Judy Bolton #38 The Secret of the Sand Castle and #39 The Strange Likeness

In Judy Bolton #38, The Secret of the Sand Castle, Roxy asks Judy to inspect a property on Fire Island that she is supposed to inherit.  Judy visits the property, known as the Sand Castle, along with Irene, Flo, and Pauline.  The girls only intend to visit for the afternoon, but a misunderstanding causes them to be stranded for days.  The Sand Castle is reputedly haunted by the ghost of a dead woman, and Judy even sees her!

The book opens with a fast car almost hitting Blackberry.  The driver looks just like Peter.  Margaret Sutton intended for the next title in the series to be about Peter's double, and this scene sets it up.

I like that Peter is only present at the beginning and end of the story.  Judy gets to solve a mystery on her own with her friends.  The atmosphere is spooky.  The girls are alone on a mostly deserted island with few people around.

This is an excellent book and a strong ending to the series.

The Strange Likeness was published in 2012 by Margaret Sutton's estate.  It was written by Kate Duvall and Beverly Hatfield.  The book uses the title planned by Margaret Sutton to be the 39th title in the series.  Sutton never wrote that book, since the series was canceled after the publication of #38.

In Judy Bolton #39, The Strange Likeness, Judy witnesses a jewelry theft by a man who looks exactly like Peter!  Judy keeps seeing the man, and she tells Peter about him.  Peter reveals that he is working on a case that involves his double, but he cannot give Judy any details.  Judy continues to see Peter's double, and Judy worries about what might happen.

Page six mentions how Lorraine and Arthur are living in Europe for a year.  This is good continuity, since Arthur and Lorraine are in Europe for a year at the end of the original series.

Pages 15 and 16 remind the reader about Peter's double almost running over Blackberry at the beginning of The Secret of the Sand Castle.  By mentioning events from the previous title, this book reads like it is part of the original series.

This is a very good book.