Whitman Mystery Stories - Tom Harmon and the Gridiron Plot

This is definitely a book I would have never imagined myself reading under any circumstances.  I am not now, nor have I ever been, a fan of professional sports or college sports.  I do not like football, basketball, baseball, or any other sport of that kind.  (I will, however, watch an ice hockey game, if I can see it live!)  That being said, reading a book about sports would never be on my radar - and yet, here we are.  In recent years, I have discovered that quite a number of the Whitman Authorized Editions actually contain some pretty solid stories, and the illustrations in some of them are actually very well done (better than many of the later line illustrations in the Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins, and Hardy Boys books from Grosset & Dunlap).  Thus, when I happened across this book at a local bookstore for just $4.99, and the dust jacket was in such great shape, I thought:  why not?

 

Tom Harmon and the Great Gridiron Plot was written by Jay Dender.  Who is Jay Dender, you may ask?  Well, that's a really good question, and quite frankly, I have no idea.  From everything I could find online, this appears to be the only book written by Mr. Dender, and there is nothing I could find to even indicate whether "Jay Dender" is a real person or just a pseudonym.  I found this odd, since many of the Whitman books I have read have had authors who wrote more than just one book for the company.  (There are some exceptions, where the creator of a particular comic strip character may have written the Whitman book based on their character; but that's an exception, and not a rule.)  The one thing I can say is that Mr. Dender (or whoever was using that nom de plume) was very well versed in the area of football, as the story contains quite a bit of details regarding not only how the game is played, but very specific plays and descriptions of the various plays during the games.  Only someone well versed in the game (or a super-uber-fan) would have that kind of detailed knowledge of the game!

 

The story is set at the fictional university, Stockton, where Tom Harmon is a senior and is the star player of their football team, the Panthers.  While there is a real Stockton University in New Jersey, it is doubtful, based on the descriptions in the book, that this is supposed to be that particular campus.  And while the various colleges against whom the Panthers play reflect the names of real colleges and universities in our world, Webster, Harper, Douglas and the others are also fictionally created within the story.  As the copyright page specifically indicates, with the exception of the authorized use of the name "Tom Harmon," all names and places within the story are entirely fictional.  As far as the main character goes, Tom Harmon was apparently an all-around sports star, both in high school (in Indiana) and in college (University of Michigan).  According to the brief bio of Harmon on the dust jacket flap, Harmon managed to score "33 touchdowns, kicked 33 points after touchdown, kicked two field goals for a total of 237 points - the best scoring record in Big Ten history [at that time]."   While I am unfamiliar with the man or his fame (not being a sports fan), I have no doubt he was extremely popular at the time, for Whitman to seek out and license his name for use in a book like this.  And, as it turns out, he was the father of actor Mark Harmon (who, coincidentally, played in an episode of the Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries back in the 1970s - "The Mystery of the Solid Gold Kicker," which was about a successful football player that is framed for murder!  Coincidence?  I think not!).

 

While the main focus of the story is Stockton's goal of winning the "Big Seven" title in order to save their coach's job (his job is in jeopardy because a group of alumni were offering a rather large sum of money to the university to build additional buildings on campus - but the catch is, either the team wins the Big Seven this year, or the coach must be let go!), there are a couple of subplots that play into the story.  One is the obvious dislike that one of the players has for Tom, whether it be out of jealousy of his fame or for other reasons.  The other concerns attacks made on Tom just prior to games - the first, a physical attack when he and a fellow player are taking a shortcut through the woods; the second, an attempt to make it appear Tom cheated on an important test to have him expelled so he can no longer play for the team.  Everyone begins to wonder - is someone out to get Tom personally, or are all these tactics merely a way to keep Stockton from winning the Big Seven, so that the coach will be ousted from the university.

 

Honestly, I had to force my way through a lot of the story where the focus was on the football strategies and plays out on the field.  Dender goes into some excruciating detail that might be fun for fans of the sport, but was rather tedious for me.  The college antics of the students made for much better reading, and the tiniest bit of mystery is what kept my interest in the story.  That being said, Dender does manage to write the characters in such a way as to have you rooting for them, particularly when Tom keeps getting singled out for these attacks.  Nearly his entire team, as well as most of the students and faculty, all support Tom (as if they wouldn't, considering he is the title character, after all), and you know that, in the end, it is all going to work out for everyone - but it is the getting there that makes for enjoyable reading.  

 

The illustrator for this book is Henry E. Vallely (1881-1950), who has provided illustrations for quite a number of the Whitman Authorized Editions.   Vallely also provided illustrations for Big Little Books, women's magazines, in addition to his work for Whitman.  His illustrations are distinctive, with beautifully rendered scenes that truly stand out.  I'm always thrilled when I find a book that identifies him as the illustrator, as I know I am in for a treat with the internals.  The endpage spread is a nicely rendered scene from one of the many games played within the book, and thankfully, it does not spoil anything from the story (as some of the endpages for these Whitman books have a habit of doing).

 

While the football aspect is definitely not my cup of tea, the overall story was not bad, and I managed to make it through without getting overly bored.  A nice addition to my ever-growing Whitman collection.

 

RATING:  7 stolen brass canons out of 10 for plenty of college hi-jinks, locker room antics, and last minute winning touchdowns to craft a halfway decent story. 

 

 

Jane Withers and the Phantom Violin - the third Whitman Authorized Edition

This third, and final, Whitman Authorized Edition to feature actress Jane Withers is so far removed from the previous two books - the title character, while referenced in the book as "an actress," is completely and utterly different than the version featured in the previous two books.  Thus, for three stories claiming to star the same person, the characterization in all three books, as well as the tone of the overall stories, are completely different.  Obviously, the fact that three different authors wrote the books plays some part in the variation; however, one would think if Whitman was going to produce more than one book on a particular actor or actress, they would put some effort into keeping the character consistent throughout the stories.  This was clearly not the case for poor Ms. Withers.

 

Jane Withers and the Phantom Violin was written by Roy J. Snell, who wrote a number of books for young readers.  His books were mostly aimed at boys, but he did write eighteen books advertised as "Mystery Stories for Girls," or sometimes as "Adventure Stories for Girls."  A number of those books featured a color in the title (such as The Blue Envelope, The Purple Flame, The Crimson Thread, and so on).  As far as I can tell, this book was the only "Authorized Edition" that Snell wrote for Whitman, although he did write three books from the "Fighters for Freedom Series" for Whitman.  I have heard a lot about Roy J. Snell over the years, but I believe this is the first books I've ever read that was written by him.

 

As indicated above, the Jane Withers of this novel, who is at one point identified as "an actress" (p. 206), is quite different from the Jane Withers portrayed in the previous two books.  In fact, the Jane Withers of this story is but one of three main characters, and so she shares the spotlight with her character's two friends - Greta Bronson (a gifted violinist) and Petite Jeanne (a young French gypsy girl).  The story alternates between the three girls, with the point of view shifting often, particularly when Jeanne separates from her friends to join her gypsy family as they travel the area to perform for locals.  The story takes place in Michigan, on the shores of Lake Superior.  Jane, Jeanne, and Greta are staying on an old wreck of a ship on the shore line of Isle Royale (which, by the way, is a real island in the Great Lakes, just northwest of Lake Superior).  The girls also make their way over to Greenstone Ridge (also a real location!) on the island, which is where the "phantom violin" comes into play - literally.  Greta is the first to hear its soft notes being played, but Jane also eventually hears it, leading the girls to seek out the "phantom" who is playing the instrument.

 

The mystery does go beyond just the phantom violin; there is also a strange black schooner that the girls see around their wrecked ship, as well as a diver who seems to be searching for something under the water around their ship.  In addition, there is a poacher on the island who is none too happy with the girls' interference with his attempts to bag a wild moose for its antlers.  On top of that is the isolated cabin deep in the woods, where a plane is seen dropping off a person.  Is it a victim of foul play or something else?  And, probably the most important one of all to Jane, Jeanne, and Greta is the possible "barrel of gold" they believe to be buried somewhere on the island.  The girls definitely have plenty to keep them busy, and unlike most children's series books, the mysteries do not eventually connect - they are all completely separate, and the one (the black schooner and diver) is left unsolved.  As Snell writes at the end, "Just who the men were on the schooner, with the diver on board, will probably never be revealed ... No one ever found out just who they were" (p. 247).  Very odd to leave something open-ended like that.

 

The story contains some very unusual names for the characters (although, perhaps for the time, the names were not as odd as they seem now).  Greta Bronson ... Swen Petersen ... Percy O'Hara ... Mr. Van Zandt ... Bihari (one of the gypsies) ...  definitely not very common names by any means.  Snell also uses some lyrics from "a half forgotten poem" (p. 180) titled Snow-Bound: A Winter Idyl, by John Greenleaf Whittier, a poem first published back in 1866.  On top of that, Snell also has Greta recognize the notes of "Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana (p. 139), a one-act opera from the late 1800s.  Snell's use of real locations and actual poems and musical compositions gives the story a bit of grounding so as to not make it too overly fantastic and unbelievable.  

 

Now, as for the story itself ... well, Snell actually recycled a book he had previously written in his own "Mystery Stories for Girls" titled - you guessed it! - The Phantom Violin!  Originally published by The Lee & Reilly Co. in 1934, the story in this book is identical in nearly every word to the original Snell novel published nearly a decade prior - the only changes are in the name of the main character (in the original novel, it was Florence Huyler; in this book, that name is changed throughout to Jane Withers) and in the title to Chapter XVIII, which is shortened from "At the Bottom of the Ancient Mine" to simply "The Ancient Mind."  Otherwise, all of the title chapters, the character names, and the words in the story are exactly the same as the original version.  This re-use of a previous story predates the Stratemeyer Syndicate's recycling of The Tolliver books for Bobbsey Twins stories by nearly 40 years!  It certainly leads one to wonder if there are other examples of authors re-using earlier stories for later publications, simply changing names to lead readers to believe they are new stories...

 

The interior illustrations are once again provided by Henry E. Vallely, who provided the art for a number of the Whitman Authorized Editions, including the previous two Jane Withers books.  His art is truly beautiful to look at, and the illustrations add so much more to the stories - it makes me long for the days when children's series books featured interior illustrations.  I wish today's books offered interior art, because for me, this adds something extra to the book (and when the story itself is not all that great, the illustrations can help make the story bearable!).  The end pages, thankfully, do not spoil anything for the story as some have done for other Whitman books; rather, Vallely gives readers a dramatic scene where Jane, Jeanne, and Greta are facing a horrific storm in a small boat, taken from Chapter XXVI where the girls are escaping the old ship wreck before the storm tears it apart (p. 232).

 

The story is a bit disjointed, with so many small mysteries, it basically jumps from one to the other and then back again.  In addition, the constantly shifting points of view can be a bit jarring, as you grow used to one character, only to get switched out to another one, and then another one, and then back to the first, to the point where you never really feel like you get to know any of the characters.  That being said, it is not an overall bad read - just not one of the better reads, and definitely the weakest of the three Jane Withers mysteries published by Whitman.  It also leaves me wondering if I want to read any other Roy J. Snell books...

 

RATING:  6  large, crippled loons out of 10 for at least trying to create a spooky atmosphere with mysterious music in the dead of night and a dark schooner with unknown assailants coming and going.

Jane Withers and the Swamp Wizard - the second Whitman Authorized Edition

The second Whitman Authorized Edition mystery to feature actress Jane Withers has some easily discernible differences from the first book.  There is a different author for this book - Kathryn Heisenfelt takes over the writing chores -  you may recognize her name, as she wrote quite a few of the Whitman Authorized Editions, including mysteries starring Ann Rutherford, Ann Sheridan, Betty Grable, Bonita Granville, and even the Powers Model girl.  I have done reviews of a number of these books, and if you look back, you'll see Ms. Heisenfelt's writing has never gotten more than a 5 out of 10 (in some cases, only 4, and in one case, as low as a 3!) rating.  I am definitely not a fan of her writing, so I went into this book with quite a bit of trepidation.  The story also has no seeming relation to the previous book - there is no mention of any of the characters from the previous book, and while Jane was a student in the first book, it is implied that she is an actress in this book (just like her real-life namesake).  The tone is completely different as well - much, MUCH darker.  The question in my mind as I started reading - how bad is this going to be?

 

Jane Withers and the Swamp Wizard takes young Jane Withers to a small town named Burley (the state is left unnamed) to spend some time with her best friend, Miss Cordelia Champlin (affectionately referred to as "Cokey"), and her mother, Alice Champlin.  The two women, along with Cokey's younger brother, Eddie, have moved into a farm to start a new life.  "Dad is still in Washington," Cokey tells Jane (p. 14), adding that they do not expect to see much of him, "[b]ut then, we didn't anyway - lately" (p. 14).  Thus, with the man of the house out of the picture, and with the younger brother off-screen, so to speak, going into the next village to buy a tractor, it is just these three women left to face the mystery that lies ahead.  It begins when Cokey tells Jane about a strange feeling she got after being told of the Simmering Springs and the legend of the "Swamp Wizard" that is said to haunt the springs.  Jane puts no stock in the story, but Cokey reminds her friend that her hunches have always come true in the past, and she is certain there is trouble ahead for the girls.  Needless to say, her premonition turns out to be true.

 

As much as I have not liked any of the previous books written by Heisenfelt that I have read, this one turned out to be quite different and quite readable.  Perhaps a large part of that is because of the gothic feel she gives to the story.  The girls run an errand for Cokey's mother, and end up taking a side trip to deliver a message for a sick woman.  As they say, no good deed goes unpunished, and the girls go out of their way, get lost, and mistakenly end up in the house of a bitter woman who makes it clear she does not want them there!  But a storm is unleashed, which takes out the bridges that are the only way across the raging river, leaving Jane and Cokey stranded at this lonely old farmhouse with the woman, her cantankerous father, and her brooding son.  All three want the girls gone, insistent that the Swamp Wizard does not like strangers near the springs - which is exactly where the farmhouse is located!  Jane and Cokey are not able to rationalize this family's fear, but when they hear the strange cries in the night, and when the woman's son appears to be missing, they have to wonder if there is some supernatural force at work.

 

  

 

The gothic tropes abound in this story - the secluded house, the family with secrets, the visitors who are not wanted there, the whispers of supernatural creatures, and the dire warnings of impending doom.  The night seems to be endless, and the storm unrelenting.  The girls are shuffled off to an upstairs room at the end of the hall, with strict instructions to not leave the room.  Of course, Jane is much too curious to remain locked in the room, and she and Cokey venture out in the hopes of learning some of the secrets behind the animosity this family had towards them and why they are so afraid of a superstitious wives' tale about a wizard in the swamp.  Heisenfelt does a decent job of building up the tension, of keeping the secrets right there on the edge of everyone's thoughts, and instilling terror in her characters, leaving the reader to wonder who really is the bad guy of this tale. There is even a scene where the woman's father takes the girls to the edge of the springs, claiming he wants them to understand why they need to leave and never come back - but Cokey loses her balance (or was she pushed?) and nearly falls into the deadly quicksand that makes up the swampy springs!  This scene is depicted on the endpages, with Jane reaching out desperately to save her friend!

 

The conclusion builds up nicely, as the secrets are not so quickly revealed, even after Cokey's mother finally arrives with some others, who were out searching for the missing girls (remember - they had simply gone on an errand to buy eggs, yet never came home for more than 24 hours!).  These villagers, who know the woman, are given the same harsh welcome that Jane and Cokey endured, and it is from the most unlikely of sources that the truth behind the Swamp Wizard is finally revealed. Once that truth comes out, and once the secrets of the past are laid bare, the woman is finally freed from all that has been haunting her for so many years, and Heisenfelt provides a very satisfying conclusion to the story and its characters.  The book even concludes with Jane observing that, "I've a hunch we're going to have a lot of fun this summer!" (p. 248).

 

Henry E. Vallely, who has provided the art for so many of these Whitman Authorized Editions, does the line illustrations for this book.  For this, I am glad, as he does a fantastic job of drawing expressions that help strengthen the scene depicted, so that even if there were no words given, you would get the impression of what was going on.  In one such instance, where Jane has left the upstairs bedroom to learn more about the secrets of this hose, Vallely shows Jane hiding behind the couch as Alma Frieson and her father prowl around in the night - just by looking at Jane's face, you can see the fear she feels at the thought of being discovered; while, at the same time, the harsh expressions on Mrs. Frieson and her father give you a clear sense of just how fierce this family can be. The mood created fits perfectly with the gothic nature of the story, and I can't imagine a better artist to provide the illustrations for this one than Vallely.

 

This was an unexpectedly good book to read, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it.  Now I am curious as to the third Jane Withers mystery, as it is written by yet another author (Roy J. Snell) - I wonder how it will compare to these first two...

 

RATING:  9 bowls of strawberry preserves out of 10 for a suspenseful story of gothic terror mixed with young adult mystery. 

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!

Whitman Mystery Stories - Ann Rutherford and the Key to Nightmare Hall

Yeah, I thought I might as well punish myself again and read another Whitman Authorized Edition written by Kathryn Heisenfelt.  I figure the sooner I get them all read and behind me, the sooner I can move on to some better written books.  I'm not sure what Whitman was thinking when they published her stories, and honestly, I'm surprised the publicists for these actors allowed the likeness of their clients to be used for these stories.  But, I suppose the old saying true - any publicity, whether good or bad, is good publicity.  In any event, I had absolutely no thought of enjoying this story when I picked it up to read it.  Surprisingly, while Heisenfelt remained true to her over-wrought and always-questioning protagonist writing, the underlying plot to this story was rather good.

Ann Rutherford and the Key to Nightmare Hall features the Candian-born actress, Ann Rutherford (1917-2012) who is probably most recognized as playing Polly Benedict in the Andy Hardy series of films from the '30s and '40s, as well as Careen O'Hara in Gone with the Wind.  This book was published in 1942, the same year that Andy Hardy's Double Life was released (which was the last Andy Hardy film in which Rutherford starred).  As with the other Authorized Editions published by Whitman, the Ann Rutherford of this story does not seem to be the actress, but merely shares the name - however, there is a vague reference by the protagonist in the story where she worries the people in the house may have recognized her (hinting that she could be the actress from Hollywood, although that is never explicitly said).  

As for the mystery, it centers around a mysterious old mansion Nath-Mar Hall.  Ann and her friend, Robert Gilmore (known to his friends as "Bop") are on their way to meet friends at a ski resort, when Bop decides to make a side trip to visit a property that is being listed for sale.  Bop wants to impress his father by getting the listing, so Ann agrees to the side trip.  But, as fate would have it, Bop mistakenly takes the wrong road and thinks that Nath-Mar Hall is the property being sold.  They quickly learn otherwise when they are invited inside by the great house's owner.  Without allowing them to explain the purpose of their visit, he ushers them into a large room where four others are waiting - two men and two women.  To their shock, Ann and Bop learn the old gentleman believes they are his daughter's adopted children, Josephine and Ronald, and every time they try to tell him his error, he shuts them down.  So, the two of them get stuck in a twisted game that Nathan Emans has set up for his heirs - find the key hidden somewhere in the foreboding house and win his entire estate upon his death!

It's actually a rather ingenuous little plot that might have been better executed by another writer.  The idea of an aging, wealthy man pitting his greedy heirs against one another in order to gain the inheritance could be a wonderfully thrilling tale, especially when you have two "heirs" who are actually unrelated to them all.  Throw in the quiet, yet powerful butler and the not-so-nice housekeeper/cook, as well as two vicious dogs waiting outside for anyone who tries to leave, and you've got the perfect setting for a very dark mystery.  The two men and two women tun out to be the old man's great-nephew, Richard Meaker, and his sister, Lileen, along with the old man's step-son, Stuart Palmer and his sister, Muriel.  Each of these four characters are overbearing and somewhat spiteful, and a couple of them have some very shady backgrounds.  Thus, the deeper Ann and Bop get into this search for the hidden key, the more afraid they become that someone might discover the truth - because what would these people do to them if they knew they were not members of the family?!

There's a definite gothic feel to the book, as Heisenfelt describes Nath-Mar Hall (which Ann refers to as "Nightmare Hall" - hence, the title of the book!) with plenty of arched doorways, frightening shadows, statuettes watching from above and around, darkened rooms, and a sense of danger no matter which way you turn.  There's even a poor little bird in a cage that no one seems to feed or give water to, making Ann's heart ache to care for it, since even its owner seems ambivalent to it as he does to the members of his own family.  There is an incident in the book that makes Ann realize how deadly the situation is, when she witnesses someone try and kill Nathan Emans!  From that point, Ann and Bop decide they have to find the key before anyone else so that they can get out of this nightmare mansion.

As I said, the plot is actually an interesting one, and the characters definitely make you hate them (like you are supposed to).  The drawback to the story is Heisenfelt's need to make her lead character do very little throughout the book other than question herself.  The incessant "why won't he listen to us?  why can't we tell him the truth?" and "do they know who we are? what will they do if they find out?" and "how can we escape this prison? why did we have to come here?" and so many more, to the point where you just want to reach into the book, slap Ann, and tell her to shut up.  I mean, seriously, the idea that neither she nor Bop can speak up and tell Nathan Emas who they are at the beginning of the story goes well beyond any suspension of disbelief.  She and Bop keep telling each other they are going to tell him, then when the time comes, they start questioning themselves and end up not saying a word.  After a while, it just gets ridiculous.

 

That being said, the book does have illustrations by Henry E. Vallely, which helps make up for the writing, as Vallely's art is always beautifully drawn.  And thankfully, this is one Whitman book that does not spoil any of the story with the endpages!  In this book, we get a two-page spread that show Ann and Bop when they first arrive at Nath-Mar Hall, mistakenly believing it to be the house of one Mr. Marshall who is looking to sell.  The house is this illustration is not quite as large, nor as mysterious as the one described in the book, but it is still beautifully rendered.

Of all the Heisenfelt books I've read to date, while this one definitely has issues, I would say this is the best of the group.  The underlying plot was engaging and interesting enough that I could get past all of Ann's constant self-doubts and questioning of everything. 

RATING:  5 green jars of bird seed out of 10 for at least giving us a mystery that catches your attention strong enough to keep you reading to the end!

Whitman Mystery Stories - Ann Sheridan and the Sign of the Sphinx

I suppose I'm a glutton for punishment, because I decided to read yet another Whitman Authorized Edition written by Kathryn Heisenfelt.  The previous three books I have read by her have been less than stellar, and, in fact, it seems the more I read, the worse they become.  I honestly cannot figure out why Whitman utilized her as a writer for these books, particularly the authorized editions that were using the names and likenesses of relatively big name stars from that time (such as Bonita Granville, Betty Grable, Ann Sheridan, and others).  I have to wonder if any of these stars actually read the books using their names, and if so, what they thought of the stories.

Ann Sheridan and the Sign of the Sphinx has a fairly dark mystery to it.  Ann has come to the town of Coreyville to visit her friend, Tess Whitehouse, who owns a beauty parlor in town.  But, from the moment of her arrival, she can tell something is off.  The employees seem worried, and while Tess tries to play if off, Ann senses something is very wrong.  She quickly discovers that Tess's business partner, Gail De Lane, has given her notice and is leaving the business!  What's worse is the reason she is leaving - she is worried about her sister, who she believes to be missing!  Ann finds herself thrust into the middle of helping Tess and Gail, where she discovers that Lacey De Lane has become involved in some kind of cult that uses a poorly drawn sphinx as its symbol.  Ann is not sure who she can trust - the De Lanes' neighbor?  His rather brusque nephew?  The parlor's assistant?  All of these supporting cast come across as suspicious, and quite frankly, it's not easy for the reader to discern who is really on the up-and-up.

As with any mystery involving a "cult," they are, in reality, nothing more than con men, determined to swindle people out of their fortunes and leave them high-and-dry!  Only, this cult intends to do more than that - they don't believe in leaving behind witnesses!  Probably the best thing about this story is the final few chapters, where Ann and the nephew, Charles Boyden (also known as "Crunch"), sneak into an abandoned hotel that was never finished and try to put a stop to the cult's actions before Lacey, and the others being swindled, are sent to their deaths in a deep pool at the heart of the hotel!  Ann has to overcome her fears to create a distraction so that Crunch can rescue the women - and boy, she definitely creates a distraction!

Now, since we are talking about Ann's fears, let me say that this entire book seems to be mostly about Ann's fears.  Heisenfelt goes on for page after page with Ann's inner dialogue and her fears -her fear of going into the apartment building where Lacey might be; her fear of going back into the beauty parlor to pick up some papers; hear fear of climbing the stairs; her fear of getting into a car with Crunch; her fear of going into the dark hotel; etc., etc.  It becomes very tiresome that in order to get to any actual scenes of action, we are forced to read pages of fear-filled thoughts and feelings running through Ann's head.  It makes me wonder if Heisenfelt believed this was the best way to create tension and suspense in her writing, by giving her title characters unfounded fears, and then just rehashing them over and over until the action finally occurs, revealing the fears to be baseless (in most cases, but not all).  It becomes almost like the boy who cried wolf, as the readers starts doubting anything is going to happen every time Ann's inner dialogue goes to work in building up fear of what might be about to happen.

 

One thing that did surprise me about the story was the fact that Ann Sheridan was actually written as the actress, rather than just a character of the same name.  In other Whitman Authorized Editions, the "star" is not actually a movie star in the story, but rather, simply a character with that name.  In this book, however, the supporting cast immediately recognize Ann as the film star that she is, and there's even comments about her stardom and how she handles it.  

 

At least one saving grace about the book is the art.  Henry E. Vallely, who did art on a number of other Whitman titles, provides some beautiful line drawings that are a few of the only redeeming qualities for the book.  The end pages show a fantastic scene of Ann and Crunch getting ready to jump into action to save the women from the cult - which, as with other Whitman books, reveals part of the climactic scene, spoiling some of the story for readers (if they actually pay attention to the end pages before they start reading!).  

Of the 23 illustrations throughout the book, though, I'd have to say my favorite is probably the one on page 175.  The drawing depicts the unfinished hotel at night, where all that can be seen is the shadowy outline of the crumbling building, with only one light shining through a slim window and a full moon in the sky overhead.  It creates an eerie scene, and certainly relies on the gothic to project fear into the reader's mind.  And while I do really love the image, I am somewhat confused as to why the publisher placed it at this point of the story.  The tag underneath the illustration reads, "The windows glowered at them."  This comes from the previous page, 174, where Ann and Crunch had come up to the Stop-Off, a food stand that was the place where they would catch the trail to lead them to the abandoned hotel.  Ann is looking at the Stop-Off, not the actual hotel, when this line is applied, and so it begs the question of why Vallely drew the hotel for this illustration instead of a food stand.  Or did the publisher merely put the picture in the wrong place, tagging it with a line they thought might fit.  In either case, it doesn't fit the story here.

The remainder of the illustrations, though, are also beautifully rendered, and Ann looks absolutely stunning.  I give Vallely props for keeping Ann's clothes consistent from the one drawing to the next, including the rather ostentatious hat she is wearing at the beginning of the story!  The drawing on page 209, where Ann and Crunch are eavesdropping on two of the cult leaders, looks like it could have been drawn for a move poster!  You can actually "feel" the action in that scene.  I think that is part of the reason I like Vallely's illustrations so much, in that they come alive in most cases, and it feels like a moving scene rather than a two-dimensional drawing.

It took me a bit longer than normal to work my way through this story, mostly because I had to force my way past all of the repetitious "what's going to happen?" and "should I do this?" and "why am I doing this?" and "I must go on, but I'm scared!"  I suppose the big finale was at least a sort-of payoff for sitting through the rest of the book - but this is definitely not one of the Whitmans I would recommend.

RATING:  4 white-robed figures carrying candles out of 10 for at least making the reader question the motive of a number of the characters, so as not to give away the identity of the actual culprits too early in the story.

Whitman Mystery Stories - Ginger Rogers and The Riddle of the Scarlet Cloak

While I am familiar with the name of Ginger Rogers (knowing she was an actress back in the day), I am honestly not at all familiar with her work.  I don't believe I have ever seen a movie with her in it, nor do I really know anything at about her life - other than the fact she was paired with Fred Astaire in a number of films.  Thus, going into this book, I had absolutely no preconceived ideas about the character; however, after reading the book, I get the impression Whitman, as with the other authorized editions I've read, is simply using the actress's name and the story is not intended to represent Ms. Rogers as she was in real life.  What is surprising about this book is that it is written by Lela E. Rogers, who, as it turns out, is the mother of actress Ginger Rogers!  How often does a parent get to write a fictional story about their own child?

Ginger Rogers and the Riddle of the Scarlet Cloak was published in 1942, and so it should come as no surprise that the plot of the story revolves heavily around World War II.  The "Ginger Rogers" in this book is not an actress, but rather, she is a night telephone operator at a posh hotel located on the California coast.  A beautiful young woman, she is the envy of every woman around her, and she is pursued by all of the men who stay at the hotel (as well as the young neighbor, for whom her mother is always trying to match her up!).  It's all of this attention that ultimately lands poor Ginger right in the thick of things.  She gets roped into going on a date with a man of whom she is not that fond, but she is willing to give him a chance.  Before the date, however, she receives an anonymous gift of a beautiful scarlet cloak.  Her date asks ... no, begs ... no, he quite literally demands that she wear the cloak for their date (movie and dinner after), and it is at this point that I realize the direction the mystery is going to take.

Thus begins a story of spies and romance, as Ginger notices the strange man watching her in the movie theater, she observes her date drop a cigarette package that is picked up (and swapped!) by that strange man, gets abandoned at the restaurant by her date, and ultimately, with the aid of the man she really likes and one of the hotel guests, finds her evening date left for dead behind the hotel!  There is clearly a lot more going on that what she first thought, and Ginger soon learns that all the men around her are harboring secrets.  Who can she trust, and who is an enemy spy?  Lela Rogers writes a crafty tale of mystery, as Ginger must use her wits and intuition to figure out what is really going on and what she can do in order to stop the plans that are being put in motion!

The romance side of the story does not take away from the mystery at all - in fact, in some ways, it enhances the story, as the romance has a mystery of its own!  Ginger's mother is dead set against her daughter dating any man of wealth, and it just so happens that Gregg, the man Ginger likes (and decides to marry after only one date!), is one of those men.  But she will not tell Ginger why she is so against rich men, and the reader is left to surmise that it has something to do with Ginger's missing father (who is not on the scene, and about whom Ginger's mother will not talk).  Well, what would one of these children's books be without coincidences - and sure enough, it turns out Gregg not only knows Ginger's father, but he knows where the man can be found!  So, daughter and father are reunited after so many years apart, and Ginger is left to figure out how to restore her parents' marriage, while at the same time, figure out how to stop the enemy spies from stealing the plans from the nearby military factory!

The book is filled with illustrations (22 of them, in fact!) by Henry E. Vallely, who provided illustrations for quite a few of the Whitman books.  He does a great job of capturing Ginger Roger's look, from the style of her hair to the way her smile just lights up her face (which is a pretty good feat, considering the illustrations are simply black-and-white line drawings).  None of the pictures depict overly dramatic scenes, and for the matter, the only one that actually has any "action" to it is the final one on page 237, in which one of the spies demands to know the price it will take for Ginger to tell him all she knows.  Otherwise, the other illustrations are rather tame scenes of Ginger at her night desk, or talking with her mother, or other such mundane scenes.  It's a good thing the story is filled with the suspense it is, as the pictures add no excitement whatsoever to the book (but they are beautifully rendered).

 

Okay, I do have to take back what I just said - as I completely forgot about the end pages at the front and back of the book.  This is definitely a dramatic scene, and surprisingly, it is the very climax of the story, when Ginger is taken by the criminals and very nearly led to her demise!  The scene is taken from the cliffhanger at the end of Chapter 15, before the final chapter brings the story to its satisfying conclusion.  While it definitely gives readers some excitement to look forward to, I am rather surprised they would spoil the final edge-of-your-seat moments with splashing it on the end pages like this.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read, and made all the more surprising by the fact the main character's real-life mother wrote the book!

RATING:  9 folded bits of paper out of 10 for taking a well-known actress, placing her in a mundane setting, and creating a well-written mystery filled with suspense, romance, and at times, danger!

Whitman Mystery Stories - Betty Grable and the House with the Iron Shutters

I am amazed at just how unique and, often times, quite good these Whitman mysteries for boys and girls are.  I spent years passing them over, because I assumed they were of inferior nature to the Grosset & Dunlap and Cupples & Leon series, simply based on their fragile paper and their less than stellar cover art.  But as I've begun reading some of them, I'm learning that they are nowhere near as bad as I thought they were!  Yes, the paper is very fragile, so I have to be very careful reading them (since many of them are well over 6o and 70 years old!), and the cover art is not necessarily as beautifully painted as some of the ones by G&D or C&L.  But some of the stories have been just as well written, in a few cases more so, than the more popular series books.  This one, however, is not one of those.

Betty Grable and The House with the Iron Shutters is one of the "Whitman Authorized Editions," which are mysteries featuring film stars who were rather famous at the time.   The Bonita Granville book I read some time ago was rather enjoyable, and the Quiz Kids mystery was a lot of fun.  So, when I picked this one up, I had fairly high hopes.  Now, mind you, while I recognized the name Betty Grable, I honestly had no idea who she was.  I just knew she was an actress back in the day.  Thus, using that handy-dandy information resource otherwise known as the Internet, I looked her up.  Betty Grable (1916-1973) was more than just an actress, it seems - she was also a pin-up girl, a dancer, a model, and a singer.  In 1943, when this book was published, she would have been 27 years old and has starred in more than 40 films!  That's quite a career.  And she did plenty more movies afterward, so one can assume that this book came out during the height of Grable's popularity.

The story is written by Kathryn Heisenfelt, who wrote a number of these authorized stories for Whitman.  I've read her Bonita Granville, and I have several other of her books (Jane Withers, Shirley Temple).   Her Bonita Granville story was pretty enjoyable, so I expected the same here.  What I found, though, was a somewhat lackluster tale that tried to create drama and suspense by dragging out scenes unnecessarily too long and a plot that was haphazard at best.  This book does not at all compare to the Bonita Granville story, which is a shame.

The story opens with Betty and her friend, Loys Lester, on a unique vacation, wherein they have no set plans, but just travel from place to place by pulling out a map and blindly selecting their next destination.  I had never seen the name "Loys" before, and thought it rather unusual.  I looked it up and discovered it is of Greek origin, and is equivalent to the American version of "Lois."  At any rate, as they are preparing to leave the hotel, Betty realizes they are not far from a city where a friend lives, so she suggests going to visit the friend - but, first, she wants to find an antique gift to bring her friend.  The owner of the hotel and his wife, who both act rather shady, inform Betty that an old woman and her sister who reside in a formerly grand house up on the hill are selling off their antique furnishings, and the wife agrees to take the girls there.  The woman drops them off in front of the house (that has definitely seen better days!), but she refuses to go inside, saying something about a quarrel with one of the sisters.  Betty and Loys are suspicious, but needing to find a gift, they go inside, where they meet one of the sisters, Miss Ardeeta Dewitt (a/k/a Miss Deeta), and her housekeeper, Mercy.  The woman does not seem happy about selling anything, but she is willing to do so - at least, until her sister, Miss Cherry Dewitt, comes downstairs.  Betty and Loys can feel the tension between the two.  Finding the whole situation uncomfortable, Betty and Loys decide to leave - only, the wife of the hotel owner is gone, leaving them stranded at the house!  And thus begins the mystery.

From here, the story becomes not only stranger, but a bit convoluted ads well.  It seems the housekeeper is afraid a ghost seen on the premises - a women dressed in white - and the Dewitt sisters confess things have been taken from the house.  When a treasured bowl (one that Betty was interested in buying) goes missing, Miss Cherry blames the girls and locks them in an upstairs bedroom that has iron shutters on the window so they can't escape!  Betty and Loys do not want to stay trapped in the room, but they cannot convince the sisters that they did not steal the bowl.  Through a trap door in the ceiling, Betty climbs into the attic, out through a small window, and down the vines on the side of the house.  She  thinks of taking the car in the garage, but not only does she not find a car, but she stumbles upon a strange and gnarled old woman (Betty thinks she is a witch!) who seems to be taking things from the garage.  She sees Betty and things Betty is the ghost!  There's a lot of back-and-forth, misunderstandings, near-misses, and the sudden appearance of a strange man who takes Betty back into the house through the basement and forces her to help him see Miss Deeta.  The story drags considerably here as Betty tries to silently steal her way back up the stairs and find Miss Deeta, but nearly gets caught and has to hide in a closet - where someone nearly finds her when they reach in to hide the supposedly stolen bowl!  Everything eventually comes out, the woman in white is revealed not to be a ghost, the thief confesses, and Betty and Loys learn the truth about what is really going on in that house with the iron shutters.

Perhaps the story would not have been so hard to read had Heisenfelt not taken literal chapters (and I mean a LOT more than one) to tell the adventure of Betty after she escapes through the attic.  I had to force myself to keep reading, wondering when Betty would quit questioning everything, second guessing herself on every decision, and just bravely move forward.  Usually, the title characters in these books are very strong-willed and determined young women, but Betty Grable in this book comes across in most instances as very timid and weak.  That, coupled with the not-so-fantastic mystery of "who stole the bowl" (which really is not too hard to figure out), led to me not enjoying this book as much as I had hoped I would. 

 

There was one line in the book that did bring a smile to my face, though.  When Betty and Loys are first locked in the shuttered bedroom, Loys voices her opinion that Miss Deeta and Mercy are scared of Miss Cherry.  "Well aren't they?" Loys pursued. "Don't you wonder why the two of them don't grab the old witch and throw her into the oven--?" (p. 115). This nice little nod to the fairy tale story of Hansel and Gretel and how they escaped the witch holding them captive was a cute reference.  Unfortunately, that one moment did not make up for how much the rest of the story lacked.  Hopefully this is an exception to these Whitman Authorized Editions, and other books will prove better.

 

Before I sign off, I must mention the interior illustrations.  The line drawings, by Henry E. Vallely, are beautifully rendered.  Vallely provided illustrations for a number of the Whitman books, and his drawings are very detailed - just look at the wallpaper in the background of page 63, even the ornate frame around the picture on the wall.  And, for the most part, his people are very nicely drawn - but his rendition of Miss Cherry is  - well, there's no polite way to put it.  She looks like a man dressing up as a woman!  Not sure if Vallely did that intentionally to try and define her character in the illustrations, or if he just simply wanted to draw her so drastically different from her sister.  In either event, she is as horrible in the illustrations as she is in the story! It's interesting to note that the end pages (at the front and back of the book) set forth a scene that actually occurs pretty much at the end of the story - thankfully, there is no clue in the picture that reveals the identity of the ghost, the thief, or even the strangers.  I just found it odd that is the scene the publisher would pick to display on the end pages.

RATING:5 genuine Amelung sapphire bowls out of 10 for a half-hearted attempt to put Betty Grable into a mystery, with its saving grace being the interior illustrations.

Whitman Mystery Stories - Patty O'Neal on the Airways

This was a Whitman title I had never heard of before, so when I chanced upon it in DJ at a used bookstore, I went ahead a picked it up.  I've been discovering, much to my surprise, just how enjoyable these Whitman books are (even if they were published on inferior paper and rarely had any ongoing series characters, unless they were reprints of other publishers' works), so I figured this book was worth a couple of bucks.  Besides, based on the title and description, I thought perhaps the story would be similar to the Vicki Barr or Shirley Flight series (which featured stories about stewardesses who traveled the world having adventures and solving mysteries).

Patty O'Neal on the Airways is another Whitman title written by Ruby Lorraine Radford.  I have several Whitman titles written by her (Peggy Parker, Girl Inventory; Kitty Carter, Canteen Girl; Nancy Dale, Army Nurse), and the one that I have read (Peggy Parker) was very well written.  Thus, I had pretty high hopes for this one, and I was not disappointed.  While there was no real mystery, per se - other than perhaps the question of what happened to Patty's friend, John Nash, whose plane went down over the Himalayas and he has not been found since - the story is still engaging with a certain level of suspense and danger to it.

Radford opens the story with Patty getting ready to take her first solo flight.  She and her best friend, Ann Marsh, attend Carter College, where they are aviation students.  Also attending the school is another student by the name of Joan Sumerau, who is the "Nellie Olsen" of the book (and if you don't know who that is, go watch an episode of Little House on the Prairie!).  She is always berating and belittling Patty, to the point where she breaks down any self-confidence Patty has, which ultimately causes her to crash her plane, leaving her only slightly injured but very badly shaken.  While at home recovering, Patty begins to wonder if perhaps she should give up her dream of piloting a plane.

And then along comes Dal Warner...

Yes, Radford had to include a love interest, and it turns out Dal is a pretty experienced pilot.  He unexpectedly shows up flying a new commercial jet liner, and Patty gets a first class tour of the large plane.  While in town, Patty shares her feelings with Dal, and he convinces her not to give up on her dreams, but take a different path - become a stewardess first, and then once she regains her confidence, go back to obtain her pilot's license.  Patty takes him up on this idea, flying out to the West Coast to attend classes - and wouldn't you know it, Joan Sumerau (who was kicked out of Carter College for showing off and endangering herself and others) is at the very same training center, hoping to become a stewardess.  It seems Miss Sumerau has her eyes set on becoming a stewardess on Dal Warner's team - but Dal already has Patty set for the job, much to Joan's chagrin.

It is interesting to read about how stewardesses were supposedly picked for airlines back in the '40s, when this book was published.  "A stewardess has to promise she'll serve a year without marrying before they will train her," Patty is told (p. 118).  And Belton Airlines, the company Dal flies for, "is famous for its attractive stewardesses," so Patty is told she has to submit photos of herself - close up and full length, too (p. 124).  There is also an age requirement - between 21 and 26 (p. 124) - and a weight requirement of at least 100 pounds (p. 126), as well as a height requirement of 5' to 5'5" (p. 127).    Curious, I did some online searching, and I discovered that a number of ads from back in the '40s and '50s were indeed looking for these exact characteristics for their airline stewardesses - including the "attractive" part!  Talk about sexism at its worst!  But, that was all a part of the day, and thankfully, we have grown past that in today's society.

The description of the plane Patty serves on that flies over the Pacific is also rather interesting, as it is described as having an "observation lounge" (p. 170), and when passengers get restless, Patty and the other stewardess pass out decks of cards, checkerboards, and other games to keep them busy (p. 166). I was also surprised to read that when Patty woke up in the morning (the flight took several days), she "bathed and put on a fresh uniform" (p. 174).  I wasn't sure if this meant she actually bathed in a bathtub or shower, or simply used a sink to wash her face - I've never heard of an airplane having a full bath or shower in it, so I'm going to assume Radford simply meant Patty "washed up," as the saying goes.

 

There are a number of internal illustrations, by Henry E. Vallely, who seems to have illustrated a number of Whitman books (as I have seen his name in many of the books I have in my collection).  While his backgrounds are never overly detailed, I will say that his people are very nicely drawn - he captures expressions beautifully!  The joy on Patty's face (p. 125); the sadness of the missionary's wife (p. 167); the solemn seriousness of everyone as Dal points out a dangerous route to be taken (p. 195) - you can actually FEEL what the characters are feeling in each illustration.  Not every artist can capture that, but Vallely does it magnificently.

The book has a rather dramatic climax, as the crew of the passenger plane all take ill due to food poisoning (all I could think of was Peter Graves in Airplane!), and Patty is forced to call upon her days of training as a pilot to take over the huge commercial airliner and maneuver the plane through heavy clouds and around and over dangerous mountain peaks.  But, manage it she does, and she even lands the plane like a pro, something she has always had the most difficulty with.  And it's "all's well that ends well" with this story, as Patty regains her confidence and set out to get her commercial flying license!

While the mystery side of things was extremely light, the story was still enjoyable, and Radford creates some great tension and suspense there at the end, keeping the reader turning page after page to see whether Patty will succeed in getting the plane out of danger and back onto the ground.  And, oh, yes, the mystery about the poor missing John Nash is resolved as well, so no plot threads are left dangling.

RATING:  8 plates of good almond chicken out of 10 for preserving a bit of women's history in the aviation history with a dash of fiction and a just a hint of mystery!

Whitman Mystery Stories - Bonita Granville and the Mystery of Star Island

Bonita Granville is mostly known to me and my fellow series book collectors as the actress who portrayed Nancy Drew in the four films from the 1930s.  However, Ms. Granville starred in a number of other films for which she is probably more popularly known.  In fact, she was popular enough that Whitman, the book publisher, somehow gained the rights to publish a fictional tale of Ms. Granville wherein, like her Nancy Drew counterpart, she is thrust into an unexpected situation where she must solve a mystery and help the innocent!

As it states on the front flap of the dust jacket, this book (along with a number of others) allowed readers to "(f)ollow your favorite characters through page after page of thrilling adventures."  And thanks to a special friend and fellow series collector, I was given a copy of this book in the beautiful dust jacket showcasing a photo of the ever-smiling Bonita Granville.

I just wish the story inside had held up as beautifully as the dust jacket and the photo did.

I'm not sure what I expected from the story.  I honestly had not heard anything about the mystery prior to reading it - no reviews, no critiques, no bashing or praising.  So, I went into this story with absolutely no knowledge whatsoever.  Based on the title, The Mystery of Star Island, I gathered that somehow Bonita would end up on an island where she would become instrumental in solving a mystery.  And as I began reading the first couple of chapters, it seemed such would be the case.  Bonita bumps into an old friend who is headed to Star Island to serve as a companion to a young girl near their age; but, before she can leave for the island, she is overcome with appendicitis and must go to the hospital.  After much beginning, Bonita agrees to take her place on the island with no on the wiser because - coincidentally enough - she and Bonita strongly resemble each other.  So much so, in fact, that in their younger days, they were known as "Parey" and "Lelle" (for "parallel").

Sounds enough like a typical children's mystery so far.  There's also a mysterious stranger who shows up at the train station, and Bonita feels there is something not right about him.  Yet another coincidence finds him heading in the same direction as her - to Star Island!  All good set ups for a nice mystery - except, at this point, we still don't know what the mystery is, if any.  Bonita and this stranger get ferried to the island, where Bonita meets her new benefactor and the young girl she will be chaperoning, Betts.  Her benefactor, known as "Muffit," has been injured and must leave the island to get medical attention, leaving Bonita alone with Betts and the nervous-nellie housekeeper, Thelma.  There are claims of stranger noises in the night (reminiscent of Gothic-style storytelling), but again - still no defined mystery.

What we do have by this point, however, are countless instances of Bonita's internal turmoil of why she is there.  "Go back while you have the chance!" and "I knew there'd be trouble!" and "You'd better go back - before it's too late!"  Again and again and again the author has Bonita doubting herself, questioning her actions, and warning herself to go back home and forget Star Island.  I'm not sure if this was intended to build drama, but for me, it simply dragged down the story and lessened my ability to see Bonita Granville as a strong protagonist.  Instead, she comes across weak, whiny, and at times, very unlike any female sleuths of her time.

The author, who interestingly enough is not identified on the cover of the book, is Kathryn Heisenfelt,  who appears to have written a number of "authorized" books for Whitman during that period.  If all of her books are written in this vein, it leaves me to wonder how they performed sales-wise.  The book has a number of illustrations by Henry E. Vallely, all of which are beautifully rendered and are one of the saving graces for the book.

The mystery itself is finally revealed near the end, and it is wrapped up not by Bonita, but rather, by some of the supporting characters.  The identity of the stranger at the beginning is finally revealed at the end (after he is pretty much absent during most of the story), and everything is resolved with very little help from Bonita at all.  Definitely not a book I would recommend reading to any fans of the children's mystery genre; however, I would probably suggest it as a collectible for any Nancy Drew completionist, since it does star the actress who first portrayed everyone's teen sleuth.

RATING:  3 missing used bandages out of 10 for at least attempting to give a Nancy Drew actress her own mystery - and providing some lovely illustrations throughout!