carstairs38's Full Review: Kathryn Kenny - The Mystery of the Emeralds Books
This is the 14th book in the Trixie Belden series, a mystery series along the lines of the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew. It stars fourteen-year-old Trixie Belden and her friends, who call themselves the Bob-Whites. No matter what else is happening, Trixie seems to draw Honey, Diana, and the others into one mystery after another. For more background, please read my introduction to the series.
Faced with a rainy summer day, Mrs. Belden announces it's the perfect day to clean out the attic and barn. While Trixie is helping with the attic, she finds an unknown crawl space. Investigating further, Trixie finds a letter dating back from the time of the Civil War that references an emerald necklace.
The letter was headed to a family in a neighboring town, so Trixie and her best friend Honey go over to investigate. The trail quickly leads to a small town in Virginia. At first, it looks like this might be the end of the trail, but soon Diana comes up with a way to bring almost all the Bob-Whites along.
Things aren't quite as easy as they had hoped in Virginia. The house they need to search is closed to them, and someone else is also looking for the necklace. But they stumble on some good luck when they visit a neighboring house and meet the owner, Mr. Carver. He's more the willing to let them look around. But can Trixie find a necklace that's been hidden for 100 years?
Every time I read this book, I am reminded about just how good it is. This is the only time in the series that the trail of the mystery starts in Sleepyside and leads Trixie somewhere else. While the solution is a little easy (it helps to have rich friends), seeing the Bob-Whites struggle with this is nice. The mystery itself is well done with nice set backs, a couple twists, and suspense that keeps me turning pages even though I remember how it all ends.
On top of this, this Kathryn Kenny did a great job with the characters. The Bob-Whites are their best selves, focusing on their strengths and not the negative caricatures they can be in some of the books. Also, the plot uses all the characters to a certain extent. Except for poor Dan. He doesn't even get to show up to say he can't go but has to send the message through others. The new characters in the story are bright and alive, especially Miss Bates, who leaps off the page and leaves me a little breathless every time she appears.
A quick note about the timing of the book. This book was originally written around 1965, which makes the timeline of events from the Civil War to Trixie finding the letter work.
It's funny I never think of this as one of my favorites in the series because I enjoy it so much every time I do read it. This is a perfect example of why I still love the series so much. Anyone familiar with the series will love this book. It could work for new comers as well, but I do recommend starting with the first few books in the series.
Trixie Belden Mysteries:
1. The Secret of the Mansion
2. The Red Trailer Mystery
3. The Gatehouse Mystery
4. The Mysterious Visitor
5. The Mystery off Glen Road
6. The Mystery in Arizona
7. The Mysterious Code
8. The Black Jacket Mystery
9. The Happy Valley Mystery
10. The Marshland Mystery
11. The Mystery at Bob-White Cave
12. The Mystery of the Blinking Eye
13. The Mystery on Cobbett's Island
14. The Mystery of the Emeralds (You are here)
15. The Mystery on the Mississippi
16. The Mystery of the Missing Heiress
17. The Mystery of the Uninvited Guest
18. The Mystery of the Phantom Grasshopper
19. The Secret of the Unseen Treasure
20. The Mystery off Old Telegraph Road
21. The Mystery of the Castaway Children
22. The Mystery on Mead's Mountain
23. The Mystery of the Queen's Necklace
24. The Mystery in Saratoga
25. The Sasquatch Mystery
26. The Mystery of the Headless Horseman
27. The Mystery of the Ghostly Galleon
28. The Hudson River Mystery
29. The Mystery of the Velvet Gown
30. The Mystery of the Midnight Marauder
31. The Mystery at Maypenny's
32. The Mystery of the Whispering Witch
33. The Mystery of the Vanishing Victim
34. The Mystery of the Missing Millionaire
35. The Mystery of the Memorial Day Fire
36. The Antique Doll Mystery
37. The Pet Show Mystery
38. The Indian Burial Ground Mystery
39. The Mystery of the Galloping Ghost
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