Trixie Belden and the Mystery of the Vanishing Victim

Trixie Belden #33

by Kathryn Kenny

The Bob-Whites attract attention when they are given a Model T Ford to auction for a hospital rummage sale. When the car breaks down, they are helped by a stranger who is run down by a van before their eyes! Trixie becomes determined to find out who is responsible. But the victim can't even remember his own name! When he disappears and the Model T is vandalized, Trixie is the only one who believes he is innocent. The girl detective vows to find the vanishing victim and solve the mystery.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Juvenile, Classics

210 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1980

About the author

The Kathryn Kenny pseudonym was created by Western Publishing House in 1961, three years after Julie Campbell wrote her last book (#6) of the Trixie Belden series. There were several ghost writers who wrote Trixie Belden stories under this pseudonym. Some have been identified and later credited but some are still unknown.

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http://www.trixie-belden.com/books/Ka...

The Kathryn Kenny pseudonym was born in 1961, three years after Campbell wrote her last book of the Trixie Belden series. Did it take Western Publishing several years to find a suitable author? The answer is unknown and the identity of the authors of the 33 Kathryn Kenny books are not known for sure but there is some information about the ghost writers.

Nicolete Meredith Stack

Nicolete Meredith StackStack is thought to be the first author to tackle the Trixie Belden series, although there is much debate about which books were actually written by her. She was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1896 but lived in Webster Groves in St. Louis, Missouri for most of her adult life. Stack wrote other children's books under her own name and various pen names, including the Robin Kane series by Eileen Hill for Whitman between 1966 and 1971.

Stack is said to have written five books in the Trixie Belden series between 1961 and 1971, but Who's Who in the Midwest claims that she wrote eight titles between 1961 and 1966. There were eight Trixie Belden titles published between 1961 and 1966, but it is doubtful that she wrote them all.

James Keeline in his article, Trixie Belden "Schoolgirl Shamus", believes that books 7, 9 and 16 can be attributed to Stack but there are others that may have been written by her.



Virginia McDonnell

Virginia Bleecher McDonnell was born in 1917 and was a registered nurse who trained at Russell Sage College in Troy, New York. McDonnell wrote the Nurses Three series from 1963 to 1965 using the pen name Jean Kirby, and the Kim Aldrich series as Jinny McDonnell, both for Whitman. She is also wrote volume six of The Waltons.

McDonnell and her husband were avid skiiers and many of her books featured details of nursing or skiing. It seems likely that she wrote three Trixie Belden books, The Mystery of Cobbett's Island (1964), The Mystery of the Emeralds (1965) and The Mystery of Mead's Mountain (1978). Skiing is mentioned early in The Mystery of Cobbett's Island, although this is not the theme of the book.

McDonnell also wrote another book called Country Agent that has a number of similarities with The Mystery at Happy Valley, although her book was published in 1968. Read a review of this book, and see what you think.

There is little biographical information available on McDonnell, but the three books attributed to her are three of the most widely loved books in the Trixie Belden series.



Gladys Baker Bond

Gladys Baker BondGladys Baker Bond was born in Berryville, Arkansas on the 7th of May, 1912. On September 2, 1934, she married Floyd James Bond and had one son, Nicholas Peter. Bond's childhood years were spent in the Ozarks of Arkansas. She lived in Idaho and Washington all her adult life and was an officer of the Idaho Writers League between 1952-54.

Bond's books for children cover a wide range of subjects and are often autobiographical. Mrs. Bond wrote under the pseudonymns, Jo Mendel (The Tucker series) and Holly Beth Walker (the Meg series), as well as her own name. She also wrote volume five of The Waltons.

She is credited with writing The Mystery of the Uninvited Guest (1977), The Mystery of the Castaway Children (1978), and The Sasquatch Mystery (1979). However, with her childhood spent in the Ozarks, she could be the author of The Mystery at Bob-White Cave (1963).



Carl Henry Rathjen

Carl Henry RathjenRathjen was born on the 28th of August 1909 in Jersey City, New Jersey and died in 1984. His ambition was to become a mechanical engineer, but when things didn't go

Reviews

[Lydia Therese · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Mystery of the Vanishing Victim by Kathryn Kenny is the thirty-third book in the Trixie Belden series.

I didn't like this one at all. The mystery dragged on for way too long, it was predictable and easy to figure out, and half the book wasn't even about the main plot. I did enjoy the Jixie in this book, though.

2 stars out of 5.

[Tita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vejam a minha opinião em vídeo, AQUI.

[Montserrat Esteban · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libro que me ha encantado, con doble misterio. Aunque casi engañan a Trixie, pero me ha encantado

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the Trixie Belden books as a kid (nice to see they got republished). I'm still unsure how they ended up in my corner of the world. I slowly amassed the whole series as first editions (it seemed so glamourous as a kid owning precious books that were older than me!) by saving all my pocket money to buy them from the local secondhand store. I can only guess that some adult (probably having moved to our sleepy town from overseas) had sold them off in bulk. They sat in a back corner of the store, thankfully ignored by everyone else, as I slowly acquired them through pocket money and then in a mass swoop for Christmas. It helped that back then secondhand books sold for anywhere from 10 cents to 50 cents rather than $7-10 as they do these days!

They were wonderful mystery books for children of a similar ilk to Famous Five, Secret Seven, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, The Three Investigators etc.; set in a time long before cellphones when sleuthing into mysterious mansions, smugglers, and strange sounds in the night wouldn't cause any real harm to befall our child investigators.

[Bailey Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's an actual mystery with some consequences. There's BWotG bonding. It's great. :)

Recommended 10+ for scary situations and hints of teen romance.

[Paula Vince · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bob Whites receive a lovely vintage car as a donation for their rummage sale, but it breaks down in a dark and seamy district as they drive it home. A cynical stranger who helps them start it gets knocked down by a hit and run driver before their eyes. Trixie can't shake the suspicion that collision was intentional, while Sergeant Molinson digs up shady evidence about their Good Samaritan himself. Who can be trusted? And what are they to think when their victim goes AWOL from the hospital?

* The Bob Whites are preparing to host a community rummage sale to raise funds for the Sleepyside Hospital.

* Mr Burnside offers the Bob Whites a mysterious donation, provided all seven of them come to pick it up together. It turns out to be a beautiful old Model A Ford. This book, if any, is 'one for the boys.' Enthusiasts (including Brian) wax lyrical about the inner workings of antique cars. It comes as no surprise this book was written by the only male Kathryn Kenny of the bunch; Carl Henry Rathjen.

* Mr Burnside is donating his Model A to make room for his latest acquisition, a Stanley Steamer. What a super-generous gesture. Surely any rich antique car fanatic worth his salt would want to hang on to both. But he's grateful for the care he received during a long term stay at Sleepyside Hospital, so that's his contribution.

* Brian's so irritable during their breakdown that I'm not sure he's thinking straight. He starts off asking Mart to crank the engine for him, then to step out instead and shine his flashlight beneath the hood. The light is so helpful, Brian asks Trixie to take over cranking the engine, which she's reluctant to do, because her knowledge of old cars is zilch. Then Brian basically shouts at her to get a grip and just turn the key. Well, if she feels that nervous, how about letting her shine the flashlight while Mart gets back in and cranks the engine again? Duh!

* Trixie makes a novice assumption when she visits the mysterious stranger in hospital. He mentions his memory blank of the moments directly before his accident, and she assumes he must have total amnesia, as Juliana did in Mystery of the Missing Heiress. Yet it's surely clear to every reader during their conversation that he knows exactly who he is, and chooses to let her assume what she likes.

* He says, 'I had a Model A once. I bought it for $50 back when they were used cars and not antiques.' Whoa, those must have been the dark ages.

* Trixie says, 'I always thought of inventors as boring, humourless men.' (Haha, where does she get that idea from? I used to buy into the stereotype that they're wacky and eccentric.)

* We are told that the special feelings Trixie has for Jim are ones she tries to keep to herself. I'm sure he wishes she'd let them out, and is possibly unaware that she even has them. The undercurrents are strong. However, reticence seems to be no problem for Mart and Di. Without officially being called a couple, they seem to be going full steam ahead.

* The Bob Whites go canvassing in pairs: Trixie/Honey, Mart/Di, Jim/Dan and Brian and the impressive Model A. Jim and Dan were the left-over team, and Jim said that suited him fine. Secretly, I'm sure he would have rather had Trixie as his partner, but I'm glad he and Dan have put their International Pine friction from Mystery at Maypenny's behind them.

* Trixie and Honey come across some amusing characters during their door knocking collection for the rummage sale. I like Mrs Manning, the compulsive buyer of oddments who never gets around to following through on her grand plans for them. Mrs Manning tells the girls that washstands and wringers were being used not all that long ago. Ah well, I'm afraid that dates the series. I had a secondhand twin tub given to me in the early nineties, and even that felt ancient.

* They also visit Mrs Glenda Maurer, whose college daughter has decided to part with her collection of Lucy Radcliffe mysteries, because she's outgrown them. I feel like warning, 'Nooooo! You'll regret it if you do.' I once had ideas of doing the same thing with my Trixie Belden set, but I'm sooo glad I didn't. I'm enjoying them so much for this re-read project, and I'd never have been able to collect them over again.

* The biggest glitch in this story is a weird remark from Honey, that Trixie helped Mr Lytell recover his money. I'm thinking, Huh!! When did that ever happen? It turns out to be a spoiler looking ahead to Book 34, The Mystery of the Missing Millionaire. (When I made it to that book, all became clear, and I revisited this review to fix that confusion.) I'm guessing the publishers hadn't yet committed which order they would be, and when they decided to place this one first, they didn't clean up that stray remark. It's a bit sad, but since I'm taking these later books as random reminiscences rather than strict chronology, I don't mind too much.

* I think the quote of the book can be Trixie's. 'As much as I hate having Beatrix for my real name, I think it could have been a lot worse. My parents could have named me Patience.'

[Brit McCarthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Trixie mystery revolving around the "people are not always what the appear to be" angle. I feel like lately though we're also getting a repeat of the endgame - Trixie and Honey get captured by the crook and while they solve the mystery, someone else comes to save them. Would like to see the girls save themselves, thanks.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute. The Model A was a fun touch and I laughed out loud several times, which makes the book even better :)

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't care about cars but thus was an interesting mystery

[J.L. Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

a HUGE and most dedicated fan of Trixie and her crew. This is odd, of course, because they were MEANT for teen and pre-teen girls, but I was a young boy that read everything he could get his hands on and when I first stumbled on my first TRIXIE BELDON book I was instantly hooked!

I immediately sat about reading them all, as quickly as I could get my greedy little paws on them. Trixie is the star, or "lead" character, followed by Jim and Honey (who quickly became the love of my young life, I had a total crush on a fictional character that only existed in ink) and this brave trio was constantly getting into trouble, solving mysteries and murders; that sort of thing.

It falls along the line of the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and other similar series, but the Trixie series carries more of the teenage angst and a subtle love triangle of conflicted who likes whom mystery that battles back and forth throughout the series. All of the while though, the same cheerful, effervescent and energetic positive attitude and domineering never quit/never let them see you down philosophy is the major subtext all through the books.

It is simply impossible to read these and NOT feel good about yourself and about LIFE, to have a sense of "all is well" in the world and a cheerful demeanor just naturally permeate your soul. I know, it SOUNDS crazy, but it is true.

I lost all of my Trixie books years ago, lending them to friends and that sort of thing. Since then, I have been on a quest to rebuild my collection of hardbacks. I find most of them at "Friends of the Library Sales" and things like that, but I am ever watchful at garage sales and places, for I do not have even a third of them built back

[April Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A childhood favorite re-visited.

Is the story as good as I remember? – Yes

What ages would I recommend it too? – Ten and up.

Length? – Most of a day’s read.

Characters? – Memorable, several characters.

Setting? – Real world, pre - computer, pre - air conditioning, pre - cell phone.

Written approximately? – 1980.

Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – Ready to read more.

Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? Yes. A slight mention of the time frame of the story - as the teens are given far more freedom to come and go as they please than would be safe today. Also, the absence of computers and cell phones.

Short storyline: The whole group work to prepare for a rummage sale. They are loaned a working Model A Ford. They meet a man who appears to be a homeless who helps them, and is nearly killed by a green van. It's a struggle to solve this mystery, as everyone claims the green van couldn't have run him down intentionally. A bit of amnesia prevents the victim from clearing up the story.


Notes for the reader: A great mystery! No violence and no murder. A bit of unreality here - on the part of Sergeant Molinson. A hit and run victim who had been in the hospital unconscious for days could not have walked to the Belden's damaged the Model A Ford and escaped. He couldn't have walked that far to begin with.

[Lisa C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one holds a particular place in my heart. Not because it was especially good. I have no memory of what it's about, actually, but for years I hid from my dirty little secret of my childhood love. By high school, I was embarrassed by how much time and money I'd spent on Trixie. I'd been the only one I knew who'd read the books. Then, in college, I spent a few days at the home of a sorority sister. There, proudly lined up on her bookshelves for all the world to see was her entire collection of Trixie Belden books. What's more, most of her friends had read them, too. We got to talking and reminiscing, and I told her how I'd read all but one because they'd gone out of print and I could not find it in a book store anywhere. I'd begun scouring used book stores, but no luck. When I told her I was still missing #33, she said, "Oh, I think I have two copies. Do you want one?" It was like serendipity, fate, and making great choices (Trixie and my sorority) all rolled into one. The book might have paled compared to childhood, but the experience was unforgettable.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Christmas one year, my parents grabbed me the entire Trixie Belden set and I couldn't put them down. After I finished with them, they continued to purchase them as quickly as I could read them. Even with a learning disability, I devoured the books. I look back now and I find that Trixie Belden was much more age related to young girls, particularly to me, reading the books than Nancy Drew. There was something in these books that I found to be a greater escape than I did ND, too. I found that they weren't so "over the top" or dated. I will be doing the same thing with my granddaughters, if and when I have them, even if I have to stalk every used bookstore to get them

[Mark Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bob-Whites are beyond thrilled when they get an antique car for their rummage sale, until the car breaks down. But when the stranger who helped them fix it is the victim of a hit and run, Trixie thinks she’s found another mystery.

And she has. Unfortunately, the mystery is buried under plans for the rummage sale, and it is resolved in a ton of exposition at the end of the book. All the characters are involved and are themselves, but the slow mystery keeps this from being one of the better entries in the series.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Joy Gerbode · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was much better than the last ... but again, I do not remember reading this. All of these later books I know I read but it was only once and years ago, and they obviously didn't make a lasting impression.

This episode in the lives of Trixie and friends finds them helping someone ... and finding once again that life is all about helping others. Lots of fun, and good, easy, reading.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like all the Bob-Whites together and working together in this one. This book also contains one of my favorite lines in the series, Trixie's, "Math ruins everything," which is my basic philosophy of life.

[Lisa]

Book 33

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure whether I've ever read this one.


*****I hadn't, but blah.

Re-read May 2011. Trixie is annoying in this one.

[Chloe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually like all of them but this one a wasn't a favorite.

[for-much-deliberation ... · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great children's mystery series...

[Erin McCarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://www.epinions.com/content_55666...

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

book 33

[Tacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

How appropriate to read this today as we prepare for the big car show of the summer. There will be no Fords at this show, however.

[Telisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rummage sales, charity, old cars and a crazy inventor.