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Trixie Belden #16
The Mystery of the Missing Heiress
Book by Kenny, Kathryn
236 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1970
3 people are currently reading
460 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Kenny
50 books98 followersThe 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
***
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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
May 6, 2021
Bob-Whites member Jim discovers that he has a long-lost cousin, who owns a marsh in Sleepyside. But locating the cousin is tricky, and requires Trixie's detective skills to get everything straightened out.Okay, this is a hard description to write because (a) the story was weirdly complicated for a kids' mystery, and (b) this was my bedtime reading, so I only got through a few pages at a time, and the slowness of the read made the story a little fuzzy in my mind.
I was a little disappointed because I guessed a big plot point fairly early. But overall, I did enjoy this book and hanging out with Trixie and Honey. It inspired me to buy the first five books in this series, and aim to read it all the way through. I do love Trixie and her bike, even though I think Nancy Drew got much better actual mysteries.
May 22, 2018
I really like this late teens/early twenties chunk of Trixie Belden books. I remember liking this particular one a lot way back, and I'm glad it holds up... As obvious as the mystery is, it wouldn't be obvious outside the context of a mystery - to regular people living regular lives - and it's so charming and small-town and fun.
Plus it has this paragraph:
Plus it has this paragraph:
"It doesn't hurt anyone, though, to stop now and then and think about good things people do. Too many people are running down our country and everyone in it, with a special hate for teenagers. I like us. I like all of us."Not sure about the "our country" stuff, but the "I like us" line is great.
January 4, 2024
5+ stars (8/10 hearts). Boy oh boy! I loved this story so much!! Some Trixie books just don’t quite fit in and others just seamlessly follow the storyline; and this is one that fits in perfectly. All the characters are their own lovely selves (imma shoutout Brian this time because he is severely underrated but HE IS AMAZINGGG and also Dan actually features) and oh man I loved Janie!!! AND SPIDER CAME BACKKKK!!!
The mystery was really epic, in spite of the fact that it slightly contradicts books 1&2 (source: www.trixie-belden.com/books/series/bo.... This website is such a great source of trivia & info on the books, by the way, especially for someone like me who just simply doesn’t notice inconsistencies because I’m too busy fangirling…). The humour was as amazing as ever, and I particularly enjoyed seeing the simply homey atmosphere in the Belden home. How cool was the convo about electricity & TV, given this was written in 1962?! And speaking of 1962, the visit to the Bronx was really interesting and jam-packed with 1960s contemporary life tidbits. This book was actually quite well written! Back to the mystery—I loved how mysterious and high-stakes it was! Also the fact that the sergeant actually took the Bob-Whites seriously is B) … AND ALSO TRIXIE QUOTED SHERLOCK!!
So yeah. I love this book. A lot.
A Favourite Quote: “‘I used to think I wanted to be a stewardess, but now I’m not sure I want to be anything—except a mother, maybe.’
“‘Well all want to be that,’ Honey was quick to say. ‘That’s a career. Look at Trixie’s mother. She mothers all of us. She’s super!’”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “A delicious bouquet of doors filled the big old-fashioned kitchen—an aroma that never left it—made up of scrubbed cleanliness, lingering spices, tangy pickles, ripe apples, crumbling aged cheese. Over all, and enhancing all, was the spirit of wholehearted hospitality and love.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘All you saw of him was his back, anyways.’
“‘It was a mysterious back.’ Trixie shivered.
“‘I give up,’ Mart hooted. ‘Do I have a mysterious back, Mrs. Sherlock Holmes?’ He struck a pose.
“‘You couldn’t be mysterious if you tried,’ Trixie retorted. ‘You just talk too much. The man was sort of strange. Jim said he shivered, too, when he saw him.’
“‘Jim would agree with you if you said you saw a dinosaur disappearing into the shrubbery. That doesn’t prove anything.’”
The mystery was really epic, in spite of the fact that it slightly contradicts books 1&2 (source: www.trixie-belden.com/books/series/bo.... This website is such a great source of trivia & info on the books, by the way, especially for someone like me who just simply doesn’t notice inconsistencies because I’m too busy fangirling…). The humour was as amazing as ever, and I particularly enjoyed seeing the simply homey atmosphere in the Belden home. How cool was the convo about electricity & TV, given this was written in 1962?! And speaking of 1962, the visit to the Bronx was really interesting and jam-packed with 1960s contemporary life tidbits. This book was actually quite well written! Back to the mystery—I loved how mysterious and high-stakes it was! Also the fact that the sergeant actually took the Bob-Whites seriously is B) … AND ALSO TRIXIE QUOTED SHERLOCK!!
So yeah. I love this book. A lot.
A Favourite Quote: “‘I used to think I wanted to be a stewardess, but now I’m not sure I want to be anything—except a mother, maybe.’
“‘Well all want to be that,’ Honey was quick to say. ‘That’s a career. Look at Trixie’s mother. She mothers all of us. She’s super!’”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “A delicious bouquet of doors filled the big old-fashioned kitchen—an aroma that never left it—made up of scrubbed cleanliness, lingering spices, tangy pickles, ripe apples, crumbling aged cheese. Over all, and enhancing all, was the spirit of wholehearted hospitality and love.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘All you saw of him was his back, anyways.’
“‘It was a mysterious back.’ Trixie shivered.
“‘I give up,’ Mart hooted. ‘Do I have a mysterious back, Mrs. Sherlock Holmes?’ He struck a pose.
“‘You couldn’t be mysterious if you tried,’ Trixie retorted. ‘You just talk too much. The man was sort of strange. Jim said he shivered, too, when he saw him.’
“‘Jim would agree with you if you said you saw a dinosaur disappearing into the shrubbery. That doesn’t prove anything.’”
February 12, 2016
It's been 10 years since I last read this and this time around I'm afraid I'm going to have to retract a star. And it's not because of the plot, which is fantastic: a missing girl, family for Jim, the return of the evil Jonesy, and other great secondary characters like Mrs. Vanderpoel and Spider Webster, all the Bob-Whites together, a thrilling cliffside rescue. It's a great idea that was very poorly executed. At times, I wanted to throw the book across the room, and I usually only get that feeling with Indian Burial Ground or Antique Doll. Even laying aside the fact that nobody figures out that Janie is Juliana (duh!), it really annoyed me that everybody was snapping at everybody else throughout the book. It was just not at all in keeping with the tone of the series. The exposition grated on my nerves more than it usually does, but not as badly as the foreshadowing (let's see how many times we can randomly bring up Jim's stepfather for no particular reason). And at one point, I realized that Dan and Di, invited along at last, had simply disappeared from the story with no explanation.
June 19, 2022
This one is pretty good, and it was especially enjoyable to re-read it today. Again, references to places I have been are always fun, and I found myself looking at a map of NY to see where the kids were going.
July 29, 2017
(3.8)
This is almost a mystery, yet it felt that even Trixie was along for the ride instead of solving the mystery, but it's acknowledged in the story so it gets slightly redeemed.
I did like how there's a lot of secondary characters that show back up so it gives the setting of Sleepyside more depth.
Recommended 10+ for scary situations.
This is almost a mystery, yet it felt that even Trixie was along for the ride instead of solving the mystery, but it's acknowledged in the story so it gets slightly redeemed.
I did like how there's a lot of secondary characters that show back up so it gives the setting of Sleepyside more depth.
Recommended 10+ for scary situations.
June 28, 2025
The Great Trixie Belden Re-read of 2025: #16
This one slapped! I always feel really good about myself when I manage to solve the children's books mystery in the children's book for children despite being an adult. Also; “too many people are running down our country and everyone in it, with a special hate for teenagers," says Trixie. How topical!
This one slapped! I always feel really good about myself when I manage to solve the children's books mystery in the children's book for children despite being an adult. Also; “too many people are running down our country and everyone in it, with a special hate for teenagers," says Trixie. How topical!
July 2, 2022
Vejam a minha opinião em vídeo, AQUI.
May 3, 2015
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
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
May 20, 2022
Jim discovers he has a cousin named Juliana from Holland who has just inherited a prime strip of land in Sleepyside. The Bob Whites eagerly await meeting Juliana when she arrives in town to board with Mrs Vanderpoel, yet is she all they hope Jim's cousin will be? Meanwhile another young woman known as 'Janie' is involved in an accident and wakes up with total amnesia. Janie is invited to recuperate with the Beldens but it seems she's the target of ruthless crooks. Can Trixie and the others stop the criminals in their tracks and figure out Janie's identity?
* Yay, we have a story taking place entirely in Sleepyside at last! It's been far too long. I enjoy their visits to far-off destinations, yet we've just had five holidays back-to-back and I do miss Peter, Helen, Bobby, Regan and others who are closer to home. It's great to see Mrs Vanderpoel again too.
* Sadly, Spider and Tad Webster are no longer living with Mrs Vanderpoel because Spider was offered a higher position in the White Plains police force. However, it seems they're both homesick, and Spider feels the new job isn't all it was cracked up to be.
* The Bob Whites are overjoyed because Mr Wheeler gives them his second hand station wagon. Their rule of not taking what they haven't earned doesn't seem to come into play. Not so long ago, Trixie told Di they'd have to turn down a mere lamp her father offered them (pun intended). Now they have no qualms about accepting a whole car.
* As a kid, this story gave me a fascination with amnesia and the mysterious workings of the human memory. Janie's thread shows that a lovely person is lovely to the bone, with or without her identity intact.
* Jim is in fine gentlemanly form in this book. His delight to have traced a living blood relative, when he'd assumed he was the last of all his family lines, is heart-warming.
* Trixie points out that Jim's corrupt stepfather, Jonesy, hasn't been seen around Sleepyside for the past two years. Although I've given up keeping chronology, it's only meant to be one year, in the compressed timeline we're given. Two years makes far more sense, but then the authors would have to adjust the Bob Whites' ages, and they're loath to do that. It may be partly because they want to prevent Jim and Brian turning 18 and heading off to college for as long as possible. But hey, surely the duo could commute! They live close enough to New York City. I think more to the point, they've decided Trixie's identity is a 14-year-old! That's all there is to it. She must stay 14, to remain relatable to her target audience. (Honestly, I'm sure it got to the stage where her audience would cheer if she turned 15, but there we have it.)
* Diana used to want to be an air stewardess, but now she's not sure what she wants to be, unless it's a mother. Honey sweetly agrees that they all want to be that, and refers to Mrs Belden as their perfect role model. It's a lovely conversation, although Helen's occupation really stretches beyond stay-at-home-mom. She's running a small farm or cottage industry, of course, with her chickens and garden produce. She also grows prize winning banksias, which surprised me since I'd assumed they were Aussie flowers.
* Trixie and Honey volunteer at the local hospital as 'candy stripers' which turns out to be young teenagers in candy striped uniforms who help with odd jobs, such as a bit of cleaning or amusing patients.
* Mart develops a passion for playing music. He strums away on guitar and can also play quite reasonable keyboard. Janie teaches him several ballads that linger in her memory banks, and he's keen to learn. Music is a powerful tool because unsurprisingly, Janie has flashes of memory return while she's playing or humming along with Mart.
Mrs Belden gets a bit flustered and talks too much around intimidating people like Juliana. I can so relate.
* Reddy is permitted in the zoo!!! How times have changed. Friends, I don't recommend trying to take your dog on your next zoo visit.
* Ooh la la, there might be a romantic liaison between Mr Lytell and Miss Trask after all. At least Mart suggests this might be the case, and although Honey shoots him down, she doesn't deny it. (Part of the conversation goes like this. Honey: Of course they like one another and they have for a long time. What of it? Mart: Not a thing. If she doesn't mind how cranky he gets and thinks he looks like a Greek god, it's okay with me.)
* Dan's elderly horse Spartan can dance. It's an accidental discovery. I can't shake off the hilarious image of Dan trotting along on his rounds for Mr Maypenny, listening to his radio, when Spartan suddenly breaks into a waltz beneath him. And there's a good reason for it. Spartan used to be a circus performer in his more coltish years. These left of field happenings are partly what make the series so cool.
* But how about the Turf Show? That thread sadly peters out, unless it's picked up in the next book. The kids were practising so hard for it. It was such a big deal to Regan, but apparently not as big a deal to Kathryn Kenny.
* Blue Heron Marsh is to be demolished to make way for the International Pine furniture company. I feel my memory banks being stirred. I reckon this thread will be taken further down the track. Brian and the others mourn the loss of all the precious herbs that grow and bird life that hangs out there.
* Trixie has her stomach turned on several suspicious occasions by the lingering scent of Jonesy's nauseating tobacco. For a smart and crafty crook, he's pretty careless about cleaning up his crime scenes. If he's going to be sloppy enough to leave pipes or whole tobacco tins behind, he deserves whatever he gets. Furthermore, it's surprising that Jim doesn't instantly identify that sickening scent on these mysterious occasions. It's Jonesy's signature odour after all, and Jim has lived with him for long enough.
* One of the biggest mysteries of this tale may be why Jim's foreign aunt from Holland happened to own such a prime slab of real-estate in Sleepyside of all places. The Bob Whites never seem to even speculate about that.
* Quote of the book goes to Trixie. 'Don't you wish the Bob Whites could go on and on as we are now, just the same age as we are now.' Well, with the help of these Kathryn Kenny authors, her wish seems to get granted.
* Yay, we have a story taking place entirely in Sleepyside at last! It's been far too long. I enjoy their visits to far-off destinations, yet we've just had five holidays back-to-back and I do miss Peter, Helen, Bobby, Regan and others who are closer to home. It's great to see Mrs Vanderpoel again too.
* Sadly, Spider and Tad Webster are no longer living with Mrs Vanderpoel because Spider was offered a higher position in the White Plains police force. However, it seems they're both homesick, and Spider feels the new job isn't all it was cracked up to be.
* The Bob Whites are overjoyed because Mr Wheeler gives them his second hand station wagon. Their rule of not taking what they haven't earned doesn't seem to come into play. Not so long ago, Trixie told Di they'd have to turn down a mere lamp her father offered them (pun intended). Now they have no qualms about accepting a whole car.
* As a kid, this story gave me a fascination with amnesia and the mysterious workings of the human memory. Janie's thread shows that a lovely person is lovely to the bone, with or without her identity intact.
* Jim is in fine gentlemanly form in this book. His delight to have traced a living blood relative, when he'd assumed he was the last of all his family lines, is heart-warming.
* Trixie points out that Jim's corrupt stepfather, Jonesy, hasn't been seen around Sleepyside for the past two years. Although I've given up keeping chronology, it's only meant to be one year, in the compressed timeline we're given. Two years makes far more sense, but then the authors would have to adjust the Bob Whites' ages, and they're loath to do that. It may be partly because they want to prevent Jim and Brian turning 18 and heading off to college for as long as possible. But hey, surely the duo could commute! They live close enough to New York City. I think more to the point, they've decided Trixie's identity is a 14-year-old! That's all there is to it. She must stay 14, to remain relatable to her target audience. (Honestly, I'm sure it got to the stage where her audience would cheer if she turned 15, but there we have it.)
* Diana used to want to be an air stewardess, but now she's not sure what she wants to be, unless it's a mother. Honey sweetly agrees that they all want to be that, and refers to Mrs Belden as their perfect role model. It's a lovely conversation, although Helen's occupation really stretches beyond stay-at-home-mom. She's running a small farm or cottage industry, of course, with her chickens and garden produce. She also grows prize winning banksias, which surprised me since I'd assumed they were Aussie flowers.
* Trixie and Honey volunteer at the local hospital as 'candy stripers' which turns out to be young teenagers in candy striped uniforms who help with odd jobs, such as a bit of cleaning or amusing patients.
* Mart develops a passion for playing music. He strums away on guitar and can also play quite reasonable keyboard. Janie teaches him several ballads that linger in her memory banks, and he's keen to learn. Music is a powerful tool because unsurprisingly, Janie has flashes of memory return while she's playing or humming along with Mart.
Mrs Belden gets a bit flustered and talks too much around intimidating people like Juliana. I can so relate.
* Reddy is permitted in the zoo!!! How times have changed. Friends, I don't recommend trying to take your dog on your next zoo visit.
* Ooh la la, there might be a romantic liaison between Mr Lytell and Miss Trask after all. At least Mart suggests this might be the case, and although Honey shoots him down, she doesn't deny it. (Part of the conversation goes like this. Honey: Of course they like one another and they have for a long time. What of it? Mart: Not a thing. If she doesn't mind how cranky he gets and thinks he looks like a Greek god, it's okay with me.)
* Dan's elderly horse Spartan can dance. It's an accidental discovery. I can't shake off the hilarious image of Dan trotting along on his rounds for Mr Maypenny, listening to his radio, when Spartan suddenly breaks into a waltz beneath him. And there's a good reason for it. Spartan used to be a circus performer in his more coltish years. These left of field happenings are partly what make the series so cool.
* But how about the Turf Show? That thread sadly peters out, unless it's picked up in the next book. The kids were practising so hard for it. It was such a big deal to Regan, but apparently not as big a deal to Kathryn Kenny.
* Blue Heron Marsh is to be demolished to make way for the International Pine furniture company. I feel my memory banks being stirred. I reckon this thread will be taken further down the track. Brian and the others mourn the loss of all the precious herbs that grow and bird life that hangs out there.
* Trixie has her stomach turned on several suspicious occasions by the lingering scent of Jonesy's nauseating tobacco. For a smart and crafty crook, he's pretty careless about cleaning up his crime scenes. If he's going to be sloppy enough to leave pipes or whole tobacco tins behind, he deserves whatever he gets. Furthermore, it's surprising that Jim doesn't instantly identify that sickening scent on these mysterious occasions. It's Jonesy's signature odour after all, and Jim has lived with him for long enough.
* One of the biggest mysteries of this tale may be why Jim's foreign aunt from Holland happened to own such a prime slab of real-estate in Sleepyside of all places. The Bob Whites never seem to even speculate about that.
* Quote of the book goes to Trixie. 'Don't you wish the Bob Whites could go on and on as we are now, just the same age as we are now.' Well, with the help of these Kathryn Kenny authors, her wish seems to get granted.
May 1, 2024
I mean did ANYONE fail to solve the mystery from the moment the character with amnesia was even mentioned?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2018
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.
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.
April 30, 2024
Well, this marks the end of the original sixteen hardcovers in the series. I'll now try to find the newer entries in paperback.
"The Mystery of the Missing Heiress" was okay. Unfortunately, the culprits and the plot of the mystery were obvious from the get go. Even an eight-year-old could have figured it out easily. Not to mention, a lot of the chapter titles gave away what was going to transpire and killed any waning suspense.
Janie/Juliana would have been around 12 or so when leaving Holland to move to the U.S. Wouldn't she still have a Dutch accent? The kids would have been clued in straight away about her identity (the doctors, too) if the story had been at all realistic in this regard.
More goofy song lyrics pop up in "The Mystery of the Missing Heiress". At least there were some pretty exciting scenes such as Trixie's rescue of Janie and the night Trixie and Honey snuck out to the garage to catch the bad guy.
"The Mystery of the Missing Heiress" was okay. Unfortunately, the culprits and the plot of the mystery were obvious from the get go. Even an eight-year-old could have figured it out easily. Not to mention, a lot of the chapter titles gave away what was going to transpire and killed any waning suspense.
Janie/Juliana would have been around 12 or so when leaving Holland to move to the U.S. Wouldn't she still have a Dutch accent? The kids would have been clued in straight away about her identity (the doctors, too) if the story had been at all realistic in this regard.
More goofy song lyrics pop up in "The Mystery of the Missing Heiress". At least there were some pretty exciting scenes such as Trixie's rescue of Janie and the night Trixie and Honey snuck out to the garage to catch the bad guy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2025
Re-reading this series out of nostalgia.
Trixie Belden, teen sleuth, gets a mysterious call meant for Jim, her best friend's adopted brother, about his birth family. It turns out that he has a long-lost cousin, who is being sought in the newspapers and by authorities because their property needs to be sold to developers.
The Bobwhites are excited to meet Juliana, but Trixie soon feels something is "off" about her. Soon there is more excitement - a hit-and-run victim is found on the main road leading to Trixie and Honey's homes. She has amnesia, and everyone likes and feels sorry for her.
Accidents start happening with serious consequences. Juliana becomes more strange, and only Trixie notices that there are several suspicious men lingering about. How do all the pieces fit together?
I am left with wondering why the big build up about a horse competition that drops out of the plot 1/3 of the way in, after a big build-up. Still, a fun read!
Trixie Belden, teen sleuth, gets a mysterious call meant for Jim, her best friend's adopted brother, about his birth family. It turns out that he has a long-lost cousin, who is being sought in the newspapers and by authorities because their property needs to be sold to developers.
The Bobwhites are excited to meet Juliana, but Trixie soon feels something is "off" about her. Soon there is more excitement - a hit-and-run victim is found on the main road leading to Trixie and Honey's homes. She has amnesia, and everyone likes and feels sorry for her.
Accidents start happening with serious consequences. Juliana becomes more strange, and only Trixie notices that there are several suspicious men lingering about. How do all the pieces fit together?
I am left with wondering why the big build up about a horse competition that drops out of the plot 1/3 of the way in, after a big build-up. Still, a fun read!
September 28, 2022
The 16th book in the Trixie Belden series is “The Mystery of the Missing Heiress” authored by Western Publishing Company’s writing team under the pseudonym “Kathryn Kenny.” The storyline is about a $150,000 payment for Sleepyside, New York property to heirs of the property owners who had recently died. The heiress, Juliana, is from Holland and lives in the Bronx. When she learns about the payment, she travels to Sleepyside to file paperwork confirming her inheritance rights. When she arrives outside of town, she swerved her car to avoid an older man who is waving his hands to get her to stop. She then crashes into a tree and becomes unconscious. The older man goes to the crash site, steals her purse and all items in the glove box that are related to her identity. He assumes she is dead. The mystery begins with the driver being rescued by police and transported to a hospital where she is treated for her injuries and amnesia. The older man and his niece steal her identity in a quest to get her inheritance money. The novel portrays the kindness of Trixie, her Bob-White friendship club, and the Sleepyside community as they navigate murderous attempts on the heiress’ life, help her recover from amnesia, and help her receive the inheritance. The mystery storylines are fascinating and at times very alarming. I will long remember the book’s concluding chapters. (P)
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April 16, 2023Published in 1970 this is an enjoyable entry in the series with Jim discovering he has a cousin he never knew existed and the Bob-Whites getting involved in the mystery of a young woman with amnesia. We also get to revisit some former villains whom we haven't seen in awhile, and Trixie, of course, solves two mysteries before anyone else even realizes that there was more than just one.
August 8, 2023
The mystery in this one was a bit obvious as an adult rereading. But what I appreciated most was the time spent at home on Crabapple Farm. The family chaos and bickering seemed more authentic and then there is Bobby and how he is less babyish and more his age. And I always love to read about what theyre eating! (which is has to feature hamburgers at least once)!
March 21, 2020
Look, if you didn't work out the mystery to this one well before the end, you're not the sharpest tool in the shed, or the best detective in Sleepyside.
Buuuuut I still really enjoyed this one. Felt like a return to the earlier books, or maybe I just like them best when the kids are at home.
Buuuuut I still really enjoyed this one. Felt like a return to the earlier books, or maybe I just like them best when the kids are at home.
September 29, 2020
The 16th adventure in the Trixie Belden series, and this is one that I hadn’t read in a very long time. I did remember the basics of what happened, but I thought this was a really good mystery with plenty of exciting drama.
August 7, 2018
I can't decide if I'm smart because I figured out the solution or just older. ;)
August 11, 2023
Classic Trixie.
March 18, 2017
Closer to 3.5 stars. I like Trixie and the rest of the Bob-Whites of the Glen, but Trixie's constant jumping to conclusions and leaps in logic frustrate me and test my ability to suspend my disbelief, which is sad considering that the premise of the mystery is pretty good.
January 21, 2013
A childhood favorite re-visited.
Is the story as good as I remember? – Yes
What ages would I recommend it too? – Twelve and up.
Length? – Most of a day’s read.
Characters? – Memorable, several characters.
Setting? – Real world, pre - computer, pre - cell phone. (Interesting note - the manor house is now air conditioned).
Written approximately? – 1964?
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, cell phones.
Short storyline: Trixie Belden, Honey, Jim, and her brothers work to determine who "Janie" is, while Jim's new found cousin "Juliana" behaves strangely and totally inconsistent with her reported behavior by her neighbors. Agree with other reviewers in that Trixie would have questioned this far more, and figured out Jonesy far sooner than this plot says she did. Not quite believable for the character. Though I do like the final wrap up.
Notes for the reader: An okay mystery. An double attempt at murder of one of the new characters.
Is the story as good as I remember? – Yes
What ages would I recommend it too? – Twelve and up.
Length? – Most of a day’s read.
Characters? – Memorable, several characters.
Setting? – Real world, pre - computer, pre - cell phone. (Interesting note - the manor house is now air conditioned).
Written approximately? – 1964?
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, cell phones.
Short storyline: Trixie Belden, Honey, Jim, and her brothers work to determine who "Janie" is, while Jim's new found cousin "Juliana" behaves strangely and totally inconsistent with her reported behavior by her neighbors. Agree with other reviewers in that Trixie would have questioned this far more, and figured out Jonesy far sooner than this plot says she did. Not quite believable for the character. Though I do like the final wrap up.
Notes for the reader: An okay mystery. An double attempt at murder of one of the new characters.
July 18, 2016
Re-reading my Trixies after many years and reading some of the reviews here, I guess I'm not as critical of the mystery with these books. What I remember about them is not so much the plot at all but the friendships and camaraderie of the Bob-Whites. And there's plenty of that in this addition to the series, with not one but two parties- 1 at Crabapple Farm, 1 at Mrs Vanderpoel's. Trixie admits to herself that Jim is someone extra special to her. And there are several instances of interaction between Jim and Mrs. Belden in this story, and it's really sweet.
Also, 5 years had passed since the last Trixie book appeared, when this book was published in 1970; I think that may be a reason for this volume carrying more background about several of the characters (not just Jim-Jonsey) and the past deeds of the Bob-Whites.
Also, 5 years had passed since the last Trixie book appeared, when this book was published in 1970; I think that may be a reason for this volume carrying more background about several of the characters (not just Jim-Jonsey) and the past deeds of the Bob-Whites.
August 12, 2016
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.
January 18, 2021
10/17/10: I finally got this book. They stopped printing them after number 15, and the libraries around me didn't own the old ones. My mom was finally able to get some of them from another library in Illinois. I love Trixie Belden so much!! The mysteries are always good. I love reading about the adventures she and the Bob-Whites get into.
*If anyone has some they would like to lend me, I will gladly accept them : )
*If anyone has some they would like to lend me, I will gladly accept them : )
March 21, 2014
This kid's mystery finds Trixie Belden trying to help a young woman with amnesia find out who she really is. This is the first time I've reread a book in this favorite series in years. I loved spending time with the characters, but I have always found this plot a little weak.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
July 19, 2014
In this Trixie Belden Book, Jim discovers he has a cousin named Juliana who is set to inherit a large piece of swamp land in Sleepyside. Juliana arrives in Sleepyside to wait on the confirmation of her identity so she can inherit the money from selling the land. Another arrival in Sleepyside is Janie, a young woman involved in a hit and run who is left with amnesia. The Belden family invites Janie to stay with them while they try to discover her identity and who seems to be out to get her.
July 14, 2016
I've just started this and I'm certain I've read it before, but not for a long time.....
I had definitely read it before, but I'm not sure I owned it. Fair to middling Trixie.
Re-read May 2011.
Re-read January 2014. Lots of people impersonating other people around Sleepyside. And whoever wrote this one really overdid the use of the exclamation "Gol".
I had definitely read it before, but I'm not sure I owned it. Fair to middling Trixie.
Re-read May 2011.
Re-read January 2014. Lots of people impersonating other people around Sleepyside. And whoever wrote this one really overdid the use of the exclamation "Gol".
April 4, 2012
Not the best book in the series but I'm glad to see that a few loose ends from earlier books have been wrapped up, I did think the book was a little less of a childrens book when it came to the mystery because isn't normally the order of business in Trixe books (unless of course Trixie herself gets into trouble!)
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