Whitman Mystery Stories - Ann Rutherford and the Key to Nightmare Hall

Yeah, I thought I might as well punish myself again and read another Whitman Authorized Edition written by Kathryn Heisenfelt.  I figure the sooner I get them all read and behind me, the sooner I can move on to some better written books.  I'm not sure what Whitman was thinking when they published her stories, and honestly, I'm surprised the publicists for these actors allowed the likeness of their clients to be used for these stories.  But, I suppose the old saying true - any publicity, whether good or bad, is good publicity.  In any event, I had absolutely no thought of enjoying this story when I picked it up to read it.  Surprisingly, while Heisenfelt remained true to her over-wrought and always-questioning protagonist writing, the underlying plot to this story was rather good.

Ann Rutherford and the Key to Nightmare Hall features the Candian-born actress, Ann Rutherford (1917-2012) who is probably most recognized as playing Polly Benedict in the Andy Hardy series of films from the '30s and '40s, as well as Careen O'Hara in Gone with the Wind.  This book was published in 1942, the same year that Andy Hardy's Double Life was released (which was the last Andy Hardy film in which Rutherford starred).  As with the other Authorized Editions published by Whitman, the Ann Rutherford of this story does not seem to be the actress, but merely shares the name - however, there is a vague reference by the protagonist in the story where she worries the people in the house may have recognized her (hinting that she could be the actress from Hollywood, although that is never explicitly said).  

As for the mystery, it centers around a mysterious old mansion Nath-Mar Hall.  Ann and her friend, Robert Gilmore (known to his friends as "Bop") are on their way to meet friends at a ski resort, when Bop decides to make a side trip to visit a property that is being listed for sale.  Bop wants to impress his father by getting the listing, so Ann agrees to the side trip.  But, as fate would have it, Bop mistakenly takes the wrong road and thinks that Nath-Mar Hall is the property being sold.  They quickly learn otherwise when they are invited inside by the great house's owner.  Without allowing them to explain the purpose of their visit, he ushers them into a large room where four others are waiting - two men and two women.  To their shock, Ann and Bop learn the old gentleman believes they are his daughter's adopted children, Josephine and Ronald, and every time they try to tell him his error, he shuts them down.  So, the two of them get stuck in a twisted game that Nathan Emans has set up for his heirs - find the key hidden somewhere in the foreboding house and win his entire estate upon his death!

It's actually a rather ingenuous little plot that might have been better executed by another writer.  The idea of an aging, wealthy man pitting his greedy heirs against one another in order to gain the inheritance could be a wonderfully thrilling tale, especially when you have two "heirs" who are actually unrelated to them all.  Throw in the quiet, yet powerful butler and the not-so-nice housekeeper/cook, as well as two vicious dogs waiting outside for anyone who tries to leave, and you've got the perfect setting for a very dark mystery.  The two men and two women tun out to be the old man's great-nephew, Richard Meaker, and his sister, Lileen, along with the old man's step-son, Stuart Palmer and his sister, Muriel.  Each of these four characters are overbearing and somewhat spiteful, and a couple of them have some very shady backgrounds.  Thus, the deeper Ann and Bop get into this search for the hidden key, the more afraid they become that someone might discover the truth - because what would these people do to them if they knew they were not members of the family?!

There's a definite gothic feel to the book, as Heisenfelt describes Nath-Mar Hall (which Ann refers to as "Nightmare Hall" - hence, the title of the book!) with plenty of arched doorways, frightening shadows, statuettes watching from above and around, darkened rooms, and a sense of danger no matter which way you turn.  There's even a poor little bird in a cage that no one seems to feed or give water to, making Ann's heart ache to care for it, since even its owner seems ambivalent to it as he does to the members of his own family.  There is an incident in the book that makes Ann realize how deadly the situation is, when she witnesses someone try and kill Nathan Emans!  From that point, Ann and Bop decide they have to find the key before anyone else so that they can get out of this nightmare mansion.

As I said, the plot is actually an interesting one, and the characters definitely make you hate them (like you are supposed to).  The drawback to the story is Heisenfelt's need to make her lead character do very little throughout the book other than question herself.  The incessant "why won't he listen to us?  why can't we tell him the truth?" and "do they know who we are? what will they do if they find out?" and "how can we escape this prison? why did we have to come here?" and so many more, to the point where you just want to reach into the book, slap Ann, and tell her to shut up.  I mean, seriously, the idea that neither she nor Bop can speak up and tell Nathan Emas who they are at the beginning of the story goes well beyond any suspension of disbelief.  She and Bop keep telling each other they are going to tell him, then when the time comes, they start questioning themselves and end up not saying a word.  After a while, it just gets ridiculous.

 

That being said, the book does have illustrations by Henry E. Vallely, which helps make up for the writing, as Vallely's art is always beautifully drawn.  And thankfully, this is one Whitman book that does not spoil any of the story with the endpages!  In this book, we get a two-page spread that show Ann and Bop when they first arrive at Nath-Mar Hall, mistakenly believing it to be the house of one Mr. Marshall who is looking to sell.  The house is this illustration is not quite as large, nor as mysterious as the one described in the book, but it is still beautifully rendered.

Of all the Heisenfelt books I've read to date, while this one definitely has issues, I would say this is the best of the group.  The underlying plot was engaging and interesting enough that I could get past all of Ann's constant self-doubts and questioning of everything. 

RATING:  5 green jars of bird seed out of 10 for at least giving us a mystery that catches your attention strong enough to keep you reading to the end!