Kristie at College a/k/a Quarry Ghost - a Milderd Benson mystery story

For many years, I have heard about Mildred Wirt Benson's novel, Quarry Ghost, which was first published back in 1959.  It is not an easy book to find (especially if you want it in good condition), and when you do find it, the prices are likely to be quite high.  I never really held out any hope of finding a copy of the book, so it sat on my "want list" for quite a few years.  Well, one of the interesting things about this book is that one year after its U.S. publication, the book was also published over in Great Britain - the only catch, it was issued under a different title!  What's even more odd is that the British title does not even give one little hint of a mystery; rather, the title under which the book was published across the pond would make one think it is simply a typical girl's college-life book!  However, when I happened across a dust-jacketed copy of the British edition for under $20, I snatched it up - and FINALLY, I was able to read Benson's last novel written for young adults...

Kristie at College is an innocuous title that gives absolutely not hint of mystery whatsoever.  In fact, the cover depicts a dark-haired girl carrying her schoolbook, while behind her other college students mingle in front of a plain brick building.  The only way one would know this was a mystery story was to read the synopsis on the inside front flap, which talks about Kristie becoming "deeply involved" in a controversy with one of the college professors and a dinosaur relic that has disappeared under his watch.  Kristie, a journalism student at Hagers College, gets the scoop from a stranger who shows up at the office of the school newspaper late one night.  He informs Kristie that he has been sent by a Canadian museum to purchase the dinosaur egg that was acquired by members of the college from an expedition in the Gobi Desert (p. 13).  Kristie takes down the information, and her story makes it to the front page of the next day's edition of the collegiate newspaper - but that's where the trouble begins!

Benson gives her readers a well-crafted mystery, where the mysterious informant disappears, the college professor who is in charge of the dinosaur egg is acting shady, and Kristie's own aspirations to be editor of the college newspaper are put at risk because of her unvetted story!  To only complicate matters, Kristie, who is on one of the school's swim teams, is invited to join a scuba-diving club who make regular trips to the local quarry to explore - but her introduction to scuba-diving and the quarry quickly escalates to a situation of extreme danger when a "ghost" seems to be haunting the place.  The ghost not only frightens some of the club members, but it also sabotages some of the students' equipment and attacks Kristie when she is under the water!  Kristie begins to realize, though, the ghost seems thoroughly focused on a portion of the quarry the students have labeled "the black hole," as it is deeper than the rest and completely dark when one swims down into it.  She soon discovers that the missing dinosaur relic, the ghost, and the black hole are all connected - and the odd, rather large man who lives in the woods outside of the quarry is a part of it all!

To any seasoned mystery reader, the solution to the conundrum is not at all hard to figure out; but it is the getting there that is all the fun.  And Benson makes it fun, because not only do we have the danger and suspense surrounding the ghost and the underwater dangers, but we get the not-so-friendly competition between Kristie and the professor's daughter, Marcia Radcliff.   After all, every good protagonist needs a nemesis to keep them on their toes!  And along the way, Kristie learns a bit about good sportsmanship, priorities, and what really matters most.  Of course, as can be expected (this is a young adult story), Kristie does end up getting the editorship, largely due to her part in finding the missing dinosaur and revealing the true criminal in the matter, and she also wins the final swimming competition, mostly due to the amount of underwater exercise she got while with the scuba club.  Thus, all's well that ends well, and as Marcia so aptly concludes the story, "With either flippers or slippers, Kristie Coleman will never be out of her depth!"

I suppose it should not be surprising that Benson would integrate her career as a journalist and her love of swimming into this tale.  As most fans are aware, Benson spent a number of years working as a journalist, which, like Kristie in the book, began in her college years working as the yearbook editor and also on The Daily Iowan, the college newspaper (Mildred Wirt Benson: College Years). In addition, while in college, Benson excelled in swimming, as well as diving, becoming a member of the "Seals Club."  According to the University of Iowa, "a photo of [Benson's] beautiful swan dive into the Iowa River is often reproduced and has become on of the Iowa Women's Archives' iconic images" (Mildred Wirt Benson: College Years).  Thus, one might wonder if perhaps Benson imprinted a part of her own life and experiences into Kristie Coleman as she was writing this book!

And apparently, Benson's daughter took after her when it came to swimming, as Benson gives a dedication of this book: "To Peggy, champion swimmer, who lost a race and launched a story."  

Personally, I prefer the Quarry Ghost title, and the cover to Quarry Ghost is much more in line with the main plot of the story.  However, I am just happy to have found a reasonably priced copy of Kristie at College, so at least I have the story to have read and enjoyed.  Maybe one day I'll come across a copy of Quarry Ghost, and I can add that to my collection - but until then, Kristie will sit upon my shelf with my other Mildred Wirt Benson mysteries!

RATING:  10 lost license plates out of 10 for a great mystery and a nice book-end for Benson's children's book writing career!

An Ordinary Boy - a novel by Brian Centrone

I happen to know Brian Centrone through a mutual collecting group that we belong to on Facebook - we both happen to be fans of children's mystery series, in particular, Nancy Drew. And, as a fellow series book fan, I was thrilled to find out that Brian was an author himself.  So, when I discovered that he had some books out there, I jumped at the chance to read one of them.  Brian sent me one of his books, which he graciously autographed for me - the only problem is, it appears to have taken me three years to finally read the book!  (I did not realize this until I looked at his inscription, which he dated 2018!)  As such, I feel bad about sitting on the book for so long, and hopefully, he will forgive me this VERY late review of his work!

An Ordinary Boy is, quite frankly, an ordinary story about ordinary situations faced by a freshman in college who discovers that life is anything but ordinary.  Which, as it turns out, made this book most extraordinary!  I don't know many authors who can take a year in the life of their character and create an impact not just in his fictional character's life, but also in that of the reader.  But Centrone manages to capture that moment of transition from boyhood to manhood and bring it to life in a way that so many of us have experienced yet never dared to share.  An Ordinary Boy is a tale that many of us have experienced, and it allows the reader to identify with not just the main character, but also a number of the supporting cast, as well.

Tom Grove is anything but an "ordinary" boy. Tom is from a rich family.  Tom is used to dressing in the best styles.  Tom is good looking.  Tom has just taken it for granted that things come easy.  Tom is planning to become an attorney, just like his father.  Simply put, Tom is very spoiled.  The one thing Tom is missing is a boyfriend.  He knows he is gay, and it is something he has managed to keep a secret from his perfect family.  For Tom, going to college is finally going to be his chance to be himself, live his own life, and be free to express his homosexuality.  Only, Tom has no idea what a sheltered life he has lived - but he quickly finds out.

College is not full of hot, gay men just waiting for him to appear on the scene.  In fact, when he goes to a meeting of the gay & lesbian club on campus, he is shocked to discover that the members of the club are not all Adonises with perfectly chiseled bodies, coiffured hair, and name brand clothes.  Rather, they are what people might consider the outcasts - overweight, skinny, off-the-rack clothes, piercings, and just about anything else that would send his mother into cardiac arrest if she saw.  Tom's roommate turns out to be great looking, intelligent, and athletic - but he's straight.  So, what is Tom to do?

Centrone provides a rather interesting coming-out tale that addresses more than just Tom's coming out to his family and friends; rather, it takes on with full force the preconceived notions that people - both gay and straight - have about gay people, about class status, and about what lies beneath it all.  Honestly, I did not like Tom Grove at all as I read the book - he is judgmental, critical, snobbish, and extremely selfish and needy.  But, then again, he is a product of having been raised with that attitude, and by the end of the book, the reader realizes that the whole story is addressing that very issue.  The very thing that Tom has been looking for was right in front of him the whole time, and all he needed to do was get past his own biases and judgments.

It's funny - in most books, the reader is supposed to be drawn to the protagonist, and we are supposed to sympathize with, or identify with, the main character.  In An Ordinary Boy, I found myself more honestly identifying with some of those outcasts that Tom and so many others at the university were critical of - and Centrone definitely hit the nail on the head with the way the self-proclaimed "queens on campus" looked down on, made fun of, and basically ostracized the members of the gay & lesbian club who did not have the proper "look" to be accepted as a part of the gay clique.  Such an accurate representation of the hypocritical nature of the gay society - cry out for equality and representation, but then within their own circles, consistently discriminate and demoralize those who don't "fit the mold," so to speak.

When Brian sent me the book, he included a little note that apologized for any errors in the book (such as spelling and grammar), as this was published by an indy company, which did not necessarily have the best editors.  Yet, upon finishing the book, I can honestly say there were fewer errors in this book than in many mainstream books on the market today (I just finished reading a book the other day that came out this year from Berkley Publishing, and it had nearly 5x as many spelling errors as this book did!).

The one drawback on the book were the explicitness of the sexual encounters.  It is one problem I have with so many of the gay books on the market - there seems to be this misguided belief that in order to sell a book to the gay readership, it has to include explicit sex.  I disagree.  While erotica may have its place in the market, I think exceptionally good stories marketed to gay readers can do well without the explicit and graphic descriptions.  Perhaps I am in the minority in that thinking, but when I sit down to read a mystery, an adventure, or simply a "day-in-the-life" story like this, I'm not interested in reading porn - a sexual encounter can have a much stronger impact by being less explicit - less is more, as they say.

Anyway, the overall story was a good read, and I honestly wouldn't mind reading a sequel that reveals more about Tom, Darren, Isaac, and the others from this book.  Perhaps an ordinary boy could become an extraordinary man!

RATING:  7 Vera Wang wedding dresses out of 10 for shattering the impossible expectations and misconceptions about gay college life and revealing the realities of human nature.