In the Camp of the Black Rider and Mystery at Lake Retreat by Capwell Wyckoff

In the Camp of the Black Rider was published by A. L. Burt in 1931 and was later reprinted by Saalfield.  In this story, Ted Thorn is the son of the owner of a lumber company.  He and his best friend, Buck Dalton, have been working at the lumber company during the summer.  They plan to go camping soon before they begin college.

Mr. Calvert summons Ted to a meeting.  Mr. Calvert proposes that Ted and Buck take the boys of the Boys' Club on a camping trip to Black Riders' Camp, which is in a remote area in the woods.  The camp is named for a group of men who performed raids during the Revolutionary War.  The camp is said to be haunted by the Black Riders.  Soon after the Boys' Club's arrival in camp, strangers prowl the camp at night, performing mischief.  Ted, Buck, and their young charges keep watch and try to find the culprits.

Much of the action occurs at night in the middle of the woods with no light except for lanterns or a campfire.

This is an amazingly good book.  I was not bored by a single paragraph.  Every single passage is interesting.  This is a very captivating book, and I cannot praise it enough.  Series books do not get better than this one.  This book is equal to the best of the best of all series books and is excellent to the nth degree.  I was disappointed when I finished the story, because I wanted it to last longer than it did.

After reading a book like In the Camp of the Black Rider, the next book read ends up a disappointment, because few books can compare.  I read The Mystery at Lake Retreat next.  It was lackluster in comparison, but that does not mean that the book is bad.

The Mystery at Lake Retreat was published by A. L. Burt in 1931 and later reprinted by Saalfield.

In The Mystery at Lake Retreat, Dave, Dilly, and Ren travel to Lake Retreat to go camping.  Soon after the boys are settled, they discover prowlers around their camp.  They learn about a strange recluse who lives nearby, and soon, they realize that the recluse, known as the Lakeman, threatens their safety.

This is a good to very good book, but it pales in comparison to In the Camp of the Black Rider.