Trixie Belden Series 22 - 24

22) The Mystery on Mead's Mountain

It's time to get into an Alpine mood. The Bob Whites are offered the chance to stay at a breathtaking mountain lodge and learn cross country skiing. Mr Wheeler is thinking of buying the resort and asks the gang for feedback of their impressions. Nobody anticipates the hostile activity of a disgruntled ghost beginning as soon as they arrive. Is there really a human agency behind the nasty attempts to scare them away? And why? What's really going on around here?

* Hooray, it's high time the Bob Whites travel to a new and exciting location. The last six books have been set around home in Sleepyside. I'm well and truly ready for a different setting. But I'm so sad that once again, Dan is unable to go along. Especially when he's right there with them for the first chapter, eagerly asking questions about Mead's Mountain. He can't hide his misery at having to miss out yet again, and that makes us Dan fans upset too. Come on all you Kathryn Kennys, give our boy a break.  

* The Bob Whites discover the down side of owning a car. The overheads are darned expensive. 

* The legend of Thomas Mead's destructive, cantankerous ghost is such a fun premise. He was one of those infamous characters remembered solely for being a cranky old grump to the extent that he was executed for it. (Come to think of it, he sounds a bit like Mr Lytell back in Sleepyside.) Apparently Mead refuses to rest, but is still intent in driving visitors off his precious snowy slopes, even though he's no longer there to enjoy them.  Not that it sounds like he was ever the type of guy who ever actually enjoyed anything, as such, while he was alive.  

* I assumed the Bob Whites were going to be something like Secret Shoppers, only as guests at a ski resort. But it was no secret. Everyone knows upfront this group of teens is the 'investigation team' sent by Matthew Wheeler. In retrospect, things would have been far easier and more hassle free if they'd been able to do their job incognito. And there would have been a whole lot less hostility from people who took umbrage at the fact that they were teenagers. But then, I guess, there would have been no mystery.   

* Honey loses her jolly antique heirloom watch again! It seems she hasn't learned her lesson from The Black Jacket Mystery. Remember when it disappeared while she was wearing it out riding in the game preserve, and Trixie jumped to the conclusion that Dan stole it? Same scenario, different setting. This time it could be anywhere on the ski slopes, and Eric, the lodge's young ski instructor, is Trixie's new scapegoat. For heaven's sake Honey, please lock that watch in a safe!

* Oh wow, a heated swimming pool out by the snow! Yes please!

* The sense of place is superb, as usual. I love this passage when they reach a cliff summit. 'Down in front of them was the chair lift, a mere thread connecting them with the miniature lodge below. They could see the Tan Van, looking more like a toy, and the swimming pool resembling the jeweled setting in a ring. Beyond the lodge was the village of Groverville, pavement ribbons extending from it.' Well done, Kathryn Kenny. With that one paragraph, we're right on the spot without the killer climb.  

* Diana is mustering some sort of enthusiasm for her academic future at last. It's Art. She's the one who instantly recognises the celebrated Carl Stevenson's print in the resort's foyer. And it turns out Art is one of her school subjects, with that friendly Mr Crider from Mystery of Old Telegraph Road as her teacher. Yay, you go, Di.   

* After witnessing some beautiful grazing deer, Di expresses her sorrow at having eaten the roast venison at the Wheelers' before their trip. I tell you, Matt Wheeler has set up Watership Down in his backyard!

* The incident when Mart gets caught in the avalanche is one of those moments of the series that made a long-term impression on me. Sure, we know they'll find him, but how dramatic is savage Mother Nature! And back in my teens, I didn't even fully understand the full risks of suffocation, hypothermia and broken bones. 

* Is it just me, or is Miss Trask a bit breezy and remiss at times? Mart gets spun off his feet in a Mack truck load of sliding snow, is buried for a good 20 or 30 minutes, dug out by a stroke of mere luck, and she doesn't take it upon herself to inform Peter and Helen Belden what happened. Sure he's safe now and there's nothing they can do anyway, but as a parent, it doesn't sit right with me that she doesn't insist on telling them the very same night. Wouldn't you agree, if he was your 15-year-old son? 

* The Bob Whites get to dine at The Purple Turnip, an eclectic vegetarian restaurant. Wow, what goes around comes around. Back in the seventies when this book was written, it was a very popular type of alternative restaurant. And its same vibe would appeal to the hipsters of our new young generation too. There's something about the makeshift tables, mismatched cutlery and vego food that is very contemporary yet again. 

* The picture on my oval cover edition is startling. During the scene it depicts, Jim mentions the guy's 'grotesque' red and green ski mask. I can't help thinking a garish mask is an unwise choice for a crook who turns out to be doing something underhanded that he wants to keep hidden. He should have gone for something neutral and camouflaging.     

 * Brian gets a chance to use his on-the-spot first aid skills not once but twice in this story. First casualty is his brother, of course, after that shocking avalanche. That one's highly emotion charged for Brian. And second is a crusty old man skiing out of control and colliding with a tree. (Better not say too much about him.) Woot woot, go Brian! He makes a vast generalization about sunburn though, commenting that he and Di tan nicely, yet all the blondes and redheads frizzle in the glare of sun off the snow. Nope, not always the case. I'm a brunette who burns like a lobster if not careful.  

* Jim's muscle man moves become necessary in this story too. He's definitely the guy for those fan girls who admire shows of brute strength. I don't think we ever see Dan or the Belden boys put on the spot in this manner even once. I wonder what would happen if they were.

* Hmm, it seems the Bob Whites themselves are crime suspects on another amateur investigator's list, at least for a little while. That's one for the books. They don't think they're remotely suspicious.

* (Aww, how about this exchange.) Di: He certainly is very good looking (talking about Eric). Mart: You would think so. Maybe I should grow wild curls myself. They seem to drive the ladies mad. Di: Don't you dare. We like you just the way you are. You're a real individual, Mart. Mart: Goodbye wild curls - Hello Di! (These two are so cute, but I wish she'd gone ahead and cajoled him to do it. Since he has the potential to grow a careless, tousled mop, it seems such a waste not to, simply out of pride. Ask any guy with thinning hair.)

* I think my quote of the book goes to Carl Stevenson. 'I always found that art understood me a lot better than people did.' I'm always drawn to hermit characters, and he's no exception. They strike me as wise and enlightened, with something elusive that compensates for human society. 

* Okay, this book finishes on New Year's Eve, presumably one exact year after the ending of Mystery in Arizona. The girls were still thirteen then, and now they're fourteen. I scrapped my timeline as far back as Mystery on the Mississippi, yet it's still glaringly evident to any reader who keeps track of dates that this is only a matter of four complete months before Trixie will turn 15 on May 1st. We all know the KK authors don't intend to take her to her next birthday, yet we've only just tipped the halfway point. More precisely, there are 17 books yet to come. That's a lot to squeeze into four months. But bring it on.

23) The Mystery of the Queen's Necklace 

Woo hoo, the Bob Whites go international, or at least four of them do. Trixie and Mart accept an invitation to spend ten days in England along with Honey, Jim and Miss Trask, to research the origin of a stunning necklace Honey has inherited. But not only does the gang feel unwelcome in England, but they become the target of pickpockets. What's more, Miss Trask seems a little too friendly with a smooth talking Scotsman who behaves rather suspiciously. The trip turns into a quest to desperately retain the heirloom necklace, let alone learn about it.  

* Trixie insists on starting this story with a 'Council of War.' She's drawing from the sassy attitude she showed all through Mystery at Bob White Caves and pressuring her parents to cave in to her demands. The Beldens think it's a bit lavish for the Wheelers to give their kids a paid-for international trip. However, I'm with Trixie on this one. Who would willingly let a trip to England slip out of their grasp? But this brief showdown makes me sad that Peter and Helen never get to take a holiday with the Bob Whites themselves throughout the whole series, unlike the Wheelers and Lynches. The all-year-round toil of a small farm must take its toll. Anyway, they agree at last, and Trixie and Mart are off to England! Woo hoo!   

* Oh no, Brian can't go! He has too much work to do at home to spare for 10 days in England. Seriously, we're used to Dan and even Di missing out, but what sort of adventure will it be without Brian? Let's hope nobody needs first aid. 

* Wow, breaking news! Mart is letting his hair grow out for no apparent reason. After all, Diana told him not to do it in Mead's Mountain. But perhaps hearing her consistently go gaga over curly-haired guys has got to him at last. Or maybe he's just growing up and dropping his middle kid statement. It's pure conjecture since he offers no reason for the change. And he still hates being mistaken for Trixie's twin. 

* Talking about hair, Trixie reflects how intimidating Mrs Wheeler can be, since she never appears with one out of place. I think we all know why. She never needs to lift a finger to do a scrap of work. 

* Honey lives everyone's ultimate fantasy. Imagine a wealthy relative you've never heard of passing away and leaving you a priceless treasure in their will. It could only happen to a rich chick like Miss Madeleine Wheeler. The artifact itself is very cool though. It's a necklace dating back to the time of Queen Elizabeth I, but rather than actually being worn by the monarch herself, it's an imitation used by Shakespeare's players as costume jewellery. And Honey can actually trace her genealogy back to Shakespeare's family, through her mother's line.   

* Sadly, the Bob Whites find their general reception in England is not particularly warm. Jim calls it a distinct 'Yankee-Go-Home' feeling. (On a quick personal note, this shocks me since I found quite the opposite vibe as a visiting Aussie.) Anyway, Jim puts it down to lingering resentment after World War Two, when the Brits were still on strict rations and felt the Americans rubbed their faces in it by flashing their dough. Really? Another conjecture is that they find American tourists loud and disruptive. 

* Plainly, it's only Trixie who consistently causes offence. The other three don't get people's backs up. Jim is naturally gallant and gentlemanly, Honey is her usual polite and tactful self, and even Mart seems to have mastered the knack of pausing to reflect how he may come across. But our impatient, impulsive girl detective is a hopeless case. I do feel sorry for her in this book though. She's like an ebullient puppy dog who keeps getting chastised and snubbed. If she had a tail it would be between her legs. It's refreshing to see her like this. 

* Just for the record, her accidental faux pas in getting them all evicted from their first Bed & Breakfast at Stratford could easily have been overlooked in my opinion. It's sad that the wry and droll Brits come across so oversensitive.  

* There are still a couple of lessons Honey should have learned, but apparently hasn't. First is about bestowing trust too readily. And second is not to be careless with her ridiculously expensive jewels. For heavens sake, after losing that antique watch of hers twice, they should all know by now not to let Honey carry the heirloom necklace around in her handbag. Somebody please buy Jim a man bag and let him be the person in charge of it! Especially since they know there are pickpockets around the place.   

* The Bob Whites pass 221B Baker Street while they're in London, and Mart tells the girls, 'that's the famous Victorian flat Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are supposed to have rented. Only they didn't, of course, because they're really just fictitious characters.' Hmm, this is where things start getting a bit surreal. Hey Mart, if we're really splitting hairs, what does that make you and your sister and the Wheelers? Since they all seem as real to me as flesh and blood friends, especially while re-reading this series, I won't turn it back on him.  

* Och, they have another delicate problem on their hands. It seems Miss Trask's head is being turned by the bluff Scotsman Mr McDuff, who latches onto them after saving Honey from a spot of bother at Piccadilly Circus. Apart from feeling awkward with the flirty, careless, sometimes touchy behaviour she assumes (and who can blame them!), the Bob Whites struggle with the possibility of losing their beloved chaperone to Scotland. Perhaps they should have been encouraging Mr Lytell's suit all along, haha.     

* Deja-vu from Mystery of the Blinking Eye. In that story, pickpockets were trailing the Bob Whites in New York. Now they're doing the same thing in London and beyond. Same scenario, different artifact. (And different pickpockets, of course.)  

* Now, this just puzzles me. Mart says, 'Surprisingly enough, the stereotyped ideas we have about people of other nations are more often false than true. You know, like I thought the English would have terrible food.' Now, whatever made him think that? He mentions his expectation more than once, and even writes to Di how surprised he is that everything is so delicious. Is this a general misconception that Americans have about British food? And if so, why?  

* You bet they cram some great places into their itinerary, including Madame Tussaud's, Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London. Honey gets a bit squeamish over all the talk about beheadings, but she's come to the wrong place to dodge it. (Honey is a bit of a wuss in this book.) Later they attend live Shakespearean theatre at Stratford twice.  

 * The girls and guys occasionally split up, and I'd prefer to go along with Jim and Mart but of course we readers get dragged along with Trixie and Honey. While the girls do souvenir shopping in Oxford Street, the boys take a cruise up the Thames to the Greenwich Meridian. And in Stratford, the boys tour Shakespeare's house while the girls opt for strolling in the park. If only this particular book had a 'choose your own adventure' component written into it, I know which pair I'd be trailing. 

* Anti-quote of the book comes from Trixie. 'Well I guess there wouldn't be any London if our country hadn't entered the war.' Whoa, wash your mouth out, arrogant miss. I'm glad Miss Trask demurs about that point. 

* Quote of the book comes from Mart, when Trixie strains too far over a cord barrier at Warwick Castle and knocks a suit of mail clattering to the floor. He says, 'Trixie strikes another blow for international relations.' Bahaha. 

24) The Mystery at Saratoga

We get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the racehorse industry, with its hidden corruption. Part of Regan's past comes to light. When a thoroughbred horse breeder named Mr Worthington comes to visit the Wheelers, Regan gets wind of it and takes off, leaving a cryptic note for Dan. A bit of research reveals that he was implicated in a horse doping scandal as a teenager. Trixie and Honey aren't sure whether Regan disappeared to clear his name or avoid justice, but either way they are determined to track him down. 

* Whoops, one of the things the Bob Whites have dreaded has finally happened. Regan has disappeared, for no apparent reason. It's some mysterious catalyst known only to himself. Trixie's reasons for wanting him to always stick around are not entirely unselfish. Mr Wheeler has hinted that he may sell all the horses if Regan ever gives notice, because he's an employee in a million. What's more, Regan is always willing to babysit Bobby any time. Yet nevertheless, she and the other Bob Whites genuinely value him as the great friend and treasure that he is. 

* Regan leaves Dan a note telling him that he has to take care of unfinished business for an undisclosed length of time. Even Trixie notices that he signs it, 'Your Uncle' instead of 'Love.' It seems Regan and Dan are both adept at dodging talk about their pasts. Although there's genuine commitment on both sides, this uncle and nephew definitely keep each other at arm's length. I'd like to see them grow closer, but wonder if it's possible or likely.  

* Of course, the age gap between them is far less than most uncles and nephews, making things more complex. Figuring that Regan is 24 in this story, and Dan is about 16, it's really only a matter of eight years or so, which makes Regan more of a floundering older brother figure, in my opinion. I guess it's a big ask to expect Regan to supply the secure and grounded adult influence which Dan needs from his only living family member. It's easy to forget just how young Regan really is.

* (Okay, I just had a terribly corny thought. Although Regan may be a 'stable' influence in the horsey sense, he's not necessarily a 'stable' influence in the sense of reliability. If you're groaning, do forgive me.)  

* Trixie blows up at Dan, when he wonders if the ugly rumour about Regan is true. She says, 'He showed a lot more faith in you, and hardly knew you at all.' Although Dan nods and apologises at that point, I beg to disagree. At the time of Dan's arrival in Sleepyside, Regan barely showed any trust in him at all, and basically disowned him, leaving him with Mr Maypenny from the outset. (I discussed this more in my review of The Black Jacket Mystery.)

* Poor Trixie is going through a phase of being gloomy about her looks (although we know she's considered very pretty by many). How about this logic. She pulls a face at her own reflection, then tells Honey, 'See, no wonder how funny I look ordinarily, it's nice to know that I can look even funnier if I really try.' It's extremely sad really, that she deems Honey (and of course Diana, when she's around) closer to society's ideal of beauty than herself, then beats herself up over it. 

* A sneaky, cloak and dagger vibe pervades the racecourse, which the two girls discover is merely part of the industry. Owners and trainers do their best to keep a horse's vital statistics as close to their chests as possible, which takes some trickery and subterfuge, considering everything is ostensibly done in broad daylight. But it's all in a day's work. 

* Mr Worthington is the gregarious owner of Worthington Farms, the prestigious thoroughbred outfit where Regan worked from the age of 16 to 17. Carl Stinson is the taciturn but highly relied-upon head trainer who is foul at Regan, because he believes his most promising young employee did the dirty on him, accepted a bribe and doped the prize horse in the stables. 

* Oh, and although horse-lovers no doubt know this, as Trixie and Honey already did, it was news to me. 'Thoroughbred' is actually a specific breed of horse. Many novices mistake it for 'purebred'. I was one of those naive readers. 

* Ooh la la, Regan's past included budding romance, young as he was. Carl Stinson's daughter Joan, also a teenager at the time, had a major crush on the young redhead. This author (Laura French, I believe) left it way open for other Kathryn Kennys to continue developing Regan's relationship with Joan. Nobody ever does though. I doubt her name is ever mentioned again.  

* The scene when Trixie and Honey eventually find Regan is heartwarming. It shows the fond, easy rapport they all share with him, and is also the one and only scene in which Regan ever falls off a horse with shock. 

* Even though part of Regan's personal history has come to light, it turns out to be just a small chunk of his working life as a teenager. Nothing at all is divulged about his dysfunctional family background, including his relationship with his sister and whatever happened to their parents. Why was a sixteen-year-old lad out by himself, looking for jobs with horses anyway? 

* Hmm, we had Carl Stevenson in Mead's Mountain and now Carl Stinson two books later. Hopefully that's enough Carls for a while, lest we get them mixed up. 

* Yay, although Jim, Brian and Mart aren't in this story for the most part (since they're working as camp counselors), I love their role toward the end.

* Quote of the book comes from Trixie. 'We'll think. Our brothers aren't the only Bob Whites who have mastered that skill, in spite of what they try to tell us.'

Catch up with Series 19 - 21

Next up will be Series 25 - 27