The Ghost in the Gallery

 The Ghost in the Gallery (1955) by Carolyn Keene

The Starhurst School is preparing to put on an operetta set in the time of Louis XIV called Spring Is Here in order to raise funds for a local charity. In addition the girls of the school are devising original songs and there will be a contest in which the four top songs will be included in the show. Jean and Louise Dana have written a song titled, most appropriately, "We're All Mysterious" which they believe will be a top contender. But their music is repeatedly stolen and then their rival Lettie Briggs insists that the Danas actually stole their song from the radio--because she has heard the same tune with similar words played. So--mystery number one: who stole their music? Was it Lettie, determined that she would get the better of the Danas for once? Or maybe it was the temporary maid who is filling for a reglar servant? And then there's a mysterious red-haired man who's been hanging around. And then, of course, they have to deal with the standard "mean girl" behavior from Lettie and her gang.

Meanwhile, there are other mysteries to be solved. The operetta has generated such interest that the school has sold more tickets than their auditorium can hold. So, the girls suggest that they ask to rent the Mozart Music Hall which is owned by a former singing star. Mrs. Merrill is more than happy to let school use the Hall, but warns the girls that there are rumors that the Hall is haunted. It isn't long before the Starhurst students see a ghostly figure and hear weird singing. Various attempts are made to discourage the girls from using the hall--from the ghostly sightings to a fake official declaring the Hall as condemned. But the Danas are determined that the show must go on and that they must discover why someone wants them out of the Hall so badly.

There are signs that someone has been searching for something, both backstage and in the basement. And when the Danas hear a story about the last musical performance to be held in the Hall--nine years ago--they believe they have their answer. On that occasion, Mrs. Merrill was playing her last stage role as well. It was a role that called for the singer to be covered in jewels. She unwisely chose to use her own valuable heirlooms which were stolen during the performance. The thief was never caught and the jewels were never seen again. The Danas suspect that that the jewels never left the building and that someone is trying to find them. They want to beat whoever that is to the punch.

As I noted in a previous Dana Girls Review (By the Light of the Study Lamp), I read a few of the Dana Girls mysteries when I was young, but I never got into them like I did the Nancy Drew stories. I never really thought about why, but now that I've read this one I really think it has a lot to do with the "mean girls" story line. I really find it hard to believe that a girls' school would tolerate the consistent bad behavior by Lettie and her followers. We're not just talking school girl gossip and pranks. In this outing, Lettie gets a fairly violent man to harass the Danas and he dumps them down an old well. They could have been seriously hurt. But no real punishment has ever been doled out to Lettie in any of the stories I read and Wikipedia notes that over the course of the series: 

 Lettie alters or steals school assignments, plagiarizes their work, destroys academic research, puts acid on Jean's towel before an athletic competition (to injure her hand), jeers/cheers against the Danas, short-laces shoes, hires a thug to disrupt an ice skating competition and winter carnival, and spreads rumors of all kinds about the Danas, along with making other character slurs. Incredibly, based upon their academic performance and favored status, Mrs. Crandal [the headmistress] remains neutral, or at times, becomes angry with the Danas, and requires the sisters to make an explanation. In most circumstances she is immediately satisfied with her investigation....Lettie, on the other hand, despite her disruptive, dishonest, and at times, actual criminal behavior, rarely receives due punishment.

My sense of justice is outraged. One would think that Lettie's wealth could only protect her (if that's what is happening) for so long before Mrs. Crandall would be obliged to do something about the outrageous and sometimes criminal actions. One of the things I like least about The Secret in the Old Clock (Nancy Drew) is the Topham girls and the way they behave. I can't imagine that I would have read all of the Nancy Drew stories if they kept popping up to throw a wrench in Nancy's investigations.

The mystery itself is a pretty good one and all of the stars are for that. ★★★

First lines: "Louise Dana! It's you! You startled me in that Louis XIV costume."

Last line: "And I'd like to know how two girls as young as you have discovered that we all are a little mysterious?"

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Deaths = one natural