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Dana Girls Mystery #19
The Winking Ruby Mystery
"Save Carlo . . . winking ruby . . . hurry!" This plea uttered by Gino, a mysterious violinist, just before he lapses into a coma, launch Jean and Louise Dana on their first exciting adventure in Europe. Is the mysterious "ruby" a gem, a girl, or part of a secret code?" The Danas must find out—and fast—because a life is at stake.
Danger stalks the young detectives from the moment they board the Balaska with their Uncle Ned, captain of the ocean liner. Crossing the Atlantic they meet Enrico and Lena Dotti, professional hypnotists, who offer to help in solving the puzzle. Jean wants to accept, but Louise is suspicious of the Dottis.
In Europe, the sisters discover that Gino's family has disappeared, driven into hiding by blackmail and threats of mal occhio, the evil eye. Probing deeper into the strange riddle, Jean and Louise become enmeshed in a mystery more frightening than the dungeon in which they are imprisoned. How they extricate themselves and locate a fabulous crimson gem make a pulse-quickening story.
Danger stalks the young detectives from the moment they board the Balaska with their Uncle Ned, captain of the ocean liner. Crossing the Atlantic they meet Enrico and Lena Dotti, professional hypnotists, who offer to help in solving the puzzle. Jean wants to accept, but Louise is suspicious of the Dottis.
In Europe, the sisters discover that Gino's family has disappeared, driven into hiding by blackmail and threats of mal occhio, the evil eye. Probing deeper into the strange riddle, Jean and Louise become enmeshed in a mystery more frightening than the dungeon in which they are imprisoned. How they extricate themselves and locate a fabulous crimson gem make a pulse-quickening story.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1957
1 person is currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn Keene
1,017 books3,872 followersCarolyn Keene is a writer pen name that was used by many different people- both men and women- over the years. The company that was the creator of the Nancy Drew series, the Stratemeyer Syndicate, hired a variety of writers. For Nancy Drew, the writers used the pseudonym Carolyn Keene to assure anonymity of the creator.
Edna and Harriet Stratemeyer inherited the company from their father Edward Stratemeyer. Edna contributed 10 plot outlines before passing the reins to her sister Harriet. It was Mildred Benson (aka: Mildred A. Wirt), who breathed such a feisty spirit into Nancy's character. Mildred wrote 23 of the original 30 Nancy Drew Mystery Stories®, including the first three. It was her characterization that helped make Nancy an instant hit. The Stratemeyer Syndicate's devotion to the series over the years under the reins of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams helped to keep the series alive and on store shelves for each succeeding generation of girls and boys. In 1959, Harriet, along with several writers, began a 25-year project to revise the earlier Carolyn Keene novels. The Nancy Drew books were condensed, racial stereotypes were removed, and the language was updated. In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.
Other writers of Nancy Drew volumes include Harriet herself, she wrote most of the series after Mildred quit writing for the Syndicate and in 1959 began a revision of the first 34 texts. The role of the writer of "Carolyn Keene" passed temporarily to Walter Karig who wrote three novels during the Great Depression. Also contributing to Nancy Drew's prolific existence were Leslie McFarlane, James Duncan Lawrence, Nancy Axelrod, Priscilla Doll, Charles Strong, Alma Sasse, Wilhelmina Rankin, George Waller Jr., and Margaret Scherf.
Edna and Harriet Stratemeyer inherited the company from their father Edward Stratemeyer. Edna contributed 10 plot outlines before passing the reins to her sister Harriet. It was Mildred Benson (aka: Mildred A. Wirt), who breathed such a feisty spirit into Nancy's character. Mildred wrote 23 of the original 30 Nancy Drew Mystery Stories®, including the first three. It was her characterization that helped make Nancy an instant hit. The Stratemeyer Syndicate's devotion to the series over the years under the reins of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams helped to keep the series alive and on store shelves for each succeeding generation of girls and boys. In 1959, Harriet, along with several writers, began a 25-year project to revise the earlier Carolyn Keene novels. The Nancy Drew books were condensed, racial stereotypes were removed, and the language was updated. In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.
Other writers of Nancy Drew volumes include Harriet herself, she wrote most of the series after Mildred quit writing for the Syndicate and in 1959 began a revision of the first 34 texts. The role of the writer of "Carolyn Keene" passed temporarily to Walter Karig who wrote three novels during the Great Depression. Also contributing to Nancy Drew's prolific existence were Leslie McFarlane, James Duncan Lawrence, Nancy Axelrod, Priscilla Doll, Charles Strong, Alma Sasse, Wilhelmina Rankin, George Waller Jr., and Margaret Scherf.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 27, 2007
I found the Dana girls because I'd read through all the Nancy Drew books in my local library. Answers the question--What if Nancy Drew had a couple of sisters... and they solved crimes?
March 4, 2014
This was the first Dana girls mystery I have read and although it promised to be a thrilling adventure, I felt a lack of detailing in the book let it down somewhat. Many characters were introduced and simply left, all too many characters in my humble opinion. I seem to remember having the same feeling about the first Nancy Drew book that I read (these two are of course are written by the same author!) still a nice quick and easy read if nothing else, some of the timings and aspects of the mystery felt too fast and idealistic. Almost as if the girls were too clever and even though there was a big overall mystery, the little mysteries felt distracting and not thrilling enough to carry the book terribly well, but as I wanted to know what happened, I kept reading.
A nice book, but maybe too American and lacking in detail for me. still I will give anything a try!
A nice book, but maybe too American and lacking in detail for me. still I will give anything a try!
April 22, 2016
The Dana Girls are doing something very unusual and that is taking a trip to England and other countries. They are going on the boat their Uncle captains, the Balaska.
It doesn't take long for things to go bad, though, what with a poisonous snake, a lost ring, a very bad storm and some rather nasty people including two saying they are hypnotists. The girls are even accused of theft!
The journey continues through Rome, Florence and Germany as the mystery gets deeper and the danger to them increases. An unusual and quite good Dana Girls story.
It doesn't take long for things to go bad, though, what with a poisonous snake, a lost ring, a very bad storm and some rather nasty people including two saying they are hypnotists. The girls are even accused of theft!
The journey continues through Rome, Florence and Germany as the mystery gets deeper and the danger to them increases. An unusual and quite good Dana Girls story.
August 7, 2012
I enjoy reading this series...find the stories charming albeit terribly predictable with all the convenient coincidences cropping up at just the right moment. This particular story was set abroad which was an added bit of fun for us.
October 11, 2008
The Dana girls attempt to solve a mystery from a strange message
December 5, 2009
Not Nancy Drew or Trixie B. but neat cause they were sisters. This particular one is a good story.
April 22, 2012
Have to say, this series so far is way better than Nancy Drew! I like Nancy Drew but sometimes she gets on my nerves.
March 21, 2013
I loved this series of books that I read back in junior high. They are from the same syndicate that wrote the Nancy Drew books and the Hardy Boys, but I much preferred the Dana Girls.
August 18, 2019
This is one of the weaker Dana Girls mysteries. The mystery is about a ruby missing for 300 years when a baroness in Germany hid it during a raid by a neighboring baron who destroyed the castle and she was killed. Now all of a sudden people are interested in finding it. The reader doesn't even learn about the ruby until well into the book. All the reader knows is that an Italian orchestra member aboard Uncle Ned's ship fell into a coma and before he did he beseeched Uncle Ned to find Carlo and the winking ruby. The search takes the Danas from Italy to Germany. The term "winking" refers more to the hiding place of the ruby rather than an actual attribute. There's a lot of coincidental clues and a couple crooks. I wondered who knew the girls would get involved in this mystery to send them a snake in a basket as soon as they boarded the ship. Ugh!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews