Connie Blair Mystery No. 9 - The Brown Satchel Mystery

As I continue this journey through reading books from series I have yet to explore, I now come to the Connie Blair series.  I've had this series for some time - the twelve hardcovers with dust jackets, the photo-cover paperbacks, and the three painted cover paperbacks.  I only have one of the four picture covers - I figure eventually I'll come across the other three.  The series is written by "Betsy Allen," who in reality is Betty Cavanna.  According to Jennifer White's website, Cavanna wrote the first eleven books in this series, but one of the author's friends actually wrote the twelfth and final book in the series (Connie Blair). Not really sure why I have never started reading this series, but now seemed like a good time as any to do so.  I decided to start with book nine because it was set in Florida, and all my recent series books I've been reading have been Florida-themed.  Some have been just vague descriptions of Florida, while others (like the Vicki Barr book!) have been quite detailed with their Florida references.  Thus, I was curious to see how Connie Blair would fair...

The Brown Satchel Mystery takes our blond-haired, career girl sleuth down to the Fort Myers / Naples area to the fictional place of Pelican Island.  The island is said to be situated just off the Gulf Coast of Florida among the "Thousand Islands."  And this is a bit tricky, because there is an area referred to as the "Ten Thousand Islands" down in Collier County, off the coast of Naples, Florida, which is located on the Gulf of Mexico; however, there is also a "Thousand Islands" conservation area over near Cocoa Beach on the Atlantic Ocean side in Brevard County, Florida.   And if that weren't enough to confuse you, in the story, once the mystery is solved, there is a quick reference to the fact that on "account of the sudden gold rush to Pelican Island, renamed Treasure Island by one ingenious reporter" (p. 168).  Florida does have a Treasure Island, which is located in the St. Petersburg area, many miles north of the Naples area; there is no "Treasure Island" among the Ten Thousand Islands.  So, while I give the author props for using some Florida sites in the story, it is clear the locales were either not thoroughly researched or were purposefully confused to keep the story wholly fictional.

The mystery itself is somewhat odd, in that it is not clearly defined.  At the start of the story, when Connie and her twin sister Kit arrive in Florida and await the boat to take them across to the island resort where they will be staying with Connie's employer, they meet the mysterious Sterling Witherspoon, who has a brown leather traveling bag that he refuses to allow anyone to touch (p. 17).  They also witness two men working on a boat who see very out of place in the Florida sunshine (p. 5).  By the time the girls make it to the resort, they learn that Kulu, the owner's large chimpanzee, has escaped its cage and could potentially cause trouble (p. 24).  Before you know it, Connie faces danger when she is knocked unconscious while digging for shells in a secluded area of the island (p. 37).  The next few chapters deal with Connie trying to find her way out of the mess of trees, as well as Kit and one of the hotel's guides trying to locate the missing sleuth, and when she finally makes it back the next morning, it raises questions - was she knocked out by the mischievous chimp, or had someone deliberately knocked her out and moved her to a different location so she could not find her way out?

Readers are treated to a number of typical holiday excursions - we follow Kit as she enjoys fishing with the young guide, Chip; we tag along with Connie as she learns about shells and goes hunting on her own for rare finds; we go with the two sisters as they head onto the mainland in order to buy some authentic Seminole Indian skirts; and we read about the guests at the hotel as they enjoy a night of music and dancing.  It is difficult to figure out if the book is more about career girl Connie's holiday vacation or about a mystery that does not really seem to develop beyond "Who knocked Connie out?"  It is not until more than half-way through the story do we learn about the bank robbery in New York, and the two criminals who are on the run and headed to Florida (p. 94).  How this ties into the happenings thus far is only conjecture on Connie's part, but she is sure it is all connected.  And then the wife of Connie's boss disappears, which results in the sisters joining Chip on a late night search for the missing woman, with the idea that not only is Witherspoon somehow involved, but also one of the other guides (Chip's best friend) could potentially be participating in the crime!

It is interesting that the title to the book uses the "brown satchel" as the focus of the mystery, when the actual mystery inside is less about the satchel and more about who knocked Connie unconscious, who are the bank thieves, and who kidnapped Mrs. Renshaw.  The brown satchel plays both a red herring and a last minute reveal that ultimately connects poor Kulu to the overall mystery.  I supposed the satchel was used in order to keep the color theme going in the titles of the books in this series.  I think the painted cover on the paperback edition of this mystery actually provides a better idea of the mystery than the dust-jacket cover for the hardback.  The dust jacket depicts Connie digging for shells among the mangrove trees while Kulu watches in the background, while the paperback edition provides a collage of the trees, the speeding boat, the twin sisters, the stolen money, and the trouble-making chimp.

And speaking of twin sisters - I did find it amusing that Connie and Kit decide to switch places during the evening of dining and dancing, in order to give Connie a break from all of the questions being thrown at her surrounding her disappearance (pp. 75-80).  I've known several sets of twins during my life, and every one of them have talked about taking each other's place in order to fool people.  So, I thought it was a nice touch for the author to have them do this in the story.  I also thought it interesting that the author manages to throw in references to prior books throughout the whole story and not just in the first chapter or two.  Kit recalls that Connie's expert swimming "had once helped solve the mystery of The Ghost Wore White, at a haunted mansion..." (pp. 56-57); and later, the girls wear dresses they bought at the department store "where Connie had once worked and where she had helped to solve the mystery of The Clue in Blue" (p. 76).

One last thing to note - the FBI eventually make an appearance towards the end of the story, and they end up giving Connie considerable thanks for all of her sleuthing that results in the capture of the thieves and kidnappers and the fact that she finds the missing money, when no one else is able to do so!  It rather reminds of me of the Vicki Barr story I just recently read, where Vicki is in Tampa looking for thieves who stole gold coins, and she ends up receiving considerable praise from the FBI in that story for her work in solving the mystery.  Does it say something about the FBI, that young career women are able to solve crimes better than the FBI?

RATING:  7 secondhand cars out of 10 for stepping outside the norm with a career girl sleuth who solves cases with a twin sister in tow!

Betty Gordon on No-Trail Island (Book 14 in The Betty Gordon Series)

Since I'm on a kick of reading books set in Florida, figured I'd check out another Florida-centric series book, this time from a series I have not yet read - Betty Gordon.  I've had the complete 15-book series for some time, and recently was able to upgrade the final book in the series to include a dust jacket (which gives me the complete series in dust jacket, now); however, I've never read any of them - until now!  And usually I would start by reading the series in order, starting with book one - but I decided a change was in store, and I picked up the next-to-the-last book in the series to see just how much of Florida actually appeared in the book...

Betty Gordon on No-Trail Island has a very odd start to the story. Normally, we get an introduction to the characters as they are preparing for a celebration, or they are attending a function or meeting someone that is going to lead them into the mystery they are set to solve for the story.  In this book, though, we get introduced to the title character through all of her friends at Shadyside School as they "oh" and "ah" over the numerous bouquets of flowers being delivered to Betty Gordon's room - all because the young girl "was convalescing from a heavy cold, which had developed into a serious attack of influenza" (p. 4).  In fact, Betty is so sick, she is likely going to be stuck at the school over the Christmas holidays and be unable to join her Uncle Richard and his ward, Bob, on their holiday vacation!  I don't think I've ever read such a despondent opening chapter to a series book as this - but, being only the first chapter, and knowing the mystery takes Betty to Florida, it is pretty much a given that she either miraculously recovers in time or she finds a way to make the trip even though she is sick.  The answer turns out to be the latter...

The story follows Betty and one of her school chums, Bobby Littell (and yes, that's a girl named Bobby - somewhat reminding me a bit of George from the Nancy Drew books - Bobby makes no apologies for her boyish name, and it is a bit confusing for the reader sometimes as the ward of Betty's uncle is also named Bob), as they are taken by Uncle Richard Gordon and Bob Henderson down to Florida to visit the widow of one of Uncle Richard's old school friends.  It seems she is having some legal trouble regarding the property she and her husband owned, and she has invited him and his family down for the holidays to stay with her on her houseboat.  Uncle Richard believes the Florida weather will do Betty good, and Betty (and Bob, as well as his friend W.M. Brown who comes along for the trip) can't wait to see what the mystery is.  It is at this point my hopes started to rise, as I waited to see what parts of Florida this motley crew would travel to before arriving at their final destination in Fort Myers.

Oddly enough, the trip begins with the Gordon group traveling down U.S. Highway 1 (p. 25), which in reality runs along the East Coast of the United States, going from Maine all the way down to Key West, Florida.  As they travel down the East Coast, the author provides a sort-of travelogue of places the group stops along the way (p. 25) - Fredericksburg, which is descried as being the home of Barbara Frietchie (a name I was unfamiliar with, but when I looked it up, it seems she was a Unionist during the Civil War, and her name became popular due to a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier written in 1863 - and it seems she is from Frederick, Maryland, so not sure why the author refers to it as "Fredericksburg"); Richmond, Virginia, that state's capitol; and then Columbia, South Carolina (for which no added description is given).  The first mention of their arrival in Florida is when "three days later the group took in the sights of the famous Silver Springs, near Ocala, Florida.  They tarried long enough to take advantage of the glass-bottom boat trip through the historic spring..." (p. 25).  This actually surprised me, as I was not aware the glass-bottom boat rides were around back in 1931 when this book was published - but, sure enough, some research revealed those famous glass-bottom boat tours were first given in the late 1800s!

For those who aren't from Florida, the Silver Springs park is located right outside of Ocala, Florida.  Thus, when Betty and her crew leave the park, "hoping to reach Fort Myers before dusk" (p. 26), they were looking at a four-plus hour drive to get there (taking into consideration that the roads and speed limits back then were not the same as they are today).  On their way to Fort Myers, they make a quick stop in Riverview (p. 27), a city that is just south of Tampa, about half-way between Silver Springs and Fort Myers.  Even with this stop, the next chapter indicates "[i]t was about dusk when the travelers, tired but happy, reached the picturesque southern town of Fort Myers, with its rare palms and lovely tropical shrubbery" (p. 29).  So, taking into consideration the time and distance, plus the stopover in Riverview, Betty and her friends wold have needed to leave Silver Springs around noon or earlier, since the sun normally sets around 5:30 p.m. or so during the month of December in Florida.  That would not have given them much time to enjoy their visit to Silver Springs!

Regardless, once they reach Fort Myers, they stay put and do not visit any other location in Florida.  Mrs. Harvey Britton, the widow of Uncle Richard's friend, is currently living on a houseboat on the Caloosahatchee River (p. 24) due to a dispute regarding the land on No-Trail Island that she and her husband owned (or, at least, thought they owned - the deed was never recorded, and after Mr. Britton died, his widow was unable to locate the original to prove her ownership interest in the island!).  Caloosahatchee River is a real river that runs from the Gulf of Mexico, right through Fort Myers, and on to Lake Okeechobee, a very large lake in the middle of the state.  While there are some island that can be found along the river (such as Legacy Island, Midway Island, Beautiful Island, Buzzard Roost, and Havens Island, as well as an island containing the Caloosahatchee National Wildlife Refuge), there is no such place as "No-Trail Island."  The book does not define a specific location for the island, other than it is located in the river not next to Fort Myers.  For a good portion of the book, the houseboat stays moored not far from the island, as Betty and her friends travel back and forth in small rowboats to the island to explore the property Mrs. Britton claims to own and to look for the missing deed.

This is not to say they don't also explore a bit of Fort Myers, although most of that is done in passing.  There is mention of the young people going into Fort Myers to explore the "City of Palms" (p. 49), which is a nickname the city has had for more than a century.  Looking up the reference, I found that this nickname comes from the fact that Thomas Edison, who lived in the city, is reported to have planted two hundred palm trees along the roadway from the downtown area to his house located on the Caloosahatchee River - and today there are more than two thousand (!!) palm trees that line McGregor Boulevard, some of which top over 75 feet high.  And speaking of Edison, as the teens return to the houseboat, Betty thanks her uncle for driving them "past the homes of Mr. Edison and Mr. Ford this morning" (p. 50).  Thomas Edison was not the only legend to live in historic Fort Myers; Henry Ford and his wife also lived there - having purchased a home in 1916 right next to the Edison estate!  Thus, the author clearly knew some of the local sites and included the references in the book.

While there is one brief mention of Tampa, where Mrs. Britton's niece lives, the remainder of the book focuses more on the mystery, with the Gordons and their friends facing off against Jake Belcher and Link Calfort, who claim to own all of the property on the island, despite Mrs. Britton's protests to the contrary.  There are a number of confrontations and some mysterious incidents, including the houseboat losing all of its electricity and W.M.'s two dogs being poisoned (from which they both died!).  Betty makes friends with a local Indian woman who resides with her husband on a nearby reservation, and after saving the squaw's daughter (pp. 70-71), the woman and her husband become indebted to Betty, ultimately helping the Gordons put out a fire and fighting off the villainous Calfort. Of course, the deed is finally located - by pure chance in the last chapter after a fire burns up the rug on the houseboat floor, revealing a secret compartment that contains not only the deed, but also thousands of dollars in cash.  Betsy's belief that Mrs. Britton was telling the truth all along is vindicated, her health is fully restored, and the Gordons and their friends leave Florida knowing all wrongs have been righted.

The story is rather enjoyable, and I think the "danger" of Florida with regards to alligators and snakes is played up a bit more than what is real, but I'm sure for people who have never lived in Florida and know nothing about the area, it does make for some exciting drama. 

The author, Alice B. Emerson, like so many children's series back in the day, is merely a pseudonym.  According to Jennifer White's website (The Betty Gordon Series), the series was written by four different authors, with this book being written by Eunice W. Creager.  Doing some research, I was happy to discover that Mrs. Creager was born in Kentucky, but her family shortly thereafter moved up to Indiana!  It seems Mrs. Creager wrote titles in both the Betty Gordon series, as well as the Ruth Fielding series; she also wrote some titles in the Six Little Bunker series under the Stratemeyers' house pseudonym of Laura Lee Hope.  Interestingly enough, Mrs. Creager had two daughters - one named Alice (same as the author) and one named Betty (same as the book's lead character).

Based on this book, I have definitely gained an interest in this series, so when I am looking forward to the day when I will be able to start at the beginning and read the series from beginning to end!

RATING:  8 sheet-covered ghosts out of 10 for a fairly decent mix of travel, adventure, mystery, and fun set in the Sunshine State!