This book was another one of those spur of the moment purchases for me. I am not usually prone to picking up books that aren't a part of a series; however, having read one of Baxter's other books (Becky Bryan's Secret) and rather enjoying it, I thought I would give this one a chance. Both the title and the cover art are rather unusual for a children's mystery, but the description of the story on the inside front flap of the dust jacket was enough to pique my curiosity. This is the second of three books authored by Betty Baxter Anderson that were published under the name "Betty Baxter." Anderson also wrote books under the pen name "Alice Anson" and her her given name of "Betty Baxter Anderson." As much as I enjoyed the previous book, I admit I enjoyed this story even more!
The Unseen Enemy follows two girls - Polly Squires and Margot Graham - during their summer between high school and beginning university, where they plan to study social services. In order to get a head start, Polly gets the bright idea of helping out at "Neighborhood House," a community center that helps children in the local area by giving them a place for activities while not at school. But they quickly learn that the Neighborhood House is not doing well, and that the man who donated the house upon his death (one Doctor Brighton) put a stipulation into his will - if after 20 years, the House was not succeeding and a relative wanted to claim the house, they could! Well, that 20 years is about expired, and it seems the House is having a number of problems. First, a young girl goes missing, only to be discovered later asleep in the attic; then a young boy is injured on some climbing bars, which bars strangely disappear right after the incident; after that, another young boy falls into the water during a scavenger hunt, nearly injuring himself; then a young girl who was to be the lead in a benefit play for the House goes missing, only to be discovered later to have been struck by a car! And what is even worse, each of these events somehow makes it into the local newspaper, despite the best efforts of Polly, Margot, and Sage Brian (who manages the House) to keep it quite.
Baxter-Anderson provides readers with a well-plotted mystery that has several twists and turns, and while the revelation of the person behind all of the sabotage (which, after all, is what it really is) does not come as a huge surprise, the truth behind this person's actions is not quite what the reader will expect! The author uses some rather ingenuous red herrings, as well as some subtly-placed clues that make for a really great read.
Being a Goldsmith publication, there are no internal illustrations, and the cover illustration is not credited, so I have no clue who did the art. It is rather unique (or odd, depending on your point of view), as the grey walls and floor surround a pantry door that Polly and Margot are about to enter. While this scene does not exactly occur within the story, it does rather hint at the climax of the tale, when the girls make the big reveal about what the crook was really after in the House and who it was that was after it. In fact, I had to smile at the way Polly manages to pull the newspaper and the Mayor into the scene, so that all can be witness to the criminal and the revelation as to his real identity!
A couple of things worth noting about the book. While none of the story takes place in Florida, there are references to St. Petersburg, Florida (p. 17), from where Catherine Peasley's family seems to have come. And as far as where the story takes place, it is in a city called "Kenwood" located in Iowa (p. 113). There is a Kenwood that was established in Iowa back in 1886, with the plat for the town being filed in the county courthouse in 1887. (Note, this tiny little town should not be confused with Kenwood Park, Iowa, which is located in a different county.) Since the author is from Iowa, it should not be a surprise that she would write about the state with which she would be familiar (although, the real town of Kenwood is nowhere near the size of the city within this book). The author also references a luxurious hotel called the Lexington (p. 182); but the only hotel in real life that is anywhere near that would be the Lexington Inn in Bedford, Iowa, which is about two-and-one-half hours away.
Now there is one error in the book, and not sure how it came about. When Polly first learns about Doctor Brighton from an elderly woman in town, she is told the Doctor's wife's name is Martha. Throughout the book, Mrs. Brighton is always Martha - except one time, where she is called "Sarah Brighton" (p. 210). Not sure why the sudden name change, unless the author forgot the name she was using in the rest of the story, although she does refer to her as "Martha" again just three pages later. I suppose we can simply chalk it up to a continuity and editing error!
RATING: 9 beautiful old teakwood boxes out of 10 for a grand treasure-hunting, sabotage-stopping mystery with some great characters and fun mishaps!
