Mary Perkins, On Stage - Volume Five

It's time to return to the wonderful world of Mary Perkins, that young actress who is slowly making a name for herself in the New York theater world.  As we enter volume five of this collection, Mary Perkins is married to journalist Pete Fletcher, and her acting career has really taken off.  She and Pete have certainly had their fair share of adventures, dangers, and exciting dramas (definitely more off-stage than on!), but they have always managed to not only survive, but come out stronger on the other side.  And along the way, they usually manage to help the unfortunate, revive failed careers, and restore lost loved ones.  It is in this volume that Mary also gets her due, as the title to the newspaper strip changes from simply On Stage to Mary Perkins On Stage (after all, she is the star, so why shouldn't she be the headliner?).

Mary Perkins On Stage Volume Five reprints the newspaper strips that ran from September 18, 1961 to March 9, 1963.  Leonard Starr, writer and artist of the strip, continues to provide the most magnificent tales, both in story and art.  The stories are somewhat standard soap opera fare, but Starr manages to give them creative twist that keeps them fresh and engaging.  And his art - really, all I can say is WOW!  The strip provides some panels of the most intricate detail, whether it be background city scenes or interior theater shots or even the magnificent mansions of the wealthy backers; at the same time, the characters all remain unique, each having his or her own distinctive, individual appearance so that no two look alike, and it's easy to know who is who simply by looking at them on the page.  Starr is a master of expressions - from jealousy to fear to surprise to anger to joy to love - name an emotion, and Starr manages to express it with what appears to be ease on the face of his characters.

 

 

One thing I did notice in this volume, which I hadn't picked up on in prior volumes, is that the final panel of every Sunday strip was re-used nearly every week as the first (or in a few odd instances, the second) panel of the Monday strip each week.  And I don't mean it appears the panel was re-drawn to mirror the Sunday panel; no, it is clear that it is the exact same panel (down to the shadowing, creases, lines, etc.) with the only differences sometimes being that a background is shaded differently or a portion of the edges is cropped out.  The dialogue is not identical, but the panel itself - exactly the same!  I went back and looked at volume four, and it appears this was just beginning to come into play towards the end of that volume, so this may have been a technique that Starr began to use in 1961 - whether to save some time by giving him one less panel to draw each week, or perhaps to provide a visual link between the Sunday strip and the Monday strip, or better yet, maybe for the people who did not get the Sunday paper, this gave a bit of a "catch up" for those readers, so they did not feel like they missed anything important in the story.  Whatever the reason, it is very noticeable in this volume, and I have to wonder if it continued for the remainder of the strip.

As far as the stories in this volume, the opening tale is rather a fun one.  Mike O'Hare gets a new backer, but there is a catch - Walter T. Boniface is a man who enjoys a rather odd game called "Rhymie-Stymie."  "It's a lovely game! I supply a definition and you must answer in two rhyming words that fit it."  A demented flower is a Crazy Daisy.  A pleased father is a Glad Dad.  And so on.  Mary finds it amusing, but Mike simply wants a backer for the next play.  Mike plays along, though, in order to get the money, but the tensions grow as he gets weary of the continued word games, until Mike discovers Boniface's secret and turns the tables on him (with Mary's help, of course).  Interestingly, this story is more about Mike O'Hare than Mary.  As the story concludes, however, readers get re-introduced to Maximuus, who makes an appearance at the theater and gets the ball rolling on the next story...

Ivor Brand, "the Master of Horror," is in town at the same time as Maximus - and he's burning over the fact that Maximus was cast in a new horror film due to his unique ability to create pretty much any face he wants (but, of course, only Mary knows his real secret).  Brand discovers Maximus' secret make-up case and steals it, hoping it will give him the ability to get the part he wants.  With Mary's aid, Maximus tracks down the missing make-up case and Brand, learning that the other actor has some secrets of his own he doesn't want revealed!  But this adventure could lead to trouble in paradise as Pete arrives home for the holidays to discover Mary has taken off with Maximus! (But all gets straightened out, and just in time for the third story...)

Director Crispin Fray is in town, ready to direct a play written by John Parrish - and they are determined to have Mary Perkins as the star of their production!  At the same time, Pete gets a new assignment - Morgana D'Alexius - an enigmatic woman who has never allowed herself to be photographed has agreed to do a photo-essay, but only with Pete Fletcher!  This one builds quickly, as it becomes clear that Crispin has his sights set on Mary and Morgana has her sights set on Pete - and it doesn't matter that Pete and Mary are happily married to each other!  There are plenty of lies, tricks, misunderstandings, and hurt feelings as Crispin and Morgana use every trick under the sun to lure Pete and Mary away from each other - but, of course, their plans backfire, and when Morgana keeps Pete from Mary's award ceremony and Crispin lures Mary up to his apartment under the belief there is a party to be held there, it's John Parrish who steps in the save the day and reunite the couple by foiling the untoward plans of the director and recluse!  What I like about this story is that all during the course of the tale, Parrish disappears without any explanation - and it turns out this is all a set-up for the fourth big story (which, in my opinion, is probably the most interesting of them all in this volume!).

As Crispin's play sets to open in Chicago, he and Mary have a difficult time keeping Parrish focused, because it seems the critic, Gerald Philip Jason, is also in town, and he seems to know all about Parrish's play - even before he has seen it!  Parrish is in a tizzy, and Crispin is worried that these disappearances are going to hurt the play, because every time he re-appears, he has made changes to the script, all based on critiques by Jason!  There's a reason why Jason may be coming down so harsh on the play, and that is because there is a personal connection between Jason and Crispin - a woman, who just happens to make her appearance at the theater and demand that Crispin give her a part in the play!  There's a mystery that builds here, and Starr does it perfectly - who is Cassandra?  What is her connection with the theater critic and the director?  How does she have such sway over Crispin?  Where is Parrish disappearing to when he goes missing?  Is he just blacking out, or is there something else at work?  The clues are there, and astute readers might actually figure it out before the big reveal in the final panel of the June 17, 1962 strip - but it is a good one, and it only escalates the drama that ensures thereafter.

The fifth tale brings Mike O'Hare to Chicago, where he introduces Mary to an agent, Nat Blessing.  Nat is currently representing a rising new star, Tony Abbot, who is shy and reluctant to step into the spotlight.  Tony and Mary are set to star in a new film, and Mary is determined to bring Tony out of his shell, after meeting comedian Charlie Manna, it appears he might be opening up.  The film company heads down to the Caribbean to begin filming, and Pete joins Mary there.  Mrs. Ainsley, a big stockholder in the film company, is also on site, and she is frustrated that Tony will not respond to any of her messages.  The revelation that she is his mother does not come as much of a surprise, and the story centers around their relationship - her self-absorbed nature and his desire to simply have some of her attention.  When Tony discovers his mother has a serious health condition, it serves as the catalyst to unite the two, who begin a new road in their familial relationship. 

The sixth and final story is rather an odd one, involving a jet case hero from the war named "Nine-Lives" MacNab.  It seems he has a connection to both Pete and Mary - he saved Pete's life in the war, and Mary was his last date in school before he entered the armed services years ago.  He makes a sudden appearance in New York, but it's not just to reunite with his old friends - he intends to take what he feels is due him for saving Pete's life all those years ago, and that prize is Mary herself!  He takes her away for an unexpected plane ride, which finds them being forced to land in a blizzard, where they have to be rescued from the freezing temperatures.  While he seems to have realized his wrong-doings after recuperating in the hospital, he makes one last-ditch effort to win Mary before taking off into the wild blue yonder, leaving a jealous Pete behind with Mary reminding him that he is the only man for her...

There is a one-panel hint of what is to come, with a dark haired stranger talking with a mechanic about a car (conveniently hidden under draping) that he is planning to take, which car will "take delicate handling," even with the bugs ironed out.  Guess we will have to wait to volume six to find out what lies ahead for Mary and her growing cast of supporting characters.

 

Overall, these stories were pretty good.  Because of the nature of this being a newspaper strip, the stories have to move at a pretty quick pace and they keep your attention fairly easily.  I do prefer it when Starr provides more than just a one panel set up for the next story - such as the Parrish storyline, where Parrish repeatedly disappears during the third tale, which does not see fruition until the fourth story.  Those kind of subplots in one story leading up to the next make for excellent reading and give readers some great payoff.  But, I suppose Starr had to keep things fresh and moving, so he couldn't be expected to do that kind of build-up with every tale.  Regardless, these strips are definitely worth the read.

 

RATING:  10 pairs of extra glasses out of 10 for engaging stories and absolutely gorgeous art!

Florida Antiquarian Book Fair - 2023

 

We take a break from the regularly scheduled book review for this special blog post!  While this blog has been always about reviewing books and comics and graphic novels that I have read, as well as audio books to which I have listened, I thought I would interrupt the regular posting for a special post about the FLORIDA ANTIQUARIAN BOOK FAIR.  Held every year in St. Petersburg, Florida, this year was the 40th annual book fair, so it was definitely a special event.  I have been going to the book fair since around 2017 or so, and up until now, I have always just driven down on Saturday, spent the day there shopping, then driven back home after.  This year, however, I decided to do the whole three-day event, and boy, am I glad I did!  From the opening night on Friday, March 10th to the closing day of Sunday, March 12th, I found myself lost among the many book dealers, staring in awe at books old and new, inexpensive and way out of my league, for children and for adults, and just about everything else you can imagine.  It truly is a book lover's paradise, and it's an event every book collector should attend! 

 

The book fair has been held at The Coliseum just outside of downtown St. Petersburg, which has been its home for well over 20 years.  It's a quaint little building, and it hosts plenty of other events throughout the year.  And something I found out this year while speaking with a marketing director for the event, is that the facility appears in the movie Cocoon, where portions were filmed right there in that banquet hall.  What is even more incredible is that next year, 2024, will mark the 100th anniversary of The Coliseum (and the 41st anniversary of the book fair), so I have no doubt there will be some special events next year to honor this centennial celebration!  

Now, back to that marketing director - when he found out that I had been coming for several years, but that I had never gone upstairs to the small alcove that overlooks the hall, he gave me the grand tour.  There is a small stage up there, as well as a lengthy area where tables are set up for special dinners.  But best of all, from that second floor alcove, you can look out over the whole hall and see all of the dealers (and all of those books!!!).  With the lights hanging overhead, and the small alcoves on either side of the hall, it makes for a breathtaking sight. I could have stood up there and stared out over all of those books for quite a while - but had I done that, I would have never been able to buy any books!  And let's face it, I didn't drive all the way down there to spend three days at a book fair without buying any books!

There were a large number of dealers there, and the variety of books would astound you.  When I previously just spent one day at the convention, I would start on one side and work my way to the other, going down each and every aisle, and once done, I would do a second trip through the hall - by which time, it would near the end of the day.  But this year, being there all three days, it allowed me to truly take my time, examine each and every booth, and even then, I managed to find things each day that I had no seen the day before!  Of course, I was thrilled to see some of my friends who are dealers and who I get to see each year here at the show - Steve, Sharon, Kerry, Matt, Gary, and others - plus meet so many new ones along the way.  

A special treat this year was seeing a copy of the last book in the Judy Bolton series signed by the author, Margaret Sutton.  Sharon Kissell had purchased the book from Sutton's daughter - but that's not the best part.  On Saturday, an older woman was browsing her booth and came across the book.  She asked Sharon about the book, and when Sharon explained how she came into possession of the book, the woman told her that she was the owner of a bookstore up in New York, and that Margaret Sutton had purchased that very book from her store years ago specifically to give to her daughter!  Now, after all these years, the book store owner and the book were reunited!  Talk about a small world!  But, of course, those of us in the book collecting community already know just how small it really is...

But let's get back to the show.  So, it opened Friday night at 5 pm for just four hours; but, it was exciting to be there on opening night and see what kind of wonderful finds I was missing out on each year by not coming until Saturday.  

Steve Bolter brought a number of wonderful Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and Melody Lane books, along with some other fantastic treasures.  He even had a copy of Pirate Brig autographed by Mildred Wirt and an Altemus Doris Force book!  

Sharon, of course, had some great Judy Bolton books, as well as some of those not so easy to find Cameo edition Nancy Drew books in dust jacket (and a beautiful copy of the picture cover edition of Midnight Trolls from The Happy Hollisters!).  

Kerry Johnson, who owns the Family Bookstore up in DeLand (my backyard!!!), brought some Happy Hollisters books with nearly pristine dust jackets (and lucky enough, he had one of the few I was missing, so that was the first book I bought over the weekend!).  

Matt Whalon was offering some red-board Hardy Boys books, including a first printing of one (which my friend Ray snagged without hesitation!).  

And Gary Overmann is always guaranteed to have PLENTY of children's series books, and this year was no exception!  Lots of Nancy Drews, Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames, Dana Girls, Bomba the Jungle Boy, Rick Brant, Tom Swift, Vicki Barr, Happy Hollisters, and more!

And this was all just Friday!  After two trips around the hall, it was time to head back to my bed and breakfast and grab some sleep so I would be well-rested for Saturday.  I was told there were hundreds of people who were there on Friday night, and on Saturday, they were anticipating close to a thousand throughout the day!  It was definitely busy, but as I made my way up and down the aisles, I had no trouble at all checking out the various booths, dealers, and books.  I found one booth that had fairy tales from around the world ... another booth that had tons of pulp novels from back in the day ... yet another booth that specialized in science fiction novels ... another booth offering up plenty of mysteries from nearly a century ago ... there were Big Little Books to be found ... medical and religious books of every kind ... picture books and Little Golden books ... Oz and Harry Potter ... I even spotted some Aunt Jane's Nieces books by Edith Van Dyne (a pseudonym for L. Frank Baum, the author of the Oz books!).  While I already have that complete series, it was nice actually seeing some still out in the wild, so to speak.  

 

This weekend also introduced me to Bernie Goodman, a bookseller out of Tavares, Florida.  He had some books by Robert R. McCammon, who was an author I read some years ago back when his books originally were published.  Bernie let me know that McCammon had new books that were being published, of which I was not aware, so we got into a discussion about the author and his various books.  I also met Rebecca McNulty, who gave me the heads up about a book that might interest me with a girl detective short story in it (as she had noticed the Nancy Drew book bag I was using to carry all the books I bought!).  I have that book on my Amazon watch list now and once I buy it and read it, no doubt you'll be seeing a review here on this blog.

Sunday, sadly, was the third and final day of the show.  I had been careful not to spend all of my money the first two days, so on that final day, I was still able to buy some more books (and get a few bargains in the process, since the dealers did not exactly want to take all of these books back home with them!).  I also came across a few books that I would love to have bought, but I just couldn't bring myself to pay the price.  One of them was an old pulp-style book called hurricane nurse by Peggy Gaddis.  Those familiar with the Cherry Ames or Sue Barton series might think this is a title from one of those series, but it was not.  From the blurb on the back of the book, I saw that it was set in Florida, and so I was very tempted to pick it up.  But the I just couldn't bring myself to shell out $35, so I put it back and told myself that I will find it again someday at a cheaper price ... now we will see if I was right!

At this point, you're probably wondering what books did I buy while I was there for the weekend?  Well, that would be telling ... but I can say that I managed to get a few steps closer to completing my Happy Hollisters set in dust jacket ... my Connie Blair series in dust jacket ... I did finish my Jane Withers series (found the third book I was missing) ... I picked up the complete set of Peggy Stewart books ... stumbled across two Tom Swift books with the $1 box ... and picked up a few other unexpected finds that have now sent me off looking for two new series of books (well, new to me, anyway). 

It was a busy weekend, a tiring weekend, but overall, and exciting and fun weekend.  Ray and Rob joined me there on Friday night, and Russell and his fiance, Farrah, joined me on Sunday afternoon, so I had some friends to share the experience with.  I am already anxious for next year's event, which will be the first weekend in March, and the theme for which is Dr. Seuss!  But, as Matt Whalon and I were discussing - if they can have a Dr. Seuss weekend, I think it's only right that they have a series books them one year!  After all, the Hardy Boys 100th anniversary is coming up in 2027, and Nancy Drew just three years later!

The FLORIDA ANTIQUARIAN BOOK FAIR is definitely an event I would recommend to any book collector, because it is probably the best show I have ever attended!

RATING:  (yes, I'm giving this a rating, how could I not?)  100 vintage, antique books out of 100 for offering up a paradise for book lovers to enjoy three days of absolute heaven!  Here's to the next 40 years of book fairs!

Peyton Place - the Explosive Best Seller of a Respectable New England Town

Growing up, I can remember hearing my mom and some of her friends mention or talk about Peyton Place.  The only thing I ever really knew about it was that it was a soap opera and that Ryan O'Neal starred in it when he was young.  I never paid much attention, although I was admit I was surprised when I found out the television show was based on a movie of the same name.  It was not until many, many, MANY years later that I discovered that not only was the television show based on the film, but the film was based on a novel by Grace Metalious.  Well, wouldn't you know it, a couple of years ago while on vacation, I happened across the novel, Peyton Place, as well as its sequel, Return to Peyton Place, in a thrift store.  Being curious, I picked them up, and finally got around to reading the original story this month.  

"...Peyton Place, the best-seller about small town U.S.A. which has been damned and banned--and hailed as 'one of the most extraordinary literary discoveries of recent years'" reads the blurb on the back of the book.  The copy I purchased is a Dell Publishing Company edition, first published in September 1957, the year after its original release.  Now, with a blurb like that, I was curious about what could possibly be so controversial about a book written in the 1950s that would have caused it to be banned.  I mean, after all, they made it into a feature film in 1957 and eventually into a television series that ran for five years (1964-69).  Thus, I went into the book expecting it to be a typical romantic, soap-opera style drama with perhaps some unfaithful spouses or maybe even an abortion or two that would be considered scandalous at the time.  Boy, was I in for a shocking surprise!

Although written in the mid-1950s, the story actually takes place in 1939 through the mid-1940s.  There are a number of characters in the book, so it's hard to pinpoint exactly who the main character is supposed to be, but if I had to guess, I would say that Allison MacKenzie, a middle-schooler getting ready to make the move into high school as the book opens, is the protagonist of the story, although the author definitely delves into the lives of many other characters in the town of Peyton Place.  

Metalious opens the book very cautiously, endearing the reader to her small-town setting, with Indian summer leading the townspeople into a false sense of serenity before the hard winter hits.  There's the typical group of old men in the town square, who are probably bigger gossips than any of the local housewives.  There's the old doctor who still makes housecalls.  There's the wealthy man who runs the mill (and basically runs the town).  There's the spinster school teacher who wonders if she is reaching any of the students she teaches.  There's the family who live over in one of the shacks, where only the poor and degenerates live.  There's the single mom (Allison's mother, Constance) who is doing her best to raise a child on her own while running her own thrift store.  There's the town drunk, who manages to waste all the money he makes on alcohol, leaving his wife and two kids to suffer.  There's the young lawyer in town who wants to do what's right.  And there are a crew of teens and pre-teens who are eager to enter adulthood, discovering things about themselves and the opposite sex that lead them down the path of temptation and desire...

All of that seems pretty tame, especially by today's standards.  Well, just like Metalious's opening to the book provides a false sense of calm, so does the book provide the reader with a false sense of normalcy.  It isn't long after the story opens that readers discover Constance is keeping a huge secret from her daughter (and the whole town!) regarding Allison's father.  It is also revealed that Allison's friend, Selena, must deal with an abusive step-father and protect her younger brother, since their mother seems to be unable and unwilling to prevent her father's drunken outrages.  One night changes everything for both girls when Selena is raped by her own step-father while Allison watches from outside the shack where the Cross family lives.  She ends up pregnant, and with no one to turn to, she runs to the town doctor, who, upon finding out who put her in this condition, does the unthinkable (and illegal) act of aborting the child.  It's a secret they keep between them, but one that comes back to haunt them both before the end of the book...

Then there's the introduction of Michael Rossi, the school's new principal.  He takes an immediate liking to Constance MacKenzie, but eventually, that relationship leads to trouble between Constance and Allison, and the truth about Allison's father comes to light, forever changing that family dynamic.  There's also the mill owner's son, Rodney Harrington, who has never been held responsible for anything and fancies himself a ladies' man - but all the while, he is hiding the truth of his own virginity.  When he finally does get the chance to bring truth to all his lies, it's a road that leads to his own destruction, which begins the downfall of his father and his hold over Peyton Place.  The town is just chock full of people with secrets, from the Page sisters and their hatred of their late brother's widow to the woman everyone deems a witch who likes to watch through a hole in the shrubbery as her neighbors go at it to the town drunk who locks himself and three other men in a basement for weeks while they drink themselves into a stupor to the young girl who gets her arm mangled and torn right off in a faulty carnival ride to a shack-dwelling mother who hangs herself in Allison's closet to the young girl who kills her own step-father rather violently rather than let him lay one more finger on her.   Peyton Place may seem idyllic on the outside, but it's blacker than the most sinful soul once you start peeling away its layers...

And we must not forget poor little Norman Page.  This boy is quite an odd character in this book (which says a lot, considering the nature of many of these characters).  Introduced in the second chapter as "Little Norman Page," he is depicted as a fairly pathetic young boy, unable to defend himself.  He is later shown to be a mama's boy, to the extreme that it is revealed he enjoys having his mother give him enemas, and much later, the reader learns his mother continued to breast-feed him until he was four years old (with rumors she still fed him that way on occasion now).  There is a scene at the end of chapter 17 of Book One (the book is divided into three "books") that truly defines Norman's relationship with his mother - one of complete and utter co-dependency, with one unable to live without the other.  Reading this, it made me think of Norman Bates' relationship with his mother in the film and novel, Pyscho.  Turns out Psycho, written by Robert Bloch, was published in 1959, three years after this book came out.  Leaves one to wonder if perhaps Bloch got inspiration for his character from little Norman Page...

This book definitely features a lot of racy content for a book published in the mid-1950s!  By today's standards, it's probably not all that sensational.  Despite this, I definitely got caught up in the lives of these characters, and I found myself rooting for some and anxiously waiting for others to get their just desserts!  But I do wonder just how much of the book actually made it into the film, and what parts were removed or toned down for the film and later television series.  I see the two films and most of the television series are available on DVD on Amazon, so I'm thinking I need to purchase those and find out!

RATING:  9 goldenrod-filled clearings out of 10 for a tale of small town America fraught with every possible soap opera trope one can imagine, and then some!

Ghost Gables - a Mystery Story for Girls

A gable, according to Wikipedia, "is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches."  Basically, it is the portion of a wall that is just below the point where the roof edges meet at the top.  Gothic and classical Greek styles of architecture used sharp gable roofs in their designs.  In America, houses with gables in the front were popular between the early 19th century into the early part of the 20th century.  Now, with that bit of information fresh on your mind, we can take a look at second of the last two books Mildred Wirt (Benson) wrote in her Mystery Stories for Girls series.  As with The Painted Shield, this book was published first by Cupples & Leon and later reprinted by The World Publishing Company in their line of World Junior Library books.

Ghost Gables utilizes a number of tropes common to children's series books - a ghost, a locked room, an abandoned house, a family separated, and a secret "treasure."  Wirt definitely goes all out with this story, and as with most of her Mystery Stories for Girls, there is more than one protagonist. Readers are first introduced to Lois McDonald, a senior in high school whose family lives in Big Bear River not far from Ardmore College.  Across the river is a house that has stood abandoned for as many years as Lois can remember - but someone is moving in to the old house, and Lois is thrilled at the idea.  Soon enough, Lois (and readers) meet Glenna Brockman, a young girl ready to begin her freshman year at Ardmore.  Glenna has rented the property with the hopes of turning it into a boarding house and earn money to pay her way through college.  Lois warns her this may not be easy, since the house comes with its very own ghost!

Thus begins the mystery, as Lois jumps in to help Glenna get the house cleaned up and ready for boarders, more out of curiosity to see the inside of the house than anything else.  Neither truly believe in ghosts, so they are soon able to get four boarders, all of whom are also freshman.  During the exploration of the house, however, Lois and Glenna come across a locked room on the second floor for which Glenna has no key.  The realtor tells them the owner of the house does not wish anyone in that room, and they are told to stay out.  Well, this only makes Lois more determined than ever to get into that room.  There's also the mysterious painting in the first floor library which goes missing not long after Glenna opens the house to boarders.  And there's the nosy neighbor who seems intent on causing problems for Glenna, complaining about the noise, her dog, and anything else that could potentially make Glenna want to leave.  Oh, and we can't forget that pesky ghost that is seen briefly from the windows now and again, walking through the gardens and heading off into the woods!

Wirt also gives the house a back story involving a family separated by a trail of misunderstandings.  It seems the owner of the house picked up and left just after the first World War started and never looked back.  Her heart broken by a son who picked up and joined the armed services and never returned, combined with her belief that the brother she trusted her encouraged her son to enlist, forced her to abandon her home to get as far away from the memories as she possibly could.  But Lois, who can't seem to let anything rest, believes there is more to the story, and despite the efforts of the nosy neighbor and a college professor who want to leave the past in the past, she persists in investing the history of the house and its owner.  Of course, as we can all easily expect, she ultimately unlocks the secrets to the past, discovers a shocking connection to events in the presents, and reunites a broken family.

Once again, Wirt integrates her love and knowledge of swimming into the story.  When two of the boarders capsize their canoe into the river (p. 42), Lois does not hesitate to jump in to save them.  "Lois dived feet first from the pier, because she was unfamiliar with the water depth, and with a smooth, unhurried crawl stroke, swam out toward the overturned canoe" (p. 44).  She even acknowledges that "[e]ven for a strong swimmer, it was not easy to carry another person seventy-five yards in the river, especially one who wore heavy clothing" (p. 44).  I suppose with her expert knowledge of swimming, it was easy for Wirt to write some kind of life-saving swimming scenario into each of her books.

Something else I found to be interesting in this story is the fact that Lois is described as being only fifteen years old, yet she is said to be a senior in high school (p. 4), and she tells Glenna that she will be attending Ardmore as a freshman the next year (p. 7).  From what I could find online, it seems back in the 1930s, it was common for high school students to graduate after completing their eleventh grade of schooling.  But even then, one would think Lois would have to be sixteen or even seventeen to complete her eleventh year.  Either Lois was exceptionally smart and jumped ahead a grade or two, or if perhaps she simply took extra classes to gain enough credits to graduate early (as I found some blogs online from people that talked about graduating at fifteen when they skipped some elementary grades and took extra credit classes to get ahead).  So, graduating at fifteen may not have been the norm, but apparently it wasn't unheard of either.

There are some "non-mystery" elements to the story, including Glenna's having to deal with the antics of one of her boarders who insists on consistently breaking the rules, and her having to ready house and manage the day-to-day activities of caring for boarders while trying to keep up with her school schedule.  But Wirt manages to balance those elements of the story nicely with the mystery elements, making it a fairly good read.  I also appreciate the fact that there is some character growth when it comes to Lois, who is first described very firmly as a tomboy, and acts as such throughout most of the book; however, when graduation time comes and she begins to prepare for life after high school, she suddenly becomes more aware of her appearance and manners!  Another way in which the freedom from Syndicate restrictions allowed Wirt to develop her characters, rather than continually writing cookie-cutter characters who maintain the same characteristics book after book after book.

Oh, and one last thing - one may notice a bit of a story resemblance with a book Wirt wrote five years later for the Syndicate, involving a musical score that is discovered and ends up being quite valuable!

RATING:  9 plump strawberries picked for shortcake out of 10 for an engaging story and rather unique revelation regarding the identity (or, perhaps I should say identities!) of the ghost!

Hardy Boys Adventures, Book 25 - The Smuggler's Legacy

As with Nancy Drew, so with the Hardy Boys - the twenty-fifth book in the Hardy Boys Adventures series is going to be the only one published this year.  Fans will have to wait until 2024 for the next adventure in this series to be published.  It still wouldn't surprise me at this point if Simon & Schuster wasn't planning to reboot both of these series yet again.  While I have no problem with once a year publications if the books were considerably longer and better written; but it still feels like S&S is simply phoning it in with these series, expecting them to sell on the familiarity of the name without any advertising, publicity, or the such to promote the books.  And while both series have had some actually pretty good plots, and while the Hardy Boys' series is honestly better written than the Nancy Drew series, neither of them have the quality that made so many children fans of the series back in the day.  There is definitely something to be said about the Stratemeyers' care for their series books back when they had the rights to them.

The Smuggler's Legacy is a fairly interesting read.  Frank and Joe are heading off to New York City with their fellow classmates in the Bayport High History Club to explore the museums and historical sites of the city, particularly those relating to the Jazz Age and Prohibition.  Of particular excitement for the kids is the visit to the Gilded Top Hat, a prohibition bar located behind a small grocery store that has been restored to its original glory.  The curator, Jennifer Hawking, is thrilled to show the group the museum, as it has been her life's work to discover as much as she can about the era and, in particular, about the Gilded Top Hat and its believed owners - Gino and Sal Facchini.  Their descendants still run the store that provides a "front" to the speakeasy.  As she leads the group through an underground tunnel, though, Frank has an accidental fall that reveals a hidden space in the wall that contains an old metal lockbox.  This, of course, turns out to be a huge find, as the weathered and yellowed documents inside reveals some long hidden secrets regarding the speakeasy and its owners!  The only problem is - someone is determined to keep those secrets from coming to light.

The boys, along with Charlene Vale (the classmate on which Frank is currently crushing), quickly find themselves digging into the mystery of who wants to silence Ms. Hawkings and destroy those documents.  First come the warnings, then come the vandalism, and ultimately, Ms. Hawkings is kidnapped.  The brothers find that a candidate for Mayor of New York City, one Trent Kensington, happens to be a descendant of the man who is now discovered to have owned the speakeasy back in the Prohibition era, and they believe he could be behind everything.  But how can they prove it?  Especially when the police who are investigating the case have made it absolutely clear that they do not want Frank and Joe anywhere near the case.  Plus, who are the men in black that seem to be following Frank and Joe everywhere they go?

Along with the mystery, which is actually really good, the ghostwriter for this book provides plenty of historical information about the Prohibition era and those who lived at that time (including some of the Jazz greats of the era).  Whether it be in the tours taken by the students, or in the research performed by Frank, Joe, and Charlene, the author provides quite a bit of history in this book (which, surprisingly, is 162 pages in length, which is one of the longer books in this series!).  It reminds me a bit of the books from the '70s, which seemed to always be filled with plenty of educational facts alongside the mysteries.

One thing that did bug me about this mystery is how much more Charlene did to investigate the crimes than Frank or Joe.  Quite honestly, had they replaced Charlene with Nancy Drew, it would have made more sense (and would have made a great Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys cross-over mystery!).  While I like the idea of Frank having a girlfriend (whatever happened to Callie), I feel that since this is a Hardy Boys book, the boys should actually be the ones doing the most detective work and figuring out the clues.  On the other side, a good thing about this book is the appearance of Chet Morton, who has not really appeared in too many of thee books since the reboot.  Plus, while they don't necessarily mention the title, they do make reference to the mystery they solved on the Mayhem Express (which was just two books prior).

The climax to this story is actually quite exciting, almost like something you would see on a television show, with timed bombs, huge explosions, tunnel cave-ins, and a daring escape.  The  amount of destruction is sizeable to say the least, and the fact that it occurs in an actual city (New York City) rather than a fictional city (such as Bayport or River Heights) is surprising.  But it does make for a great read, that's for sure.

Of the twenty-five books in this series, I would judge this one to be the best in terms of actual mystery and writing.  While it might not measure up exactly to the original series, it does rate much higher than the Nancy Drew Diaries series and higher than many of the books in this series.  Now, it's time to just sit back and wait a year for the next book to come out and see what it holds in store.

RATING:  8 bricks with warning messages attached out of 10 for providing readers with a mystery that is engaging, educational, and somewhat suspenseful.

Sara Lone - a Sumerian comics mini-series

It's pretty much a given that when I come across comic books with female protagonists published by independent comic book publishers, I'm going to pick them up.  I'm not sure if it's because I started reading Nancy Drew books at an early age and fell in love with the female sleuth, or if it's because from the moment I read my first comic book back in 1979 that I gravitated toward the female characters, such as Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Supergirl, Ms. Marvel (the original), She-Hulk, and later, Huntress, Power Girl, Black Canary, Hellcat, Night Nurse, Ms. Tree, Somerset Holmes, and others.  Or maybe it simply because the male characters seem to always be much more prominent on book shelves and comic book racks that I wanted to see more of the lesser publicized characters.  Whatever the reason, I do enjoy reading a good story about a strong female lead.  Heck, that may even be why I love horror films (slasher flicks) so much, is because 99% of the time, it's a final girl who manages to one-up the killer and survive at the end!

Whatever the reason may be, Sara Lone definitely caught my attention when I came across it in the Previews some months back.  I picked it up, unaware it was actually a French comic book that has now been translated and published here in America.  The story center around Sara Lone (whose real name is Joy Carruthers), a young woman who, after a fight with her father, runs away to New Orleans, where she eventually becomes a burlesque dancer.  When her father's body is discovered buried at a beach in Texas, his head separated from his body, the police pay a visit to New Orleans to inform Sara.  From there, circumstances spiral, as Sara's boss makes a play for her, and Sara knocks him unconscious, taking some of his money and a box that seems to be important.  A fellow dancer takes advantage of the situation, stealing the rest of the money from the safe and killing the boss, framing Sara for the murder.  Before Sara can be charged with the crime, however, a government agent steps in and whisks her away, taking her under his wing.  Of course, his protection doesn't come without a price...

Erik Arnoux crafts a very intricate tale with a number of players, secrets, and entanglements.  Set in the early 1960s, at a time when John F. Kennedy is elected President, the story involves some very dark, behind-the-scenes events involving the Cuba missile crisis, Lee Harvey Oswald, and a plot to remove a President who refuses to follow orders.  At the same time, it involves a sunken ship, a stolen treasure, and a cursed idol; it involves the racism of the '60s and the misogyny of that period; and it involves a woman's desire to live her own life on her own terms. The art is beautifully rendered by David Morancho, with soft colors that belie the dark nature of the story.   

The four issues cover a period of nearly four years - from the election of John F. Kennedy to the assassination of the President.  And while the comic tells the story of Sara Lone, it also tells a (fictional?) behind-the-scenes story of the events leading up to Kennedy's death.  The players on this chess board are definitely far from the cardboard cut-outs one might normally see in a story like this - Sara is running from the law, dealing with the death of her father, handling the day-to-day business of her father's fishing business, searching for a long-lost treasure that could save the company and the livelihoods of her employees, and learning to adjust to a new life as a pawn in a covert government operation.  Plus, she has to deal with the startling secret she learns about the man who has been "protecting" her for the past four years.  Meanwhile, Rip Vandoorne thinks he is simply using a woman that is an expert with a gun, unaware that his higher-ups have their own agenda that might not quite mesh with his; he is unaware that Sara has discovered the secrets of his past; and he is unaware that his own ethics and morals will soon create a conflict between his job duties and his own personal code, leading up to a double-cross that could cost both him and Sara their lives.

It's definitely a complicated story, but most certainly an enjoyable one.  I had empathy for Sara and the life she has had to lead, and I grew to appreciate Rip and the job he was trying to do within the confines of his superiors' orders.  While nothing in the story changes the historical facts of what actually happened in the real world, it does give the reader a sense of what possibly could have been going on behind closed doors (and on park benches and in secluded warehouses) that led up to that tragic day in November 1963.  And while the story reaches a logical conclusion, there is certainly room for more stories about Sara, which I would love to see one day.  Whether that will happen or not is a whole other mystery...

RATING:  9 hot dogs with double pickles and extra cheese sauce out of 10 for telling an out-of-the-ordinary comic story with excellent writing and gorgeous visuals!

With a Spirit of Vengeance - the seventh Bay Island Psychic Mystery

I so love rejoining my favorite friends for a new mystery!  And that's exactly what author Lena Gregory has turned Cass, Bee, and Stephanie into - friends.  For the past six books, I have found myself completely invested in their lives, their ups and downs, their dangerous adventures, and their loyalty to one another.  Now, with the seventh book, I couldn't wait to find out what happens next (particularly since the author already made it clear that Bee really shines in this book, and let's face it - EVERYONE wants a friend like Bee!).

With a Spirit of Vengeance pretty much picks up where A Spirit Seeks Asylum left off.  After the events surrounding the Twin Forks asylum were put to rest, and after Cass helped the police solve a current day murder, while at the same time proving a spirit reaching out was innocent of the murders she was convicted of doing nearly a century ago, she thought that whole mess was behind her.  But it seems the spirit of Ophelia Wilson is not yet done with her. Cass's new assistant, Thea Newburgh, is still being plagued by nightmares, and since the girl is a descendant of Ophelia, Cass is worried that Ophelia wants more than just vindication - she wants vengeance against the people who wronged her.  The only problem is, those people would be long dead.  And wouldn't you know it, just as Cass and Bee start to look into the lineage of Ophelia Wilson, another of her descendants turns up dead, his body discovered by Cass and Bee.  Did their investigation put a target on his back?  Before long, a second body turns up, and Cass knows that she has to find out what exactly Ophelia really wants - if it really is Ophelia at all!

Gregory spins another great mystery that involves spirits of the past as well as a vicious killer of the present, and all of it is tied into the new Paranormal Pursuits outfit that not only wants to prevent Twin Forks from being torn down, but they also plan to compete with Simone Carlson, the psychic who is starting up a new ghost tour business on Bay Island.  As usual, there are a number of players involved, and plenty of motives to go around, and it's up to Cass and Bee to figure it all out before a third body turns up.  Along the way, Bee gets set up to take the fall for the second murder, and Cass discovers that her house has been bugged, and the closer they get to uncovering the truth, the more dangerous the killer becomes.  And just what secrets does Ophelia Wilson's journal hold, and why does it seem like everyone wants to get ahold of that little book?  Gregory throws in a couple of great twists (she definitely got me, because there was a clue dropped that I thought hinted at the identity of the killer, only to find out later that is was pure coincidence and nothing but a red herring!) and provides a very suspenseful conclusion that will have readers on the edge of their seats!

Bee truly does shine brilliantly in this book.  Not only is he there for Cass in some dire situations (page 141 is probably one of the best scenes of the series, which gives a perfect example of Bee's prowess!), but he works overtime in this book to overcome his fear of all things spiritual.  And while Stephanie does not play a large part in the book, it is absolutely touching to see how she is handling her newly adopted son, who is on the spectrum and is quite the little handful.  Gregory keeps readers up to date on the personal lives of the characters while still telling an amazingly well-plotted mystery.  This is why I feel like Cass, Bee, and Stephanie are friends - their lives are just as much a part of the mysteries as the murder mysteries themselves!  We get treated to more of Beast, and there is some developments in Cass and Luke's relationship that die-hard fans of this series are not going to want to miss.  The only thing I'm still waiting to see is for Bee to finally find someone - I mean, after all, Stephanie has a husband, Cass is dating Luke, but poor Bee remains single.  Guess we will have to wait and see what future books hold in store.

And speaking of future books ... there's nothing listed on Amazon or the author's pages, so I hope and pray this is NOT the last Bay Island Psychic Mystery.  This series is a true gem, and I want to read many more adventures of my three friends here!

RATING:  10 containers of left-over barbecue out of 10 for keeping the stories fresh, the characters real, and the mysteries exciting!