Beverly Gray's Island Mystery

Beverly Gray's Island Mystery (1952) by Clair Blank

After coming home early from Beverly Gray's Vacation and heading to Florida in Beverly Gray's Secret, Beverly receives a letter from her friends (who are still in Hawaii). Lenora tells her that they are headed back to the East Coast in the Susabella and will have Professor Green, an elderly professor with them on the journey home. But the letter also says that a mysterious man was lurking around the boat and alarmed the Professor. Lenora managed to get a photo of the lurker, so she sends the picture along to Beverly to see what she can dig up on him. Beverly winds up consulting the authorities (FBI!) and discovers that the man, Captain Seers, is a notorious criminal.

When the Susabella fails to dock in Florida as scheduled, both Beverly and the FBI men are worried. A search by the Coast Guard comes up with nothing but an abandoned lifeboat with the names Green and Seers scratched into one of the seats. Beverly's investigations taker her to the college where Professor Green taught. She poses as his niece in order to get close to those who knew him best. The mystery will lead her to mysterious meetings in a cave, see her kidnapped, reveal the Professor's secret (for which Seer will kill, if necessary), and take her back to the Pacific in search of an island and her friends.

Another fun and exciting installment in the adventures of my namesake detective. [Yes, I know--I'm younger, so technically I'm her namesake...] Although this is one of the last stories in the series, it was the very first one I ever found. Prior to finding the book in one of our antique mall trips, I had no idea that there was a girl detective in the Nancy Drew School of mysteries running around with my name. I would have enjoyed these so much if I had know they existed back when I was devouring ND books right and left.

While these aren't terribly intricate in the mystery department, they are interesting. Beverly goes to all sorts of places--and has a legitimate reason for doing so. Since she's a reporter, she is called upon to follow stories wherever they may lead. Much as I love Nancy Drew, it is asking a bit much to believe that she went all over the world (for what proved to be involved stays and mysteries) in such a short period of time (two years at the most?) AND still had time for all those mysteries around River Heights. This story was even more pleasing because it features a professor in the mystery and part of the action takes place on a college campus. Academic mysteries are one of my weaknesses, you know. ★★★

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One death = heart attack