Goldsmith Book for Boys and Girls

This book was another one of those spur of the moment purchases for me.  I am not usually prone to picking up books that aren't a part of a series; however, having read one of Baxter's other books (Becky Bryan's Secret) and rather enjoying it, I thought I would give this one a chance.  Both the title and the cover art are rather unusual for a children's mystery, but the description of the story on the inside front flap of the dust jacket was enough to pique my curiosity.  This is the second of three books authored by Betty Baxter Anderson that were published under the name "Betty Baxter."  Anderson also wrote books under the pen name "Alice Anson" and her her given name of "Betty Baxter Anderson."  As much as I enjoyed the previous book, I admit I enjoyed this story even more!

 

The Unseen Enemy follows two girls - Polly Squires and Margot Graham - during their summer between high school and beginning university, where they plan to study social services.  In order to get a head start, Polly gets the bright idea of helping out at "Neighborhood House," a community center that helps children in the local area by giving them a place for activities while not at school.  But they quickly learn that the Neighborhood House is not doing well, and that the man who donated the house upon his death (one Doctor Brighton) put a stipulation into his will - if after 20 years, the House was not succeeding and a relative wanted to claim the house, they could!  Well, that 20 years is about expired, and it seems the House is having a number of problems.  First, a young girl goes missing, only to be discovered later asleep in the attic; then a young boy is injured on some climbing bars, which bars strangely disappear right after the incident; after that, another young boy falls into the water during a scavenger hunt, nearly injuring himself; then a young girl who was to be the lead in a benefit play for the House goes missing, only to be discovered later to have been struck by a car!  And what is even worse, each of these events somehow makes it into the local newspaper, despite the best efforts of Polly, Margot, and Sage Brian (who manages the House) to keep it quite.

 

An "unseen enemy" is determined to see the House fail, but the question remains:  why?  As far as anyone knows, once Doctor Brighton's wife died, years after his own death, there were no living relatives to claim the house.  So, then why is someone so determined to see Miss Brian fail in managing the Neighborhood House for the children?  Polly is determined to garner good publicity for the house, since the council overseeing funds for the House is preparing to pull those funds to give them elsewhere.  But her and Margot's plans are made difficult by Catherine Peasley, the spoiled daughter of a rather affluent man who happens to also be the president of the board who oversees the House.  Catherine could definitely give Lettie Briggs (from the Dana Girls series) a run for her money when it comes to causing trouble and using her money and family's power to get her own way.  When Polly and Margot devise a scavenger hunt for the children, Catherine takes charge and makes it way more extravagant.  When Polly and Margot plan the children's play as a fundraiser to get funds for the House, Catherine becomes angry and bitter that she was not asked the direct the play, and she executes plans that nearly sabotage the play on its opening night.

 

Baxter-Anderson provides readers with a well-plotted mystery that has several twists and turns, and while the revelation of the person behind all of the sabotage (which, after all, is what it really is) does not come as a huge surprise, the truth behind this person's actions is not quite what the reader will expect!  The author uses some rather ingenuous red herrings, as well as some subtly-placed clues that make for a really great read. 

 

Being a Goldsmith publication, there are no internal illustrations, and the cover illustration is not credited, so I have no clue who did the art.  It is rather unique (or odd, depending on your point of view), as the grey walls and floor surround a pantry door that Polly and Margot are about to enter.  While this scene does not exactly occur within the story, it does rather hint at the climax of the tale, when the girls make the big reveal about what the crook was really after in the House and who it was that was after it.  In fact, I had to smile at the way Polly manages to pull the newspaper and the Mayor into the scene, so that all can be witness to the criminal and the revelation as to his real identity!

 

A couple of things worth noting about the book.  While none of the story takes place in Florida, there are references to St. Petersburg, Florida (p. 17), from where Catherine Peasley's family seems to have come.  And as far as where the story takes place, it is in a city called "Kenwood" located in Iowa (p. 113).  There is a Kenwood that was established in Iowa back in 1886, with the plat for the town being filed in the county courthouse in 1887.  (Note, this tiny little town should not be confused with Kenwood Park, Iowa, which is located in a different county.)  Since the author is from Iowa, it should not be a surprise that she would write about the state with which she would be familiar (although, the real town of Kenwood is nowhere near the size of the city within this book).   The author also references a luxurious hotel called the Lexington (p. 182); but the only hotel in real life that is anywhere near that would be the Lexington Inn in Bedford, Iowa, which is about two-and-one-half hours away.

 

Now there is one error in the book, and not sure how it came about.  When Polly first learns about Doctor Brighton from an elderly woman in town, she is told the Doctor's wife's name is Martha.  Throughout the book, Mrs. Brighton is always Martha - except one time, where she is called "Sarah Brighton" (p. 210).  Not sure why the sudden name change, unless the author forgot the name she was using in the rest of the story, although she does refer to her as "Martha" again just three pages later.  I suppose we can simply chalk it up to a continuity and editing error!

 

RATING:  9 beautiful old teakwood boxes out of 10 for a grand treasure-hunting, sabotage-stopping mystery with some great characters and fun mishaps! 

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! 

 

Short Lived Comic Series #37 - The Nurses (Gold Key Comics)

Gold Key Comics seemed to have a knack, back in the day, for publishing comic books based on various television shows out at the time.  Adam-12, Lost in Space, Bonanza, Happy Days, Family Affair, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Star Trek, and many others (including my all-time favorite, Dark Shadows!).  Many of them only lasted a few issues, while some of them did manage to keep going for years.  One short-lived series that I was unaware of until recently only had three issues, and it was based upon a prime-time television medical drama that ran from September 1962 to May 1965.  It took me a bit of hunting to find all three issues of the series at reasonable prices and in fairly good condition, but I managed to finish the set recently and have been able to read it.

 

The Nurses is based upon the CBS television show of the same name, the story of which centers around a young nurse named Gail Lucas (portrayed by Zina Bethune) and her older nurse mentor, Liz Thorpe (portrayed by Shirl Conway).  This appears to be the only show that either actress starred on a regular basis, although they both made appearances in other episodic television shows.  The Nurses takes place in New York City at Alden General Hospital, which is said to have been patterned after Roosevelt Hospital in the Midtown West area of NYC.  The show ran for three seasons and boasted a total of 98 episodes, and it even had a crossover in its third season with a companion legal series called For the People (starring none other than William Shatner, of Star Trek fame).  Interestingly, after the nighttime drama ended, ABC picked it up and continued it as a daytime soap opera, using the same name and characters (although the actors changed) and which ran from September 1965 to March 1967.  This three-issue comic series is based on the original prime-time show.

 

The comics did not give credit to any of the creators (as Gold Key was wont to do), but from what I was able to discover online, Paul S. Newman wrote the stories in all three issues.  Newman (not to be confused with the actor) was quite the prolific comic writer, with his earliest work being in the late 1940s for Dell, DC, and Fawcett, later adding work at Marvel, Western Publishing/Gold Key, and a number of other publishers, continuing to write well into the 1970s.  The stories in the first issue appear to have been penciled and inked by Jack Sparling, who also has quite the resume of work for DC, Dell, Marvel, and Western Publishing/Gold Key.  The art for the second and third issues remain uncredited.  Each of the three issues contains two stories about the nurses, with Gail Lucas being the primary character, and her mentor, Liz Thorpe, being the only continuing supporting character.  The rest of the cast changes with every story.  Each issue also features a short, 4-page story starring the "Emergency Crew," which is comprised of two men - Jim Friendly and Carl Blaker - who get called into help rescue people before the paramedics and/or fire department can arrive.  These short strips were also written by Newman, with art in the first issue by Sparling.

 

In the first issue, Gail and Liz are confronted with an old country doctor, Dr. Dart, whose patient is brought to the hospital to be treated in "Call of Duty."  Dr. Dart is old fashioned in his ways and wants no one - no resident, nor nurses, no one! - touching his patient except him.  When Liz offers to take the crotchety doctor home on a rainy night, they get into an accident, and Dr. Dart is forced to accept Liz' help with the other driver, who has been seriously injured.  By the end of the story, the doctor realizes his views are antiquated and changes the way he thinks about the nursing staff.  The second story brings the nurses "The Problem Patient," an overly controlling and paranoid chairman of a multi-million dollar company who is afraid everyone is trying to take his job.  He does not believe his wife, his business partner, or even his own secretary - but it takes Gail's innocence and ingenuity to prove to the man his fear and paranoia are only hurting him.  The four-page Emergency Crew tale has Jim and Carl saving a young boy who has fallen down a well.

 

The second issue starts of with a doctor following in "His Father's Shadow."  Young Dr. Hartly seems to be a prodigy when it comes to surgery, showing expert skill after only a month of internship.  But Liz and Gail quickly learn his superb skill only appears when he is working with his father, Dr. Tyler.  When Tyler is not around, Harty is afraid of doing even the most minor of procedures.  It is only when faced with his father on the operating table that Hartly is able to overcome his fears.  The second story, "Give Me My Baby," finds the nurses dealing with a woman who is deathly afraid to have her sick baby taken to the hospital.  Her first child died in the hospital, and she is scared if her second child is taken to Alden General, he will die as well.  Gail must convince the woman that the hospital is the only chance her son has to survive.  The four-page Emergency Crew story takes Jim and Carl to the docks, where they must help keep a man who has had a heart attack from a nearby oil fire that, if it hits the oxygen tank keeping the man alive, could kill them all.

 

In the third issue, Gail becomes a "Heroine in White," when she assists a doctor that witnessed a mugging and brings the injured man into the hospital to save his life.  But the muggers are out for revenge, and when Gail helps the newspaper snap a picture of the doctor, the criminals run his car off the road and into a ravine - a car in which both the doctor and Gail are riding!e e (As you might guess, this is the story from which the cover scene was taken.)  Gail must use all of her training to keep the doctor alive until help arrives, and it is her identifying the men that puts them behind bars.  The final story teaches an injured model that "All Scars Don't Show."  Following an accident that left her leg injured and scars to her face, a model refuses to walk, even though her leg is fully healed.  Liz takes center stage and with the help of a photographer, convinces the model that photos can be retouched to hide her scars, and her modeling career can continue - giving her the courage to get up and walk and get back to her life.  The four-page Emergency Crew story finds Jim and Carl racing against time to save the pilot of a crashed airplane from live electrical wires that could kill him at any moment.

 

The first two issues feature photo scenes from the television show on the front covers, with mini-posters of the two main actresses from the show on the back cover.  What is odd about the back cover posters is that the first issue has a photo of Zina Bethune with her character name, "Gail Lucas" over the picture.  The second issue, however, features a photo of Shirl Conway, but instead of her character name over the picture, it has her real name.  There is no explanation why they use the character name on one and the actress name on the other.  The third, and final, issue has a painted cover art, with small photos of the two actresses in the upper right corner on the front cover, and the same painted art on the back cover, but without any title words or photos interrupting the art.  There is no credit given to the cover art, and I was unable to find any information on the artist online.

 

Each issue also features a one-page text story that provides information about various medical people and moments from history.  In the first issue, "Angel of Mercy" provides some information about Clara Barton; in the second issue, "Lady with the Lamp" recounts the story of Florence Nightingale; and in the third issue, "Early Hospitals" gives an account of how hospitals, as we now know them, came into being.

 

While the main stories are 12 and 13 pages in length, and are obviously very fast paced, they are actually very enjoyable and provide some well-written characterization, even though the individuals who appear in each story only appear once.  The art, while some might think is very simple and plain compared to today's comic art, works perfectly for the stories, allowing the reader to focus more on what is actually happening then getting "awed" by the "pretty art."  All three issues were published in 1963 (cover dated April / July / October, respectively), and it's rather a shame it did not continue, especially since the television show lasted another two years (before switching to a daily afternoon soap).  Based on these comics, I'm going to have to try and track down any episodes of the television show and see how they compare!

RATING:  9 unsigned powers of attorney out of 10 for some great drama, not always of the medical kind, and some entertaining stories that make for great reading!

Cold Chill of Coptos - a Beagle Gothic

This is the first Gothic novel I've read by author Kay Ashby.  I could find next to nothing about this author online, other than the fact that she wrote what appears to be five Gothics between 1972 and 1976.  Of those books, this one and Climb a Dark Cliff seem to be her most popular ones.  I found one site that referenced Ashby as "one of my pseudonymous authors who wrote atmospheric Gothic paperbacks during the boom of the late 1960s and early 1970s," but there is nothing to verify this was a pseudonym.  In fact, the copyright page of this book would seem to indicate otherwise, as the copyright is 1974 by Kay Ashby, and further down that same page, it indicates this edition of the book was published "by arrangement with the author and the author's agent, Larry Sternig Literary Agency."  Surprisingly, the agency still exists today as Sternig & Byrne Literary Agency (Larry Sternig having taken on Jack Byrne as a full partner in 1995, just four years before Sternig's death).

 

Cold Chill of Coptos is not a historical Gothic, but is set in the current time period of when it was published (the mid-1970s).  Janelle ("Jan") Sheridan is summoned by her mother to the isolated house of her ex-fiance to celebrate her cousin Carla's birthday.  Jan is none-too-thrilled about the call, and although she has no desire to go, she cannot disobey her mother's command.  The question is, as the tagline on the cover reads, "[w]as her summons to the isolated house a sentence of death?"  It is obvious from the start there is tension in the family.  Jan's mother insists she refer to her by her given name of Hester and not by "Mom" or "Mother."  She also has always doted more on her cousin Carla than her own daughter since the avalanche that claimed the lives of Jan's father and Carla's parents all those years ago.  While not jealous, per se, Jan is obviously not happy that Carla always seems to get special treatment and gets whatever she wants - including Jan's fiance, who left her for her cousin.  So, with some trepidation, Jan heads for the desert home of Brian Ward, which can only be reached by private plane, as there are no roads that lead to the place.

 

In some ways, Ashby's writing reminds me much of the old Nancy Drew mysteries, where every chapter ends with either a physical danger as a cliffhanger or an emotional cliffhanger.  Jan, from the moment she arrives at Coptos, is plagued with dangers and suspicions.  From the shower filled with crawling, deadly scorpions (p. 23), to getting lost in the rock mazes out in the desert (p. 43), to being left alone in a ghost town with a fierce storm blowing through (p. 60), to having a large boulder nearly crush her, killing her horse (p. 72), to being tricked into a dark and dangerous cavern, where she is locked in (p. 109), Jan finds her life constantly being threatened.  While she knows someone is trying to kill her, everyone at Coptos discounts her concerns, Hester telling her she is being melodramatic.

 

Ashby provides the reader with plenty of suspects when it come to the question of who wants to do away with Jan Sheridan.  The obvious suspect is Hester, as she is the one who showed Jan to the bedroom with the deadly scorpions; she is the one who tells Jan it is safe to take a walk alone in the desert; she is the one who tells the others Jan is in the truck when they are leaving the ghost town due to the storm; and she is the one who suggests to Jan the missing young boy, Peter, could be down in the cavern.  But why would a mother want to kill her own daughter?  Hayden Hays is the designer who has come to Coptos to help Brian refurbish the great house and who is demanding Jan marry him.  Is he willing to kill her if he can't have her?  And why is Hester paying him large sums of money?  Philip John Wests a/k/a "Far" West is the pilot that takes Jan and Hayden out to Coptos and does errands for Hester and Brian.  Is his interest in Jan simply for her money, or does he have more sinister intentions?  There is also Carla, Jan's own cousin.  She knows Jan is going to inherit millions from her father's estate, and if Jan dies before the estate settles, the money will go to her and Hester.  Will she risk everything to get Jan out of the way so she can inherit the fortune?  And last, but not least, is Jan's ex-fiance, Brian.  Does he regret walking away from an heiress, and is he willing to kill so that his current fiance will get the money instead?

 

For those wondering, Coptos was a major ancient Egyptian city on the east bank of the Nile.  It was a primary cult center for the Egyptian fertility god, Min (who is mentioned a couple of times in this book), and later Isis, and it was also the capital of the fifth, or Coptite, nome of Upper Egypt.  The city was also a major trade center, since it was located at the crossroad between the Nile Valley and the Eastern Desert routes to the Red Sea.  Today, the archaeological remains of the city sit beneath the modern market town of Qift.  In addition to this Egyptian history used in the book, Ashby also includes some German history, with one of the rooms in Copots being painted to resemble the eastern hall of Schloss WeiBenstein in Pommersflden, Germany, in which the artist Giovanni Marchini painted an illusion that depicts painted columns flanking a collapsing entryway (p. 27).  Ashby also quotes the English poet, Andrew Marvell, using a stanza from one of his poems as an inscription on an antique lectern (p. 31).

 

The cover art is provided by Walter Popp (1920-2002), who started out as a freelance artist for pulp magazines, before moving on to painting covers for true crime magazines and men's adventure magazines.  It wasn't until later in his career that he collaborated with his wife, Marie, on book covers for Gothic romance novels.  This particular cover features a generic scene, of sorts, with a woman who I assuming is meant to be Jan in her nightown, running away from a house back in the distance (not at all the way Coptos is described in the book),  At least the land is depicted as a desert, with the obvious cacti and prickly bushes scattered about.  There is no scene in the book where Jan is running outside at night in her nightgown.  One has to wonder if the publisher gave the artists any specifics when commissioning cover art, or if the artists were just given very general facts and told to create an image with a woman running from a house.  Don't get me wrong, the art is gorgeous to look at, but it does not accurately depict anything from the story at all.

While the story is somewhat typical fare for a Gothic, I will admit to enjoying the Nancy Drew feel to the whole thing.  Jan has to be suspicious of everyone, and the final chase from the dark caverns, through the desert rocks, and ultimately up the precarious ledge that leads to the balcony outside Jan's room at the house is intense, with Ashby being very careful not to reveal the identity of her pursuer until the last possible moment - rocking Jan's world with some surprising revelations that change more than one relationship in the story. The ending alone makes the book worth reading. 

 

RATING:  8 leather-bound books next to candle stubs out of 10 for placing the story in a not-so-typical Gothic setting, which opens the door for all kinds of unique dangers to our young heroine.

A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery, Book 9 - Death Sets Sail

It has been just a little over a year since I read the last Wells & Wong a/k/a Murder Most Unladylike mystery, and I hesitated starting this book.  It is the ninth book in the series, but it is also the LAST book in the series.  (sigh)  I miss the days of continuing, ongoing series, such as Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys (although can I really include the Hardy Boys, since they have not had a new book published in nearly three years now?).  It seems today's "series" are not really series at all - they are more like mini-series.  Most end after only three or four books, with very few making it to nine books, like this one.  (The only one currently being published that I can think of that has outlasted this one is the Friday Barnes series, which is up to book 13, I believe.)  But, I knew I had to read it sooner or later, so now was as good a time as any.

 

Death Sets Sail finds our two favorite young sleuths - Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong - suffering through the latest year at school, but with absolutely no mystery to solve.  While this is not the usual way these books start, the last sentence of Chapter 1 definitely gave me pause - and started me reading this book faster than any of the others I've read in the past.  After all, all of Hazel's talk about delaying in writing this book (the stories are mostly told through Hazel's point of view, as she writes down the adventures of The Detective Society in her casebook) had me wondering, but it was not until that last sentence that I realized this book truly was going to be the end in more than one way.  I mean, let's be serious, how many meanings can there be to the line, "Perhaps that way I can bring Daisy back to life."

 

Wait, what?!?! These are only fifteen-year old girls.  Surely, there is no way the author, Robin Stevens, was going to kill of one of her main characters in the final book in the series.  She wouldn't do that.  Would she?  The only way to find out was to read the book, and read I did!  From their long, uneventful days at Deepdean, to the invitation from the classmate, Amina El Maghrabi, to join her on a trip to Egypt to visit her family, to the long-last resignation of Hazel's father to the fact that his daughter truly is a detective, to the reuniting with Alexander Aracady and George Mukherjee of the Junior Pinkertons, to that fateful cruise down the Nile River where the girls, along with Mr. Wong and Hazel's two younger sisers (May and Rose), the Junior Pinkertons, and the very unusual Breath of Life Society all become embroiled in a murder mystery worthy of Agatha Christie herself (I mean, c'mon, surely you get the reference already - Death on the Nile?).  Right after Daisy, Hazel, Amina, Alexander, and George witness the most unusual meeting of the Breath of Life Society (a group of individuals, mostly British, who believe they are reincarnations of Egyptian pharoahs), a dead body turns up the next morning - with a sleepwalker standing over the body, covered in blood, crying out that she murdered her own mother!  Makes for a nice, easy case, right?  Wrong!

 

The cruise ship is simply full of suspects, all of them members of the Breath of Life Society - the question is, which one of them killed Theodora Miller, who believes she is the reincarnation of Hatshepsut (the sixth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, being the second woman to rule in her own right).  Was it really her sleepwalking daughter, Hephzibah (Heppy), who was treated like dirt by all of the members of the Society, including her own mother?  Or was it Daniel Miller, her son who blames her for the death of his friend Joshua some years before?  Could it have been Ida Doggett, who believes herself to be the reincarnation of Cleopatra and resents Theodora's control of the Society?  Or maybe it was Rhiannon Bartleby, whose nervousness and forgetfulness relates back to the death of Daniel's friend all those years ago?  Would Narcissus DeWitt, who believed himself the reincarnation of Thutmose III, murder Theodora in order to gain control of the Society's funds?  All of them had motive, and as the girls conduct their investigation, all of them had the opportunity and the means.  What begins as an open and shut case for the captain of the ship is not so "open and shut" as it appears, and Daisy and Hazel quickly discover that the plot to rid the Society of its pretentious leader is much more complex and devious than anyone suspects.

 

The girls get some unexpected help from Hazel's youngest sister, May, who manages to sneak away from her father's watchful eye time and time again, and providing the young detectives with some major clues that help them narrow down the list of suspects.  They also receive their usual help from the young Pinkertons, with Hazel's attraction to Alexander growing stronger by the day.  And even Amina manages to make herself useful, although Hazel can't help but notice the looks that keep passing between Daisy and Amina, and she wonders if perhaps Daisy will ever realize the feelings the Egyptian girl has for her.  It all leads up to a rather dramatic and very violent climactic confrontation, when the killer is revealed, grabs May and threatens to drop her overboard into the churning paddle wheel, and one young person's valiant sacrifice to save May's life and stop a killer from killing again...

 

But, wait!  That's not the end!  Hazel manages to provide readers with a bit of an epilogue, with a couple of surprises - some expected, some hoped for, and some not expected at all!  But it seems that while this book series may have reached its conclusion, the Detective Society will live on!   (And if you really want a taste of that, checkout Steven's sort-of-sequel series, The Ministry of Unladylike Activity, which follows an older May Wong on her own series of adventures, solving mysteries and stopping crimes!)

 

While not exactly the ending I would have liked for Hazel and Daisy, this book was without a doubt a superb read, and honestly, it is in full keeping with the growing characters of Hazel Wong and Daisy Wells, and Stevens gives the series a send-off that is worthy of the Wells and Wong' Detective Society.

 

RATING:  10  pieces of wire used as lock picks out of 10 for saving the very best Wells and Wong mystery for last, and giving readers an emotional send-off that makes us realize just how much we love these characters! 

The Brownie Scouts in the Circus - Book Two of the Brownie Scout Books

This second book in The Brownie Scouts series by Mildred Wirt was published in 1949, the same year as the first book in the series.  This series follows the adventures of a group of young Brownie Scouts who live in the small town of Rosedale:  Connie Williams, Jane Tuttle, Rosemary Fritche, Eileen Webber, Belinda Matthews, "Sunny" Davidson, and their seventh and newest member (who joined in the first book), Veve McGuire.  As with the first book, Connie and Veve seem to be the central characters in the story, with the other five girls making random appearances, most often just having their names mentioned with no dialogue or action.  I suppose it would have been difficult to devote time to all seven girls and keep the story on track, so Wirt had to settle upon certain characters to be the focus of each book.  While Connie was in the driver's seat for the first book, she and Veve shared the spotlight in this book.

 

The Brownie Scouts in the Circus is, not surprising at all, an adventure of how the girls inadvertently find themselves a part of an actual traveling circus! However, the book actually begins with the girls preparing for their camping trip, which was alluded to at the end of the first book.  The girls must help earn money in order to purchase the tent and other items they will need for the trip, and poor Veve finds herself at a disadvantage, since her widowed mother does not make enough money for extras (it seems Veve has never even been able to purchase a Brownie uniform during the months between the first book and this book).  Thus, she looks for a way to earn money, and when they see an advertisement for a circus coming to town, they decide to put on their own circus!  Now, picture a few 7 to 10-year old girls putting together a circus in their backyard, and you can imagine how that turns out!  They do, however, manage to make a few dollars, mostly from parents and a friendly policeman who turn out to see the show.

 

Miss Gordon, the scouts' leader, manages to make another way for them to earn money, by selling tickets to the real circus! Not only are they able to make money for their camping trip, but every ten tickets they sell earns them a free ticket to see the show.  Their trip to see the circus eventually leads to the "mystery" in this book, which involves the theft of Miss Gordon's wallet (which happens to have all of the scouts' savings in it!) and her wristwatch.  Connie and Veve both saw the pickpocket and swear they can identify them if they see him again (you can guess where this will lead, can't you?).  Of course, the camping trip is not cancelled, as Miss Gordon makes up the missing money with some of her own, and the girls head out to Shady Hollow for their camping experience - and what an experience it is!

 

Wirt works in a number of mishaps and misadventures to keep the story fun and entertaining.  Once at camp, Miss Gordon allows Veve, Jane, and Eileen to make the first breakfast - which, of course, results in burnt bacon, scorched eggs, and lumpy oatmeal!  A quick trip to town ends up finding Connie and Veve seeing the circus train stopped on the railroad tracks behind the hardware store.  It wouldn't hurt to take a look in the open boxcar, right?  Before you know it, the door to the car is slammed shut, the train starts moving, and the two Brownie Scouts find themselves traveling far away from Shady Hollow, leaving Miss Gordon and their friends behind!  By the time the train stopped, they are over 100 miles away with no way to let Miss Gordon know where they are!  Fortunately, the animal trainer recognizes them from their visit to the circus in Rosedale, and he takes them under his wing while a telegram is sent to their troop leader back at the camp.

 

By now, a mature reader can easily see where the story is going and what the end result will be, and Wirt does not disappoint.   The girls make friends with a young girl their own age who does tricks on horseback for the show, and Connie and Veve are asked to take part in the show by blowing the whistle that signals the change in acts in the three rings.  This, of course, gives them the perfect opportunity to see the audience, where they just so happen to spot the pickpocket!  After a brief chase, the circus' detective snags the man, Miss Gordon gets her watch back (but not her money), and Connie and Veve are awarded $100 reward from the circus for snagging the pickpocket who has been nipping wallets from their customers for some time!  That $100 in 1949 would be worth nearly $1,400 today!  That's quite a large reward for two girls who are not even teenagers yet!

 

Wirt wraps up the story not only with the resolution of the pickpocket incident, but also with the creation of a whole new Brownie Scouts troop within the circus - a traveling scout troop!

 

The cover and interior illustration are once again provided by Marguerite Gayer.  Thanks to some helpful collectors, I was able to find some information on Ms. Gayer (who, it turns out, is Marguerite Solomon Geyer), who, it turns out, had quite the prolific career as an artist!  As far back as 1923, she was illustrating children's stories that appeared in newspapers; during the 1930s, she did illustrations for several romance pulp magazines; and in the 1940s, she illustrated several series for Cupples & Leon, including all three of Wirt's scout series:  Girl Scouts, Brownie Scouts, and Dan Carter Cub Scout.  It was for Cupples & Leon that she signed her name as "Gayer" instead of her real name of "Geyer" with an "e."  Geyer ultimately moved to Florida, where she died in 1963 in Fort Lauderdale.  Her husband passed away eight months after she did.  More information abot Geyer and her work can be found at Pulp Artists - Marguerite Geyer.

 

RATING:  7 beautiful golden coaches out of 10 for a mild-mannered mystery with mishaps, mayhem, and misadventure mixed in for good fun!