Meg and the Secret of the Witch's Stairway - Mystery #2 in a series

This particular book (the original hardcover version) has special meaning to me, as I purchased it at the estate sale of a very dear friend of mine - Judith Weaver.  She was a wonderful woman who amassed a large collection of mystery novels (adult, young adult, pre-teen, and juvenile) in order to open a mystery bookstore.  Unfortunately, the local government persisted in putting up roadblocks that prevented her from ever opening the store, but that did not stop her from selling the books online, by word-of-mouth, and to her friends who would come by and visit.  When her health declined to the point where she needed constant care, her daughter moved her up north and all of those books were sold at an estate sale.  This is one of the books I obtained at the estate sale, and it will also be a treasured memory of Judith Weaver, a woman with more stories in real life than all of the books in her house could ever hold!

 

The Secret of the Witch's Stairway is the second Meg Duncan mystery, first published in 1967 (the same year as the first book).  The book is not written by the same author as the first book (which was written by Gladys Baker Bond), but the story is just as enjoyable as the first.  Having helped an elderly neighbor in the first book recover her stolen diamonds, Meg and her best friend, Kerry, help a pair of elderly neighbors search for some hidden family heirlooms in this mystery.  When Meg's Uncle Harold Ashley (her mother's cousin) visits, he tells her a story about the alleged missing Ashley silver, that was hidden away back during the Civil War and never seen again.  Many believe the silver is buried somewhere on the farm owned by Clara and Jenny Ashley (even more distant cousins of Meg's mom), but no one has ever found it.  Meg and Kerry, of course, are anxious to put their detective skills to work and help Miss Clara and Miss Jenny find that the treasure that would help them save their farm!

 

The book has a number of elements that remind me of some Nancy Drew mysteries.  First, the two elderly sisters who are trying to save their farm is similar to the plot of The Hidden Staircase, where Nancy helps two older women who are being frightened into selling their estate.  Second, the Ashley sisters have a rather unique doll collection, which reminded me of The Clue in the Old Album, where an older woman Nancy is helping has a large doll collection.  In fact, both collections of dolls include a peddler doll, which comes with an assortment of tiny objects - for the Nancy Drew book, it was musical instruments, ribbons, and laces (p. 15, Old Album), while for Meg, it was a bunch of keys, a lace handkerchief, and a tiny thimble (p. 32, Witch's Stairway).  What's even more of a coincidence is that the dolls first appear and are described in the second chapter of each book - "The Doll Collector" in Old Album and "The Doll Family" in Witch's Stairway!  And, if that were not enough, it turns out that dolls hold very important clues to solving the mysteries in both books.  This leads one to wonder if the author was a fan of the Nancy Drew series, as Old Album was published some 20+ years prior to the publication of this book.

 

The mystery turns into a rather fun adventure, as the girls begin their search with the help of a young boy named Glenn who turns up with a diary of the Ashleys' ancestor that gives them clues to the location of the silver.  Some of the clever poems written by their ancestor are actually rather ingenious clues, with double meanings and secret codes that ultimately lead the youngsters to the "Witch's Stairway," a seldom used path that leads down to the river.  Meg and Kerry and their new friend fall into some unexpected danger in their final effort to find the missing treasure, and it is only with the timely help of Curly, their four-legged friend, that they are able to escape what could be certain doom!  (Funny how both this mystery and the last feature a dog that plays a pivotal role in helping the girls' solve their case!)

 

Meg's Siamese cat, Thunder, is nowhere to be seen in this book, and while Mr. and Mrs. Wilson make a brief appearance in the first chapter, they are not seen for the rest of the book.  Kerry's little brother and sister are also noticeably absent from this story, but one can assume that is because we already have a helper in the form of Glenn, who turns out to be a relative of the Ashley sisters and finds a home with his new relatives by the end of the story.

 

The internals are once again provided by Cliff Schule, who I am assuming provided the cover art for the original hardcover version as well.  As with the first book, the cover to this book is not mysterious at all and gives no hint as to the mystery itself.  In fact, to me, this original cover reminds me of a Disney-type movie poster, what with Uncle Hal driving Meg and Kerry (dressed alike!) in his old roadster (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, anyone?).   For the paperback reprint, Olindo Giacomini again provides the cover art, which is definitely much more in-line with the mystery!  Showing an elderly woman, bent over and staring back into the dark woods where Meg and Curly are watching, the reader gets an instant feel that this mystery is going to be creepy!  This scene is pulled from the end of Chapter Six, where Meg spots an old woman with scraggly hair staring down at her from the top of the Witch's Stairway (p. 77).  While not an exact representation of what takes place on the page, it is definitely much more mysterious than the original cover art!

 

I found it somewhat amusing that Uncle Hal works in Washington, D.C., since Meg's father also works there.  Hal work in a museum, however, while Meg's father works in the government.  Of course, since Hidden Springs is said to be in Virginia, it should not be much of a surprise that they work in Washington, D.C.; it simply means that Hidden Springs must not be far from the state line.  In fact, the girls take a short trip with their Uncle Hal into the capital to search for information on an old Thomas Jefferson desk that once belonged to the Ashley sisters, hoping to find more clues as to the lost silver.

 

The story definitely holds up well and was an enjoyable read.  Simple, yet fun!

 

RATING:  9 broken wooden dolls out of 10 for an adventurous mystery filled with treasure-hunting, riddle-solving, and fortune-finding!