Red Carnations, Hidden Hollow, and Indian Island by Mary C. Jane

In Mystery of the Red Carnations, Prue Tenney is supposed to write about something exciting over the weekend.  Nothing exciting ever happens.  Prue remembers an unidentified young man who was shot and killed years ago.  She visits his grave and sees the person who leaves the red carnations on the grave each year on the anniversary of his death.  Prue is shocked that the man is Mr. Holman, owner of a nearby farm.  Could Mr. Holman have killed the man?

I was reminded of the Poe Toaster as I read the story.

This is a very good book.

In Mystery in Hidden Hollow, Amy and Freddy stay with their Uncle Ken in a motel cabin.  As winter approaches, the children will be forced to go back home since the cabin has no electricity.  Amy and Freddy have an unhappy home life.  The children are excited—and a bit scared—when Uncle Ken is hired to watch over Mr. Sargent's old cabin in Hidden Hollow.

This is a very good book.

In Indian Island Mystery, a valuable bear's-tooth necklace disappears from Eric and Abbie Jane's parents' shop.  An Indian boy from the nearby island is suspected, since he has run away from home.  The children believe him to be innocent, so they set out to prove it.

The story is good, but I had trouble getting into it.

Longfellow Square and Nine-Mile Marsh by Mary C. Jane

In Mystery in Longfellow Square, Phil Holt's mother has been hired as Miss Goddard's secretary.  Phill will look after her nephew's dog.  Soon after the Holts get settled, Miss Goddard has a visitor, who is interested in her research of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Unfortunately, Miss Goddard trusts the man completely and will not listen to Phil, who is certain that the man is searching the house for something.  The man even orders Miss Goddard to send the dog away, much to Phil's horror.  Can Phil learn the truth in time to foil the man's plot?

The story is good, but like some of the others, I was never that interested.

In Mystery on Nine-Mile Marsh, Lucille no longer has anyone to play with after school. The other girls have formed the Saturday Club, and Lucille was not invited to join.  The girls go to parties and other gatherings that Lucille cannot attend.  Lucille finally makes a new friend, Barbara.

Lucille, Barbara, Kevin, and Brent learn that Moody's Island has a new owner.  The four children are tasked with looking after the property when the new owner goes away. The children discover intruders and soon learn that someone is trying to gain control of the property.

I really enjoyed it when Lucille becomes friends with Barbara.  Take that, you snobbish Saturday Club girls!

This is a very good book.

Dead End Farm, Dark Windows, and Mystery by Moonlight by Mary C. Jane

In Mystery at Dead End Farm, old Nils Gustafson has disappeared.  His farm is deserted, and Nils is nowhere to be found. Priscilla and Greg find a few strangers on Nils' land and wonder what is going on.  The children learn that several men think that Nils is planning to sell a plane that he was fixing up for Greg.  Greg refuses to believe the rumor, which causes a rift between the children.

This book did not interest me that much.  The problem is that I never cared about the situation or what happened to the characters. I have to feel invested in the plot in order to care.

In Mystery Behind Dark Windows, Ellie Pride's Aunt Rachel refuses to sell the old mill.  Instead, Aunt Rachel leaves the mill empty, with all the men out of work. The townspeople are deeply resentful about the situation.  A group of boys runs around stealing things, and the townspeople believe that the young people have too much idle time.  Meanwhile, vandalism occurs at the mill, and Ellie tries to find the culprit.

This book also didn't grab me that much.

In Mystery by Moonlight, Gail hears strange noises from Morgan's Green, an abandoned old ruin of a house.  The house burned years before, but part of the structure still stands. Soon, Gail learns that the old house may be sold shortly.  Gail is devastated, because she uses an old shed that is hidden in the woods on the property as her secret place to write stories.  Gail is constantly teased about her stories, so she hides them in the old shed. Will Gail lose the old shed?

This is a very good story.

Mystery on Echo Ridge and Mystery Back of the Mountain by Mary C. Jane

In Mystery on Echo Ridge, David, his sister, Barby, and his friend, Jonny, live near Echo Ridge, upon which stands the old Lampier house.  Mrs. Lampier moved away because of a scandal involving her late husband, who may have stolen a large sum of money.

Now Mrs. Lampier is back, and Jonny fears that his family will be forced to move away.  Some people believed Jonny's father was responsible for the theft, and Mrs. Lampier's presence may cause those feelings to resurface.  The children begin a search for the missing money in hope of clearing Jonny's father of suspicion.

This book has great atmosphere and is interesting from the very first page.  This is an excellent story.

In Mystery Back of the Mountain,  Anne and Steve's family inherits a farm.  Anne and Steve hope to live there, but their parents plan to sell the property.  The children's Uncle James was hated by many because he kept land that belonged to others, and the family soon realizes that they are unwelcome.  Strange events occur on the back of the mountain, and the children hope that they can solve the mystery and find a way to get on better terms with the neighbors.

This is a very good book.

Mystery in Old Quebec and Ghost Rock Mystery by Mary C. Jane

Mary C. Jane wrote a number of children's books from 1955 through 1970.  While some of Jane's books are common, others are difficult to find.  Wildside Press has begun reprinting Mary C. Jane's books, but not all books are available.  The books tend to run around 120 pages.  All stories involve at least two children solving a mystery together.

Mystery in Old Quebec, 1955
The Ghost Rock Mystery, 1956
Mystery at Pemaquid Point, 957
Mystery at Shadow Pond, 1958
Mystery on Echo Ridge, 1959
Mystery Back of the Mountain, 1960
Mystery at Dead End Farm, 1961
Mystery Behind Dark Windows, 1962
Mystery by Moonlight, 1963
Mystery in Longfellow Square, 1964
Indian Island Mystery, 1965
The Dark Tower Mystery, 1966
Mystery on Nine-Mile Marsh, 1967
Mystery of the Red Carnations, 1968
Mystery in Hidden Hollow, 1970

In Mystery in Old Quebec, Kerry, Mark, and their father spend their vacation in Quebec. The family stays in an old boarding house. During the first night, Kerry hears someone crying in the room next door.  Meanwhile, Kerry's jacket disappears and reappears the next day.  Kerry discovers a paper in one of the pockets.  The paper has a series of drawings that tell a story.  Kerry and Mark figure out that a boy is being held captive in the house and follow a series of clues in order to help him.

The story starts out quickly and has no boring expository information.  I like it when a book is interesting from the very first page.

This is an excellent, fast-paced book.

In The Ghost Rock Mystery, Janice and Tommy visit Aunt Annabelle's guest house in Maine.  The guest house is in a deserted location.  The children become fearful when they learn about a ghost story involving the house.

When a man stays at the guest house, the children discover him sneaking around upstairs in the middle of the night.  Even stranger, the children hear hoofbeats coming from a rock in the middle of an empty field. What can it all mean?

This is a very good book.

In Mystery at Pemaquid Point, Elisabeth's father has taken a job remodeling the Sea Winds Hotel at Pemaquid Point, Maine. Elisabeth is very lonely, and the only child who lives nearby is Henry Freeman.  Henry is from a very poor family, and many people think that Henry and his brothers are thieves.

Elisabeth has the chance to become acquainted with Henry, and she feels confident that Henry and his brothers are innocent.  Unfortunately, additional thefts occur, keeping the Freemans under suspicion.  Elisabeth helps Henry find the real culprit.

This is also a very good book.