Helter-Skelter

by Patricia Moyes

Felicity - better known as "Cat" - looked forward to two weeks of nothing but fun and sailing, until a strange, unsolved mystery led her on a dangerous quest for a murderer.

243 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 1968

About the author

Moyes was born in Dublin on 19 January 1923 and was educated at Overstone girls' school in Northampton. She joined the WAAF in 1939. In 1946 Peter Ustinov hired her as technical assistant on his film School for Secrets. She became his personal assistant for the next eight years. In 1960 she wrote the screenplay for the film School for Scoundrels starring Ian Carmichael, Terry-Thomas, and Alastair Sim. She married photographer John Moyes in 1951; they divorced in 1959. She later married James Haszard, a linguist at the International Monetary Fund in The Hague. She died at her home on the island of Virgin Gorda (British Virgin Islands) on 2 August 2000.

Her mystery novels feature C.I.D. Inspector Henry Tibbett. One of them, Who Saw Her Die (Many Deadly Returns in the US) was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1971. She also wrote several juveniles and short stories.

Series:
* Inspector Henry Tibbett Mystery

Reviews

[Carla Remy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining youngish adult book from 1968, with a pretty good mystery and ending.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is more or less a teen mystery, although the teen characters are between 18 and 20. This makes them old enough to drink beer without raising an adult eyebrow, smoke cigarettes (dating the story even more), and think they are grown-up, but their reactions and speech still skew to the young side. Cat Bell and her 20-year-old sister Prue are visiting their uncle and aunt for the summer. Prue is a gorgeous blonde who's interested in the naval officers that their uncle commands at a top-secret research station. Cat, our narrator, is interested in boys and sailing, not necessarily in that order, and sails with the Malley boys, who have named their boat after her. She and the boys discover a dead body, which has disappeared by the time they get the police there. Cat wants to investigate, but no one believes in her discoveries.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another old favorite. I first read this as a teenager, and have read it several times since, but only actually remembered a couple things about it. Very definitely set in the "Mod" sixties when it was written, the unforgettable heroine is the eighteen-year-old Felicity, better known as "Cat", who has recently discovered sailing. When the neighbor boys built a small sailboat and name it after her, she is delighted. But plans to spend her summer holidays on board the boat are scuttled by her mother, who insists she stay with her aunt and uncle and only go on day trips with the boys. But no one expects what they discover on one of those trips, and just where it will lead Cat. Recommended.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple summer romance/adventure story, with sailing thrown in. Very much like something you'd expect to pick up off your grandparents' shelf, left there when your parents were kids.

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possible spoilers.

It was a fast paced well written story and I liked the twist at the end.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very Nancy Drew-type story. I enjoyed it!