Voice in the Dark, Pine Barrens Mystery, and Vanderlyn Silhouette by Augusta Seaman

The Voice in the Dark is a collection of 11 of Augusta Huiell Seaman's short stories that were previously published in magazines.  Reading a short story is not as satisfying as reading a full-length novel, but the stories are interesting and entertaining.

In The Pine Barrens Mystery, Roxanna and her brother, Chub, plan to spend their vacation in Atlantic City, but at Chub's insistence, they instead stay in a boarding house in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey.  The two stumble upon an old house, which has been abandoned for years.  Roxanna's new friend, Alma, shows her an old diary that she found in the house.  The girls become enthralled with learning more about the people who once lived in the house.

The Pine Barrens Mystery is a very good book.

In The Vanderlyn Silhouette, Dosia lives in a small house on the old Richmond Hill Estate with her mother, who is the housekeeper.  Two young relatives, Priscilla and David, come to live with Dosia and her mother.  John Vanderlyn also comes to the estate to paint.  Dosia discovers a paper silhouette of John Vanderlyn.  The silhouette is a clue to the location of some important documents.  Vanderlyn and his young friends search for the papers.

This is another of Seaman's historical novels and is also one of Seaman's most scarce books.  The story starts off in an unfocused fashion, detailing several events that are seemingly unconnected.  For that reason, the book is not very interesting at first.  The story improves once the reader better understands events.  Even so, this is not one of my favorite Seaman novels, since I prefer the ones that are not based on actual historical figures.