Secret of the Forest - a Children's Press mystery (the second Roger and Jimmy Keene mystery)

The Children's Press (London and Glasgow) seems to have published a number of books for boys and girls back in the mid-20th Century under "The Boys' and Girls' Library" heading.  I own and have read a couple of books from this series of titles (Kit and the Mystery Man and The Headland Mystery), and since both of those books were fairly decent reads, I will pick up books from this publisher when I happen across them - which is not too often.  This particular book was found by a friend of mine in Canada (as I rarely see these titles here in the States), and when she sent me an image, I immediately said, "Yes!"  Three teens - two boys and a girl - held at gunpoint by a white-haired villain in what appears to be a cave - yes, there could be no doubt in my mind this would make for an interesting story!

 

Secret of the Forest, as it turns out, is the second mystery to feature Roger Keene and his younger brother, Jimmy. I was not aware of this when I bought it and started reading it, but now that I do know, obviously, I need to find a copy of the first book in this 2-book series.  The author is H.J. Goodyer, and there is not much information out there about this particular writer, other than the fact that he/she wrote three books - this one, the first Keene Brothers book, and a third book entitled Time for Reflection: Love is Every Child's Birthright (which is clearly not a mystery like the other two!).  I find it odd that there is little to nothing on the internet about Goodyer, leading me to wonder if the name is simply a pseudonym.  In any event, Goodyer does offer readers a rather tense mystery involving World War II, spies, and counterfeit money.

 

The adventure begins as brothers, Roger and Jimmy Keene, are traveling the German countryside with their Uncle Arnold, headed for a guesthouse  named "Der grun Specht," which translates into The Green Woodpecker.  Back during the war, the building was taken by the British and used as a temporary headquarters for the Colonel and his men. Eventually, it was purchased and turned into a guesthouse, and a former soldier friend of Uncle Arnold's had offered them a stay at the old place.  Upon arrival, though, they begin to find things are a bit off.  Herr Holz appears cordial enough on the surface, but his wife, Frau Holz, seems extremely fearful and nervous.  The young chap, Willi, who seems to be the hired help, is anything but friendly.  There's also the waiter, Hans Gruber, who Uncle Arnold remembers from the war - but Hans begs his former friend to forget he ever knew him!  And then there is General von Tarkenheim and his daughter, Grizelda.  The General owns the guesthouse, but he does not communicate with his guests and appears to be angry most of the time.  And last, but not least, we must not forget Paul Konrad, who is all smiles, yet, behind those pearly whites, he is hiding a very important secret...

 

Robert and Jimmy are not really looking for a mystery, yet, at every turn, they come across more and more strange happenings.  When they notice the things in their room are being rifled through, and some things even go missing, they decide it is time to start investigating.  Then Grizelda comes to them for help, as someone is blackmailing her father, the General.  The three teens (hmmmm, Frank and Joe Hardy with Nancy Drew, perhaps?) team up to uncover the truth of what is going on at The Green Woodpecker.  It quickly turns into a very deadly game, as Gruber is run down and killed, and a merciless treasure hunter takes the brothers and their new friend deep within a cave and leaves them there to die with no way to escape!  This story is definitely not your typical children's mystery fare, but a much more mature tale of war heroes, unrepentant villains, deadly killers, and ruthless treasure hunters. 

The story mentions several places in Germany, and I was curious as to whether any of them were real.  The small village of Kallendorf that the Keenes and their uncle pass through early in the story (p. 10) is likely a variation on the real city of Allendorf, Germany.  The author does make reference to Hanover, Brunswick, and the Harz Mountains (p. 27), all of which are actual places in Germany.  The boys also indicate they "thought of running down to Goslar," which Konrad describes as "a delightful town ... much of the medieval so well preserved..." (p. 30).  Such town does exist, and it is an historic town that is famous for its ore mines.  It is also just south of Brunswick and southeast of Hanover, which would fit with the other cites the Keene brothers were planning to visit during the stay.  The ore mining would certainly explain the caves in which the teens find themselves captive, and the details of the location lead one to think the author might have visited there or otherwise be familiar with the area.  Again, I'm a sucker for books that integrate factual locations or other elements into the stories, as it tends to ground them a bit more, making even the most unbelievable tales somewhat more believable.

 

While it is definitely more of a mature story than the standard children's mysteries here in the States, this is a pretty good book and worth the read.  Leaves me with a desire to find that first Keene brothers' book and read it!

 

RATING:  8 wild boars with wicked-looking tusks out of 10 for a suspenseful story with a rather intricate and at times very dangerous plot.