The Summer at Whispering Hope

by Jean Woodward

    Sarah Collins is a 24 year old Oklahoma librarian whose mother has just passed away. When we first meet Sarah she is being proposed to by her long-time lukewarm boyfriend Ralph. The proposal happens in a diner over coffee and without any real enthusiasm. Ralph feels it's his responsibility to marry Sarah since she now has no other family but his lack of any romantic passion, to the extent of never even having said "I love you" to her, pushes her to decline his offer. Despite being a dowdy, plain, small town girl Sarah has dreams of an all-consuming passionate love. 

    Sarah's recently received a letter from Aunt Theo, her mother's sister and her only living relative, inviting her to come spend the summer at her Oregon lodge. Despite the disapproval from Ralph and her boss at the library Sarah decides to make the trip and to try and have some adventure before returning to Oklahoma and inevitably settling down to a life of Mrs. Ralph Martin.

    The trip will involve staying a night in Portland and Sarah decides to use this as an opportunity to remodel herself. Away from the judgmental eyes of her neighbors she gets her long hair cut off, buys makeup, and a fashionable new wardrobe, leaving her frumpy clothes in the hotel closet with a note asking them to be donated. 

    The next day she boards a bus bound for the tiny town of Whispering Hope and trips over a passengers cane and falls into the arms of Nicky Forbes, a gorgeous young blonde man. Sarah is humiliated by the brief incident but Nicky is intrigued by the shy beauty. Sitting in the seat behind him on the bus Sarah hears a strange and somewhat hostile conversation between him and a teenage native boy named Cain, something about an "accident".

    Once in town Sarah is picked up by Alan Donahue, the "intense, brooding, head wrangler" at her aunts lodge. Sarah is instantly smitten with the handsome and quiet cowboy but unfortunately she has competition in the form of  Corinne Cranston, a New York model vacationing at the lodge. Despite having a boyfriend back home Corinne makes it clear to Sarah that Donahue is her territory.

    Sarah notices the low guest turn out at the lodge and her questions about the business cause concerned looks among Theo and Donahue and gossipy whispers tell her it has something to do with "the accident". Sarah offers to help out around the place and this unintentionally gives her more time with Donahue and after a few weeks she feels they've grown something of a bond. However this feeling wont last long.

    A trail ride and picnic, led by Donahue, has been arranged for the lodge guests. Sarah believes a city girl like Corinne would never be interested in such activities and so is deeply disappointed when Corinne not only joins in but proves to be an extremely skilled horseback rider, impressing Donahue. Once at the picnic spot the guest head off to look at a waterfall and Sarah and Donahue remain behind to set up the food. Alone together Donahue pulls Sarah close and just as their lips are about to touch Corinne returns and is not happy with what she sees. She claws her nails into Sarah's arm and throws herself at Donahue. 

    As the picnic ends Sarah lets her jealous get the best of her and she trips Corinne causing the girl to fall into bushes and get scraped up. Donahue, furious at Sarah, carries Corinne to her horse and pays extra attention to her on the ride home. 

    As the riders pass the lake on the way to the lodge a motor boat passes by and Sarah recognizes it's passenger as Nicky. He recognizes her too and pulls up to talk. As the two chat Donahue appears looking for Sarah and is angered at the sight of Nicky, the two clearly have some bad blood. 

    The next day Sarah goes down to the beach where Corinne is sunbathing and the model informs her that she spent the night at Donahue's cabin. 

    Sarah recognized the lodge needs some improvement and modernizing to attract new guest and so offers to help repaint the cabins, a project that Donahue joins in on. The two become close again as they work and Donahue even kisses Sarah. However that night, unable to sleep, Sarah goes out on the terrace and in the moonlight she sees Corinne and Donahue kissing. 

    The next day Sarah is cold towards him and Donahue downplays Sarah's feeling and insists he's simply trying to please a paying customer at the lodge. Corinne then shows up, having caught word that the two were working alone together, and once again angrily stakes her claim on the cowboy. After that Corinne will keep Donahue busy by booking him to take her on trail rides. 

    When Sarah take a boat out onto the lake she encounters Nicky who gives her a tour of the lake and they have a picnic lunch together. Sarah asks him about "the accident" but he doesn't tell her. Determined to know about the strange mystery hanging over the inhabitants of the lake Sarah is finally able to get her aunt to tell the story to her.

    Last summer Nicky, his sister Barbara, and their friends went to Echo Island in the middle of the lake for a party. Someone had smuggled a keg over and after a few drinks Debbie, Donahue's 18 year old sister, asked Nicky to take her for a boat ride. The ride ended in a horrific crash against the rocks which left Debbie blind. A few days later there had been an attempted kidnapping of Barbara on Echo Island. And soon after that a violent bear had appeared around the lodge smashing cabin windows and frightening guests. All of it had reduced business for Theo.

    Sarah decides to ride over to Donahue's family ranch the next day and visit Debbie. However Debbie, depressed and sulking in her own misery, doesn't want any visitors. Sarah and Mr. Donahue plan to have Sarah visit again and to try to get Debbie out of her shell. 

    Upon returning home Sarah finds Corrine and Donahue passionately kissing in the tack room. This will be the last time she sees them kiss as Corrine has just been called away to a modeling job in the Bahamas. However by this point Sarah is disillusioned with the man.

    The next day she visits Nicky who lives in a mansion on the other side of the lake. Nicky's father, Nathan Forbes is outside and greets Sarah but he's kind of a creep. He's obsessed with the idea of buying the lodge from Theo and turning it into some chain resort but Theo has refused to sell at any price. 

    Nathan leaves when Nicky arrives and Sarah is able to hear his side of "the accident". He insists that night he was not drunk despite drinking and that Cain had thrown a firework into his boat which landed by the fuel tank. As Nicky grabbed for the firework the boat crashed on the rocks. 

    Sarah is awoken early the next morning by her aunt, Debbie is missing and they're going out to search for her. When her father went to wake her up this morning she was gone and with her blindness they worry about her being lost in the woods. Sarah is to go to their ranch and stay there incase the girl returns while the family searches for her. As Sarah sits on the porch she notices an outdoor storage trunk with it's lid partially off. She goes to fix it and finds Debbie in there hiding. Sarah holds no punches when scolding Debbie for wallowing in self-pity and causing her family distress. 

    Upon returning home that evening Nicky arrives to ask Sarah to dinner. He takes her to a fancy medieval themed restaurant owned by his father. The evening is magical and upon taking her home Nicky kisses Sarah with all the passion she desires. He then ruins it all by asking her to come stay at his Portland "pad" for a few days where they can enjoy a "few days of love". Insulted that Nicky would make such a proposition she ends things with him. 

    The next morning she takes off for a horseback ride to clear her mind but when a bear spooks her horse she is bucked off and left to try and find her way home. Donahue finds her and she falls weeping into his arms. They make up and later he tells her he's falling in love with her. 

    Sarah visits Debbie again and makes some progress on befriending the girl. She returns home to find Theo upset, the mysterious bear has returned again to break cabin windows. In order to keep the guest from focusing on the bear Theo decides to throw a luau party on the beach. 

    As Sarah and Theo are out on the beach planning the party Donahue pulls up in his truck with a passenger: Corinne. She's returned and still has eyes for the cowboy. Confused Sarah approaches him for an explanation but he tells her to meet him in the tack room when he's done with Corinne and winks. Disgusted by the insinuation Sarah slaps him and takes off on a horse to be alone. 

    As the night approaches Sarah returns and when placing her saddle in the tack room she stumbles on a hidden bear costume. Sarah now believes Donahue was behind the "bear" attacks and when he appears in the tack room she freaks out and runs off in fear. In her room she tries to calm down and decides to read Ralphs new letter to help. After being disillusioned by Nicky and now Donahue Sarah yearns for the respectfully boring Ralph, planning to return to Oklahoma immediately and marry him. However the letter turns out to be a "Dear John", Ralph has eloped with a new girl in town. 

    Sarah dresses and attends the luau, planning to tell Theo about the "bear" after the party. Corinne ends up stumbling down to the beach drunk on whiskey at which time her boyfriend from back home appears to drag her home. Nicky shows up and takes Sarah for a boat ride where he attempts to reconcile but he recognizes that she's finished with him.

    Back home Nicky finds his father drunk and when the two begin talking about Sarah and the lodge Mr. Forbes fiendishly admits he was the one behind the accidents. He hired Cain to throw the fireworks that night and he faked an attempted kidnapping on his own daughter, all in the hopes it would ruin business for the lodge and force Theo to sell. With all respect for his father gone Nicky goes up to bed and cries. 

    That night Sarah wakes up to her window breaking and a huge bear climbing in. She screams her head off and is picked up and carried out on to the terrace. Hearing her screams the guest come outside and the bear drops her and flees. Unaware it's a bear costume, a lodge worker shoots the bear who falls down. Thinking Donahue has just been shot Sarah rushes to him but when the mask is removed it's revealed to be Elmer, the mentally challenged son of the Forbes' housekeeper, hired by Mr. Forbes to frighten away lodge guests. He's alive and taken to the hospital where he will successfully recover. The mystery is solved and Sarah and Donahue become engaged, in the lodge kitchen, over coffee. 

- The "lodge worker' that shoots the "bear" is Mike, a love interest for Theo and part of the story but I couldn't add him into the summary without it getting (even more) over-detailed. Sorry, Mike.

- The fashion in this is soooo dated. It's from 1979 so obviously it's going to be dated but I don't think I've read another book with so much stereotypical fashion from an era. Sarah has a pantsuit in every blinding color imaginable, Corrine wears silver platform shoes with matching shorts and a tube top, and best of all, Nicky shows up to the luau in a white, skintight jumpsuit.

- Sarah takes a bath every night and Jean Woodward felt the need to include a scene of it every time.

- The writing is fairly juvenile. The way Corinne speaks to Sarah about Donahue being her claim is how a 12 year old girl would talk about her schoolyard crush. Sarah's makeover of cutting her hair and buying new clothes reminded me a story my sister wrote when she was 11 about a girl who tells everyone at school she's moving away then shows up the next day with a new hair cut, new clothes, and a new name and becomes the new popular girl with no one recognizing her. It feels very childish and at times I felt I was reading a book written by a preteen. Also Sarah is a shy small town girl who suddenly is making sassy remarks to Corinne, it was like she was having personality switches. 

- Donahue's a red flag. He's in his mid 30s, never been married, and has romances every summer with lodge guests. When Sarah catches him kissing Corinne in the tack room he says "it's not what it looks like" but no other explanation is given. I guess this was suppose to be excused as "keeping paying guest happy" like all his other romantic interactions with Corinne. Will he still be keeping guests happy after him and Sarah marry?

- I was kinda hoping for a Ralph redemption scene. Sarah doesn't want to be with Ralph because there's no passion but when he sees her off at the airport he wraps her in his arms and kisses her passionately leading Sarah to think there might be more to Ralph after all. I thought maybe he would show up at the lodge and win her over but he's just written out towards the end. 

    Overall this book is....meh. It's not the worst I've ever read by far and I did want to continue reading to see what happens but as I said, it often felt I was reading something written by a little girl and I can't see myself re-reading it.

A Summer For Witches

 

    The book opens with 24 year old Janet's telephone ringing. When she answers it she immediately recognizes the voice as that of Floncy, a girl from her past who had disappeared without a trace 15 years ago.

    When Janet was 9 years old her single mother had taken on a job as a housekeeper at Shorecrest, the impressive summer home of actress Evelyn Gilmor. There Janet has an amazing summer living in the little cottage on the grounds, enjoying days playing with Evelyn's kind hearted 17 year-old daughter Floncy and 13 year-old son Scott whom Janet has a crush on. The house is constantly being visited by famous friends, parties are always happenings, and romance is in the air as lovesick psychiatrist Dr. Bronson is at Evelyn's beck and call.

    When summer ends Janet's mother stay on working for Evelyn in her city residence. Scott and Floncy are away at school and Janet eagerly awaits the next summer when they will all be at Shorecrest again.

    However when the summer arrives it lacks the charm and magic of the last year. Floncy has taken a part in a local play and fallen in love with an actor named Todd Van Dyke. Evelyn does not approve of either of these things and makes Floncy give up the stage and Todd.

    This causes constant fighting between Floncey and her mother and often Janet comes across Floncy sobbing alone on the beach.

    One August morning Floncy is no where to be found and when a search of the house and grounds proves fruitless the authorities are called in but the case goes unsolved. After years of no sign of Floncy she is declared legally dead.

    Yet here she is on the phone insisting that Janet come to Shorecrest right away, and to come alone.

    Janet borrows a car from her perpetually friendzoned date, Dave, and starts the 3 hour long drive on a stormy winter evening. She finds the timing of this happening strangely coincidental as she had reason to think of her summers at Shorecrest twice recently. The first time when she had seen a woman that resembled Evelyn stepping out of a dr. Bronsons private hospital in the city. And the second when her mother, who recently got married, sent her a box of her childhood things, including a book she had borrowed from Shorecrest and never returned. However she put it in the mail to return it right away.

    Once at the house she is greeted (and I use the term loosely) by Ida, one of the maids that Janet's mom worked with, and Scott. Neither whom are happy to see her. Evelyn, Scott says, is very ill and can not be excited with claims that Floncy is alive and making phone calls.

    Janet is granted an audience with Evelyn who appears weak and looks ill but retains her former charm. When Janet says she will be leaving soon Evelyn insists she stay for the night in the little cottage on the grounds.

    Reluctantly Janet accepts. She would rather have stayed at a motel as Shorecrest no longer has the charm it once had. It's gloomy and subdued, even the art had been stripped from the walls. 

    Despite her discomfort Janet sleeps well as she is tired from the drive and emotional strain of the day. In the morning she dresses and is ready to leave right away but as she steps out of the cottage she finds a man's dead body on the porch, with a knife in his back. 

    She runs screaming into the main house where she finds Scott. He calls the police and after a long wait alone in the library the sheriff comes in to question her. 

    He informs her the man is Judson Brock, a former groundskeeper Janet remembers from her childhood summers. Ida and her sister Carrie have wasted no time in telling the sheriff that Jud and Janet's mother had had a romantic relationship one summer and with that information the sheriff starts piecing together a fictional story of Janet killing Jud. Suggesting the man was threatening to tell Janet's new step father about the romance unless he's paid off leading to Janet killing him. He supports his theory with the fact the knife was taken from the cottage kitchen. 

    Although not under arrest, Janet is told to stay in the vicinity until the state police arrive to investigate. Distraught Janet goes for a walk on the beach and up a cliff that use to be one of Floncy's special places. Sitting on the edge of the rocky cliff Janet feels a hand against her back pushing her over the edge. She manages to hang on and pull herself back up but she is badly shaken and runs back to the house, and into the arms of Scott who her childhood crush on has been revived. Alone together that night he kisses her and Janet wonders if she's secretly loved him all these years. However the moment is ruined when he admits he doesn't believe Janet's story of being pushed off the cliff. 

    When Janet heads for church service the next morning Scott joins her and afterwards they go for a long drive, stopping at a little restaurant for lunch. After this Janet is sure she is in love with Scott. On the drive back to the house Janet notices a man working at a shooting booth on the board walk but it's not until she's back in her room that she realizes the man is Todd Van Dyke. 

    Sure that he must know where Floncy is she sneaks out of the house to go talk to him but outside she runs into Dave who has read about the incident in the paper and has come to help Janet as a lawyer and a friend (and a simp).

    Together they go to town and ask where Todd lives then head to his house which is really a one room shack. Todd, who had plans of going to Hollywood to become a famous actor, has remained in the small seaside town for 15 years, still in love with Floncy, and determined to learn what happened to her. 

    He tells Janet that he has surveilled Shorecrest for the last 15 years, keeping track of the family's coming and goings, and breaking into the house when it's closed for the winter to look through it for any information that could explain Floncy's disappearance.

    It's through these break-ins that he found Floncy's deceased fathers will in which he left all his money in a trust fund for Floncy and left Scott nothing. Todd and Floncy were planning to elope days after her disappearance with Scott being the only one she told.

    Because of this Todd believes Scott killed her. This theory is backed up by Scott having her declared legally dead which caused him to recieve her inheritance.

    Janet refuses to believe Scott could be involved and despite Dave's instance she wont tell the sheriff this information. 

    On the drive back to Shorecrest Janet says she want to see her mother as she would have a better understanding of the happenings of Shorecrest 15 years ago than 9 year old Janet did. Dave gets permission from the sheriff for him and Janet to make the 3 hour trip to see her mother the next day. Her mother tells them she had heard from Jud over the years as he kept pursuing her and that she suspected he was blackmailing people as he had suddenly acquired a lot of money. But besides that she has no new information for them besides reminiscing over the grand summers at Shorecrest.

    When Dave drops Janet back off at the house that night he tells her that not informing the police about Scott is obstruction of justice and he wont be able to represent her legally. Janet still insists on not telling the sheriff. Dave says in that case he will have to return to the city that night but if she changes her mind he will still be at his motel until 9.

    Back inside her room Janet is thinking over what her mother said when suddenly it all becomes clear. She knows what happened to Floncy, who did it and why, and that her life is in danger.

    She sneaks to the kitchen and calls Dave, arranging to have him meet her at an intersection, then goes outside where she sees a man and women in a car pulling out of the garage but cant see their faces.  

    Once with Dave she explains everything to him (but not to us). A car appears to be following them but Janet doesnt care, she just wants to get to a destination in the city; the private hospital owned by Dr. Bronson. Once there the car following them is revealed to be Todd. Together the three of them force their way inside and demand to see Floncy. Evelyn appears trying to play innocent but Dr. Bronson knows the jig is up. Floncy is brought in, vacant looking from years of sedation. Todd tenderly wraps her in his arms, his unending devotion rewarded.

    It's revealed that 15 years ago Scott, upon learning of Floncy's upcoming elopement, had told his mother, and she, together with Dr. Bronson, Jud, Ida, and Carrie, had put Floncy in Bronson's hospital, gaslighting her that she was severely mentally ill. Meanwhile they pretended she had disappeared so as to have her declared dead and Scott receive her inheritance so he could give it to his mother who is a compulsive spender. This had worked successfully for them until Janet saw Evelyn leaving the hospital one day. The woman Janet thought "looked like" Evelyn was in fact her and she was convinced Janet recognized her a such. When Janet then mailed the book to her soon after she believed this to be some kind of threat that implied Janet knew what was going on. 

    Impersonating Floncy she lured Janet to the Shorecrest so she could kill Jud, who was blackmailing her, and have it pinned on Janet, thus killing two birds with one stone. She then tried to push Janet off the cliff with the plan of it appearing as a suicide. 

    With the truth revealed Floncy is taken to a hospital to recuperate, the guilty parties are arrested, Janet realizes her feelings for Scott were simply childhood memories, and to Dave's great happiness she realizes it's he she loves.

- I read it in one reading because it was too hard to put down. It was very suspenseful and I just had to find out what happened to Floncy.

- The backstory is woven into the whole book really wonderfully and skillfully.

Here's Barbie

    This was the first Barbie book and what helped shape Barbie. It gave her a full name which has stuck to this day and gave lore to her relationships with Ken and Midge. It consists of seven short stories.

Barbie be my Valentine

    Barbie is new in town and excited for the valentines dance. It's a costume dance and Barbie goes as Cinderella, hoping to meet her prince charming. Once their Barbie dances with a boy who trips and they both fall down in front of everyone. Barbie feels embarrassed and it puts her in a sour mood. Her heel has also broken making her unable to dance for the rest of the night. Despite her bad attitude ken, dressed as prince charming, is determined to become friendly with her. After warming to him he asks her to dance and after she tells him about her heel situation he suggests she get her gym shoes from her locker. 

Barbie's Big Prom

    Barbie's cousin comes to visit and attend Barbie's prom. However when she arrives Barbie is surprised to see she's become very beautiful and glamorous. Ken seems to notice too and the two of them are always sneaking off. Barbie is upset until at the prom she finds out they had been sneaking off to plan a surprise for her. 

The Easter Hat

    In this play Barbie is working at a rest home. While discussing the upcoming Easter celebration with an elderly woman she kindly gives Barbie her old Easter hat to wear in the parade. The hat is outdated and Barbie already has a new hat she wants to wear. Unsure what to do, and not wanting to hurt the woman's feelings, Ken suggests they gather their friends and put on a private parade for the woman while dressed in old timey clothing. It's a big success and frees Barbie to wear her new hat in the real parade. 

The Size 10 Dress

    When Barbie's unfashionable schoolmate Bertha decides to have a glow up she models herself after Barbie; dressing like her, doing her hair like her, joining Barbie's after school activities, and even trying to steal Ken's affections. Barbie uncomfortably stays quiet until Bertha copies Barbie's sewing project: a yellow, size 10 dress that Barbie had custom designed. 

The Michael Tree

    When ornaments go missing from the school's Christmas tree Barbie and Ken investigate and find that a little boy named Michael has been stealing them. His mother is off having a baby and the boy wants to decorate a Christmas tree to welcome his new sibling home. Barbie and Ken work to help decorate the family's house and make Michael's wish come true 

Mirror Mirror Crystal Ball

    After Barbie's friend Jody has her fortune told at a fair she makes astrology her entire personality, forcing it onto her friends, refusing to interact with people that don't have a compatible zodiac with hers, and reducing her friends personalities to their zodiac descriptions. Barbie and Jody's friendship is almost destroyed by this hyper fixation until a new boy arrives at school and Jody almost misses his romantic interest due to misdetermining his zodiac sign 

Captain Hooten's Return

    Barbie accepts an invite from her aunt to spend a month on the Maine seaside. Unfortunately the resort they stay at turns out to be a gloomy old isolated house. It is owned by Ms. Hooten who inherited it when her brother, Captain Hooten, was lost at sea along with his crewmate John Metcalf. Two children staying there tell Barbie they've seen Captain Hooten's ghost at night. Barbie brushes off the whole idea of ghosts but when she sees a mysterious figure in black out on the dunes at night she becomes curious. Barbie goes searching for traces of the mysterious figure the next day and is surprised when they pop up in the distance. But they quickly run away when Barbie calls to them. That night she stays up to spot the figure again and sees it heading for the house. She catches it trying to sneak into the kitchen and finds it's actually a girl, the orphaned daughter of John Metcalf who ran away from an orphanage. Ms. Hooten takes the girl in and Barbie solves the mystery. 

    It's hard to judge this book appropriately as it is for children. Oh course a lot of the books I read were written for children, such as Nancy Drew, but this one is for a younger audience. So it was hard to keep my interest and for me to finish some of these stories. I am also not a fan of short stories in general so I didn't look forward to reading these if I'm being honest.

    The one I liked the most was Captain Hooten's Return which is the longest out of the seven and does the best at setting up a story. If that one had been a full book I think I would have enjoyed it quite a bit.

Nancy Drew: Stay Tuned for Danger

    Nancy and Bess are visiting Nancy's aunt Eloise in New York City when Eloise asks Nancy to take on a case for her downstairs neighbor, soap opera actress Mattie Jenson. Mattie is concerned over threatening letters her costar Rick Arlen has been receiving however Rick himself acts nonchalant about them. Nancy reluctantly takes on the case, in part to keep an eye on Bess who has instantly fallen for Rick's charms and heavy flirting.

    Nancy and Bess hang around on the filming set and witness a klieg light almost fall on top of rick after which the set is locked down. The girls take jobs as extras so they can continue to have access to the studio.

    The list of suspects is long as Rick has shamelessly used and abused anyone he could to climb his way to fame but the standout suspects are Lillian, the assistant director who Rick loved and left after meeting her Hollywood connections, Mr. Pappas, the producer who is furious over Rick trying to break his contract to star in a movie, and Dwayne Casper, an actor turned talent agent who use to represent Rick before Rick left for a bigger agency. Nancy tries to learn more about these suspects while also trying unsuccessfully to keep Bess' feet on the ground.

    Despite the klieg light incident and almost being run over by a car Rick doesn't take his situation seriously until a vanity mirror explodes in his face. Fortunately he was wiping off his stage makeup with a towel at the exact instant of explosion which protected his eyes and left only his hands injured. It's at the hospital that Nancy and Bess overhear his realization that his life is in danger as well as hear him confess his love for Mattie, someone he had previously dumped.

    Rick returns to work the next day but after a close call with acid tainted makeup he has enough and leaves. At this point Nancy has begun receiving threatening messages herself including a disguised phone call and a ticking alarm clock.

    When Lillian calls her and insists on meeting at the studio set in the morning Nancy is suspicious but eager to hear what she has to say. She reveals that she discovered disguises hidden in a studio closet and afterwards began receiving threatening messages. Just as she's about to reveal the culprit Dwayne Casper appears holding a gun and reveals he is the attempted murderer, his motive being Rick leaving his agency, and "stealing" Mattie's love.

    Thinking fast Nancy turns on a fog machine giving her and Lillian a place to hide but Dwayne quickly turns on an industrial fan to counter it. With her hiding place quickly dispersing Nancy lunges at Dwayne knocking the gun from his hand, discharging it. Police quickly rush in, having been sent there by Eloise who felt uneasy about Nancy's secret meeting.

    With Dwayne now put away Rick is safe, ready to marry Mattie, and released from his contract by Pappas.

- I was happy to read this books as I played the computer game of it as a child and recently watched a stream of a youtuber play it. Because of this I already knew the who, why, when, where, and how but it was still fun seeing the original version.

- I don't think it did well at making the suspects suspicious. I think the most suspicious person was actually Kay, the makeup artist who is present for two incidents and has access to the set. However for some reason Nancy never suspects her.

- Dwayne and Lillian are written too over the top. Basically everything they say is about hating Rick.

- I also think Dwayne Casper is a terrible name. The game changes it to Dwayne Powers which sounds much better.

Miracle at Seaside

    Kristie Marlowe moves to Seaside, San Francisco after inheriting her grandfather's old houseboat. Despite the waterfront area being know to collect derelicts and hippies Kristie is excited to make the move and start an independent life. 

    Kristie's boyfriend Tom also lives on the waterfront in a houseboat and she soon makes friends with others in the floating neighborhood. 

    Kristie has signed up to take acting classes from a old silent film star to work towards her dream of an acting career but to earn money in the meantime she becomes a nanny for the problem child of a handsome but standoffish relator named Mark. 

    From her first night at Seaside Kristie experiences some frightening moments due to a mysterious someone prowling around at night, even breaking in and ransacking the place. 

    Kristie is also having to deal with Mark's real estate agency trying to have the houseboat inhabitants kicked out and their homes destroyed to make room for a yacht club. Forced to bring their homes up to code, including installing expensive knew waste management units Kristie and her friends organize a play to raise money which succeeds. 

    Due to the prowler Kristie moves in with her friend but Heather, the child she nannys, is unaware of this when she goes to Kristie's houseboat looking for her. Kristie and Mark rush to retrieve her but come face to face with the prowler who has the child captive. Soon the police, along with help of Kristie's cat, apprehend the prowler and learn he was looking for a secret stash of pearls Kristie's grandfather had hidden away in his home. 

    Kristie finds them, Tom gets a scholarship to study art in Paris, and Mark and Kristie decide to marry.

- It was a little dull. I felt like the acting classes and putting on a play were just distractions from the mystery and I didn't enjoy reading those parts as much. 

- At first I thought Tom was going to be the culprit. Once it was clear it was not him I knew it was going to be a minor character mentioned a few times, there was no one else.  

    It wasn't the worst book I've ever read but I wasn't super thrilled with it. I don't think I'll read it again. 

    I had my own copy of this book but it is available for free from Archive's Lending Library. 

The American Girl Book of Mystery and Suspense Stories

    This book is a collection of 10 stories that were original published in The American Girl magazine, which was a magazine by Girl Scouts and shouldn't be confused with the modern American Girl magazine published by Pleasant Company, the makers of American Girl dolls. Several other books containing short stories were published such as Sports Stories, First Date Stories, etc. 

    This one, as you can tell by the title, is Mystery and Suspense stories. I have my doubts as to how suspenseful a short story can be as I personally don't feel there's enough time to build up interest in a mystery but we shall see!

The Legacy of Canyon John

    Jerry and Linda are two teenage photography enthusiasts who are hoping to win a cash prize in a photography contest to pay for college.

    They go to the post office to pick up their new telescopic camera lens and also receive a letter. Its from a nurse at the local mission hospital telling them that their friend Canyon John has passed away. He was a native American and the last of his tribe. Before his passing he had a nurse dictate a letter for the two kids giving them directions into Canyon Del Muerto where he says something very precious is located with its existence being known only to his tribe.

    The two horseback into the canyon where they find Dawson, a hospital employee, pickaxing the canyon wall. He had read the letter and is hoping to steal whatever treasure he assumes is there. He orders Linda and Jerry away at the point of a shotgun.

    Once the two are some distance away they use their telescopic lens to catch a picture of Dawson as evidence for the police. But Dawson quickly sees them and fires the shotgun. They leave the canyon and head home to develop the film.

    Once they do they find they have a wonderful picture of Dawson taking aim at them and the picture also captures something else; up on a cliff is a nest of California condors. Canyon Johns precious gift was the knowledge of the endangered birds home.

- This one was alright. It was a little longer than I think it should be but certainly not the worst in the book at all.

Night Flight

    Lyn, an air force flight nurse has a passenger go into early labor on a flight. The plane makes an emergency landing and the woman is taken to a nearby rural hospital to give birth. However the hospital doesn't have the resources to take care of a premature baby so it must be flown to a different hospital. It's a dangerous trip for the fragile newborn to make but Lyn gives it her all and the baby safely makes it.

- This one was sweet but I didn't like how Lyn named the baby. When they're travelling to the second hospital she decides to call the baby Susie and keeps referring to her as that. I thought it was really weird and if I had been the mother I would have been creeped out and felt really disrespected. 

Strange House

    The main character of this book is unnamed since it is written in first person however it's mentioned that her father's nickname for her is "minx" so I'll use that.

    Minx is taking a summer college course in New York and her aunts have offered to let her stay at their old brownstone house since they are out of state on a vacation.

    Strange things happen such as the sound of someone walking up the stairs despite no one being there and things being moved like Minx's hat she left on a bench being moved to the hat rack.

    One stormy night the sky light crashes in and Minx has to go downstairs to get a washtub to catch the rain, during which she hears the footsteps again.

    She doesn't worry about the goings on because she is too busy with her college class but at night they give her the chills.

    When she comes home from class one day she sees a table has been moved and a small rug has been hung over the banister. A letter from her aunt is waiting for her and when she reads it she learns the aunts have a cleaning women that comes every other day which solves part of the mystery.

    She sits outs on the front steps and begins making small talk with the elderly man that lives next door. He tells her the old homes on the street are all built alike but opposite. After he goes inside Minx does too and she hears the footsteps again, they're the neighbor walking up his staircase which is on the other side of the wall of her staircase.

- This one was good. It was spooky and I liked how brave Minx was. I was really invested in finding out what was causing the strange noises however I also wasn't aware that brownstone houses were attached to each other which probably would have tipped me off to the answer.

Spring Tornado

    Debbie has just been given an aeroplane by her father and is planning on selling it to pay for college. When a tornado comes along Debbie is about to fly her plane to safety when she sees a family with a flat tire on the side of the road. She decides to drive her car to safety so she can bring the stranded family with her, leaving her plane in the tornados path. Her plane ends up surviving and the family gifts her a scholarship to college as a thank you for her unselfishness in saving them from the tornado.

- It was hard to see a teenager complain about money when she owns her own plane.

The Boathouse Mystery

    Gail and her friends have been granted permission to use cranky old Mr. Slaters boat house as a concession stand while he is out of town. After hearing gunshots in Mr. Slaters private woods they realize someone is hunting out of season and have to catch the dangerous men.

- This is the longest story in the book yet is shortest of my summaries because I didn't like this one. I didn't find the characters likeable or having common sense.

Locked In!

    Valborg works in a department store and hopes to save enough money for a ski outfit. When she falls asleep on the sofa of a display set she wakes up to find it's night and she is locked in the department store. She soon finds a little boy lost in the store and cares for him for the night. The next day she is rewarded with a new ski outfit by the boys mother.

- This one was kind of weird. The writing felt awkward and Valborg has to have lapses of commen sense for it to play out in a suspenseful way.

- Like Spring Tornado the lesson of the story is to be kind and help people...because then they will give you money and/or presents. I hate that.

Kay Uses the Evidence

    While working as a candy striper in the hospital a little boy is brought in after being hit by a car. He keeps calling for "luto". With the help of a blurry newspaper photo Kay deduces that "luto" is the boys pet dog named Pluto and recovers the dog from the local animal shelter.

- The age of this one shows as I don't think anyone would connect "luto" to Pluto the dog so easily. It was a cute story tho.

Fire at Egg Ranch

    Vicky is left home alone with her little brother as a blazing forest fire creeps closer to her family's chicken farm. The roads are shut off so no help will come but Vicky's conscious can not let her flee and leave the thousand chickens behind so she uses her fathers tractor to create a fire break as the fire rages inches from her. 

- This one was really good. It builds up the suspense well as Vicki watches the fire get closer and closer as she impatiently awaits her parents return home. Her bravery in taking the tractor into the heat of battle, so to speak, despite her being untrained on the dangerous machinery to save the lives of innocent animals was really beautiful.

- My only complaint is that the severity of smoke in the air during a wild fire was kind of downplayed. In reality I think it would have been much more of a challenge for Vicky to deal with.

Prowlers in the Night

    Bitsey is suppose to leave for a trip right after her graduation ceremony but when her cranky great aunt Melissa does not show up Bitsey foregoes her trip to return to her aunts house despite the fact that her aunt was also suppose to leave for a trip that night.

    Bitsey finds the house empty and the utilities turned off as her aunt had planned. Feeling as tho she skipped her trip for nothing she hears a repetitive tapping in the empty house and soon a prowler appears. Evading the prowler until he leaves Bitsey builds up her courage to investigate the tapping and finds her great aunt trapped in the houses elevator due to the electricity being scheduled for disconnection due to her trip. The "prowler" was her chauffer looking for her. 

- This one felt very similar to Strange House but that's not a bad thing. I think both Bitsey and her aunt Melissa were brave in different ways.

Amateur Sleuth

    Elly and her boyfriend Butch head to Elly's grandfather's house out in the countryside. They are visiting the retired judge to earn money for a school projecting by doing odd tasks. While in the yard working a man comes by looking for the judge's residence. He is an escaped convict looking for revenge on the judge and the two teenagers must out wit him to protect Elly's grandfather.

- This one was actually my favorite. I think the setup was great and I loved the location. I also loved how Elly and Butch work together. I would happily read a whole book with these characters

    This book is available from Archive's lending library (if only I had know that before buying a copy).

Veil of Sand

    After her boyfriend leaves her for another woman young redheaded Nola decides to find a job which will take her far away from the city and that happens to be a job as assistant park ranger out in the isolated California desert. The head ranger, Vance Fletcher, is not happy to see that a woman has been hired for the job but as the park is understaffed he gives Nola a chance. However his wife Carobeth is ecstatic to have another women out in the lonely desert. Besides the couple and their three little boys, assistant ranger Miguel is the only other person in the vicinity.

    On her first day of duty Nola is tasked with checking on all the park campsites. While she drives on the long stretches of road she notices smoke from a fire in the distance. Knowing that desert campfires are illegal, and wanting to show Vance she is eager to do a good job, she foolishly takes the park jeep off road into the desert sand. The smoke is farther than she had anticipated and after a substantial distance into the desert the jeep gets stuck. Nola sets out on foot determined to complete her goal but again misjudges the distance.

    Exhausted and thirsty Nola finally comes upon the smoke and sees it's coming from a chimney of an old shack. The inhabitant being a handsome man with a red beard that she had seen walking along the road the day of her arrival. He gets her some water, chides her for her foolishness, and introduces himself as Todd Marshal, a painter. He helps Nola get the jeep unstuck and she leaves with a crush on him.

    Back at the park headquarters Vance has been struggling with two problems: the poaching of the local big horn sheep and a persistent grass fire threatening to destroy the sheep's grazing land. Could the latter be a intentional cover for the former? Nola is worried that Todd Marshall could be involved in the poaching but decides to keep her suspicious to herself until she can get to know him better.

    While working in the park office one day a gorgeous woman named Erin Marshal comes in looking for Todd and Nola's heart breaks to think that Todd is married. However clearly Todd did not tell Erin his location, could that mean they're separated?

    Upon her next visit to the old shack Nola doesn't get around to inquiring about Todd's relationship statues and when he embraces and kisses her Nola is in heaven. That is until she remembers Erin, at which point she shoves Todd back and declares her hate for him as she runs off.

    One day Nola is tasked with collecting the camping fees from the different park campgrounds. As she approaches a luxury RV at one, the door is open and she sees Todd and Erin inside hugging. Instantly in tears she flees with Todd rushing after her.

    She gets on her mule, which Vance gave her in place of the jeep after the incident, and rides off into the desert directionless. Once she calms herself she realizes she has no idea where she is, she has no compass, and almost no water. She wanders with the mule, sharing what little water she has left before resting in the shadow of a bolder. Exhausted she falls asleep and awakes to find her mule has wandered off out of sight. Trying not to panic she begins walking in the hopes that she can make it to Todd's shack. A storm has been hanging in the distance and Nola barely scrambles out of a canyon before being drowned in a flash flood.

    Nola is relieved when she sees someone in the distance and frantically calls to them but as she runs closer she sees a shot big horn sheep at his feet; he's the poacher. Or rather one of them and his partner soon appears from behind a bolder.

    The two men discuss murdering Nola but when a torrent of rain begins to fall they grab her and run for cover in the old shack. The two go inside while leaving Nola on the patio at which time she manages to sneakily toss her red handkerchief on top of the roof, a signal for the search and rescue team who will be looking for her.

    Once the rain lets up the two, whose discussion has turned to whispers, force Nola into the shack when suddenly the sound of a helicopter is heard. The men position themselves under a window with their single gun drawn and don't notice when Nola slips out the other window.

    Todd, who was in the helicopter along with Vance and an officer, grabs Nola and pulls her to safety while the poachers are arrested. Nola confronts Todd about Erin and he informs her Erin is his sister. The two decide to marry. The end.

- Nola has no business being a park ranger. Multiple times she gets emotional and runs off into the desert aimlessly. And despite always barely escaping danger she keeps doing it.

- Nola's ex boyfriend, the one she's leaving the city over, turns out to be the head of the poachers and Erin was the woman he left Nola for. I thought this was rather stupid. The guy was just some dumb up-and-coming real estate agent that Nola did all the work for and now he's suddenly involved in big time poaching so far from home? Nah, I don't buy it.

- It was obvious Erin was Todd's sister, such a cliché but I can't be mad. After all this is a 100-something page book published by Avalon, the company that pumped them out as fast as they could write them. I didn't expect this to be a classic that is studied in high school lit classes century from now. And that's why...

    I don't think it was that bad. Like most Avalon books I was eager to keep reading and find out what happens. I probably won't remember it as anything special but it certainly kept me entertained.

    (I read this book from Archive's lending library which is where the picture for this post comes from, albeit with a little editing.)

Tom the Telephone Boy

    Tom Baldwin is a 15 year old boy living in Boston with his mother and aunt. Due to the death of his father several years ago Tom is the main financial provider for his family. As the book starts out Tom has just gotten a job at a bookstore, his last job being at a firm that recently closed down. However it is only for the Christmas rush and after the holiday Tom will need to find other employment.

    Tom is a dutiful employee and while working he ends up meeting a regular customer named Dr. Spidderkins. The doctor is a nice elderly man that is obsessed with books, buying multiple ones from various bookstores everyday. He can easily afford rare copies since he is very wealthy. After he orders several heavy books Tom is tasked with delivering them to his house that evening where he meets Mrs. Sandow. Mrs. Sandow was married to the doctors brother but after his passing she remarried to Mr. Sandow. Both of them live with the doctor and treat him rather rudely, which Tom is audience to on several more trips to the doctor's house.

    Once Christmas is over Tom finds himself out of a job and struggles terribly to find a new one. His friend, Charley Grove, suggest Tom look for a job as a telephone operator because it pays $10 a week, much higher than most other jobs offer. Charley has Tom come up to his work after hours and teaches him how to run a telephone switchboard so he will have a better opportunity to secure a job in the field. And he does just that when Charley gets word that a law office needs an operator. 

    Tom excels at his job and the head lawyer, Mr. Boise, admires his work ethic. However the junior lawyer, Mr. Cutter, seems to have a grudge against Tom and tries several times to have him fired.

    As Tom settles in to his new job he beings seeing Mr. Sandow in various places including Mr. Cutters office after hours. He also overhears Sandow's conversations with the lawyer which leaves him worried the two are scheme to steal Dr. Spidderkin's fortune.

    Tom is hesitant to tell anyone his suspicions due to lack of evidence but after Mr. Cutter leaks private business affairs to a rival law firm and blaming it on Tom he decides it's time to tell Mr. Boise.

    Mr. Boise has been suspicious of Mr. Cutter already and urges Tom to head to the doctor's house and have him secure his legal papers pertaining to his financial holdings. At the house Mrs. Sandow catches word that Tom has caught on to their sinister plot and once out of sight she and her husband flee. However they are caught once authorities are notified and let go after returning the doctor's property and promising to leave Boston at once.

    When the doctor visits Tom that evening he is surprised to find that Tom's mother and aunt are his childhood neighbors. After reconnecting he asks the women to move into his house as housekeepers and companions and sponsors Tom's scholarship to law school. The book ends giving us a glimpse into Toms future as a law partner at Mr. Boise's firm and married to Minnie, a telephone operator who helped defend Tom from Mr. Cutters earlier accusations.

    I discovered this book years ago when browsing books on eBay. It was published in 1909 so I was sure it would be available for free on Project Gutenberg. Unfortunately it wasn't so after several years I finally went ahead and purchased a copy. Well turns out just a month before my purchase it had been uploaded to Gutenberg, heck! 

    I enjoyed the story. I'm fascinated by early telephone technology and I've watch some documentaries on early operators and even training videos from the 1970's. If ever a switchboard appears on screen during an old movie or TV show my eyes are glued to it, watching how it's being used. So this book was right up my alley. 

    Tom is a very likeable character. I was worried he might have some undesirable views about women just because the Hardy Boys made me a little jaded with that kind of stuff but that wasn't the case at all with this.  

    I also really liked how relaxed the book was. Whenever Tom was falsely accused of something it was almost immediately cleared up. It didn't leave you hanging on for chapters hoping Tom can clear his name. And best of all Tom never gets fired over false accusations which is something I was dreading. 

    Overall it's a very enjoyable book.

Cherry Ames at Spencer

    (While cleaning out some old notebooks I found this review I had written years ago.)

    Cherry is back at her old nurse training school to work in the new children's wing. She has to take care of a little girl named Dot 'Mouse" Jepson. Dot's father, Jep Jepson, was convicted of robbing a pawnshop, sent to prison, and recently broke out. Cherry thinks that not only is he innocent of the robbery but that he's secretly working at the hospital. She sets out to prove both these theories.

- It was nice reading a book taking place at Spencer again. At first old teachers/nurses and incidents are mentioned but Spencer related things quickly stop being mentioned.

- A small side story is that two new doctors are competing for a position. Rumor has it that one of them is dating the chief doctor's granddaughter to get an advantage. After Cherry meets him for the first time and exchanges two sentences of conversation she says "He's just about the nicest doctor I've ever worked with and easily the best looking. I don't care what anyone says, he's not a backslapper." She's judging his content of character by attractiveness.

- The word flibbertigibbet is used twice, such an awkward word.

- On page 121 the chief doctor complains that Cherry and Dr. Lane don't hang out at the hospital after work. Toxic boss alert?

- Page 207 has a strange paragraph: "Cherry touched her lips to Midges wide, shapely mouth, whispering, "Of course not, darling. But don't you think you should great my feminine guest now?" What is going on? Why would she whisper into Midge's mouth and not her ear?

Image credit: eBay

Inherited Deception

    After the sudden death of her beloved uncle and guardian, Jeb, Candace "Candy" Taylor heads to the Canadian wilderness where her uncle's home and logging mill* is located.

    Candy finds herself temporarily stranded at a small airport on the last leg of her trip but the airport employee manages to arrange a flight for her with Dr. Clint Williams, a cranky and bitter man with a unkempt beard and hair who has his own plane he takes to his cabin upriver from the mill. Clint harshly tells Candy her uncle was murdered in a intentional accident shocking Candy who had assumed it was a sudden heart attack that took him.

    Once at her uncles house Candy meets the people that live there:

    Jim, the best friend of Candy's uncle who she quickly begins referring to as Uncle Jim. He is now handling the running of the mill and with no family left Candy looks to him as a father figure.

    Rick, a former juvenile delinquent. Rick was in trouble with the law for killing someone in a street fight when uncle Jeb found him and worked with the courts to get custody of him. Jeb took him under his wing and the two shared a father/son relationship. Jeb believed Rick and Candy would make suitable spouses for each other, even though they had yet to meet, and had spoken this thought to both of them.

    Nora, an extremely beautiful but bitter woman who works there as a nurse. She has taken the job in this isolated area only because she cannot find work elsewhere due to being deregistered after being caught stealing drugs and selling them on the streets. She's not a very good nurse but needed in the last few months since Clint closed down his practice, which was the only hospital in the area.

    Larry, a former junkie that had been in trouble with the law. The same as Rick, Jeb had gotten custody of Larry and employed him as a book keeper hoping to help get him on his feet.

    Sam, a very skilled and talented cook that cannot find employment elsewhere due to his mature age (79). Jeb has hired him to help him with employment and as a treat for the loggers who don't have much to look forward to after work except a delicious meal.

    Joe, a member of the local tribe that Jeb hired to assist Sam in the kitchen. Jeb has also been paying for Joe to attend law school. Joe has recently left school to take care of his ill mother who cannot receive proper care since Clint closed the hospital.

    Clint, although he lives up river, often stays at Jeb's house when it is too late to return home or the weather does not allow it. Clint is a doctor that had a practice in the nearby town but shut it down after his wife's murder. His wife, Jenny, was the daughter of his mentor and very mentally ill. She would routinely make attempts on her life and once on Clint's life. Clint married her after her father's passing to keep her out of a mental institution. One night while Clint was working Jenny was stabbed on the street. She was brought to the hospital and although Clint tried his best to save her she did not survive. With rumors that Clint murdered her he has closed his practice and moved to his weekend cabin in the woods while people claim he is losing his mind. On her first time there Candy is warned to look out for Clint since she bares a striking resemblance to his deceased wife.

    Sitting by the fireplace that evening Nora spooks Candy with a story about the wife of the previous house owner who died after falling down the stairs. Disturbed by the story Candy is comforted by Rick who clearly has a romantic interest in her which Candy reciprocates.

    That night Candy awakes to find her door open, terrifying her that someone was in her room while she was unconscious and vulnerable. When she gets up to close the door she sees the ghostly image of a woman walking down the stairs then hears a scream. Before she can follow the apparition she is strangled from behind and passes out. She awakens to Rick worriedly carrying her to bed and tells him she must have fainted. After all, if there had been a ghostly figure and scream, wouldn't Rick have heard it?

    The next day Jim takes Candy around to see the land she now owns. He takes her up to the hill where Jeb was buried and as they stand there Jim is shot in the leg by an unknown assailant. Candy runs to notify Rick and Nora and then decides she should get Clint too. She boats up river to his cabin but he's not home so she sits down to wait but falls asleep. Clint is angry to find her there but runs to help Jim when she tells him what has happened.

    With some medical treatment Jim is going to be fine but more bad luck strikes that evening when a supply shed explodes. Someone apparently lit dynamite that was stored in it. Candy is discouraged but vows not to give up on her Uncle's mill.

    That night Clint sneaks into Candy's room and tells her Rick murdered Jeb and to be cautious of him. Candy believes more than ever that Clint is losing his mind from the grief of his wife's death.

    The next day Joe takes Candy to visit his mother. He hopes that seeing her will encourage Candy to try and persuade Clint to reopen the hospital. As the two are walking back home in the evening someone begins shooting at them. Joe instructs Candy to get down on the ground while he tries to hunt down the shooter. When he doesn't return after a considerable amount of time Candy gets up and begins running in a panic, unsure of where she is or how to get home. She sits down to cry and falls asleep before Rick finds her. With all the dangerous happening Rick insists they be married right away so he can take care of and protect Candy. She accepts his proposal before they head back to the mill and Candy is delivered more bad news.

    While out, the payroll had been stolen from the office and Sam had been badly beaten. With no money to be payed the loggers all quit. Rick says he can hire new workers the next day when they go into town for a marriage license. Rick also insists it was Joe who committed these crimes and shows some prejudice against natives.

    The next morning Clint flies Candy and Rick to town where they apply for a marriage license and Rick has Candy transfer her holdings to his name so he can pay for new employees. While Rick goes off to hire new loggers Candy meets Clint back at the plane for lunch. She is shocked to see Clint has shaved and cut his hair, revealing that he is actually very handsome. 

    He takes Candy to his house in town, which has laid abandoned since his wife's death and tells her the truth: he's not losing his mind, he's simply pretending to so he can try and hunt down his wife's killer. He believes the killer was a logger as they were in town celebrating payday on that night. So he has pretended to be reclusive as a way to hang around the mill and pretended to be losing his mind in the hopes the killer would be less on guard and more likely to slip up. He tells Candy he believes all the strange incidents are related and that Rick is behind them.

    Rick had been furious at the reading of Jeb's will when he found out Candy would be inheriting the land and not him. At the time he had also made derogatory remarks about Candy which makes his sudden romantic interest in her more suspicious. It doesn't help that he and Nora were dating right up until Candy arrived when they suddenly seemed to cut it off. Candy believes him and the two agree to be on their guard from here on out before Candy kisses Clint.

    When they arrive back at Clint's plane Larry is there and tells them Rick is going to be late and to head home without him. Once in the sky the plane begins to malfunction, clearly having been tampered with, and crashes. Clint is unconscious and bleeding from his head. Candy is conscious but has a serious shoulder injury. Determined to save Clint, Candy wanders, injured, through the forest until she reaches the mill. She runs into the office to find Rick, Nora, and Larry.

    With no prompting Rick begins explaining their plan: Rick had killed Jeb because he believed he was the main beneficiary on his will. After finding out almost everything went to Candy and not him he planned to cause Candy emotional distress so he could manipulate her into signing everything over to him under the promise of marriage. Then he would kill her and own everything. Larry is the one who killed Jenny. Mistakenly believing she had a key to the hospital's drug supply, and needing a fix, he held her up at knife point but didn't expect her to attack him in response. Under attack he stabbed her. Rick witnessed the stabbing and helped Larry create an alibi so he could blackmail him into helping with the murder of the others. Nora is helping because she wants a cut of the money and because she's gaga over Rick.

    Jim then arrives and Candy is heartbroken to learn he too was involved in the murder of her uncle. Rick explains he now plans to lock her up in the house, where he currently has Joe imprisoned, and light it on fire, setting up evidence to incriminate Joe simply because he hates all natives due to the fact that he himself is half native. His father abandoned the family leaving them poor and on the street which caused him to want revenge on all natives and this is further triggered when he gets jealous Jeb is paying for Joe to go to law school (I dunno, his motive is a whole twisted mess of greed, racism, and daddy issues).

    Suddenly Clint shows up with a shotgun and the scene changes to Clint, Candy, and Joe about to leave the mill after the police have hauled off the bad guys. Candy and Clint are to be married, Clint will reopen his hospital meaning Joe can return to school, and Candy will run the mill.

    *I use the word mill but I don't think it's actually a mill. It's just land where the trees are grown and cut. I don't know what else to call it.

- Rick justifies Clint murdering his wife and Candy does not find this disturbing.

- I found it strange and a bit incredulous that Candy fell asleep after both times she was shot at. 

- In my notes I wrote "Did the author not research natives at all? No tribe mentioned just vague stereotypes". Joe is going to law school so he can fight for the rights of his people against "the whites" but like what exactly? Couldn't some issues have been named or at least Joe's tribe?

- I liked that Jenny had attacked Larry when he pulled a knife on her but I wasn't the biggest fan of how Jenny's mental illness was handled. It says she would try to take her own life or threaten suicide but then it also says she would cry to Clint about him working all the time and not spending any time with her. She was also "running away" when she was stabbed on the street so was Clint maybe causing his wife mental distress and she was trying to leave him? At the end of the book Candy does imply she will have to give up the mill to be his wife but Clint tells her hey, maybe it would be fun to have this wife work and not go crazy home alone all day. I didn't like that. 

    Also she's called a "psychopath" when the things mentioned are not signs of psychopathy. More likely signs of a mood disorder like depression or bipolar. And like I said before, people think there is justification for if Clint did kill his wife to be rid of her or be with someone else.

- Interestingly enough the last book I read also had a male villain attempting to commit murder because of his daddy issues. 

    Overall it was good. A quick little thriller and another Avalon book down. 

Keys to Love

    Allison Blue is living in New York working as a commercial artist when she receives a letter from her grandmother, Bunny Blue, in Key West, Florida. Gram is about to sell her historic home, Allamanda House, and is asking Allison to come to Florida and help her pack. Allison is eager to make the trip as both her parents are diplomats and live in other countries and Allison wants to be close to some family. Not only does Allison make the trip but she arranges for her work to transfer her to their Miami office permanently so she can remain close to her grandmother. 

    Once in Key West Allison learns that her grandmother has taken in four boarders; Vondetta, an 18-year-old waitress. Jason, a high school teacher. Ryan, a popular boat captain. and Gilda, an old friend of Grams.

    Not long after arriving Allison finds herself in danger. A threatening message is written on her mirror in soap, all the lightbulbs are unscrewed in her room, and a sketch Ryan made of her is torn and impaled on a thorn bush. Not knowing who is responsible for all these things Allison buys a bolt for her door and is suspicious of everyone. Soon Allison's suspicions of Jason wane as the two begin to go on dates and get romantic but this causes her suspicion of Vondetta to grow as Vondetta had made it clear she had her sights on Jason.

    When Gilda, who is a sponge fisher, invites Allison to join her for a day of sponging Allison agrees before realizing that this could be trap to lure her alone out to sea. However danger befalls not Allison but Gilda instead. While using a fishing spear Gilda slips and punctures an artery in her leg. Allison has to apply a tourniquet and row back to shore while performing first aid on the unconscious Gilda. After receiving medical attention at the hospital Gilda confesses to Allison that it was her that wrote the message on her mirror as well as the other incidents. She did it in the hope that if Allison doesn't help Bunny move then Bunny wont move at all and therefor Gilda wont have to find another place to live. 

    When Allison finds Gram crying in the garden she learns that Gram doesn't want to sell Allamanda House but cannot afford to keep it due to three of the boarders never paying their rent. Gram is a "marshmallow" as they call her. She is too soft and gentle with people to demand the rent that is due her. Allison decides that she will speak up for her grandmother and makes the announcement at the dinner table that everyone will have to pay up or get out. Gilda and Ryan pay their share with no animosity but Vondetta is mad and insists it's not fair. Jason is mad too but for other reasons. Jason is the one boarder who always pays his rent but he had planned to purchase Allamanda House from Bunny and is upset by the change in plans. 

    Gram is part of a group that volunteers at a local museum that is based in an old citadel. She brings her boarders with her to help on her scheduled night, with Gram, Vondetta, and Gilda driving there in one car and Ryan, Jason, and Allison in another. When Allison finishes with her work early she decides to head to the top of the fortress tower and see the view. This requires climbing along a seemingly endless flight of narrow, circling, stone steps. At the top she sees Gram driving away in the darkness and soon Jason and Ryan follow. 

    Panicked at being left behind Allison begins to make her way back down the flight of stairs but the rail-less stairs are a deathtrap in the dark and Allison almost falls off the edge. After becoming frightened by the bugs and bats in the tower she scoots down the stairs on her bottom and remains sitting on the ground floor in the dark building hoping someone notices her disappearance soon. 

    After an unspecified amount of time Allison hears Jason calling for her. Did he come back to retrieve her or for some more sinister purpose? Allison begins to hide from him but when she hears Gram calling for her she knows they came to retrieve her. Jason and Gram say that they both assumed Allison had ridden home with the other and, although this is a plausible answer, she still has a worry that this was a petty prank by Jason to get even with her for Gram not selling Allamanda House.

    With this suspicion still in her mind, and still suffering from uneasy nerves Gilda's pranks had caused, Allison asks her grandmother to accompany her in the garden while she works on a painting of Gram's orange tree in the moonlight. The two are enjoying the evening when the phone suddenly rings and Gram goes inside. Once alone Allison leans over to get a better angle on the tree and feels herself being pushed from behind. Unfortunately Allison is sitting next to an old, uncapped cistern and falls down it. The falls knocks her unconscious momentarily and when she wakes up and realizes where she is she begins to scream and doesn't stop until Gram and Ryan arrive. They lower a chair to her and with the help of Gilda they pull her up. Allison insists she leaned too far and fell over but she can tell Ryan doesn't believe her. Is it because he pushed her?

    Despite her suspicions she accepts a date with Ryan. Since she is still recovering from her scrapes and bruises from the fall the date is a home cooked meal. Allison enjoys herself and Ryan's company but at the end of the night Ryan confesses to Allison that he feels she is in danger and for her not to trust Jason. Allison writes this off as jealousy. As it turns out Vondetta had been Ryan's sweetheart until she dumped him to chase after Jason. Could Ryan be jealous of Allison's feelings for Jason?

    On the last day before Allison leaves for Miami Ryan arranges for her, him, and Gram to attend a play in the evening. However before then Jason offers to take Allison to the docks to paint a shrimp boat, something she stated she wanted to do. Jason works part time on a shrimp boat, it's currently in dry dock and the perfect scene for Allison's painting. 

    When they arrive at the docks Jason takes Allison onto the empty boat and shows her around. He lifts the hatch to the engine room below deck for her to peer in and as she leans over to do so he shoves her through. As Allison struggles to get to her feet after the fall Jason comes down the ladder, pure hatred showing in his face. He bounds and gags Allison while telling her his plan. In a few hours, after the docks have emptied of people, he'll come back with a gun and shoot her. Gram, devastated by her disappearance and then death, will be easy to manipulate into selling Allamanda House. 

    Jason is so desperate to get Allamanda House because for generations it had belonged to his family. His drunken, abusive father had lost it gambling and after passing hands several times Bunny had bought it. Jason wants to get the house and turn it into a showplace so he can show the world that he is better than his father. 

    After he leaves Allison is able to cut the ropes around her wrists with something on the wall but her ankles, which are also tied, cannot reach the same spot and her fingers cannot manage to undo the knots. Suddenly a cat brushes upon her and she ties her distinctive headscarf which she always wears around the cats tail, hoping the cat can get out and draw some attention. As she waits for something to happen Allison falls asleep but is awaken to the hatch opening. To her relief it is not Jason but Ryan. 

    

    Knowing Allison wouldn't stand him or her grandmother up Ryan went out looking for her. He guessed the docks because he knew she wanted to paint a shrimp boat before she left. Once at the docks he saw the cat with her scarf walking across the ships deck. Ryan cuts the ropes on her legs just as Jason returns with a gun and orders them both to come up. As they hesitate a police man arrives and askes to see Jason's work pass to make sure he is not trespassing. Ryan rushes up the latter and tells the police that Jason has a woman captive below. After as brief attempt to run Jason surrenders, Ryan confesses his love for Allison, and the two get engaged. 

- The first thing I noted about this book when I started it was that it was trying very hard to be scarier than it was. When Allison finds the message on her mirror I rolled my eyes and thought "Vondetta is being childish". It seemed like a dumb prank but Allison acts like it's a horses head in her bed or something terrifying. That happens with a lot of Gilda's pranks, they're not that scary.

- The red herrings were too obvious. Vodetta tells Allison to stay away from Jason, then sees Allison leave on a date with Jason. When Allison returns home she finds the note on her mirror telling her to leave. Obviously anyone would assume the message was by Vondetta but for some reason Allison thinks it could have been Gilda which makes it clear it was Gilda.

    I guess I don't have many notes for this book. It was a quick. enjoyable read. I really like these Avalon books from the 1970s because they are short and entertaining. They're perfect for reading a book in one sitting which I prefer to do. 

Judy Bolton: Seven Strange Clues

    In preparation for a upcoming poster contest Judy is having a work bench built in the Bolton's cellar. Not only will she and Horace have use for it but Judy also wants to have it for her friends; Honey who does not have the space to paint in her grandparents apartments, and Irene who can not afford her own paints.

    The work bench is to be built by Stephen and Lon, two young men who are boarding at Irene's house and renting half of the Bolton's garage for their car. Stephen particularly seems to have taken a liking to Judy.

    Now that Judy is spending more time in the cellar she is noticing some strange things. First she hears the sound of glass breaking and later she hears whistling. Things also begin to go missing such as an apple she is using as a reference for her poster and a stack of papers places by the furnace for burning.

    One night Judy goes out to the movies with Peter while Honey uses Judy's work bench. The couple arrive back at the Bolton house at midnight to find Honey nervous and in a rush to leave. Although she insists she is fine Judy thinks Honey must have experienced something spooky in the cellar.

    Irene doesn't end up using the work bench as Kay Vincent has suddenly decided to make friends with Irene and lend her own paints to the mill girl. Kay's snobbery surpasses that of even Lorraine and she has a long history of refusing to associate with any of the girls who work at the mill so her sudden interest in befriending Irene is a surprise to all who know her.

    It is the last day to hand in posters for the competition and as Judy and Honey are walking to school they see people rushing despite the early hour. A fire truck ends up passing and soon the girls see their school building up in flames. The school is completely destroyed as well as the students posters which were inside. Judy feels no great personal loss over the latter as her poster turned out embarrassingly bad.

    The contest participants are now made up of students from other schools with the exception of Kay who was waiting to turn her poster in alongside Irene who attends Industrial high, a special night school for the mill workers. Judy is certain that Irene's beautiful poster will win the competition so it is a surprise when she opens the announcement letter and sees that she, Judy, has won first place.

    Knowing that this is impossible due to her poster being destroyed in the fire Judy heads to the department store where the posters are being displayed. The winning poster is unfamiliar to Judy but after some investigating, and misunderstandings, it is revealed that the poster was created by Honey. However more questions arise when Honey announces her poster disappeared in the Bolton's cellar.

    On the night Judy and Peter went to the movies Honey was working in the cellar alone when she began hearing muffled voices. In her nervous haste to leave the house she forgot her poster in the cellar but it was not there when she went to retrieve it later.

    With so much happening in the cellar Judy, Horace, Honey, Peter, and Irene all head down there and begin searching for a hidden entrance. They find a trap door in the floor which leads to a sub-cellar which contains another trap door leading to the Bolton's garage. Inside the sub-cellar they find shelves which are empty except for a broken bottle of whiskey. The group is now able to piece the mystery together: the house's former tenant, gangster Vine Thompson, had been bootlegging liquor. Stephen and Lon had rented the garage with the intention of accessing the sub-cellar and sneaking out the liquor. Judy is able to deduce that the boys were hired by Kay Vincent's father, who owned the house when Vine rented it. Kay's sudden interest in Irene's friendship was an excuse to be around the two boarders and supervise the smuggling job. The papers were stolen from the Bolton's cellar to wrap up the liquor bottles with. When Honey's poster got mixed up with them the boys, assuming it was Judy's and being fond of her, had put her name onto it and turned it in for her.

    Judy takes this information to police chief Kelly who conducts a raid on Kay's father. It is also soon learned that Kay had copied her poster from a magazine advertisement. Having forgotten the magazine on her desk at school she sent her little brother, Dick, to go retrieve it and while using a match to light the empty classroom he accidentally started the school fire.

    Irene ends up being hired by Judy's father as an office girl which pays her more than the mill and gives her an opportunity to learn more about her father's illness as Dr. Bolton is his physician. Irene's father's illness is due to paint poisoning he got while working in unsafe conditions in a factory owned by Mr. Vincent. Irene tells Judy that they will be suing Mr. Vincent over it.

- I found Irene very unlikeable. She gets mad at Judy and wants to end their friendship because she is jealous she didn't win the poster contest.

- I like how Sutton just exnihilated the Vincent family. Kay had been awful to Judy since book two so she certainly had it coming.

- I love how Honey clearly is interested in Horace in this book. They are an adorable couple in my opinion which means I didn't much like how Irene was placed into the role that Lorraine takes when it comes to Judy and Arthur.

- I found the mystery in this book to move a little bit too fast for my liking. It seemed like Judy was making wild assumptions and they turned out to be true. I can overlook it though since it's not the norm for this series.

- I like how we continue to find mysteries in the familiar setting of the Bolton home. I enjoy the mysterious history of the house and like it being used beyond The Haunted Attic.

- I also was a fan of Blackberry helping solve the mystery. I think Sutton did a good job of including him but also keeping him as a realistic cat. He helps them solve the mystery simply by wanting to be let outside.

- I like Stephen and Lon and would have enjoyed if they became semi-reoccurring characters in the series.