Dorothy Dixon and the Double Cousin - the fourth (and final) Dorothy Dixon Air Mystery Story

With this book, we reach the final adventure in the Dorothy Dixon Air Mystery Stories.  First, our young heroine had to learn how to fly (Dorothy Dixon Wins Her Wings), after which she stopped some smugglers (Dorothy Dixon and the Mystery Plane, and then she had to help find a young man find his stolen inheritance (Dorothy Dixon Solves the Conway Case).  I was curious to see what type of flying would lead Dorothy into her final mystery; what I discovered, however, is that the author (Noel Sainsbury, Jr. writing under his wife's name of Dorothy Wayne) must have run out of flying tales, as our title character never sets foot in a plane in her last adventure!  Instead, readers get a tale that is yet another twist on the whole "twins switching identities" trope in an outlandish adventure involving the United States government, spies, international thieves, and a deadly invention that could kill millions! 

 

Dorothy Dixon and the Double Cousin begins with what appears to be a simple case of mistaken identity.  While purchasing a Christmas gift for her father, Dorothy Dixon is accosted by a young man who wants to know "[h]ow in the world did you escape?" (p. 15).  Dorothy tries to ignore the man, but when he finally addresses her by the name "Janet" (p. 16), she has no choice but to set him straight.  What is rather odd is that without knowing who this man is, or ever hearing Janet's last name, Dorothy somehow knows he is referring to Janet Jordan, her first cousin (p. 17).  The author explains that Janet's and Dorothy's mothers were twins, which could account for how closely the two cousins resemble one another (p. 18), and Dorothy admits she has been mistaken for Janet before (p. 18), although this must have happened "off-screen," so to speak, since there has never been any mention of a cousin, or of the fact that Dorothy's mother had a twins sister.  In any event, this sets the stage for the latest mystery, because Dorothy learns her cousin is in serious trouble, and, of course, she is only too willing to jump in and help.

 

This final story is a departure from the previous three books.  While the first three stories involved Dorothy flying (albeit only briefly at the beginning of the third book), this book does not see Dorothy go anywhere near a plane.  Instead, she agrees to aid her cousin's fiance rescue Janet Jordan from the dilemma in which she has found herself!  Janet awakes from sleepwalking in her apartment home to find herself strategically hidden behind a screen in the room where her father is meeting with a number of business associates - unscrupulous business associates, that is!  When they discover her, she pretends to still be asleep, but the crooks do not believe her, so her father (Dorothy's uncle!) is forced to keep her locked in her room until they can determine what she knows.  Dorothy's friend, Bill Bolton, enlists the aid a Secret Service agent (Ashton Sanborn) to help them.  He immediately comes up with a plan that involves Dorothy switching places with her cousin, so she can be taken captive to the home of a professor who is creating a formula for the United States government - and who is, unwittingly, housing two foreign agents in his home who plan to steal that formula once it is complete!  It is up to Dorothy to play the innocent young Janet, who purportedly knows nothing of what is going on, while at the same time, work undercover to steal the formula before the foreign agents do!

 

This is far from your typical girls' series book mystery.  The danger is considerably greater, as Martin and Laura Lawson, the foreign agents, are murdering thieves who will not hesitate to kill anyone who keeps them from their objective (p.135)!  Dorothy is kept on her toes, especially with Mrs. Lawson, who is constantly trying to trip up "Janet" to reveal what she knows.  But Dorothy is too smart, and she eventually pits the Lawsons against one another, accusing Mr. Lawson of making overtures to her, which starts the accusations flying between the two crooks!  Meanwhile, Dorothy makes a friend in a young made named Gretchen who recognizes Dorothy as the aviatrix who she once met and got an autograph (forcing Dorothy to reveal herself and enlist Gretchen's aid).  She also has the help of the major domo of the house, Mr. Turnbridge, who, it turns out, is a Secret Service agent himself!  Dorothy has to use her wits to escape being revealed when Mr. Lawson captures her in the library right as she is about to get away with the formula!  It's a deadly showdown, with the cavalry (including Bill Bolton and Ashton Sanborn) arriving at just the right moment to save the day!

 

The book offers up some fodder for discussion, that's for sure.  First, the entire "twin cousins" premise makes me think of The Patty Duke Show (1963-66), which featured cousins, Patty and Cathy Lane, who were identical in appearance.  In more general terms, it reminds me of Mary and Marilyn: Double-Trouble Twins, published five years after this book came out, in which twin sisters that were separated at birth switch places to experience once another's life.  Then, there is the more easily recognized story, The Parent Trap, which also features twin sibling separated at birth who switch places.  This idea seems to be a common trope for children's stories.  Second, the book features some very high-level vocabulary, with words that even an English-major like me did not recognize - such as "equinoctial" (p. 31), which in this case, refers to strong storms, usually experienced in autumn; "demitasse" (p. 39), which refers to a small cup, typically of ceramic or porcelain, used to serve strong coffee; "legerdemain" (p. 62), which is the skillful use of one's hands, normally when performing conjuring tricks; "trousseau" (p. 65), which is a collection of clothing, linens, and personal items a bride assembles for her marriage; and "somnambulistic" (p. 174), which refers to the actions, characteristics, or state of being one who sleepwalks.  The book definitely offers some interesting new vocabulary!

 

There is one particular scene of dialogue that made me do a double-take (no pun intended) and had my laughing out loud.  When Janet's fiance is describing the trouble his bride-to-be faces, he informs Dorothy, Bill, and Ashton that she is to be moved from her apartment to the professor's house at midnight that very evening, to which the Secret Service agent replies, "It is now one-thirty.  That gives us exactly eleven and a half hours in which to get her out of their hands" (p. 29).  Now, I may not be a fan of math, but even I know that eleven and a half hours after one-thirty would be one in the morning, not midnight!  Apparently, not only could the author not count, but neither could the editor nor the publisher, since no one caught the error before the book went to print!

 

And with this, we've reached the end of the Dorothy Dixon Air Mystery Series (although this book had no airplane flights or mysteries in the air!).  There is a possibility that Dorothy appeared in at least one of Bill Bolton's books, as this one has a reference to Bill Bolton and the Winged Cartwheels (p. 24), and a quick glance through the pages of that book reveals several references to "Mr. Dixon" - so, at some point, I'll have to read that one and see if our adventure-loving aviatrix appears there.  I would be curious to know if this series ended due to low sales, due to lack of interest by the publisher, or due to Sainsbury's own lack of interest in continuing the series.

 

RATING:   8 shivering fox terrier puppies out of 10 for sending Dorothy Dixon off with one wild tale of spies, deadly weapon formulas, undercover work, and cousins ... identical cousins ... two of a kind!

A Zebra Mystery Puzzler #25 - You'll Be The Death of Me

It's been ten books since the first of Miriam Lynch's entries into this series, and now I've reached the second (and final) offering by Lynch.  This book was a far cry better than her first Zebra mystery, so either she honed her mystery-writing skills between the time she wrote Time to Kill and this one, or that first book was merely a fluke (since online reviewers all seem to have nothing but praise to sing for Lynch's writing).  Either way, I found this book to be much more engaging, with a well-plotted mystery and plenty of misdirect and red herrings!

 

You'll Be The Death of Me takes small-town reporter Nell Willard  to the Belltown High School twenty-year class reunion, where long-time teacher Sarah Plunkett is being honored as she retires after years of service and Nell is there to cover the story.  Love her or hate her, everyone agrees that Mrs. Plunkett was strict, but she loved her students and only wanted to see them succeed.  But as the retiree prepares to give her speech, she suddenly collapses over the front table, dead!  Needless to say, Nell has an eyewitness account of the tragic event, and when it comes out the teacher was poisoned, Nell knows it's a mystery she must solve.  Police lieutenant Gerold Holbrow, Nell's somewhat boyfriend, is on the case, and although he warns her to stay out of the investigation, she cannot help herself.  After all, the woman had once been her teacher, and for the life of her, Nell cannot understand who would have reason to kill her.

 

Lynch gives readers a number of suspects, all with secrets and possible motives.  First, there is the chairperson of the reunion, Marion Hallison.  The woman is a mystery herself, with no known background, no photographs, and no friends.  Who is she, and how did she land the position of planning such an important event?  As Nell digs into her past, she learns that Marion may be holding a very fierce grudge against the teacher - but is it one that would give her cause to kill her?  Second, there are Stuart and Samuel Corbett, twins who served as co-presidents their senior year of high school, and who married the Bisbee twins (Grace and Gertrude).  The two couples became recluses after their marriages, and moreso after Samuel's wife died.  What secret did Sarah Plunkett uncover about the twins, and was it worth killing her?  Third, there is Suzanne Dixon, the beautiful young wife, married to the richest man in town (a man who could not bother to show up at the reunion, perhaps because he was too drunk!).  Why has she been making early morning visits to a local doctor, and what secret would make her want to leave her husband?  Finally, there is Dr. Harmon Gregory, one of the more successful members of the class, whose sole concern seems to be to care for his sickly wife, who also acts as his nurse at his office.  Is he having an affair with Suzanne Dixon, and if so, how would that justify killing a retiring teacher?

 

The mystery is definitely a puzzling one, and I admit, it had me stumped up until the very final chapter.  All of the suspects had dark secrets, but only one of them had a real motive for murder.  It is when an attempt to commit a second murder takes place (and the big clue is in that final internal illustration) that the killer's identity is finally revealed - and the motive is not all what you suspect.  It certainly took me by surprise, but it definitely made sense looking back at everything else Nell learns throughout the book. 

 

The cover art is provided by Mel Greifinger, who has provided the art on three prior Zebra Mystery Puzzlers. I love his work, as his visuals are stunning.  Sadly, I could not find any real clue on the cover (unless it is simply supposed to be the glass in front of her, which was poisoned.  The internal illustrations are drawn by Sanford Hoffman, marking his fifth book in the series.  As with all of his prior illustrations, he always outlines his scene, and he often has one part of the scene break through that outline (such as in the one to the right, where the gun is raised, breaking through the line).  This scene strikes me as odd, though, as the story indicates the person comes up behind Nell and strikes her on the head.  The object that strikes her is not mentioned, and it is not until later in the story we find out it was a gun - so to have it displayed so vividly here sort of gives away something (unless this picture on page 75 is meant to connect to the illustration on page 159; yet, the guns in each drawing appear different!).  I also find the gun and hand to be very out of proportion to the scene, since, if the person is behind Nell, wouldn't the perspective mean the hand and gun should be smaller?  Yet, in the drawing, they are considerably larger! Oh, well, I suppose that's just me being nit-picky!

 

This is definitely on my list of the top Zebra Mystery Puzzlers.  Loved the mystery, loved the characters, and loved the resolution.  It's just a shame this was the last offering by Miriam Lynch, meaning no more reporter Nell Willard solving murder mysteries...

 

RATING:  9 bottles of Silver Mist hair coloring out of 10 for a crafty, puzzling mystery that really does keep you guessing up until the end! 

Mary and Marilyn: Double-Trouble Twins

I'm always on the look-out for series books that feature twins: from the more modern Scarlet & Ivy series to the vintage Bobbsey Twins and Hope Twins series.  I chanced upon this particular at the Atlanta Vintage Bookstore a few years back, and I picked it up, thinking perhaps it was a series I had never heard of before.  As it turns out, this is the only book published with these characters (that I am aware of!), written by Bess Ann Elliot and published in 1938 by Cupples & Leon, the same company that published the Kay Tracey series, as well as the Penny Parker series and many others back in the day.  I can find no real information online about Ms. Elliot, and it appears this is the only book written under this name.  Whether the name is the author's real name or a pseudonym is a mystery in and of itself!

 

Mary and Marilyn: Double-Trouble Twins, while a story of twin girls, is mostly the story of nine-year old Marilyn North Starr, who lives with her grandfather and her aunt, Sally Ann.  The reader quickly learns that Marilyn's father was presumed dead while serving in the war (that would be World War I, in light of the publication date of this book), and her mother died of a broken heart not long after.  As it turns out, Marilyn is one of two twin sisters who, after both their parents died, were separated by the court system when the fathers of both parents fought for custody.  Grandfather North (the mother's father) was given one child to raise, while Grandfather Starr (the father's father) was given the other.  North and Starr hated one another, blaming each other for the marriage of what they believed to be their mis-matched children, and once the two twins were separated, the men vowed never to allow them to see each other.  Starr went so far as to build a dividing fence between the properties, and Marilyn was raised to never try and cross over on to Starr property.  (Oh, and yes, it must be mentioned that the North family was not well-to-do, while the Starr family was more than wealthy!)

 

If anyone has ever watched any of the versions of Walt Disney's The Parent Trap, then you can pretty much see where this is going.  Interestingly, The Parent Trap was based upon a German's novel published in 1949, as well as resembles a 1945 film with a similar plot; however, this book, with the very same premise of separated twins switching places to fool their families, was published nearly a decade prior to either of those. It would be more proper to say this story was inspired by Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper, published back in the 1880s, in which an heir to the thrown switches places with a young peasant boy, and they experience each other's lives.  Elliot, however, in this book, reverses the fortunes - instead of the poor family being the abusive one, in this book, it is the wealthy grandfather who is distant and has shown no love or mercy on his granddaughter.  

 

As indicated above, the story focuses on Marilyn, the "poor" granddaughter, who is vibrant, full of life, and is the one who suggests the girls switch identities so that her sister can experience a family who loves her for once.  While we do get the story told from Mary's point-of-view on occasion, the majority of the book is seen through Marilyn's eyes, which is probably for the best, since she is the one who is thrilled with all of her experiences, yet, at the time, longing to return to her aunt and grandfather.  When the girls first make the switch, Marilyn accidentally injures herself (breaks her nose!) when Mary's dog Rex pulls roughly away from her to follow his mistress (it seems even though the twins look exactly alike, the dog can still tell which one is his true mistress).  Her grandfather, a famed surgeon, well known in the hospital and surrounding areas, takes her to the hospital, where Marilyn is stuck while Mary goes off on a vacation in her stead with Grandfather North and Sally Ann!  As one might expect, Marilyn's outgoing personality cannot help but shine through, and soon enough, she begins to melt the heart of her Grandfather Starr, who begins to not only suspect this is not the granddaughter he raised (albeit in boarding schools and without any familial love), but he starts to realize the mistakes he has made over the past nine years.

Elliot does not really introduce much mystery into the book, as much as she does the misadventures of Marilyn as she attempts to get to know her twin sister and share her life with her.  Elliot does, however, provide a sub-plot involving one Mr. Jones, a peculiar man who boards at the North's other neighbor's house.  Mr. Jones ultimately takes up residence in Grandfather North's houseboat, and he becomes a friend and confidant of both Marilyn and Mary.  Adult readers of the book will instantly figure out who Mr. Jones really is, but the audience for whom this story is actually intended will likely not realize his true identity and be in for a pleasant surprise when it is revealed at the end of the book.  

 

Regardless of the similarities to The Parent Trap and the obvious plot elements taken from The Prince and the Pauper, the story was a fun read in its own right.  Elliot breathed the right amount of playfulness, inquisitiveness, and family loyalty into young Marilyn that the reader cannot help but find no fault in all of her actions, and it seems only natural that she would be the one to warm Grandfather Starr's heart so as to open it for his in-laws and his own granddaughters.  The happy ending is definitely fairy-tale like in style, but it provides the reader a very satisfying conclusion (although it does leave the reader wanting for more, making me wish the author and publisher had continued this as a series, rather than just one-book offering). 

 

Something I did find odd is that after purchasing this book, I looked all over to try and find out what the dust jacket art looked like, but I found absolutely no image of the dust jacket anywhere online!  All copies I could find for sale with images had no dust jacket.  I finally located a copy on ABE that was selling with with a DJ for a relatively low price, but there were no pictures - so I took a chance and bought it.  So glad I did!  The dust jacket has some gorgeous cover art, in the same style as Mildred Wirt's Trailer Stories series.  There's no signature on the dust jacket, nor on the sole internal illustration at the front of the book, so I cannot identify who the artist is (if, indeed, the same artist did both the dust jacket and the frontis piece - it could have been two different artists).  Regardless, I am absolutely thrilled to have a copy with the dust jacket in beautiful shape. 

 

Oh, and I did discover in the back of my dust jacketed copy of the book that this book is from the "Junior Books for Boys and Girls" series from Cupples & Leon, with other books such as Rex: The Story of a Dog by Fullerton Waldo; One Boy Too Many by L.H. Mitchell; Here, Tricks, Here! by L.H. Mitchell; The Sea Dog by Arthur C. Bartlett; and others.  Based on this, I can assume this was never intended to be a series, but merely a one-off. 

 

I am glad I picked this book up, as it was worth the read and makes a nice addition to my collection of "twins" in series books.

 

RATING:  8 crayon-drawn sketches on a hospital room wall out of 10 for an adventurous tale of troublesome twins, mistaken identities, and family love and forgiveness! 

The Sacred Scimiter - a Hope Twins Adventure Story

And so we continue with the unusual adventures of Dave and Will Hope - the twin aviators who seem to be known around the world for having been the first individuals to make a non-stop flight across the Pacific Ocean.  I did not thin author William Dixon Bell could take these boys on any wilder adventures than they faced in the last book, but Bell did not disappoint.  This book finds the boys thrown smack dab into the middle of a Holy War, with warring religious factions in the Arabian deserts.  And the title?  Well, let's just say the title to this book does not actually come into play until, quite literally, the very end of the story.

 

The Sacred Scimiter picks up directly after the end of the last book. Astute readers will recall that at the end of the previous story, the Hope Twins were flying to Teheran (which, for those who do not know, is the capitol and largest city in Iran!) with Theodore Curtis and the young woman (who believed she was a goddess) they rescued from the Tibetan mountains.  Well, as this first chapter opens, the brothers and Theodore Curtis have arrived in Teheran - the only thing I was left wondering is - what happened to the girl?  There is only the briefest mention of their adventures in the previous book and how they rescued the girl; yet, there is no mention of her and Curtis falling for one another, and Curtis' decision to take her home with him. In fact, Curtis seems to have completely forgotten about her, as he chats with Dave and Will before taking off on his own.  Are readers left to believe the girl decided to take off on her own as well, or was she safely stored away somewhere, and Curtis just did not feel any need to mention her to the boys?  Whatever the reason, I must say that unresolved plot threads are always quite annoying...

 

As soon as Curtis takes off, the boys are met by a mysterious woman - a Persian woman who happens to speak English - a woman who is in desperate need of help - a woman who is being watched by a strange man with a bent nose and damaged ear - a woman who is willing to pay the boys $25,000 (which would be more than $570,000 in today's dollars!!!) to fly her anywhere and everywhere she needs to go to accomplish a mission about which she cannot tell them - a woman who, as it turns out, is not a woman at all, but a man in disguise!  Once again, the boys undertake a strange mission after being hired by a mysterious stranger (a plot element that is a commonality between the two books) - only this time, the brothers have no clue where they are heading with each flight, and they must deal with the odd bent-nosed man who keeps turning up everywhere they go.  To make matters worse, each time they land, their mysterious benefactor takes off, leaving them to fend for themselves in Arabian countries where they are looked at with suspicion and treated with less than respect.

 

The author spends a considerable amount of time talking about the Muslim religion, their religious practices, and their war against British rule.  Interestingly, this was likely taken from the real "holy war" that was going on at the time this book was written, as between 1936 and 1939, there was an Arab revolt in Palestine, fighting against the British rule and its policies related to Jewish immigration and the sale of land in the area.  In the story, Dave and Will find themselves in the middle of the war, slowly learning that their benefactor is a key player in this war.  Surprisingly, Bell does not have his twins take a side in the matter - in fact, they persistently complain about their distrust of their benefactor and their desire not to do anything illegal or that would place them in a precarious position with the laws of the lands they are forced to visit.  Ultimately, the man they are helping gets what he is after (the "sacred scimiter" that is somehow important to the Arabian cause, yet it is never mentioned or seen until the very last chapter, with its importance not explained until the very last paragraph of the book!), and the Hope twins are able to escape all of the turmoil of the area with the ability to finally get out from under the thumb of their benefactor.

 

The subject matter is a very odd one for a children's book, with a heavy emphasis on the war and the religious aspects of the people involved.  There is a certain level of mystery surrounding their benefactor's motives and real identity, and there is plenty of adventures as the boys fly from place to place; but the heavy emphasis on political and religious intrigue made this book read more like an adult story of spies and espionage than a children's mystery / adventure book.  And speaking of the religious aspect, at one point when the boys are flying over Kirkuk, which is a large oil field in Northern Iraq, their passenger points to the area that many believe to be the "fiery furnace" into which the king threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego for refusing to worship him (p. 100).  This location is, in reality, Baba Gurgur (literally "Father of Fire" - The Eternal Fire at Baba Gurgur), which contains a fire that is alleged to have been burning for more than 4,000 years!  Bell also has the boys come across a silversmith who claims he and his people "are the famous silversmiths of Amara ... in addition are the descendants of John the Baptist" (p. 138).  This is likely a reference to the Mandaeans, who revere John the Baptist and believe he was the final and most important prophet.  Later in the story, while flying over the Dead Sea, David jokingly asks, "Do you suppose that sea is the pillar of salt that Lot's wife turned into?" (p. 189).  In addition to all of this, the author also takes the twins into what is referred to as the Great Mosque - in the book it is called "Ka'ba" (p. 217), which in the real world is more commonly spelled Kaaba (Kaaba - The Great Mosque).  Bell's explicit descriptions and references to religious locations and stories leads one to question whether Bell was a student of the world's religions, or if perhaps, he was a Christian who had a good deal of knowledge regarding other religions (and I say that because in both books, the Hope Twins are skeptical and questioning of religious beliefs that do not acknowledge the one true God and the history set forth in the Bible).

 

Thankfully, there were not more adventures of the Hope Twins written after this book.  I have no idea how these books were received back in the late 1930s when they were first published, but they definitely do not hold up well, especially against today's world views, and the plot and characters in this particular book are much too intense for a pre-teen audience.  I would have to agree with the author of the University of Texas webpage on the author, in which he states that Bell never appears "to have made a great success as an author of novels for teenage readers" (William Dixon Bell) - because based on these two books alone, I honestly cannot imagine too many teens or pre-teens who would like these books!

 

I'm just glad to have both of these behind me now, so I can move on to "hopefully" better reading!

RATING:  6 magnificently jeweled scimiters out of 10 for sending these adventurous young aviators into areas and dangers around the world that most series book writers would never dream of taking their sleuths! 

The Secret of Tibet - a Hope Twins Adventure Story

This book is part of a series featuring Will and Dave Hope, two young aviators who happen to be twin brothers.  You do not come across too many series books which feature twins (The Bobbsey Twins are probably the first, and most popular, to come to mind), so when I come across any, I pick them up.  This particular series was mentioned in a Facebook group for collectors of children's series, and thankfully, the two books were not too difficult to find with dust jacket.  Published by Goldsmith in 1938 (although one website about the author indicates this book came out in 1938, while the next came out in 1939 - William Dixon Bell - however, both of my books show a copyright date of 1938), the books feature a strong continuity, as one book picks up literally right after the ending of the book before it.

 

The Secret of Tibet introduces readers to Will and Dave Hope, twin brothers who are in Shanghai, China after winning a contest by being the first flyers to cross the Pacific Ocean non-stop.  While there, they meet a stranger by the name of Theodore Curtis, who engages their services to fly him to the hidden city of Tibet, where he believes his friend, Professor Alfred Noll, is being held captive.  The Hope twins are suspicious at first, but Curtis convinces them and offers to have the National Scientific Society pay their expenses (but, sadly, no salary).  The boys' hesitation ends when a mysterious Chinaman with a scarred face appears everywhere they turn - and when Will is knocked unconscious after catching someone trying to sabotage their plane, the brothers realize they must help Curtis, as his friend (a fellow American) could be in serious trouble!

 

The story takes some rather unusual and, well, rather unbelievable turns as it progresses.  While the fancy, trick flying could be possible, the number of instances that the plane takes off and lands in places with little runway space is a bit far-fetched.  And when the twins, along with Curtis, find the hidden village, they come across a young woman - who happens to be Caucasian! - who thinks herself a goddess (actually, she believes she is a mixture: half Drolma, goddess of mercy, and half Dordjelutru, the god of the highest mountain [p. 126]).  And she happens to be quite fluent with the English language.  And she happens to believe the scar-faced Chinaman is a ruler of the people who can be trusted.  I cannot imagine what Bell was thinking when he wrote these elements into the story.  Plus, for this to be a book aimed at "boys and girls," as the back of the dust jacket proclaims, the fact that this girl is "almost naked" (p. 123), as can be seen on the dust jacket cover art, is a bit too risque for young readers!

 

As one might expect, the story does feature a lot of flying, and there is even a battle in the sky when the Chinaman and his villainous cohort chase our twin heroes in their speedy yellow plane, shooting a machine gun at the Hope twins!  Despite the damage done to their plane, the boys manage to climb down into a wooded area in the middle of nowhere, between the mountains, to find exactly the type of wood they need to make the necessary repairs.  How convenient is that?!  Of course, the boys ultimately outwit the villains, and not only do they rescue Prof. Noll (who they find to be naked as well [p. 177] - what is it with Bell and his naked characters?), but they also manage to sneak out the young goddess girl, who takes an instant liking to Curtis and agrees to leave her home where she is worshiped to start a new life in the outside world with Theodore Curtis!

 

One thing that did surprise me (and it was a pleasant surprise, considering some of the material in this book!) was the twins' refusal to believe in reincarnation when the young "goddess" tells them she has been reincarnated a thousand times.  Dave firmly tells the girl, "...you should be ashamed to claim to be a goddess.  There is only one God - the God who moved upon the face of the waters and gathered them together.  To Him only I pray" (p. 132).  It's not very often you see a series book character so bluntly express their belief in God and to stand strong like Dave does with his conviction of there only being one true God.  Sure, other series characters make vague references to attending church on Sundays, but outside of Christian books, I cannot recall another series that states a belief in God so firmly as this one does.  It rather made up for some of the other nonsense that goes on in this story.

 

While some online sites negatively critique Bell's writing, particularly with some of his dialogue, I actually enjoyed the banter between Dave and Will - it was fun and, to a certain extent, felt natural, with the boys constantly making snarky comments to one another.  Some of the "native" language and pidgin English is rather off-putting at times; however, the depiction of the Chinaman and the other characters the Hope twins meet along the way are nothing more than a reflection of the time in which the story was written (remember, the book was published nearly 90 years ago, and American views on foreigners, particularly between the two World Wars, were not exactly respectful).  Thus, I simply put them in that context, and they did not bother me as much.

 

One thing to note - I had assumed that this book and the next one were the only two books in the "Hope Twins" series; however, it appears there was an earlier book, The Lost Aviators (published more than ten years prior in 1924) that is the first book to feature the flying brothers.  Since this book makes considerable reference to the boys' famous flight across the Pacific, and the prize money they won for making the flight, one might assume that story is told in The Lost Aviators (which, ultimately, would make this a three-book series). Yet, some online research reveals the plot of that book involves three boys who start out on a hunt for some army aviators who were lost while traveling from San Francisco to Panama (sadly, I don't find reference to the names of these young boys, so I can't be sure if two of them are the Hope twins or not!).  Therefore, until I can snag a copy of that book and read it, I cannot be sure whether it truly is a prequel to The Secret of Tibet or not.

 

Nevertheless, the next book is a direct sequel to this one (picking up literally where this one left off), so I will be curious to see what strange adventures await the twin brothers in their next adventure!

 

RATING:  7 bridges made of slender bamboo rope out of 10 for sending two teenage boys on some crazy and unbelievable adventures into unexplored terrain between the mountains of Tibet!

The Montague Twins, Vol. 2 - The Devil's Music

I can't believe how long it has been since I read the first graphic novel in The Montague Twins series! Over two years!  How in the world did that happen?  I enjoyed the first graphic novel so much, and it was with much anticipation that I got this second one - yet, somehow, I kept putting it off and putting it off.  Well, no more!  I finally pulled out my copy of The Devil's Music and sat down to find out just what kind of trouble Peter and Alastair Montague can get themselves into this time.

In the first book, Nathan Page and Drew Shannon introduced readers to the Montague twins who, along with their younger step-sister, Charlie, discover their small town of Port Howl is an epicenter of magic, and they have abilities they never knew about.  Now, in this second book, the adventure continues when a mysterious stranger comes to town.  Gideon Drake is a famous rock star, but his music is quite dark, and a rather vocal group of concerned parents have taken it upon themselves to warn people of the dangers that rock music can bring upon their children.  (This is the late 1960s, remember.)  Well, little do they realize just what a danger that music can be when it is infused with a magical spell!  This book is full of superb supernatural mystery - we find out more about the Faculty; we meet Uncle Eli, an uncle we - and the Montague twins! - never knew they had; we find out who has a crush on Al; we see Rowan teaching the teens more about how to handle their powers; we find out who Pete has a crush on; and we see the Montague twins' relationship put to the test!

Page builds a great mystery - is Drake causing all of the mysterious deaths, and if so, what is his reason for doing so?  Is Pete setting himself up for a huge let-down, or is he putting his life in jeopardy by trusting a complete stranger?  What is Uncle Eli's real reason for being in Port Howl, and what interest does he really have in Al and Pete?  And just how does the Faculty figure into all of this?  Page manages to keep the solution to this mystery from being easily figured out, and he keeps you guessing pretty much until the final chapter.  He perfectly captures the teenage angst, while throwing in the whole magical angle, which one would expect to be completely unreal - yet, somehow, with the Montague twins and their friends and family, it all seems to fit.  Page also paces the story nicely, so that it slowly builds to the point where you just about think you have it all figured out, and then he manages to throw in a surprise or two - and that final page - WOW!  There better be a third graphic novel on its way (not seeing anything yet on Amazon, so I'm holding on to hope...)!

Shannon's art is consistent with the previous book, which is good, because it gives the reader the same feel for the characters and the magical town in which they live.  This time, we also get the town carnival (to help close out 1969), as well as the dark and mysterious underground headquarters of the Faculty.  Shannon gives the cloaked members of the Faculty, with their unseen faces hidden behind the shadows of their cloaks and the dark, barely-candle-lit cavern in which they conduct their clandestine business, a sense of foreboding and secrecy that leaves the reader wanting to know more!  And Rachel's dream sequence in chapter five is an absolute beautiful sight to behold - with no words, the art conveys everything the reader needs to know and then some!

I truly hope these graphic novels are selling well, as I do want to see more of The Montague Twins - this series provides a unique twist on the teen mystery genre, and the fact that it is in comic book form only adds to its success (in my opinion).  So far, they have faced The Witch's Hand and The Devil's Music - so one has to wonder what might be next?  The Demon's Curse?  The Warlock's Cloak?  The Angel's Harp?  Guess we will have to wait and see...

RATING:  10 broken records out of 10 for creating characters the reader easily relates to and cares about and a crafting a mystery that is not necessarily what it seems!

Scarlet and Ivy, Book Six - The Last Secret

I put off reading this book long enough.  I hate knowing that a certain book is the last book in a series, because I know that once I read that book, that will be the end of any new adventures/mysteries with those characters.  It's like having to say goodbye to friends or family - I may have the pictures that I can go back and reminisce about, but I won't be seeing them again to make any new memories.  The same is true with series books.  I think it's one of the reasons I love ongoing series so much, is because I get to keep coming back with the same characters again and again for new adventures, new mysteries, and new stories!  But, alas, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.  And so it is with the Scarlet and Ivy series by Sophie Cleverly.  What started out as a dark mystery about a girl who believes her twin sister who she thought was dead may still be alive has evolved into a complicated story about the girls' mother, the boarding school where they have had so many problems, their evil stepmother, and their distant father.  Along the way, the girls have established some strong bonds with other girls at the school, forming friendships in the most unexpected places.  And now, as the title to this book suggests, we finally come to the last secret to be uncovered within the walls of Rookwood School...

The Last Secret begins over Christmas break, as Scarlet and Ivy do their best to survive their vicious step-mother's every constant attacks on them.  But, then, something completely unexpected happens.  Their father, who never talks about their mother, not only mentions her to the sisters, but also provides them with a music box that belonged to her.  A music box that they soon discover has a secret compartment, which holds some very important documents that could hold the clue to saving their school!  (And yes, despite all of their previous problems with Rookwood and its many malicious headmasters and headmistresses, Scarlet and Ivy discover that they have come to love their school and the friends they have made there, so they are determined to save it before it is too late!)

 

Cleverly forces the twins to face the many aspects of their past as Henry Bartholomew, son of the late Edgar Bartholomew (former headmaster/owner of Rookwood, who had caused so much terror at the school) has shows up to claim the school as his legacy - and his plans seem to be to demolish the building and put an end to Rookwood for good.  One of the only ways for the girls and their friends to possibly prevent that from happening is to obtain information from the last source they would expect to - the evil Miss Fox (Miss Finch's mother)!  But she is in jail, and the girls must convince the faculty of Rookwood that it is absolutely essential that they visit Miss Fox and see if she can provide them with any information they can use against Master Bartholomew - after all, she hated the man's father almost as much as the students did.  Then, of course, there is Edith, the girls' wicked stepmother, and her two sons.  When Scarlet and Ivy are sent home while the school is closed for a week for alleged inspections, they uncover a shocking truth about her and her plans for their father.  At every turn, the girls must face a villain and find a way to beat them at their own games.

The story brings together all of Scarlet and Ivy's friends - Ariadne, Violet, Rose, and even Ebony, along with new recruits Nadia and Penny - as they learn that the school holds one final secret: the true Last Will and Testament of the original owner of the school, one Lady Wootten.  But Lady Wootten hid the Will and left cryptic clues that would lead to its whereabouts.  Secret compartments, locked safes, and a graveyard puzzle all lead the girls on a last minute chase to find the keys and the combination needed to open the safe and find the real Will before Bartholomew gets his hands on it.  It truly is a race against time, one that ultimately engages not only Scarlet and Ivy's father, but Rose's family lawyer as well.  It all leads up to the very dramatic conclusion which, in near-soap opera style, provides readers with a fantastic confrontation and revelation that will leave you grinning from ear to ear.

As much as I hated to see the end of the adventures of Scarlet and Ivy, I have to hand it to Cleverly - if you're going to end a series, this is definitely the way to do it!  And should she ever get the desire to venture back into the world of Scarlet and Ivy?  Well, let's just say she left the door open, like any great author would!

 

One last thing I did want to mention - the first three books in the series, I bought with the beautifully painted covers - but for some reason, the last three books never seemed to be available here in the States with the painted covers; so, instead, I ended up buying the last three books with the silhouette covers.  (Which, of course, plays havoc with my OCD, because I can't stand having a series change format in the middle of the series!!!!)  I found the cover to this last book online, and I must say, I definitely prefer the painted covers!  Maybe some day I will be able to track them down and replace the ones I have with the painted versions.

RATING:  10 small black bottles of poison out of 10 for giving readers a most satisfying conclusion to a wonderfully fun-filled mystery series!

Scarlet and Ivy, Book Five - The Curse in the Candlelight

It's back to school for Scarlet and Ivy Grey, the twin sisters who seem to keep stumbling upon one mystery after another. This series has been rather interesting, in that the culprits in each book are quite a bit more dangerous than those in the standard children's mystery book, and the twin girls and their friends find themselves limited in their investigations by their teachers and school environment. Of course, that never stops them from pursuing whatever culprit happens to be behind whatever shenanigans are going on in each mystery, even when they have to face the consequences for their actions.

In The Curse in the Candlelight, Scarlet and Ivy face off against a new student who seems to have cast a spell over the entire school.  Ebony McCloud shows up late on the first day of school, making quite the entrance to a very startled and surprised group of students and faculty. Scarlet, Ivy, and their friend, Ariadne find it very odd that none of the teachers, nor even their headmaster, reprimand Ebony for anything. She shows up late, it's okay. She talks back to a teacher, it's okay. She doesn't want to do something, it's okay. She has a pet cat in the school dorm, it's okay. And when the rumors begin that Ebony is a witch, and that she has cast a spell on the teachers, some of the younger girls find themselves in awe of this new girl and begin to follow her around.  But Scarlet and Ivy think something else is afoot.

And that's when Muriel Witherspoon shows up at Rookwood School - and becomes the new roommate for Ariadne! Poor Ariadne is at a loss, since Muriel was the bully that ultimately lead to Ariadne being transferred to Rookwood to begin with. But something has changed. Muriel is oddly nice to Ariadne, and even apologizes for her treatment of the girl at their previous school.  Things are definitely not right at Rookwood School, and Scarlet and Ivy are determined to get to the bottom of it.  Muriel has some strange accidents, which ultimately lead to her going missing! When she is found, she is so badly injured, she doesn't remember what happened. Ebony seems to be at the center of everything. And when Ariadne starts to act strangely, the twins go undercover and "befriend" Ebony in the hopes of finding out the truth regarding her alleged supernatural powers.

Tarot cards, curses, and spells are the topic of the day, and soon enough, Scarlet and Ivy find themselves on the receiving end of what appears to be Ebony's wrath.  Their headmistress believes the twins are causing problems at the school, and they are warned that one more incident will result in their expulsion - which would mean going to live with their father and his horrible wife who doesn't want the girls anywhere near them!

Author Sophie Cleverly writes a (dare I say it?) clever little mystery, where nothing is exactly what it appears to be.  As with any good magician, it's all about misdirection and diverted attention. So, what is really going on at Rookwood School? Scarlet and Ivy put their friendship with Ariadne to the test as they try to uncover the truth - and place their own lives in jeopardy when they find themselves locked in a secret basement, left to rot with no food, no water, and no one knowing they are there!

While this book does not provide any further backstory with regard to Scarlet and Ivy's mother, readers will get more of a taste of the nastiness of their wicked stepmother, Edith, who makes her intentions very clear that she wants the girls to be gone from their father's life - permanently!  As this is the penultimate book in this 6-book series, I can only assume that the next book will reveal everything regarding their mother, their stepmother, and reunite their family with a good ol' happy ending (at least, we can hope!).  

RATING:  8 bubbling beakers of frothing green liquid out of 10 for a tense mystery filled with twists and turns and unexpected surprises!

The Montague Twins, Vol. 1 - The Witch's Hand

 Picture it! It's the late 1960s in small town America. Three young teenagers are ready to solve a mystery - two brothers - one with dark hair, the other blonde - and a girl with reddish hair. They just finished finding a lost dog for one of the town's wealthy residents, and although they turned down any reward, they find an envelope with cash in it waiting for them when they arrive home. The cover features a cloaked figure, with the two brothers looking out over an inlet where a lighthouse sends out its warning light.  Think you know who I'm talking about here?  Well, think again!  If you said Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, you would be dead wrong.  Nope - I'm talking about twin brothers Alastair and Pete Montague and their sort-of sister, Charlie Faber. 

 

The Witch's Hand is the first graphic novel in The Montague Twins series of mysteries. And as first books go, this one certainly is a doozy! The story opens innocently enough - Pete Montague arrives home to discover that the family for whom he and his brother found a lost dog has left him and his brother a monetary reward.  Pete, and his brother Alastair ("Al"), whose parents died in an accident, live with their guardian, Professor David Faber, and his wife and daughter, Charlie ("Chuck").  When the Professor sends all three of the teens out for the day, it is to give them a break from solving mysteries in their small New England town of Port Howl.  But, in true teen detective fashion, that "free day" turns into their latest mystery to solve...

 

Author Nathan Page provides readers with an absolutely fantastic supernatural mystery in the tradition of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. A mysterious lighthouse. A cloaked figure running down the stairs. A missing girl. A strange box. And a most unusual storm that centers just above the lighthouse. Oh, yes, there's also that other cloaked woman who appears to all three teens - Al, Pete, and Chuck - and who appears to have some supernatural powers of her own. What does it mean? Well, it turns out that the sleepy little town of Port Howl is an epicenter of magic, where practitioners have been learning and teaching for generations. The teen detectives are already aware of this, but have stayed silent for years. Now, however, the secret is out, and the Professor asks his apprentice, Rowan, to teach his daughter and the brothers how to properly use the magical powers that they have and to not abuse them while investigating their cases.  It's a nice twist on the typical teen detective story, but it never takes away from Al and Pete (along with Chuck) actually having to use their regular deduction and observational skills to solve the mystery!

Artist Drew Shannon is not necessarily what you'd call your standard comic art. The characters are not necessarily drawn life-like, but at the same time, they are not overly cartoony. In fact, the art reminds me a lot of the art of Michael Cherkas from the old comic book series, The Silent Invasion from the mid 1980s.  (And this, as far as I'm concerned, is quite the compliment!)  Many panels have no background whatsoever, allowing the reader to focus solely on the characters and what they are saying without any distractions; while other panels have some very detailed backgrounds, which set the tone and build on the growing suspense within the story. Shannon definitely knows how to move the story forward through his art, and he is a master with expressions - page 20 is a perfect example, where the final panel, with no words at all, says everything you need to know about Pete!

Put Page and Shannon together, and you've got a perfectly-paced, suspenseful mystery that builds and builds to an explosive conclusion. And what is TRULY genius about the story is that appearances truly can be deceiving - the true villain(s) of the story are not necessarily who you think they are! This makes for a much more interesting and enjoyable read and leaves the reader with a great sense of satisfaction. (Sidebar - there is also the resolution of a very minor subplot in the story that will bring a smile to your face when you read it involving a certain dog...).  And just to add icing to the cake, the story is set in the late 1960s, which means no cell phones, no computers, and no "easy" ways to find facts or search histories of the characters and town available to detectives of today - plus, there are several important events in that time period that play a part in the story (and we will likely see more of these in future volumes as well) and have a subtle affect on the characters.

Fans of comics - fans of mysteries - fans of supernatural - fans of pretty much any genre will thoroughly enjoy this first volume of The Montague Twins, and quite frankly, I don't know how I'm going to wait an entire year (!!!!) for the second volume in the series to come out!

RATING:  10 mystic cleansings out of 10 for bringing a new kind of teen detective into the world and combining two of my favorite things - comics and mysteries! - for what definitely needs to be an award-winning book!

Scarlet and Ivy, Book Two - The Whispers in the Walls

Okay, c'mon, let's face it - with a title like The Whispers in the Walls, how could any true mystery lover pass this one up? Of course, fans of some of the older series books from wayyyyy back in the day might remember that the 15th Penny Parker book by Mildred Wirt was titled Whispering Walls. Could there be a correlation?  Did the author of this book read the Penny Parker series?  Was she a fan?  Hmmmmmmm...

Regardless, this second volume in the Scarlet & Ivy series is even better with the first, with a much darker mystery, some brand new sleuthing, and a few new characters thrown in to spice up the mix. Author Sophie Cleverly picks up exactly where the first book left off - Ivy and Miss Finch have arrived at the psychiatric hospital - and while book one ended with Ivy staring through the glass at her sister, The Whispers in the Walls opens up with Scarlet looking back at Ivy through that same glass, realizing that at last her wish has come true!  Her sister has found her!

Cleverly provides readers with more than just cookie-cutter characters, which makes for some really great reading.  Scarlet and Ivy find themselves changing - Ivy was always the shy, quiet one, while Scarlet was always the strong-willed, outspoken one. They are both shocked, though, to discover that Ivy's time pretending to be Scarlet has instilled in her some backbone, making her a bit more determined and a bit less timid; meanwhile, Scarlet's time in the mental institution has left her with some fears that she is having a difficult time overcoming.  The two girls are no longer polar opposites, which is a good thing, for they are about to face something even worse than Miss Fox (if that were even possible!).

There are a number of mysteries set up in this story.  First, there is Mr. Bartholomew, the new headmaster of the school (although, maybe not so new, as the twins find out that he used to run the school many years ago).  He is super-strict and none-too-friendly, but what raises questions is the fact that he seems reluctant to acknowledge what happened to Scarlet and Miss Fox.  In fact, none of the teachers will talk about it, and everyone is pretending that Scarlet was never away and that Ivy is a new student!  What gives?

Then Violet returns to school. The same Violet who nearly pushed Scarlet off the roof of the school.  The same Violet that disappeared around the time that Scarlet was carted off to the psychiatric hospital. But she's not the same Violet.  She's not hateful, or spiteful, or out for revenge.  Instead, she's quiet and secretive and ... well ... there's just something not right about her.

And that's when the thefts start.  Someone steals some clothes.  And food.  And blankets.  Mr. Bartholomew is out for blood, and students and staff alike are scared of what he will do to the person he finds out is stealing.  Ivy starts to question whether Scarlet could be the culprit when she finds her sister missing in the middle of the night.  Her distrust puts the two sisters at odds - at least, until they, along with Ivy's friend Ariadne, find a mystery to solve.  A ghost in the library.  A ghost that can apparently walk through walls.

Hidden doors, secret passageways, mysterious messages, and a terrifying secret from the school's past that someone will do anything to keep hidden - even if it means setting fire to the school!  And amidst all of this mystery and danger, Ivy and Scarlet stumble across the whispers in the walls, which ultimately lead them to a shocking discovery about their own mother!

Yes, folks, this one has it all.  Cleverly builds the suspense and mystery, all the while making the reader actually care about the characters so that you find yourself not only rooting for Ivy and Scarlet, but for Ariadne, Violet, Miss Finch, Miss Jones, and yes, even Penny.  And, oh, yes, that ending definitely sets the stage for what is to come in the third book of the series...

RATING:  8 bowls of runny, cold porridge out of 10 for wrapping a mystery within a mystery within a mystery to keep the reader engaged!