Meg and the Disappearing Diamonds - Mystery #1 in a series

I can remember reading the "Meg" series of mysteries back when I was a kid, but the only thing I truly remember is a scene where Meg pretends to be sick, so she puts the thermometer into a cup of hot chocolate to make the temperature rise!  I do not even recall which book that scene is in, but I do remember at the time wondering if I could get away with that trick.  As an adult collector, I tracked down not only the six paperbacks I had as a kid, but also the six original hardback editions published by Whitman that came out nearly a decade prior to the paperbacks.  However, having them on the shelf and actually re-reading them are two different things.  Recently, though, my friend Jarrell Dickey was telling me he picked up and re-read a Meg book or two, and we got to talking about it, and I realized it was time to re-read this series - so, thanks to Jarrell, I've jumped back into the world of Margaret Ashley Duncan - the young sleuth known as Meg!

 

Meg and the Disappearing Diamonds is the first book in this series, written by Holly Beth Walker. From what I could discover, "Holly Beth Walker" is merely a pseudonym used by Western Publishing for the series.  It is believed Gladys Baker Bond (who wrote many Whitman Authorized Editions, as well as three Trixie Belden books) authored this particular Meg mystery.  The story centers around some precious diamonds owned by Mrs. Partlow, which she decides to show to the neighborhood ladies at an outside tea party.  The diamond bracelet, the diamond earrings, the diamond necklace, and the diamond snood (an ornamental headdress that is used to cover the hair on the back of your head, as Meg explains on page 53) all disappear from the party right in full view of the guests!  Meg, and her best friend Kerry Carmody, set about to discover who stole the valuable jewelry and return it to Mrs. Partlow in time for her to wear them to her niece's wedding.

 

The book only has 124 pages of story, of which 25 pages contain full-page illustrations and 11 pages contain half-page illustrations, which leaves less than 100 pages of actual story.  As one can imagine, this does not provide room for an in-depth, strongly developed mystery; rather, the mystery is somewhat simple and clearly aimed at younger readers (perhaps on the same reading level as The Bobbsey Twins or The Happy Hollisters).  That does not mean the story was not well-written, nor that it was not enjoyable.  On the contrary, the mystery was actually a fun read.  Meg is an independent, self-reliant young sleuth, and her friend Kerry feels like a combination of Bess and George - somewhat reluctant at times, but also ready and willing to jump in and help when needed.  Kerry's brother,Mike, makes a couple of appearances in the story, but he does not play a strong role.  Meg's Siamese cat, Thunder, on the other hand, plays a major role in this book!  In fact, for me, Thunder was the break-out character in the story.  He immediately recognizes the villain, being none too friendly with this person, and ultimately he has the secret to the hidden diamonds.

 

The character of Meg falls in line with so many of her contemporaries.  Her mother is out of the picture, and her father is a professional who permits his daughter considerable freedom.  In this instance, Mr. Duncan is described as "one of the men who work in government in Washington, D.C." (p. 14).  Meg is under the care of the Duncan's housekeeper, Mrs. Wilson, and her husband, Mr. Wilson.  The family lives in Hidden Springs, Virginia (p. 15).  While there is no city by the name of Hidden Springs in Virginia, there is a "Hidden Springs Family Farm" that dates back to 1731.  Within Hidden Springs is Holly House, the name given to Mrs. Partlow's homestead.  It could be the name was taken from the "author's" first name; however, there is a Holly Hill estate in St. Stephens Church, Virginia, which is a 200-year old estate that is registered as one of Virginia's Historical Landmarks - so perhaps the name was inspired by that house.  Since the Holly Hill estate boasts a lavish garden-view sunroom with a terrace overlooking formal gardens, that seems to mirror the beautiful gardens in which Mrs. Partlow throws her tea party in the book.

 

Speaking of those gardens, the story describes some very interesting plants that grow within Mrs. Partlow's gardens.  Arborvitae, creeping phlox, candytuft, and yellow alyssum all grow around the garden, and in the corner are holly bushes, which "gave the place its name" (p. 38).  I honestly had to look up these plans, as I had never heard of them!  Arborvitae are a family of evergreen trees that are very hardy and are often used to make evergreen hedges.  Creeping phlox is a low-growing plant that creates a carpet of flowers that bloom in early to mid-spring, often with a pink, purple, or bluish hue.  Candytuft is another low-growing plant, which blooms some beautiful white flowers.  And yellow alyssum is described as a "hairy" herb that produces stems of yellow flowers from May to July that eventually fade to white, with four small petals.  Clearly, Mrs. Partlow had quite an eclectic garden!

 

The internal illustrations of both the hardback version and paperback version of this book are the same, provided by Cliff Schule (1918-2000).  Schule was well-known for his portraits, including one of Henry Kissinger.  He served as a commercial illustrator for a number of years, providing illustrations for Western Publishing books.  The covers for the paperback editions featured covers by a different artist - Olindo Giacomini.  I much prefer the cover design and cover art to the paperback versions, but I was disappointed to find next-to-nothing about Giacomini online.  I found numerous books that he illustrated and/or authored, but I could find nothing about the artist himself.  The only thing I did find was on the "Find a Grave" website, which lists an Olindo P. Giacomini as having been born in 1930, died in 1989, and buried in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Holy Cross Cemetery and Mausoleum (Olindo P. Giacomini).  I was also able to find obituaries for Olindo's brother (Dino) and mother (Amanda), but none for Olindo.  I did find a mention of Olindo Giacomini as an art editor for the yearbook staff at Riverside High School in Milwuakee, Wisconsin, which would coincide with the city where he was ultimately buried. But nothing else! I find it extremely interesting that in today's day and age, someone could have so little of a digital trail, and that an author/artist who seems to have had a number of books with his work published has no information about his work out there.  A mystery to be solved!

 

The book may not offer up a difficult mystery for readers to solve, it does provide an enjoyable story that should bring a smile to your face by the end, making it worth the read.

 

RATING:  8 soft leather collars with tiny bells out of 10 for a cute, easy-to-read mystery with a perky young sleuth!

A Zebra Mystery Puzzler #17 - The Final Appointment

For whatever reason, Kensington Publishing Corp. decided to publish two Marcia Blair (a/k/a Marc Baker) mysteries right in a row.  Book 16, The Final Guest, was published in January 1979, while this book, Book 17 in the Zebra Mystery Puzzler series, was published one month later in February 1979.  While Jan Michaels had two books published somewhat close together (books 12 and 14 were Michaels' two Darby Castle mysteries), this is the first time (and I believe the only time) an author had two books in a row published in this series.  Not sure the reasoning, but it gave fans of the series an opportunity to read two Tory Baxter murder mysteries one after another!

 

The Final Appointment finds our young nurse detective actually being sought out and asked to help solve a case.  The book begins with Tory being followed by someone - and being the intuitive young sleuth that she is, she quickly outwits the woman and confronts her, only to learn that Dina Severson needs her help.  Dina and her two best friends, Felicia Adams and Candice Jeffers, believe they are in danger.  Someone has been entering Felicia's apartment and moving things around. Nothing is stolen, but paintings are turned upside down, vases are placed in the middle of the room.  Despite the locks being changed several times, the culprit continues to get in.  Now the matter has escalated, as Felicia has received a photograph of the three girls - with Felicia's face marked out with a big "X"!  It seems Candice knows Tory's Aunt Tildy, and Tildy told them about Tory's sleuthing abilities, so they sought her out to help them.

 

The mystery becomes more dangerous than Tory expects when Felicia turns up dead, found at the bottom of the stairs in the girls' apartment complex.  Tory's police friend, Lieutenant Jay Thorpe, rules it out as an accident, but Tory is not convinced.  Especially when they find Felicia's key ring with an added bonus: a small golden charm of a monkey with its hands covering its mouth.  Dina and Candice swear that Felicia never had such a charm. Plus, with Felicia out of the picture (no pun intended), it seems Candice is next on the list - her apartment is vandalized, this time with a warning about the her time in Paris with Felicia.  Candice swears nothing happened on their trip, but Tory has to wonder if they did not inadvertently offend some psycho who is now exacting his (or her) revenge.  Before you know it, Candice turns up dead, and Dina is afraid she is next!

 

The suspects include Felicia's boyfriend, who turns out to be related to someone accused of embezzling funds from the financial firm owned jointly by the girls' fathers.  There is also the mysterious blond haired woman who was seen putting envelopes into the girls' mailboxes at the apartment complex, as well as having purchased golden monkey charms from a dealer in San Francisco.  Then there is the Paris connection between the two victims, which seems out of place, since Dina did not go to Paris - so why would the killer target her?  Does everything tie back to their fathers' financial firm and the problems that occurred decades ago?  Or is the motive something much darker and more sinister?

 

Blair (Baker) tries to craft a great whodunnit, but, unfortunately, the identity of the killer is pretty easy to spot from the very beginning.  There are plenty of red herrings thrown out there, even though they are woven in for purposes of making the reader think this is the real trail of the killer.  I was a bit disappointed in that aspect, as the previous mysteries in this series written by Blair (Baker) were actually pretty well plotted.  That being said, I did enjoy the further developments with Tory's friendship with Dr. Sandy Brockman and her love/hate relationship with Lt. Jay Thorpe.  I feel bad for poor Sandy, who seems to always get the raw end of the deal, but at least Jay steps up by the end of this book to let Tory know once and for all exactly how he feels - it sure took long enough!

 

The cover art for this book is provided by Mel Greifinger, who also did the art on the cover of  The Curse of the Golden Skull, which was a Terry Spring mystery by Josephine Kains (a/k/a Joseph Goulart).  Rather than a particular scene from the book, we get a collage of Tory, the three girls, the son of the embezzler, and one of the girls putting on make-up.  I find it somewhat amusing that all of these Tory Baxter covers show Tory in her nurse's outfit, but share rarely, if ever, actually wears such an outfit in the books.  And speaking of inconsistencies in the artwork (yeah, so that was a pretty bad segue, but whatever!), the internals in this book have some glaring mistakes in them.  The first internal illustration, on page 21, shows Tory holding the picture while sitting in front of the three girls - Dina, Felicia, and Candice (see above).  However, in the story, Tory has come racing over to Dina's apartment because Felicia is missing - and in the particular scene depicted, Tory is talking only to Dina and Candice.  Felicia is not in the scene at all!  It leaves you to wonder just what kind of information are the internal illustrators given when they are told what scenes to draw!

 

Now, the third internal illustration, found on page 59, shows a woman who I can only assume is Tory (her appearance is never consistent in these internals) looking at a woman's hand that is holding up a key ring that displays the small monkey charm, with its hands cover its eyes ("see no evil").  The only problem with this one is that in the story, the "little figure was beautifully done and tiny hands were over its mouth" (p. 58).  That is a pretty glaring error, particularly when these monkey charms are supposed to be a clue to the killer's identity!  Again, what information was given to these illustrators for the scenes they were to draw?  Aside from that error, though, I will say that Tory (if that is her) in this scene bears a striking resemblance to the Rudy Nappi version of Nancy Drew that graced the covers of the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories in the 1960s and 1970s - similar hair style, facial expression, etc.  Perhaps the role of Tory Baxter was temporarily being placed by Nancy Drew (yeah, okay, probably not, but it is a funny coincidence).

 

While by far not the best mystery in the series, I cannot say it was a bad read.  With any luck, this was just a one-off for Blair (Baker), and the later mysteries featuring Tory Baxter will be a little bit more difficult to solve!

 

RATING:   7 wild blond mops of hair out of 10 for FINALLY moving Tory and Jay's relationship forward, which turns out to be the highlight of this book!

Murder by Cheesecake - the first Golden Girls' cozy mystery

"Thank you for being a friend ... traveled down the road and back again ..." I don't think there is a person alive that can read those words without actually singing them in your head.  If you're like me, you'll actually sing them out loud!  That theme song opened up 180 episodes of one of the funniest television shows to ever grace the small screen - The Golden Girls.  I watched every episode, from the first one in September 1985 to the last one in May 1992, and since then, I've re-watched episodes more times than I can possibly count.  The show put together the perfect cast, with the greatest writers, and it was a hit that never disappointed.  So, imagine my surprise when more than thirty years after the show ended, I happen across a book inspired by the television show - and not just any book, but an actual murder mystery.  That's right, you read that correctly!   Dorothy, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia now have their very own cozy mystery series, written by Rachel Ekstrom Courage, a publisher-turned-writer, and I could not wait to be reunited with these golden gals!

 

Murder by Cheesecake takes one of The Golden Girls' most popular props from the series and turns it into a murder weapon - sort of.  The story focuses on poor naive Rose, who is working overtime to pull off a traditional St. Olaf wedding in Miami for her cousin, Nettie, who is marrying a young man, Jason, who is NOT a native of St. Olaf - and the townspeople are not happy about it.  Rose's other cousin, Gustave (not to be mistaken with her cousin Gustav, who was the object of many St. Olaf tales...), does not think she will be able to pull it off, staying true to all of the St. Olaf traditions - such as the bridal shower (consisting of a REAL shower), the groom riding in a donkey, the Sharing of the Soup, and so on.  Rose is determined to prove him wrong, even if it kills her.  Unfortunately, it kills someone else - that someone being a man with whom Dorothy had just had a date - from a video dating service!

 

From the very first chapter, I felt like I was watching an episode of the show.  The comedic quips were all there - Sophia's crude remarks, Dorothy's sarcasm, Blanche's sexual prowess, and Rose's innocence and St. Olaf naivete - I could literally hear the actresses' voices in my head as I read each line of dialogue.  Courage managed to really capture the essence of the four women, making it a true joy to read.  Once the women stumble across the body in the freezer of the hotel owned by Jason's parents, there is (sadly) a lesser degree of comedy and a greater focus on the solving of the crime - particularly since Dorothy seems to be the police's prime suspect!  The question is, how can Rose keep all of the guests - the St. Olafians from Nettie's side and the Floridians from Jason's side - from finding out about the murder and destroying her chance to pull of a wedding in true St. Olaf fashion?  Thus, the antics to hide the horrific event from the guests, while at the same time looking for the killer to prove Dorothy's innocence, begins.

 

With regard to the murder mystery, I give Courage credit for creating a rather interesting plot that involves smuggling, crime rings, drag queens, mistaken identities, a threatened inheritance, and an exciting motorcycle chase with an exceptionally daring rescue!  There are plenty of clues spread throughout the story, with some red herrings to keep you from solving the crime too easily, and there are plenty of references to events that took place in the television show to remind you that this story is an actual part of The Golden Girls' lore.  I just wish the humorous quips that were present in the first couple of chapters (before they find the body) were as prevalent throughout the rest of the story.  Ther were a few humorous lines scattered here and there, but the story took a much more "murder mystery procedural" turn after the body and focused more on solving the crime.

 

The author does throw in a couple of surprising references to children's series books - the first appears when Nettie gives "Rose the same puppy-dog eyes she'd given her when she begged for a Nancy Drew Madame Alexander doll for her tenth birthday" (p. 33).  While many mysteries with female detectives make reference to Nancy Drew; however I think this is the first time I have ever come across a reference to the Nancy Drew Madame Alexander Doll, which was released back in 1967 but did not stay on the market long.  Now, since the book indicates it was Nettie's tenth birthday, and the book is set in the 1980s (at least 1985 or later), that would mean Nettie would need to be in her thirties for this book.  The second series book reference shows up when the Girls are keeping surveillance on suspects in the lobby of the hotel, when they spot Jason's sister arguing with her husband.  Dorothy makes the comment, "... I"m not so sure about the Bobbsey Twins.  I'm adding what we just saw to our case file" (p. 182).  Obviously, this reference is a bit off, since the Bobbsey Twins were brother and sister, not husband and wife; yet, it was still great to see that someone still remembers them!

 

One other thing worth mentioning is when Dorothy is told by the police that the dead man was a potential con artist who scammed a number of women out of money and other valuable objects, leaving her to wonder if "the same man [she went on a date with] was this thieving lothario ..." That is twice now that the word "lothario" has popped up in a book I've been reading, the first just days ago when I was reading Jane Withers and the Hidden Room, which also featured some con artists / thieves.  I have spent my whole life never hearing or reading that word, and now, in less than a week, it appears in two separate books written more than 80 years apart!  Talk about your mind-boggling coincidences!

 

Despite the downturn in humor after the murdered man is found, the book was still an enjoyable read, and I am hoping there will be more.  This book focused more on Rose and Dorothy, so I'm hoping the next book will give Blanche and/or Sophia a chance to shine!

 

RATING:  9 pairs of vibrant teal color sunglasses out of 10 for bringing The Golden Girls out of retirement and re-introducing them to a new generation of fans (as well as old ones like me!) in a brand new way!

Harlequin Gothic Romance Series No. 32009 - Return to Shadow Creek

"She returned to the place of her birth - only to discover a sinister web lurking in wait for her..." (cover blurb)

 

Helen B. Hicks returns to this series for her third and final entry in the Harlequin Gothic Romance line, and she is the first author in this series to have two books in a row (Hicks having also authored the previous book in this line, Legacy of Raven's Rise).  As with her other books, this book is set in California, although unlike the previous two, this book is set in the present time (well, present for when it was published back in 1986).  Hicks also strays from a number of the standard gothic tropes - there is no dark mansion, there are no hidden rooms, no "bumps in the night" ... but there is plenty of mystery and some great soap opera type moments to keep the story exciting!

 

Return to Shadow Creek is the story of Cindi Moore's return to Fairhaven, California, and more specifically, Shadow Creek - the place where she was born and spent her early childhood, until her father died and her mother moved them to Wyoming.  Now, nearly 20 years later, Cindi has come home.  Her mother, step-father, and fiance died in a tragic car accident, and unable to cope with the loss,Cindi has nowhere else to turn.  Royce Christopher, the man who manages Cindi's trust.  Kim Christopher, Royce's young sister who used to be Cindi's best friend when she lived there as a child. Laura Christopher, Royce and Kim's stepmother who continues to live on the ranch.  And Gabriel Dussault, Royce's cousin who is carefree and living live to its fullest.  They make Cindi feel welcome to their California ranch, but there is something a bit off.  Something Cindi cannot quite per her finger on...

 

Hicks provides readers with one heck of a great mystery.  What was so horrible in Cindi's past, that her mind has repressed it for so many years? And why did the tragic car accident that killed her mother, fiance, and step-father have such an affect on her?  And how could she not know that Royce and Kim's father left Cindi half of his estate when he died, giving only a fourth each to his son and daughter?  And what is going on in the avocado orchards that makes Royce keep everyone out of there?  And just what kind of evil does the old, abandoned stagecoach stop on the Christopher property contain?  Just being near the place sends Cindi screaming in the other direction!

 

I truly love the mystery aspect to this story.  Hicks builds the story nice and slow.  From the beginning, the reader knows that Cindi has no real memory of her childhood at Shadow Creek, and it is fairly obvious that something horrific happened to make her block it away.  The longer she stays, the more she begins to realize that whatever happened all those years ago is something so sinister that someone is desperate to make sure it stays in the past!  She catches someone watching her as she is out horseback riding.  Then she sees a mysterious man watching her as she enjoys an afternoon outing.  But when she is nearly run off the road by a speeding vehicle, Royce and the others realize that something is definitely wrong.  Cindi begins to suspect that someone at the ranch does not want her remembering the past - but which one is it?

 

The climatic moments in this story are so worth the read!  The cover art depicts those final moments, when Cindi is being chased by the madman across an old wooden bridge (pp. 207-11), and Hicks does a superb job of keeping that man's identity a secret until the final chapter - while Cindi recognizes him, Hicks merely refers to the man as "he" for those pages, not revealing his identity until the final chapter!  It makes for some great suspense, particularly when another character shows up to rescue Cindi, resulting in a deadly battle on the rickety bridge.  And, as one can see from the cover, the art is not the typical gothic scene - there is no dark house in the background, with a light in the upper window; rather, we get the open California countryside at night, the moon obscured by the shadowy tree limbs, and poor Cindy running fearfully from the shadowy man in the background.  While not necessarily gothic, it definitely sets the tone for the mystery within!

 

Overall, yet another winning story for this line of gothic romances, and a nice send off for Helen B. Hicks (this being her last book in the series).  One thing I do find odd, however, is that these books do not advertise the gothic line - instead, the final pages in the book tell readers about 'Six exciting series for you every month ... from Harlequin," and list the Harlequin Romance, Harlequin Presents, Harlequin Superromance, Harlequin American Romance, Harlequin Temptation, and Harlequin Intrigue lines.  At this point, the Gothic Romance line was still going, so I find it odd this series was omitted from the list.  Perhaps Harlequin was already aware the series would not be lasting much longer; or perhaps they felt the "Gothic" line would conflict with their new "Intrigue" line.  I would be curious to know if any of those six lines had an advertisement for the gothic books in them.

 

RATING:  10 shiny sky-blue convertibles out of 10 for a dark mystery involving illegal border crossings, get-rich-quick schemes, secret marijuana plants, and suppressed memories of even more illicit and evil crimes!

Jane Withers and the Hidden Room - the first Whitman Authorized Edition

While most of the books in the Whitman Authorized Editions are single-issued books, there were a few in the line that gave the characters two books - such as Shirley Temple, Deanna Durbin, and Betty Grable.  However, once actress was fortunate enough to get three books, published one a year from 1942 to 1944, and that was Jane Withers (1926 - 2021).  Now, I'll be honest, before getting these books, I had never even heard of Jane Withers before, let alone did I know who she was.  Upon performing a bit of researched, I was surprised to learn she was an extremely popular child star in Hollywood in the 1930s and early 1940s.  I was even more surprised to find that she was "Josephine the Plumber" in those old Comet cleanser commercials on television!  These three books from Whitman seem to have been published just as Withers' childhood fame was starting to die down, so it is interesting that of all the actors and actresses who had books published using their name, she is the only one to have received three!

 

Jane Withers and the Hidden Room was written by Eleanor Packer - and this was Ms. Packer's only contribution to the Whitman Authorized Editions.  The "hidden room" of the title is a bit misleading, as it is not necessarily hidden (since it is easily seen from the outside), but it is a room that is only accessible from the inside by going through a hidden panel in the back of a closet or from outside by clicking a secret release under the ledge of the window.  However, it is what is kept in that room, who is using the room, and why access to the room is so obscure that create the real mystery for this book.  The room, in fact, does not really come into play until nearly half-way through the story!

 

The book actually opens innocently enough, with you Jane Withers arriving by train in the small city of Hollytown-on-the-Hudson. (NOTE - there is no such city; yet, oddly enough, there are two special events that take place with similar names: (1) "Holi on the Hudson" is a Hindu festival that celebrates love, goodness, and renewal; and (2) "Hooley on the Hudson" is an Irish festival that celebrates their culture and heritage. It seems both celebrations on the Hudson River are relatively recent, so it is unlikely the author was inspired by either for the name of her fictional town.)  Jane has returned late from her summer vacation in California due to illness, so she has a lot to catch up on now that she is back at Holly Hall, the "school for young ladies" that is Hollytown's greatest pride (p. 16).  This includes the new professor of Romantic Languages, Paul Berthon.  According to Jane's best friend, Ellin Dwyer, the teacher is the talk of the school, as all of the students (and some of the teachers) are quite smitten with the handsome man.  Jane, however, is more worried about catching up on all of her missed schoolwork rather than silly, girlish crushes on a new teacher.

 

Holly Hall reminds me quite a bit of Starhurst School for Girls from the Dana Girls series.  Both are prestigious schools for young ladies; both are run by a stern, but fair older lady (in this instance, Miss Abigail the second heads up the school; her aunt, Miss Abigail the first, was the previous mistress of Holly Hall until her death); and both have students who become amateur sleuths who fall upon mysteries that must be solved.  While the Dana sisters are both involved in solving the mysteries, in this instance, Jane is on her own - even though her best friend Ellin is in the picture, she does not actually become involved in the mystery.  As this book was published in 1942, some eight years after the first Dana Girls books were published, perhaps Packer was influenced by the Dana Girls series (and numerous other girls series from that era and before that were sent in girls' schools).  

In any event, the mystery begins when Miss Abigail announces some of her jewelry was stolen from her room at the school.  When one of the missing earrings is found under Jane's hatbox in her room, Jane's inquisitive mind kicks into gear.  How did it get there?  Who could have dropped it?  The mystery deepens when Jane is invited to join Ellin at her parents' home for the weekend, and the new teacher, Paul Berthon, and his sister, Lucienne, are also there - and shortly after the visit, the Dwyers' jewels are stolen from their safe!  Jane begins to have suspicions about Professor Berthon and his sister, but Ellin and her parents dismiss them.  Yet, when Jane and Ellin are guests at the professor's cottage, Jane happens upon a small jewel case under the cushion of her chair, which only strengthens Jane's distrust of the professor and his sister.  She is determined to uncover the truth, so she goes to confront her professor - but, instead, she stumbles upon a sinister plot much greater than she had originally thought and becomes the captive of a group of ruthless criminals!

 

The story was actually one of the best of the Whitman Authorized Editions I have read to date.  A strong plot, a very likeable main character, and plenty of danger, excitement, and mystery to keep the story moving at a good pace.  There are definitely some more adult themes to this story, though.  The constant threat of death looming over Jane while held captive by the criminals keeps it very suspenseful, and the fact that they repeatedly make it clear the school's caretaker was "already taken care of" only strengthens the reader's belief that Jane's fate is sealed.  "The little black boy won't never talk again," one crook comments (p. 142); but a more insulting comment is made shortly thereafter, when the same crook sneers and remarks, "You didn't wait to let the Chief decide when you got rid of that darkie" (p. 143).  This kind of comment reminds readers how dated the book is.

 

In addition, Lucienne's rather sarcastic comment to her brother when referring to all of the schoolgirls who have a crush on him, calling him "my gay Lothario," has some very adult undertones, since Lothario often refers to a man who acts very irresponsibly with regard to his sexual relationships with women (which stems from a character of this nature from the 1703 Nicholas Rowe tragedy, The Fair Penitent).  I am surprised such a reference would have been allowed in a book intended for children and young adults to read back in the 1940s!

 

Aside from that, the book was a great read.  It is illustrated by Henrey E. Vallely, who seems to have provided illustrations for a large number of the Whitman Authorized Editions, for which I am glad, as he provides some very beautiful illustrations. The only negative observation I have to make (and it's not about his actual artwork, but rather, about the scene he draws) is with regard to the end pages.  This is not the first book where the end pages provides a dramatic scene which actually spoils the story if you pay attention to it before you actually read any of the book - stories about Ginger Rogers, Betty Grable, and Ann Sheridan also showcased art on their end pages that revealed dramatic moments, either from the end of those particular stories, or from climactic moments that revealed important elements of the story.  Not sure why Whitman would choose these particular scenes, but they should come with a "spoiler alert"!

 

After reading this first Jane Withers mystery, I am anxiously looking forward to the next two - especially since they are not written by the same author as this one, and I'll be curious to see in what direction they take the title character.

 

RATING:  10 little gold typewriter charms out of 10 for a well-written mystery that is pretty much on par with the Nancy Drew and Dana Girls mysteries being published around the same time!

Dana Girls Mystery Stories No. 3 - In the Shadow of the Tower

Book three of the Dana Girls Mystery Stories is author Leslie McFarlane's third entry into this girls' series from the 1930s, and I can see from this book how McFarlane was struggling with his writing of this series.  In the first two books, the stories flowed fairly well, and there was plenty of excitement and fun to move the story along; however, this book had considerably more unnecessary exposition that was not readily seen in the first two.  Perhaps he was simply more comfortable writing stories about boys, or maybe he simply could not settle into a groove with the Dana Girls; whatever the reason, this third book falls a bit short from the first two, with too many mysteries and too many convenient coincidences.

 

In the Shadow of the Tower continues the time line of the Danas, with this story being set in December (after the first book was September and the second was November).  The story center around a young girl who the Danas not only befriend but offer to help after accidentally causing her to lose a very important letter that also contained a thousand dollar bill (yes, you read that right!).  I have to admit, I was rather surprised to think that this girl, still in her teens, would be carrying around a thousand dollar bill in the early 1930s!  In today's money, that bill would be worth nearly $24,000!  Can you imagine carrying that amount of money with you everywhere you went?  But, that's exactly what Josephine "Josy" Sykes was doing when the Dana Girls happened upon her in the woods near Mohawk Lake.  Now, it is up to Jean and Louise to find that letter and the missing money and restore them to their rightful owner.

 

The story has some very odd elements to it.  First, when the Danas first see Josy, because of her deformity, "a hump that distorted [her] back, giving [her] a grotesque and dwarfed appearance" (p. 3), and the tattered clothes she is wearing, they mistake her for a boy.  They quickly learn Josy is a girl who ran away from the Home for Crippled Children at Bonny Lake (p. 13).  She ran away because at the same time she received the letter from her uncle with the money in it, the cash proceeds from a charity to benefit the Home was also stolen, and Josy was afraid she would be accused.  The sisters agree to help her, of course, but they find it will not be easy, because upon their arrival at Starhurst, Lettie Briggs and Ina Mason are the first to see Josy and immediately make fun of her, causing her to run off.

 

Throughout the entire book, there is an emphasis on Josy's hunchback and deformed nature, causing people to shun her, make fun of her, be shocked at her appearance, and fear her.  In fact, one of the characters in the book - Mammy Cleo, a cook - describes her as a "supernatural creature" that is "twisted and deformed" (p. 56).  McFarlane goes on to write how "the colored folk in the vicinity ... built up monstrous and weird legend" about Josy and her appearance (p. 71).  All of these descriptions and reactions would lead the reader to believe that Josy is horridly disfigured and frightening to look at, and so, I thought it admirable that the Danas overlooked her physical appearance and offered her their friendship and their aid in finding the missing money.  But then, at the end of the book, once the girls have successfully solved all the mysteries (and there are plenty of them in this book!), we suddenly learn that Josy's deformity is not so bad after all - "[w]ith the help of the Dana girls she had done some shopping ... New dresses had been chosen so that her deformity was scarcely noticeable. Happiness and good fortune had erased the pitiful lines from her face, and her natural attractiveness had been given a chance to assert itself" (p. 205).  Utterly amazing what a beautiful dress can do for a girl - transform her from a grotesque girl with a distorted back to a naturally attractive girl whose deformity was barely noticed!  (I realize there is a high level of sarcasm there, but such a transformation defies all ability to believe - and we cannot blame McFarlane for this one, as the change was specifically dictated in the outline from Edna Stratemeyer Squier.

 

Another strange thing about this book is the mystery surrounding the stolen money at the children's home. The Danas assure Josy they will find a way to clear her name and solve that mystery, and more than once, a nurse taking care of Constance Melbourne (an artist who lives next to Bessie Marsh, the Danas' cousin with whom they visit during the Christmas holidays), tells Jean and Louise she believes a Mrs. Rita Rye, a Trustee for the home, is the guilty party.  At no time during the entire book do the Dana girls actually visit the Home for Crippled Children at Bonny Lake, but suddenly, in the very last chapter on the next to the last page, the Danas announce that Josy has been cleared and the "real thief has confessed" (p. 216).  The thief did, indeed, turn out to be Rita Rye, who admitted to taking the money to pay overdue bills (p. 216).  For something that played such an important factor in Josy running away, one would have thought it would have made for a good mystery for the girls to solve; instead, it merely becomes an afterthought, mentioned only in passing at the very end to tie up that loose end.

 

Yet another mystery in this book centers around a stolen piece of art, painted by Ms. Melbourne.  A scam artist by the name of Claude Fayle, steals the portrait and passes it off as his own at an art show in the city of Majestic.  As it just so happens, Mrs. Crandall has plans to take the girls of Starhurst to that very art show.  And, by pure coincidence, Mrs. Crandall has invited Mr. Fayle to the school to discuss his art, unaware that the Dana girls have already met him and know he is a thief and a fraud.  This part of the mystery actually plays up nicely, as the sisters have a difficult time meeting Mr. Fayle and accusing him of his theft, and it ultimately becomes a climactic revelation made at the art show itself, just as Mr. Fayle is about to be awarded a medal for the portrait.  Of all the mysteries in this story, this one was probably the one I most enjoyed reading. 

One thing I do want to make note of is that this book features the internal illustration upon which the end pages for these early Dana Girls books was based.  The illustration by Ferdinand Warren inserted between pages 66 and 67 of the story features Jean and Louise finding a note from Josy left under their door at their cousin's house (see illustration to the left here).  It depicts Jean kneeling down to pick up and read the strange note, while Louise stands behind, looking over her shoulder.  The same scene was redrawn (whether by Warren or not is a good question) and expanded upon for the double-spread end pages (see above).  The end pages go beyond the door shown in the illustration and give way to a chair, a painting on the wall, and a grandfather clock standing beside them.   We also get a better view of Louise in the end pages, as she is closer to the wall, so that we can see her full face rather than a hidden profile as in the internal illustration.  

Last, but certainly not least, I must point out McFarlane's habit of inserting the name of the book into his mysteries.  In the first two books, the titles were casually inserted into dialogue at the very end of the story.  In this book, however, McFarlane really outdid himself - he managed to work the title into the story not once, not twice, but a total of NINE TIMES!  And this does not even count the title to Chapter XVI ("The Shadow Beneath the Tower").  

        p. 56 - in the snow "in the shadow of the tower"

        p. 86 - transpiring "in the very shadow of the tower"

        p. 93 - I wonder if she is down there "in the shadow of the tower"

        p. 93 - there was no one "in the shadow of the tower"

        p. 140 - "in the shadow of the tower" Josy was restored

        p. 143 - girls were standing "in the shadow of the tower"

        p. 214 - "shadows" fell across ... "beneath the shadow of the tower"

        p. 214 - down "in the shadow of the Tower" she saw movement

        p. 214 - I just saw them "in the shadow of the tower" 

I almost had to wonder if perhaps this phrase should not become a drinking game (although, if it did, I think most readers would become quite drunk before they finished the book!).  

Of these first three books in the Dana Girls' series, I have to admit, this was my least favorite.  There was too much going on, a couple of the mysteries were solved as mere afterthoughts in the last three pages of the book, and the miraculous manner in which Josy went from grotesque to attractive by just donning a beautiful dress was too much for me. Plus, I miss the practical jokes / pranks that the Danas and Lettie pull on one another.  This particular book only had one attempt at a joke, and the sisters easily defeated it.  We will have to wait and see what McFarlane's final Dana Girls book has in store when we read the next book in this series!

 

RATING:  7 radio dramas set on the Florida coast out of 10 for at least trying something different with this mystery - a handicapped child, a village of superstitious folk, a sleazy con artist, a missing relative, and a thousand dollar bill!

Surfside Girls, Graphic Novel No. 3 - The Clue in the Reef

Hard to believe it has been three years since the last Surfside Girls graphic novel.  Although, considering the length of this mystery is pretty much double the size of the last one, I can imagine it took writer/artist, Kim Dwinell, some time to get this one done.  I've also learned, since purchasing this third volume of the series, that the Surfside Girls was made into a television show on ApplePlus TV.  I don't have that streaming service, unfortunately, so I haven't been able to watch any episodes, but I did catch the trailer on YouTube, and I must say, it looks just as fun as the graphic novels!  And after the girls uncovering the secret of Danger Point in the first book, and solving the mystery at the Old Rancho in the second book, I could not wait to see what the third graphic novel held in store!

 

The Clue in the Reef finds Sam Taylor and her best friend, Jade Lee, trying to figure out how a pack of small hedgehogs ended up stranded on an outer reef.  With the tide quickly coming in, Sam and Jade surf out there and rescue the poor animals.  The only clue they uncover is an odd tag with a clover and diamond on it.  Of course, their investigations into this mystery is limited, as both Sam and Jade are helping out Sam's father in the Surfside Days Festival, working in Mr. Taylor's burger hut.  In the last mystery, it was a surfing competition, but in this mystery, it's a celebration of the town of Surfside's founding back in 1853.  Everyone is dressed up in fashions from the 1850s, including poor Sam and Jade - "How did women do ANYTHING dressed like this?" Sam rightfully asks (p. 3), as she is being fitted for her costume.  But the uncomfortable clothes soon become unimportant, when Sam and Jade realize there is something strange going on in Surfside - because not only were the hedgehogs abandoned, but it also seems there is a ring-tailed lemur loose in Surfside, stealing mangos from unsuspecting vendors at the festival!  Where are these exotic animals coming from?  That is mystery Sam and Jade intend to solve!

 

While this particular mystery does not center around any of the ghosts that the girls have befriended and helped in the past, that is not to say they are not present.  Robert, and his fellow pirates, are on the scene, willing to help out where they can (although that does not amount to much).  Dwinell does spend some time, however, focusing on Sam and Robert's human/ghost relationship, and it's rather sweet to see how these star-crossed lovers are trying to find a way to make it work.  There is also an interesting part of the story where Sam and Jade listen to an old-timer spin a beautiful tale of how her people migrated from the mountain in the ocean to the mainland, only to have some of them fall off the "rainbow bridge" and into the ocean, where Mother Earth transformed them into sea dolphins.  It turns out this was a tale Dwinell herself held from a Chumash woman when she and her family were camping at the Malibu Creek State Park, and she incorporated it into this story.  While having no real connection to the mystery itself, it does provide some beautiful background to the fictional town of Surfside and its inhabitants, fleshing out the world in which Sam and Jade live.

 

While the girls do have cell phones and computers, I applaud Dwinell on keeping their usage to a minimum.  She has Sam and Jade do their detective work the old fashioned way, searching for clues outside of the internet!  Yes, they do ultimately use Sam's cell phone as a tracking device to follow the crook who is smuggling the exotic animals into Surfside, they are more reliant on Jade's mystery notebook, where she writes down all the clues, all of their suspicions, all of their ideas and plans, and everything else connected with the mystery.  Keeping the technology to a minimum definitely makes for a better read!

 

Dwinell does through in a surprise character in the form of "Amichelle," a famous pop star who is trying to lay low in Surfside to avoid being mobbed constantly by avid fans.  She plays an important part of the mystery, and she provides readers a clear reminder that although Sam and Jade are successful amateur detectives, they are still teenagers at heart.  With this in mind, it makes the climax of the story somewhat shocking, as the girls are placed in an extremely dangerous situation when they confront the criminal, and their very lives are at stake!  Of course, their quick-thinking and athletic prowess help them escape certain death, and the villain of the story is brought to justice by the end.

 

Dwinell's art remains consistent with the previous two books, for which I am glad.  In the beginning, it felt a bit cartoony, but as the series has progressed, I'm learning to appreciate and enjoy it more and more.  It has now established this world firmly for me, and I could not picture Sam, Jade, and their world drawn any other way!  I hope Dwinell is hard at work on a fourth mystery, as I do not want the adventures of the Surfside Girls to ever end!

 

RATING:  9 tubes of fake gold from an Old Prospector out of 10 for another superbly told mystery with a world that gets more and more fleshed-out with each book!

The Vampire Cameo - a Lancer Books Gothic

I finally come to a gothic novel that deals more directly with the supernatural than any of the gothics I have read to date - in this case, vampires.  While many gothic stories hint at supernatural elements, they are normally explained away by the end of the book as some villainous machinations of a devious man (or woman) out to destroy lives, gain a family fortune, or for some other nefarious reason.  Not in this case.  As the title clearly indicates, this story is about vampires - the blood-sucking, eternal creatures of the night that roam the countryside looking for victims.  Or is it?  Author Dorothea Nile (who, in actuality, is Michael Avallone, a rather prolific and talented writer who published books in a number of genres under quite a few pseudonyms - besides this one, he also wrote gothics using the names Edwina Noone and Priscilla Dalton) is quite cunning in the way she (he) tells this story, leaving the reader, and the story's protagonist, wondering right up to the very end!

 

The Vampire Cameo is set right at the turn of the 20th Century, in the year 1899.  Young Rosalie Lindquist, an American schoolteacher vacationing in Europe, is on the last leg of her journey when fate intervenes.  The coach in which she is riding overturns in the Transylvania countryside during a horrific storm, leaving her stranded without any luggage, money, or means to reach the Austrian border.  A mysterious man happens to be there, offering her sanctuary within the darkened halls of his crumbling home - Darkus Castle!  (That name alone is enough to conjure up demons and all sorts of other horrors!)  Count Alexander Darkus and his wife, Lady Carmela Darkus, are gracious hosts - but from the very moment Rosalie sets foot in the decaying castle, she can feel something is off.  As the storm strengthens and the darkness descends, Rosalie - and the reader! - must determine if someone in that castle is a vampire, and if so, who is it?

 

The people in the nearby town of Larksmore wholeheartedly believe that Count Darkus is a vampire.  He certainly fits the part, what with his dark, brooding manner, his dark hair and fair skin, and his old ways.  But Rosalie has seen him in the day time, so surely that would discredit any thought of him being a creature of the night, right?  However, Rosalie has also noticed that Castle Darkus is completely devoid of mirrors in any of the rooms, including her own guest room.  Could it be he wants to hide the fact that he casts no reflection?  And what about that huge bat that tries ferociously to break through the window into Rosalie's room the first night she is there?  Was it pure chance, or was it Count Darkus knowing exactly which room she would be in?

 

Rosalie cannot quite believe the handsome Count is a vampire.  After all, vampires are simply creatures of myth.  No God-fearing young woman would believe such fantastical things exist.  Yet, she cannot deny the facts in front of her.  She does not see Lady Darkus in the day - she's suffering from a headache, the Count informs her.  The Lady also reacts in terror at the sight of Rosalie's crucifix pendant.  Only a vampire would react in such a way, correct?  Yet, Count Darkus explains that his wife lost her parents in a horrific accident, and the silver crucifix her mother was wearing at the time of her death has inspired fear of crosses ever since.  A simple, logical explanation, no doubt.  But Rosalie has her doubts.  Although the next morning shines brights, and Rosalie is ready to put it all behind her and return home - until the carriage she is in meets up with an angry mob of townspeople who are out for blood.  Three young girls have disappeared, and they believe Count Darkus stole them away.  Unable to pass, Rosalie is forced back to the castle, back to the dark recesses of the morbid place, back to where all her fears are once again brought to the forefront.

 

The story takes place over the course of just three or four days, yet, Nile (Avallone) manages to build up considerable suspense and fear within 180-plus pages.  Poor Rosalie fights to rely on her faith in God and her own common sense to tell her that there are no such things as vampires.  But the things she sees and the people right in front of her are making her question everything she has ever believed.  What if one of them were a vampire?  What if one of them really did take those three village girls?  And what if one of them intended to make her their next victim?  Another horrific storm rocks the great castle, and the irate villagers show up at the castle's door, ready to take matters into their own hands, with wooden stakes and mallets, to find their missing daughters. Rosalie is forced to make a choice, knowing she could very well be killed right along with Count Darkus and his wife, and ultimately, a very dark secret is revealed about the inhabitants of Castle Darkus that opens everyone's eyes!

 

Oh, and yes, there is also the very large Mondro, the Count's right hand man (and the only staff in the entire castle).  He is a unique individual, being described as both deaf and dumb, a turn of words that the Count describes as "a shameful expression" (p. 85).  What is interesting is that Count Darkus apparently knows sign language, as he uses it ("a curious hand and finger sequence of motion") to communicate with Mondro (p. 85).  This is now the second book in recent weeks that I have read where one of the main characters is familiar with sign language (the other being The Secret at Lone Tree Cottage, a Dana Girls mystery where one of the sisters uses sign language to try and communicate with their teacher who is being held captive).  It is funny how I have gone years without reading any books that mention deafness or sign language, but now in the span of a couple of weeks, I have read two with it!

 

And speaking of Mondro being deaf and dumb, I have to wonder if Nile forgot that fact for a moment later in the story.  Much later, when Mondro starts to attack Rosalie, a shout from Count Darkus stops Mondro in his tracks, causing him to release Rosalie and turn to fight his master.(pp. 129-30).  Why would the Count's shout affect Mondro, if the man is deaf and cannot hear?  Even though Mondro is said in the story to have lip-reading skill, being able to lip read would not help him hear the Count shouting.  It might have been more realistic to have the Count come up behind Mondro, pull him off, and throw him to the other side of the hall - that would certainly have created a more dramatic entrance for the Count.  In any event, such a snafu does not detract from the overall enjoyment of the story.

 

I am not sure who provided the cover art for this book, but I will say that it comes across more like for for a comic book rather than art for the cover of a book.  Rosalie holding the candle, Count Darkus seeming to appear within the swirling fog approaching the young woman, and the foreboding castle one can barely see against that black night sky.  It certainly sets the creepy tone of the story inside, and definitely gives the reader a sense that the vampire is about ready to attack.  Having been published in 1968, two years after the Dark Shadows television show first premiered and just one year after the vampire, Barnabas Collins, made his first appearance, the book and its cover art may well have been inspired by the popularity of the "sympathetic vampire" that was now so popular.

 

I did learn a new word while reading this book.  A number of times, Nile (Avallone) refers to Count Darkus' carriage as a "phaeton."  I have honestly never seen that word before in my life, so I looked it up.  Apparently, a phaeton can refer to several things:  in Green mythology, he is the mortal son of the sun god Helios; in more recent times, it is an open-top car (such as a Volkswagen luxury sedan); but a century or more ago, it referred to a four-wheeled carriage without doors, popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. So, instead of simply calling it a carriage, Nile (Avallone) uses the term "phaeton" through the entire book.  Just goes to show, you can learn something new every day!

 

Finally, for those wondering about the title - yes, there is a cameo pin that plays a very important part of the story and ultimately leads to the final revelation of what is really going on and who is the vampire of the story.  And if you think you know, let me just say - think again!

 

RATING:   10 harpsichords softly playing out of 10 for a suspenseful, terror-filled story of vampires, hate-filled villagers, and a young heroine who stands firm in her faith and courage!

A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery, Book 8 - Top Marks for Murder

Ah, it feels so good to take another trip back into the world of Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong.  I can't believe it has been nearly a year since I read the last mystery - it does not seem like that long has passed since Daisy and Hazel were solving a murder in the theater!  But, here we are, joining the teenage girls of the Detective Society as they return to Deepdean school for not only a new semester, but a new murder.  This series has been so much fun, and quite honestly, now that I've started re-reading the Dana Girls series, I realize that this series (set at an all-girls' school) is more or less a modern updating of the Dana Girls (although Daisy and Hazel are not biological sisters, they do act much like Louise and Jean do in the Dana Girls' series!).  Maybe that is part of the reason I have enjoyed it so much.

 

Top Marks for Murder is the eighth full-length novel in the series (not counting the short-story, The Case of the Missing Treasure), and it returns the girls to their roots at Deepdean.  In this particular mystery, the school is gearing up for its 50th anniversary celebration, with a number of special events planned and all of the girls' parents traveling in to help celebrate.  Daisy and Hazel, however, find themselves parent-less -Daisy's parents are working and Hazel's parents are not willing to make the long trip from Hong Kong.  However, the events in the story do end up bringing a "guardian" of sorts for the girls in the form of Inspector Priestly.  And, quite honestly, the Inspector's interactions with Daisy and Hazel is so perfectly written, and the Inspector finally does something that I've been waiting decades for people in these murder mystery series to do - he admits to the girls that "against all probability, when you've told me that something terrible has happened, it always has.  You have been right again and again, and I would be no sort of policeman at all if I did not believe in your detective powers by now" (p. 83).  FINALLY!  It seems in every mystery series, whether in prose form or on television, no matter how many murders the amateur sleuths solve, when the next murder comes along, the sleuths' theories and observations are dismissed, and they are told to stay out of it.  Here, at least, we have a police inspector who recognizes the fact that these two teenage girls have solved eight murders (to date), so why would you not give credence to what they have to say?  It is only logical!

 

Author Robin Stevens really plays up the misdirect with this mystery.  When Beanie witnesses what she believes to be a murder - a man choking a woman - in the woods outside of Deepdean, the Detective Society is on the case  The only problem is, there is no body and no proof of any murder.  The only clues they have are a French matchbook and a ladies' hat.  Oh, and there's that invitation to the 50th anniversary celebration - meaning that either the murderer or the victim (or both!) was to be a guest at the weekend's ceremonies.  The girls sketch out a plan to figure out the identity of the victim by watching what woman, who is supposed to be there, fails to appear.  But that plan goes awry when Miss Barnard's sister, Mrs. Rivers, is murdered at the opening dinner.  It is clear she is poisoned (the girls recognize the affects of arsenic right away), and it is also clear that only someone at the table where she sat could have done it. But who was it?  As the girls keep watch on their suspects, and as they re-enact the actions of those at the table that night, they think they are getting closer to the truth.  But then another murder attempt takes place during a garden party (I say attempt, because this victim manages to survive!), and the girls are forced to re-think everything.  Finally, Daisy comes up with a plan to smoke out the culprit; but will her plan succeed or simply put her in unwarranted danger?

 

It truly is a mind-boggling mystery, as Stevens is constantly changing the direction.  Just when you think you have an idea of what's going on, she pulls the rug out from underneath you and turns it around.  And without giving anything away, even after the girls figure out who the culprit is (or who they believe it is), it turns out everything - and everyone! - is not quite what it seems.  There are some great surprises in the story, some unexpected plot twists, and one very sad revelation regarding the mother of one of the girls in the Detective Society (not Daisy or Hazel, so breathe easy).  The final revelation of the truth at the end is definitely worthy of Agatha Christie or Arthur Conan Doyle.

 

One interesting tidbit I noticed while reading was a passing reference to the possibility that one of the new girls' father might be "the rightful owner of the Koh-i-Noor diamond" (p. 11).  I had to read that twice, because something in the back of my mind was nagging at me, telling me I had read about that diamond before, and not necessarily all that long ago.  Well, looking back, it seems that the Koh-i-Noor diamond was discussed on page 40 of The Clue in the Jewel Box, the Nancy Drew mystery originally published back in 1943.  That particular diamond (which is real, by the way) originated in India, who still makes claims of ownership to the diamond, and it allegedly has a curse connected with it (supposedly only a woman or God can wear it).  It is currently on display at the Jewel House in the Tower of London as a part of the Crown Jewels.

 

One other aspect of the story I should mention is the use of A.E. Houseman's poem, "Terence, This is Stupid Stuff."  It is actually a rather ingenuous idea, and Steven's incorporation of the last stanza of that poem into the story and the importance to unraveling the truth of what really happened at that dinner table is just one of the many reasons why this book is so thoroughly enjoyable.

 

There is some hints at the end of this book about a trip to Egypt for Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong, so I'm hoping that the next book will have a mystery filled with pyramids, mummies, and all kinds of great Egyptian hieroglyphic-clues! 

RATING:  10 salt shakes and champagne glasses out of 10 for a cleverly plotted mystery full of twists and turns that will make your head spin!

Exploring Series Books in Florida, Part 3 - Celebrating Gasparilla with Vicki Barr

Florida has so many places that can be found in various series books that Pam and I had to continue with our adventures!  After exploring the Space Coast (Series Books - the Space Coast) with the Hardy Boys, the Happy Hollisters, and Nancy Drew, and then exploring St. Augustine (Series Books - the Oldest City) with the Moving Picture Girls, the time came to head over to the west coast to follow in the footsteps of that crime-solving flight attendant, Vicki Barr!  That trip was originally planned back in October, but due to the hurricane, plans were changed - which, ultimately worked out for the best, because it gave us the opportunity to visit the Tampa Bay area in January and experience Gasparilla, just like Vicki Barr did!

 

As with our trip to St. Augustine, we were able to focus on just one book for this trip, and that was the Vicki Barr mystery, The Clue of the Gold Coin. This book is the twelfth book in the Vicki Barr Flight Stewardess series.  This series is sort of a companion career series to Cherry Ames (who was a nurse), as both series had the same authors: Helen Wells and Julie Campbell Tatham.  This particular book was written by Helen Wells, the original author for the series, and was published in 1958.  The story follows Vicki Barr, who was fortunate enough to get a route that would take her to Tampa Bay area, where she could not only visit with some friends, but also experience the pirate festival known as Gasparilla.  Vicki stumbles upon a mystery involving gold coins that are stolen from a museum exhibit that was arriving by plane, so of course, her traipsing through Tampa and Ybor City was mostly focused on solving the mystery.  Of course, along the way, she visited a number of various places, and it was surprising how many of them Pam and I found in the real world...

 

The adventure for Vicki began with her flight into the Tampa International Airport, as she looked out the window and "at last the hangars and runways of the Tampa International Airport swept into view..." (p. 4)  It was obvious that this would be our first stop as we followed in Vicki's footsteps.

 

We followed signs to see where the arriving flights would unload.  While Vicki flew in to Tampa on Federal Airlines, that is a fictional airline which does not exist in the real world (in the United States, anyway). Thus, we figured the closest we might find would be American Airlines, and we discovered the unloading took place at Blue 125.  There were a number of taxis waiting for passengers, which would have been perfect for Vicki, who "went out the building's main entrance to look for a taxi" (p. 12).

 

Once Vicki is settled into her friends' home, she is invited to join them for Gasparilla.  Her hosts provide her with a description of the event, giving her an abbreviated history of the pirate festival (pp. 17-19).  Since we did not have those same hosts to share the story, we visited the Henry B. Plant Museum, which provided the history we were seeking!

 

As the story goes, "...in 1783, to be exact, an officer in the Spanish Navy named Jose Gaspar mutinied ... turned pirate, changed his name to Gasparilla, meaning Little Gaspar, and began to prey on the merchant ships of all nations.  He made his headquarters in the islands around Tampa Bay..." (p. 17).

 

Since the book was published in 1958, it was likely the author visited Tampa the previous year and was able to experience the Gasparilla festival of 1957.  We learned that each festival has a "royal court" that includes a King and Queen, along witha group of maids, and the court is an important part of the celebration. At the museum Pam and I visited, we were fortunate enough to see the Jewel Circle Gown worn by a member of the court in 1957, which dress was designed by Anne Lowe, the first internationally recognized African-American fashion designer.

 

Both the museum and The Clue of the Gold Coin shared the history of how a "group of Tampa businessmen formed an organization called Ye Mystic Krewe..." (p. 18), which has since been joined by more than 60 additional "krewes," all of whom come together each year to contribute to this annual festival.  The Tampa Bay Hotel, which now houses the Henry B Plant Museum,was the central location for the early festivals.

 

 

From museum, it was only a hop, skip, and a jump (literally!) to the Cass Street Bridge.  Now, you may be wondering why would visit a bridge, as what importance could it have had to the Vicki Barr story?  Well, as it turns out, the book contains a two-page spread illustration of a drawbridge being lifted so that a pirate ship in the Gasparilla parade could make its way through.  

 

Based on the illustration, there was no doubt the bridge was the Cass Street Bridge, built back in 1926.  While the water tower in the background of the illustration is no longer there, the small octagonal building that housed the controls for the bridge is still there!  Based on the details in the illustration, either the author provided photographs of the bridge for use in drawing the scene, or the illustrator was familiar enough with it to depict it with such exactness.

 

Next in the adventure, Vicki was offered a chance to "VISIT GLAMOROUS YBOR CITY - Enchanted Land of Fiesta and Romance" (p. 82), and on our trip to Tampa Bay, we also visited this suburb of Tampa.  Pronounced "Ee-boar," the city was founded back in 1885 and became quite famous for its cigar industry. 

 

When Vicki made her way over to the area, she discovered that "Ybor City was quite different from the modern section of Tampa..." (p. 83).  As she walked the district, she thought of it as "The Latin Quarter of Tampa" (p. 83).

 

While in Ybor, Vicki had lunch at "The Granada Restaurant" (p. 82).  In the story, the author describes the restaurant so vividly.  "The foyer just inside the door was floored with bright mosaic tile as were the walls..." (pp. 85-86).

 

"A tiny fountain in the middle of the hall was surrounded by potted palms ... A huge archway provided the entrance to the restaurant proper" (p. 86).

 

Based on the descriptions in the story, it was undoubtedly clear that the restaurant called "Granada" in the book was actually the Columbia Restaurant, which opened its doors back in 1905.  Pam and I were very fortunate, in that the current owner of the restaurant was there the day we lunched, and he came over to the table to talk with us about the book.  When we read the description given by Helen Wells in the story, he agreed there could be no doubt it was describing the Columbia.  

 

While at the restaurant, Vicki asks if there is music, and she is told "[a]t dinner we have also the piano and violin" (p. 86).  In the Columbia Restaurant, Pam and I found memorials to Adela and Cesar Gonzmart, who played the piano and violin, respectively, for many years in the restaurant (including the 1950s, when this book was written and published!).

 

The Columbia Restaurant is quite well known, and the ownership has remained with the family who first established it back in 1905.   It has changed very little over the years (although the courtyard with the fountain now has a roof covering it, so on those rainy days, people can still enjoy their meals in that room), and it maintains its original Spanish feel.

 

Upon leaving the Granada Restaurant (a/k/a Columbia Restaurant), Vicki follows a character that she suspects of shady business dealings to his residence - so that is exactly what we did!  "To find the Duke is like putting your finger on quicksilver.  But his home is on Columbus Driver at the corner of Thirteenth Street.  A red-brick house with a balcony..." (p. 91).  Pam and I drove down Columbus Drive until we reached Thirteenth Street, and behold!  Right there on the corner, just like the book says, is a two-story, red-brick house with a balcony!  (NOTE - in the story, Vicki walks the distance from the restaurant to the house; however, in the real world, the distance would be far too great to walk!)

 

Later in the book, Vicki returns to Ybor City with her hosts for "dinner ... in a restaurant called the Spanish Park.  It was very much like the Granada, Vicki thought, with archways, tiled floors and walls, potted palms and tinkling fountains" (p. 101).  There was once a restaurant called the Spanish Park in Ybor City on the corner of 7th Avenue and 36th Street, which was a family-owned eating establishment that closed its doors, after nearly a century, in 2022 (just three years ago!).

 

Having located the address while researching the history of the Spanish Park restaurant, Pam and I set out to see what now stood at the corner of 7th Avenue and 36th Street.  Sadly, the building now on that corner was drastically different - no more arches, nor more tiled walls...).

 

So, after hunting down all of the locations, it was finally Saturday and finally time to experience the Gasparilla festival, just like Vicki (and likely just like the author did back in 1957, the year before the book was published).

 

In the book, Wells describes how the "costumed members of Ye Mystic Krewe clambered onto gaily decorated floats, and amid the strident music of half a dozen bands, the parade began to move slowly up the street away from the docks" (p. 80).  I have a feeling the floats were much more extravagantly decorated and colorful back then, as the floats we saw pass by during the parade were simple and not overly colorful at all (which was a bit disappointing).

 

However, just like Vicki did in the illustration, Pam managed to track down a pirate of her own!

 

The parade was extremely crowded, with throngs of people literally pressing in from all sides.  We left just a bit early in order to avoid the rush of everyone leaving once the parade ended.  We made our way back by trolley to Ybor City, where we parked.  And, interestingly enough, while in Ybor, we happened across a sign on one of the buildings which advertised "Jewel Box Lofts" and "Gruen Watches" - now any series book fan is going to automatically get those references to Nancy Drew's twentieth mystery (The Clue in the Jewel Box) and to Nancy Drew's housekeeper (Hannah Gruen).  Talk about coincidences!

 

And with that, we wrapped up our third Florida series book adventure.  First it was the Space Coast, then it was St. Augustine, and now Tampa Bay.  As we packed our bags for our return trips home, we had to wonder - where would our next Florida adventure take us?  The Everglades?  Key West?  Miami? Fort Lauderdale?  Fort Myers?  Palm Beach?  So many places to choose from!

 

Only time will tell....