MYSTERY STORIES FOR GIRLS by various authors.

MYSTERY STORIES FOR GIRLS

VARIOUS AUTHORS

THE BLURB:-

Are you looking for adventure? Do you wish you could travel and see the world? If you have dreamed of a more glamorous life you will want to read these fascinating stories, some set in far-off places, others nearer home. All are packed with mystery and fast-moving action.

In 'STRANGER'S QUAY' Anne Park goes to keep house for her guardian, but stumbles on a plot to kidnap scientists trying to escape from Calabria. Strange happenings on a coral reef in the tropical splendour of the West Indies lean Anne Raymond to investigate the mystery at midnight in 'THE CORAL REEF MYSTERY'.

Competing zoologists searching for a rare gazelle in Kenya make a thrilling tale of suspense, jealousy and intrigue in 'JUNGLE QUEST'. Jill plays amateur detective in 'JILL OF NEWLANDS PARK' when her sister is wrongly accused of stealing an original painting and suspended from art school- Jill takes a hand in unmasking the wrongdoer.

Wartime activity in the French Resistance forms the basis of 'TRAPPED' in which Marie-Claire helps to clear up some unfounded allegations against her uncle, but not before she spends six hours in the company of an unexploded bomb. A diamond bracelet helps Christine and Bob to solve the mystery of the robberies in the glamorous setting of Montego Bay, described in 'JAMAICAN HOLIDAY'.

These stories are full of suspense and intrigue, capture and chase, and make marvellous reading. And there are many exciting illustrations.

THE REALITY:-

Once again, as when I got hold of my favourite Nancy Drew book ever (entitled 'The Bluebeard Room') you may well ask why the well-read and adult Miss Elaineous, who's just started her creative writing Master of Arts degree course, is reading a book aimed at teenagers.   I offer you exactly the same reason as before, in that this was a book my mum bought from a second hand stall at an event and presented to me.  I think I was eleven, and I know I was ill.  I was coming down with a cold, spent most of the day lying down on the grass and struggled with the mile-long walk home.  I retreated to my bed with my new book and my mum made me jasmine tea (something else she'd found on the aforementioned stall).  To this day I'm not a fan of flavoured teas and I think it's because, ever since that fateful day when I first tried one, I always associate them with illness.  I hunted this recent copy down for nostalgic reasons. 
I believe the book is aimed at 12-14 year olds (well, my reading age always was the highest in my class, she preens) and was written in 1967.  The stories are very much of their time but they translate into this day and age well, and I believe a kid today would get much enjoyment out of them.  As with a lot of stories for children, coincidence features a lot, as do exclamation marks, but these factors in no way ruin the stories.  Two of the (eight in total) stories were very similar in that they were set in the West Indies and involved thieves moving contraband via the sea and two involved guardians who'd been kidnapped and an imposter crook taking their place.  Spies and professional intelligence featured- like I said, the stories are of their time.

Each tale has an illustration (and there appears to be a mysterious drawing at the beginning of the book which bears no relation to any of the stories!) and these are effectively drawn.  There is another continuity issue- in the fly leaf one scientist is described as Calabrian when in the story he's actually Cantabrian, but it's not a big deal and it's only pedantic people like myself who'd notice such a thing!

My favourite story was 'Trapped', which I was drawn to because of the accompanying illustration.  Yes, Miss Macabre was intrigued by the presence of a skeleton.  Something weird happened, though- before re-buying the book, my memory bank remembered the sketch, but visualised it as being the other way round, with the skeleton to the right- transposed to a mirror image, in other words.

For some weird reason I remembered this sketch as being the other way round, with Mr Skeleton to the right...

I also recently found a series I saw much around the same time (1983) on YouTube and the scene I remembered the most was an erotic part (typical of me...) where a young couple get it on by a lake.  I'd also mirror referenced that in my mind.  Why is this?  I've no idea but does this happen to anyone else?

Enough of my strange mind!  This childhood gem and exciting read will stay in my collection.