Gail works as a secretary for an old friend of the family, Mr. Allen. While at a trading post in the Florida Everglades Gail finds a pin in the shape of a theater laughing mask. Unable to find the owner, she keeps it for herself. Later she meets Sara Breckenridge, the daughter of Doctor Breckenridge, a colleague of Mr. Allen. Sara is worried that her father has been kidnapped while delivering a valuable piece of jade jewelry. Before he left he had received an anonymous note warning him against delivering the Jade pendant and strangely enough it was signed with a laughing mask. Throw into the mix an abandoned mill, a damaged yacht, and two wealthy women both trying to acquire the pin and Gail's got quite a mystery.
- I loved that Gail is staying at a boarding house. I thought it was a great way of giving a 16-year-old girl all the freedom she needed to solve a mystery.
- I also loved that the main cast had Mr. Allen instead of a parent, brother, or boy friend. A girl solving a mystery with her employer, especially one she is not dating/romantically interested in, is very unique.
- The locations are wonderful. A trading post in the Florida Everglades with a long, rough road leading to it, the Surf Club on the beach where Mr. Allen lives, the abandoned warehouse with the sky light chain that Gail slides down. The gave a great atmosphere.
- So much of the dialogue is written so strangely that it's hard to believe a talented writer like Mildred Wirt wrote it. "I am" and "do not" are constantly used instead of "I'm" and "don't" giving me flashbacks to True Grit. Also Sara and Mr. Allen are constantly saying Gail's name at the end of dialogue:
Another example:Glancing up, he asked: "What do you have in mind, Gail? I know you've concocted some scheme."
"Not a very good one. However, I hesitate to meet Mrs. Deva tomorrow because she'll recognize me at first glance. Now I thought if you would be willing to take my place—"
"What good would that do, Gail?"
"You're very clever at judging character," she said flatteringly. "After talking with her you could tell what sort of person she really is."
"You over-estimate my powers, Gail."
"Then you believe Doctor Breckenridge's disappearance is truly serious?"
"I do, Gail." Henry Allan arose, and walking to the window, gazed down on the rooftops of the Commodore Hotel. "Aside from the fact that the doctor possessed a valuable jewel, he had many bitter enemies."
"Persons who might wish to harm him?"
"I am afraid so, Gail. The nature of Doctor Breckenridge's work in China was such that he stirred up antagonism. On the other hand, I know of no man more highly respected and loved by the people he served."
"He never would have cheated Madam Alexandre as she claims?"
"Such an accusation seems ridiculous, Gail. Utterly so."
- Sara is worried about her father yet she's hesitant to go to the police. If she was truly worried she would have gone immediately.
- This is yet another book by Mildred Wirt that has villains with stereotyped ethnic features. One of the villains is described as having a large hooked nose.
- Gail litters a lot. She throws a linen handkerchief into water while in the everglades and 4 rolls of exposed film from her car window.
- One thing I didn't understand is why did the Laughing Mask organization sent Doctor Breckenridge an anonymous letter telling him not to deliver the jade pendant. Didn't they want him to deliver the pendant so they could capture him and steal it? I'm not sure if there is an explanation to this or if the letter was simply included to tie Gail's pin in with the mystery.
- The end of the book contains the first chapter to The Runaway Caravan, the first book in the Trailer Girls Series. This was a good marketing move at the time but now it's a terrible tease as the Trailer Girls Series is hard to acquire. Will I ever find out what happened to Uncle Nathan and the automobile accident?
Overall I enjoyed this books. I think it has unique elements not often seen and the story moves along well so you don't lose interest. However I can't stop thinking about the strange overuse of Gail's name. That writing decision is the true mystery of this book.
