The Mystery of Collinwood - the 4th Paperback Library Gothic Novel based on ABC-TV's suspense drama (Dark Shadows)

We now come to the fourth novel in the Dark Shadows series by Marilyn Ross (a/k/a W.E.D. Ross) published by Paperback Library.  This particular novel was published in January 1968, which is when the television show was starting what I consider to be one of its best storylines (and by far my favorite one on the show) - when a seance was held at Collinwood ... a seance that transcended time and space and sent Victoria Winters on a journey back into the past ... back to the year 1795!  It was there that viewers learned the origin of how Barnabas Collins was cursed and became a vampire.  So, it seems rather odd that by this point in the novels, we have yet to see any sign of Barnabas Collins, and the stories continue to focus on Victoria Winters as the young Gothic heroine who constantly finds herself being threatened by some dark force (that, like in all the Scooby Doo mysteries, turns out to be a real person in disguise!).  Of course, I have no idea just how far in advance the stories were written, so there is the possibility that the book was written months before it was published...

 

The Mystery of Collinwood (and yes, they finally start calling it Collinwood at least, and have dropped the whole "Collins House" moniker) is more or less a repeat of the previous stories, which is a bit disappointing.  How many times can we have strangers / relatives show up at Collinwood, strange events start to happen that all seem to target Victoria, no one believes Victoria when she tells them what is happening, and Victoria is nearly killed before the villain is finally caught and unmasked?  Don't get me wrong - most of the Gothic novels from this period have many similar plot elements; but for a series of novels utilizing the same characters and setting to repeat the same basic story over and over again feels a bit redundant.  Now, I love Victoria Winters - always have since the very first episode of Dark Shadows that I ever watched - so I absolutely love reading more stories about her that take her beyond what we saw on the television show.  But after three books of her facing off against alleged ghosts/demons/phantoms and finding out they were actually one of the numerous strangers that were staying on the Collinwood estate, once would think that by this fourth book she would have wised up and not fallen from any more ghostly haunts.  I would like to think that at some point, her character would have grown, and she would not always play the helpless victim.  But, alas, Ross apparently did not see her that way.

 

With all that being said, the "mystery" of this book revolves around the rather odd Professor Mark Veno and his daughter, Linda, who have come to stay at Collinwood.  The Professor and his daughter travel the world, putting on show that highlight his mental abilities to supposedly read minds.  Roger Collins thinks it is a hoax, but Elizabeth Stoddard seems to think otherwise, so he is always welcome to stay at the great house when he is in the area.  Meanwhile, down at Ernest's cottage on the property, an ill woman, Margaret Lucas, and her deformed caretaker, Carlos, have been renting the cottage so she can be isolated in what Elizabeth and Victoria believe to be the final months of her life.  Margaret is a loner, but she does enjoy Victoria's company - in fact, Victoria is the only one she will allow to visit her.  Until she hears about Linda, at which point, she invites that girl to pay her visits as well.

 

Oh, did I mention that Linda bears a remarkable resemblance to Victoria?  And that Professor Mark Veno is actually Mark Collins, a previously never mentioned brother of Elizabeth and Roger (say what?!?!)?  And that Mark Collins was married before he met Linda's mother, but the first wife and her newborn baby both died?  Or did they?  Yes, it's another potential parentage for Victoria to fret about (she seems to have a new one in every book, doesn't she?).  While Victoria does not like the Professor - in fact, she can't stand him and is afraid of him! - she firmly believes his first child did not die, and she is that child.  Everyone she confides in tries to dissuade her of this theory, but she is persistent to the point of having Burke Devil hire a private detective to look into the matter.

 

And as far as the mystery - well, that involves the strange phantom mariner that the Professor tells the family about.  As the story goes, whenever the phantom mariner would appear to wives of sea-faring men back in the day, it meant the men would not be coming home, or that the women themselves would die!  To see the phantom mariner means death!  And, wouldn't you know it, the same night Victoria hears the story, she sees the phantom out on the grounds.  And again later in the house.  Again.  And again.  Poor Victoria is taken through the ringer in this story.  Knocked down the well outside (remember the one she almost fell into back in the first book, but Ernest saved her?).  Locked down in the dark cellar. Locked in an upper room with a bottle of gas thrown in for good measure.  Locked in the attic with something moving around.  Nearly hypnotized into jumping off Widow's Hill. Nearly hypnotized into jumping off the Captain's walk atop Collinwood.  And, finally, poor girl is nearly strangled to death before she gets the bead on that phantom mariner and shoots the villain with a gun provided her by Burke Devlin (good for you, Burke!).

 

One continuity error I caught while reading this book:  once again, David and Carolyn are out of the picture.  Even though summer is over (this book is explicitly said to take place in September), Ross writes off David by sending him to a boarding school, and he writes out Carolyn by having her return to Ellsworth to finish her final year of high school.  How convenient.  In any event, when Elizabeth plans a big party toward the end of the story, she mentions that Carolyn will be able to come home for that week to be there for the party.  Upon her return, she and Victoria and Linda go up into the attic to look for old dresses to wear for the costume party (p. 140), and Carolyn is the one who actually finds Victoria locked in the attic (p. 143).  That's all good and dandy.  But then the very next chapter begins by saying "Carolyn returned from school in Ellsworth on Friday evening and so was able to assist Linda with the last minute decorations (p. 147).  So, if Carolyn did not return until Friday, then how was she there earlier in the week to look for costumes for the party and to free Victoria from the attic?  Time travel, perhaps?  Parallel time?  Let's face it, stranger things than that have happened on the television show!

 

Just as the previous four books had two covers, so does this one.  The early printings had a painted cover that features Victoria in the forefront, looking over her shoulder (a very striking image of her, I must say!), with a mysterious man in the background - that could be Roger, Ernest, or even the Professor.  Collinwood looms in the background, menacing as ever.  The later printings feature yet another image of Alexandre Moltke and Jonathan Frid as Victoria and Barnabas, again working to cash in on the popularity of Barnabas Collins, even though he has not even been mentioned in the book series up to this point.

 

Read by itself, the story is a fairly well-written Gothic.  Read as a part of this series, however; well, it just feels like a repeat of the same plot with different characters.  

 

RATING:  6 new bottles of sherry out of 10 for keeping Victoria Winters alive and giving her considerably more spotlight than the TV show was doing at this time. 

Nancy Drew Mystery Stories # 143 - Mystery on Maui

 "Surf's up - and so is the crime on Nancy's Hawaiian holiday!" (cover blurb)

 

"Nancy rides a wave of danger in pursuit of a surfing saboteur!" (back cover blurb)

 

Published in June 1998, it turns out this particular Nancy Drew mystery was written by the same author as the last book - Elizabeth Nugent (or so it says on Wikipedia, so take it for what it's worth).  While I can find no real information regarding this particular author online, it does not surprise me that the same person wrote books 142 and 143.  Both books have more of a Nancy Drew Files feel to them, rather than the standard digest stories.  Both books have considerably more high-stakes danger, and the mysteries themselves are definitely more adult themed - with villains who will not hesitate to kill in order to keep their activities from being brought to light!  Since the Files series ended in 1997, it makes sense that there were some left over stories, perhaps even some completed manuscripts, that simply got repurposed for the digest series in order to meet deadlines.

 

Mystery on Maui takes Nancy, Bess, and George to Maui, the second largest of Hawaii's islands, for a vacation (and we all know how vacations always turn out for Nancy!).  They were invited by an old friend of Nancy's, Danny Takemura, "who had spent his junior year of high school in River Heights" (p. 3).  The author indicates Nancy and Danny had become good friends and stayed in touch as "E-mail pen pals" (p. 3).  This poses an interesting question - if Nancy and Danny have stayed in touch via e-mail since they completed their junior year (and if Nancy is eighteen, as stated in the previous book, which means they just finished their senior years), then they would have been in communication via e-mail for a little over a year.  So, in all the time that Nancy has been solving mysteries (142 of them in just the span of a year!), why was this "good friend" of Nancy's never mentioned before?  Of course, this series boasts countless "good friends," for whom Nancy solves mysteries, and who we never see or even hear mention of ever again - so how good of friends could they really be?  But, I digress...

 

Now, about the mystery itself. It involves the Golf Coast Surf-Off, in which one of Danny's friends, Josh Brightman, is a contender (p. 5).  Nancy indicates "Golf Coast" is what the western part of Maui is called, and Josh tells them it is also the name of a big chain of stores in Hawaii and California; however, neither of those things are true.  (While the book does contain fictional locations, the city of Lahaina, used in the book [p. 17], is an actual city, located on the northwest coast of the island of Maui; however the reference to the run-down harbor town of Point Guerre [p. 116] is purely fictional.)  Nevertheless, Josh is predicted to be the big winner of the contest, with the chance to win $75,000!  When Josh explains that his two top competitors have both had to back out - one due to food poisoning, and the other due to a fall that injured his leg - Nancy starts to wonder if someone is eliminating the competition in the hopes of winning themselves.  Josh scoffs at the idea until his surfboard is stolen ... and then he receives a note warning him to drop out or else ... and then he finds a deadly snake in his gym bag ... and ultimately he is kidnapped before he can finish the tournament!  With a huge and potentially deadly storm ready to strike Maui, Nancy realizes she must race against time to find her new friend before someone decides to eliminate him from the contest - permanently!

 

Nugent (a/k/a Carolyn Keene) provides the readers with several likely suspects.  First is a fellow competitor, Hank Carter, who is cocky and determined to win at all costs, even if he has to use underhanded tactics to do so.  Second is Manny Monolo, a lifeguard who has an ax to grind with Josh after a fight they had that cost Manny his chance to become a paramedic.  Third is the stranger who tries to steal Josh's surfboard, a man they refer to as "the Snake" because of a tattoo he has of a snake going around his arm.  Fourth is Ruby Blackwell, a former surfer who has opened a surf shop on the beach and is trying to market a new surfboard - and who also happens to be a former girlfriend of Hank Carter.  Last, but not least, is the unsavory Russell Frye, a boat captain who takes tourists out for shark watching, illegally dumping chum into the water to attract sharks.  It seems Josh had reported him to the police, and Frye is none-too-happy with him, vowing to get revenge one way or another.  Thus, with all these suspects, Nancy must find out every thing she can about each of them in order to narrow down her list to the real culprit.

 

As with the last book, the danger levels and violence in this book definitely give it the feel of a Files rather than a standard digest Mystery Story.  For instance, near the start of the story, George is out surfing and gets pulled out by the riptide and knocked unconscious in the water.  By the time they get her to shore, she is not breathing and it appears touch-and-go for a moment before a lifeguard is able to revive her (p. 35).  Later in the story, when Josh finds the snake in his gym bag, it turns out to be a death adder (p. 87), a very venomous snake that originates from Australia (as accurately referenced in the book).  Near the end of the book, when Nancy is tracking down the Snake, she finds him facedown on the floor, with a knife next to him and "a tiny trail of blood" (p. 118).  Finally, near the climax of the mystery, when the real villain has Nancy and her friends trapped, the villain splashes kerosene all over Nancy's clothes and holds a plastic lighter with the threat of burning her alive (pp. 134-35)!  These type of scenes are definitely not the kind one would normally find in a standard Nancy Drew Mystery Story.

 

The cover art, yet again, is provided by Ernie Norcia.  The scene appears to be taken from the moment near the beginning when George is knocked out while surfing, with Nancy running to her aid.  The scene does not really have any connection to the mystery, other than to provide a way for the author to introduce the lifeguard, Manny Monolo.  It truly amazes me how life-life Norcia is able to paint Nancy and her friends.  The art almost appears as if it were a photograph taken at a real beach, with those waves crashing down on the sand. Simon & Schuster definitely picked the perfect artist for these covers - it is a shame they eventually moved on to a different artist.

 

RATING:  9 squadrons of shadowy sea creatures with dorsal fins out of 10 for a fast-paced mystery filled with ever-increasing danger and deadly villains! 

A Zebra Mystery Puzzler #31 - Death on the Circuit

I am now on the downhill side of this Zebra Mystery Puzzler series, with 31 books read and 29 still to go (not counting the four-book "You Solve It" series by Zebra for young adults, which were published around the same time, but aimed at a younger audience and without the internal illustrations).  This book introduces readers to another new author and another new sleuth - but with a catch!  This is the first of four books by Jan Ellery; yet, this is the only one to feature Navy Lieutenant Marsha Lenox as the amateur sleuth.  In fact, each of Ellery's novels in this series boasts a different protagonist, which is unique, since all of the other authors who wrote more than one book in the series continued the adventures of their main character.  And as far as the author goes, I could find nothing on Jan Ellery.  One website gives credit to both Jan Ellery and Jean Ross Ewing; however, Ewing's personal website does not indicate she had any involvement with this book.  Thus, the true authorship of this book is left a mystery...

 

Death on the Circuit is a different type of mystery, since it involves members of our armed forces - particularly, the Navy. Marsha Lenox is a Lieutenant who has been assigned to a USO tour with the famous comedian, Harry Carras.  Only, she learns very quickly that Carras may be funny onstage, but he's anything but funny off-stage.  The Hollywood actress, Cindy Carlson can't stand him.  His manager, Hal Squires, has every reason to hate him, as Carras is constantly berating and firing him.  Even the men and women of the Navy who are acting as escorts have nothing good to say about the man.  Carras even managed to avoid any long-term bad publicity for the suicide of a model years ago who killed herself when the egotistical man tossed her aside for another woman.  So, when Carras is electrocuted on stage when he grabs hold of the microphone, prepared to start his act, there are any number of suspects.  Because Marsha is nearly killed herself when she tries to lend aid to the man, she makes it her mission to uncover what really happened.

 

The mystery of whodunnit becomes a lot more complicated when the chain of command in the Navy hand down the decision - the death was simply an accident, and all investigation into what happened must stop.  Marsha cannot understand the decision, as she has a witness that will testify to the fact that the electrocution was caused deliberately.  Someone wanted Carras dead, and now someone is trying to sweep it all under the rug.  Marsha finally learns from a fellow officer that there is more going on than meets the eye.  Near where the concert was to be performed is an ongoing search for some nuclear weapons, and there is the possibility the Russians are involved.  Marsha does not see how this involves Carras until Lt. Jeff Harris explains that Carras was actually working for the government - and, worse than that, he was also working for the Russians as a spy!  Thus, the number of possible suspects just multiplied.

 

Ellery crafts a truly ingenuous murder mystery, once that had me going back and forth with who I though did it.  I even had a difficult time picking out clues from the cover and internal illustrations, as I could never definitively determine who the killer was.  Which is a good thing, as it kept me on my toes and offered me a surprise reveal at the end.  Once the killer was identified, and that person's motive was revealed, then looking back over the illustrations, I was suddenly able to spot the clues (although, to be honest, there are two internal illustrations that offer up no clues whatsoever, which makes them nothing more than red herrings).  I will say, however, that the way in which the story is told, literally ANYONE (other than Marsha) could have been the killer.  Everyone had a motive, and most everyone had the opportunity as well.  It all boiled down to the question - who had the skill and knowledge to set up the electrocution to take place, and who truly hated Carras enough to want him dead.  

 

There are no credits for the cover artist and the internal illustrator, so I have no clue who did either.  The style of the internals is familiar enough, though, with the full page art and tons of shading.  This artist likely provided some of the internals for earlier books in the series; it is just a shame the publisher never thought fit to give credit to the artists.  Plus, this new cover design with the small amount of artwork appearing in the glass area of the magnifying glass limits just how much you can actually see.  I wish Kensington / Zebra had kept the original cover style with full page art.

 

It's a shame this is the one and only Zebra Mystery Puzzler to feature Navy Lieutenant Marsha Lenox.  I like the character, and the limitations placed upon her by her position within the military made for an interesting read as she fought to navigate between her own curiosity and determination and the orders from her superior officers.  Nevertheless, despite this being her one and only mystery, it is a story definitely well worth the read!

 

RATING:  10 outdated issues of Vogue magazine out of 10 for a uniquely different murder mystery and a super-crafty tale that keeps readers guessing to the end!

A Rather Charming Invitation - third in a series of "Rather" mysteries

I did not even realize it had been nearly eight months since I read the previous book in this series, so it was definitely time to delve back into the world of Penny Nichols and her ever-so-charming fiance, Jeremy Laidley. I absolutely love these characters - not just because the title character shares the name of a vintage sleuth written by Mildred Wirt Benson (under the pseudonym Joan Clark), but also because Penny and Jeremy truly come alive on the page.  Their banter, their reactions, their choices - they are all filled with every normal human trait that we experience in real life - humor, fear, tenderness, anger, love, and pretty much every other emotion.  Author C.A. Belmont truly draws you into their lives and adventures, making each of these books a true page-turner that you literally cannot put down until you finish!

 

A Rather Charming Invitation takes readers on a wild ride leading up to Penny and Jeremy's wedding day.  (Which is rather amusing, since the most recent Posie Parker mystery I read also involved the main couple facing adventure and mystery leading up to their wedding day!)  It all starts with the surprise visit from a French cousin that Penny never knew she had.  It seems there is a whole side to her father's family of whom she had been unaware - until now.  With the arrival of Honorine, Penny's world widens all that much larger, as she comes to meet her very prim and proper aunt Leonora, her somewhat more relaxed uncle Phillipe, and her all-business cousin, David.  Much to her dismay, she quickly learns that her aunt expects her to have her wedding to Jeremy at their chateau - and Leonora even "allows" Penny to use a rather elaborate bridal tapestry for the backdrop of her wedding.  But who said she even wanted it?  Well, the more Penny studies the antique tapestry, the more she realizes there is more to it than anyone realizes.  The intricate designs, the exquisite details, and the beautiful images all form a rather unique message ... and more than that, they hide a map to a long-lost dowry that could change all of their lives!

 

Belmond takes Penny and Jeremy all over Europe in this adventure, as they travel from London to Mougins to Antibes to Paris to Grasse to Lake Geneva to Monte Carlo - so many cities, so many clues to follow up on, so much adventure, so much danger - so much fun!  Despite the trouble between the families (Jeremy's English relatives want the wedding in London their way, Penny's French relatives want the wedding in France their way, and Jeremy thinks they should just elope and avoid it all!), Penny and Jeremy manage to keep up the usual banter that will make the reader smile.  And while the mystery surrounding the tapestry and all the danger that comes with it once the tapestry is stolen and Penny learns the true message it holds, Belmond never lets the readers forget that Penny and Jeremy have a wedding to plan.  The question is - will they ever actually find time to sit down and plan it?  For that matter, does Penny even really want a wedding?

 

I enjoyed the fact that Belmond did not make it obvious from the get-go just what was so important about the tapestry.  It was obvious there was going to be some sort of secret it held, particularly once it is stolen.  For Penny's relatives, it is the historical significance and its potential high value if it were to be sold that made them so determined to get it back.  For Penny, it was simply her natural curiosity about the man who wove the tapestry and the history surrounding its creation.  But for someone, the tapestry held the clue that could lead them to a long-lost treasure that could be worth more than anything else in the world.

 

It is fun to see some of the previously introduced supporting cast make their appearances - even cousin Rollo seems to have turned over a new leaf - well, a little bit, at least.  Penny's parents are always a hoot, and Jeremy's mother and her beau (a clockmaker named Guy) are quirky in their own ways.  Even Penny's former co-workers, Erik and Tim, put in an appearance to help with the wedding plans.  But it is the introduction of Penny's French relatives and Jeremy's stern and controlling grandmother who really take center-stage in this book, and they help Penny grow as a character as she must find ways to not only satisfy both sides of the family, but to also stand up to them and not allow them to take control of a day that is meant to be hers and Jeremy's.  I think every reader will be thrilled with the final wedding adventure - oh, and believe me, it is an adventure!  It's the kind of wedding that middle-class people like us could only dream about, but the multi-million dollar American heiress who is living in London can afford to get married in style, and boy, does she!

 

The one new character that really packs a punch in this story is Parker Drake - an obscenely wealthy collector who is so crazy rich that his parties are the ones anyone who is anyone are dying to get invited to - and only so few are chosen!  Well, as fate would have it, Penny and Jeremy just have to get into one of his parties to follow up on a clue regarding the missing tapestry.  Needless to say, they manage to worm their way into some tickets, and they sneak onto the Drake property and manage to connive their way into a yacht party for some deadly snooping and tricks that nearly cost them their lives!

 

At more than 400 pages, this mystery is quite lengthy; yet, it is so engaging from the very first page, that it won't take long for you to work your way through it (I finished it in two days, I just could not put it down!).  The only sad thing about the book is the fact that this is the next to the last book in the series.  Book four concludes the adventures of Penny Nichols and Jeremy Laidley, and I do not look forward to seeing their sleuthing tales come to an end!

 

RATING:  10 gold Lunaire coins out of 10 for keeping the romance, mystery, adventure, suspense, and danger all so equally balanced as to make for superb reading! 

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!