Dana Girls #5 The Secret at the Hermitage

In Dana Girls #5, The Secret at the Hermitage, a former prison warden, Harold Norton, mistakenly believes that Louise is an escaped inmate, Nina Regan.  Louise bears some resemblance to Nina Regan, and nothing anyone says can convince Norton that Louise is not Nina.  Harold relentlessly pursues Louise, putting her in grave danger.

Meanwhile, the girls chance to become acquainted with Nina Regan and believe that she is innocent of the crime for which she was convicted.  The girls work to uncover evidence that will prove Nina's innocence.

It is a bit scary for the ex-warden to harass and try to capture Louise.  This makes the story quite suspenseful.

This book has some unusual events that are rather Kay Tracey-esque.  On page 93, an enraged tiger is stopped after it is hit in the nose by a box of chocolates.  The tiger begins licking at the chocolates, forgetting that it was angry and on the rampage.  On page 134, the hermitage is suddenly buried by a landslide.

On page 139, Nina communicates with the Danas by tapping out letters.  Jean proclaims that the code is simple.  "One tap for A, two for B, and so on."  Um, that would also mean 13 taps for M, 19 taps for S, and 26 taps for Z.  What kind of a stupid code is that?  It would take forever to send simple messages.  Of course, Nina and the Danas send lengthy messages back and forth without any trouble.

This is an excellent book.