The Mark of the Red Diamond by Josephine Chase

As stated in my previous post, the Detective Books for Girls series consists of five books, all attributed to Josephine Chase.

1.  The Mark of the Red Diamond, 1929
2.  The Green Jade Necklace, 1931
3.  Behind the Purple Mask, 1932
4.  The Golden Imp, 1933
5.  The Blue Shadow Mystery, 1935

However, Josephine Chase died in 1931.  Her death makes it unlikely that she wrote the last three titles in the series.  Having read all five books, I am certain that Chase did write the first two books.  The writing style changes somewhat with the third book and even more so with the fourth and fifth books.  Chase probably did not write the third book, and she definitely did not write the fourth and fifth books.

In The Mark of the Red Diamond, Dale Alden's aunt recently passed away, leaving her alone in the world.  Dale inherited a small sum of money, but she must now earn her living.  She takes a job as a social secretary to Mrs. Treverton in Palm Beach, Florida.  While traveling to Florida by train, Dale witnesses a hold-up by a man wearing a mask.  The man has a curious red diamond on his arm.  Later in Florida, that bandit is once again spotted.  Dale begins to suspect Mrs. Treverton's son, Adrien, of being mixed up with the bandit, who remains at large.

Dale is 17 years old.

On page 138, Dale and a detective need to follow the bandit by automobile.  The detective says that he cannot drive, so Dale drives the car for him.  I was surprised that a man cannot drive a car.  Usually in these old series books, the men all can drive, and the women might not be able to drive.  Of course, the female protagonists of series books always can drive.  They have special powers.

In one passage, Dale actually shoots the bandit in the leg.

Parts of this book are quite suspenseful.  This is a very good book.