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A Connie Blair Mystery #5
The Green Island Mystery
Mystery was the furthest thing from Connie's mind as she waved good-bye to her family and realized again that she was on her way to Bermuda – on business, with all expenses paid by her employer, Reid and Renshaw!
But Connie, running true to form, finds herself knee-deep in mystery long before the Queen of Bermuda docks. While on board, Connie meets David Scott and learns about a missing half of a manuscript that was left to him after his aunt's sudden death. Later, on the island paradise, Connie finds herself deluged with clues, clues, and more clues . . . until the whole mystery is jumbled like a jigsaw puzzle.
With danger and suspicion dogging her every step, Connie rearranges the clues, until, suddenly, like a jigsaw, the picture becomes clear, and the culprit is exposed
But Connie, running true to form, finds herself knee-deep in mystery long before the Queen of Bermuda docks. While on board, Connie meets David Scott and learns about a missing half of a manuscript that was left to him after his aunt's sudden death. Later, on the island paradise, Connie finds herself deluged with clues, clues, and more clues . . . until the whole mystery is jumbled like a jigsaw puzzle.
With danger and suspicion dogging her every step, Connie rearranges the clues, until, suddenly, like a jigsaw, the picture becomes clear, and the culprit is exposed
205 pages, Hardback
First published January 1, 1949
1 person is currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Betsy Allen
52 books5 followersBetsy Allen was a pseudonym used by Betty Cavanna for books one through eleven of the Connie Blair mysteries. The author of book 12 was Anne Warner Miller of Philadelphia.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 8, 2015
The culprit was sooo obvious from the start but it kinda twisted at the end and surprised me. It was a good read. These books are amazing when it comes to racial equality. Many books from this time period, including goody goody Nancy Drew, are very racist and have stereotypical portrayals of many races. Not just blacks but also Mexicans, Italians, Gypsy, etc. In this book Connie is in Bermuda and a man of color tells her how they have more right in that country and can be on Congress and Connie says how wonderful she thinks that is. There's more examples but I wont list them all. I already liked Betty Cavanna (Betsy Allen) but seeing her views, which were not popular at the time, come through in these books gives me a lot of respect for her.
September 24, 2024
4.5🌟 A fantastically fun Connie Blair mystery!
Connie (along with her manager from the advertising agency) take a cruise ship out to Bermuda to consult with clients of a clothing business. From the moment they step onto the ship, interesting and mysterious conversations begin to take place—bringing Connie closer to a new mystery to solve.
I loved the beautiful setting, the clever writing and the mystery in The Green Island Mystery. There's the death of a popular writer, her missing manuscript and an attempted murder. Add in a dash of watercolor painting (which I love), an unexpected romance and descriptions of warm, sunshine-y streets for even more reasons why this book is so fun to read.
Even though the mystery itself had me slightly confused, it might be my favorite of Besty Allen books so far. Highly recommended book and series!
Connie (along with her manager from the advertising agency) take a cruise ship out to Bermuda to consult with clients of a clothing business. From the moment they step onto the ship, interesting and mysterious conversations begin to take place—bringing Connie closer to a new mystery to solve.
I loved the beautiful setting, the clever writing and the mystery in The Green Island Mystery. There's the death of a popular writer, her missing manuscript and an attempted murder. Add in a dash of watercolor painting (which I love), an unexpected romance and descriptions of warm, sunshine-y streets for even more reasons why this book is so fun to read.
Even though the mystery itself had me slightly confused, it might be my favorite of Besty Allen books so far. Highly recommended book and series!
June 22, 2021
A fun book. Tropical breezes, a hint of romance, some work, and, of course, a mystery keep Connie busy during her business trip to Bermuda and entertain the readers.
October 27, 2013
I am really enjoying Connie Blair, so sad the books are so hard to get. In my view they are smart, informative, entertaining even just this side of plausible.
In this book, in addition to a mystery and further insight into the topic of women traveling on business in the late 1940's, we get a visit to Bermuda. First off, who knew it was in the Atlantic Ocean on the way to Europe? Not me; I though it was in the Caribbean.
Supplementing the descriptions of the town, the names of shops and the mention of scenic sights via the use of Google images and its like you are there. Slipping into Connie's consciousness while she is staying in one of the seaside homes just outside of a main town and you are spending time in that slow paced, sun warmed island world, yourself.
In this book, in addition to a mystery and further insight into the topic of women traveling on business in the late 1940's, we get a visit to Bermuda. First off, who knew it was in the Atlantic Ocean on the way to Europe? Not me; I though it was in the Caribbean.
Supplementing the descriptions of the town, the names of shops and the mention of scenic sights via the use of Google images and its like you are there. Slipping into Connie's consciousness while she is staying in one of the seaside homes just outside of a main town and you are spending time in that slow paced, sun warmed island world, yourself.
January 25, 2022
The fifth installment in the Connie Blair series finds Connie and Georgia Cameron on a business trip to Bermuda. They work for the Reid & Renshaw Advertising Agency and are on a mission to help the Tremont Shop, a long-established British firm, improve their image and their sales. Their trip takes them by ocean liner to the beautiful green island and aboard ship Connie, who attract mysteries like bees to honey, makes the acquaintance of David Scott.
David is on his way to Bermuda to settle his aunt's estate. His aunt was Penelope Sebastian, a well-known mystery author, and there is a bit of a mystery attached to her death. Aunt Penelope was just finishing her memoirs (spilling secrets left, right, and center). One half had already been sent to the publishers, but the second half has disappeared from her estate. David hopes to find the rest of the manuscript so he can honor his aunt's wish that the royalties from the memoirs' sales should go to an orphanage.
Connie is immediately intrigued and spends all her free time--after sketching scenes for Tremont ads--hunting clues with David in Horizons, the house he inherited from his aunt. Someone has broken into the house once while David was on his way from the States and then Connie is attacked and bundled into an old clothes press when she's alone and sorting through papers. Did the assailant find what they were looking for? There are clues in a bundle of check stubs as well as in a guest book listing all of Aunt Penelope's visitors over the years. A missing thermos, a scrap of an old photo, a broken record, and a partially typed page in Penelope's old typewriter provide just the evidence Connie needs to discover the location of the missing manuscript as well as the identity of her attacker.
This is a fun career girl mystery in the same vein as the Beverly Gray and Vicki Barr series. Connie is an assured young woman who can't help getting involved in mysteries wherever she goes and has a knack for getting to the bottom of them. It is good to the young men appreciating her skills and letting her take the lead in investigating. She's a hardworking artist and sleuth--but she also gets to have fun and enjoy David company as well. There's an air of gentle romance between them, but it's her no-nonsense senior partner, Georgia, who finds love with the junior Tremont. Connie will be heading back to the States and more work and adventures with the advertising agency.
As with most of these 1940s "girl detective" mysteries, the plot is not terribly intricate and there are few real suspects to be had. I spotted the villain as soon as they made their first appearance, though I didn't quite see the twist in who they really were. An enjoyable light mystery.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
David is on his way to Bermuda to settle his aunt's estate. His aunt was Penelope Sebastian, a well-known mystery author, and there is a bit of a mystery attached to her death. Aunt Penelope was just finishing her memoirs (spilling secrets left, right, and center). One half had already been sent to the publishers, but the second half has disappeared from her estate. David hopes to find the rest of the manuscript so he can honor his aunt's wish that the royalties from the memoirs' sales should go to an orphanage.
Connie is immediately intrigued and spends all her free time--after sketching scenes for Tremont ads--hunting clues with David in Horizons, the house he inherited from his aunt. Someone has broken into the house once while David was on his way from the States and then Connie is attacked and bundled into an old clothes press when she's alone and sorting through papers. Did the assailant find what they were looking for? There are clues in a bundle of check stubs as well as in a guest book listing all of Aunt Penelope's visitors over the years. A missing thermos, a scrap of an old photo, a broken record, and a partially typed page in Penelope's old typewriter provide just the evidence Connie needs to discover the location of the missing manuscript as well as the identity of her attacker.
This is a fun career girl mystery in the same vein as the Beverly Gray and Vicki Barr series. Connie is an assured young woman who can't help getting involved in mysteries wherever she goes and has a knack for getting to the bottom of them. It is good to the young men appreciating her skills and letting her take the lead in investigating. She's a hardworking artist and sleuth--but she also gets to have fun and enjoy David company as well. There's an air of gentle romance between them, but it's her no-nonsense senior partner, Georgia, who finds love with the junior Tremont. Connie will be heading back to the States and more work and adventures with the advertising agency.
As with most of these 1940s "girl detective" mysteries, the plot is not terribly intricate and there are few real suspects to be had. I spotted the villain as soon as they made their first appearance, though I didn't quite see the twist in who they really were. An enjoyable light mystery.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
May 8, 2015
The beautiful island paradise, Bermuda, is the backdrop for Connie's latest adventure. On a business trip with Reid and Renshaw colleage, Georgia Cameron, Connie's assignment is to create appropriate sketches for use in the advertising account for the wares of the Tremont Shop, a store handing all sorts of British importations.
En route, during the ship's crossing, Connie and Georgia meet David Scott, a young man traveling to Bermuda to claim his inheritance from his deceased aunt, famed about Penelope Sebastian. At the Sebastian home, David searches for the missing manuscript of his aunt's memoirs, the proceeds of which have been promised to an orphans home. He enlists Connie's help in searching for the important papers.
As a mystery, the story is tame. Suspects are few and it wasn't difficult to discover the connection between the missing Italian singer and the American tourist. However, the quaint setting, the descriptions of gracious living of a bygone age, and Georgia's romance with young Philip Tremont are interesting to read.
The dustjacket cover art is one of the loveliest in series literature. Connie, elegantly dressed holding sunglasses, is standing onshore with an attractive young man, David Scott, pointing to something in the water. The couple are being watched by someone crouched behind a rock.
A line drawing variation of this art is used on the back cover of the picture cover editions for the series.
En route, during the ship's crossing, Connie and Georgia meet David Scott, a young man traveling to Bermuda to claim his inheritance from his deceased aunt, famed about Penelope Sebastian. At the Sebastian home, David searches for the missing manuscript of his aunt's memoirs, the proceeds of which have been promised to an orphans home. He enlists Connie's help in searching for the important papers.
As a mystery, the story is tame. Suspects are few and it wasn't difficult to discover the connection between the missing Italian singer and the American tourist. However, the quaint setting, the descriptions of gracious living of a bygone age, and Georgia's romance with young Philip Tremont are interesting to read.
The dustjacket cover art is one of the loveliest in series literature. Connie, elegantly dressed holding sunglasses, is standing onshore with an attractive young man, David Scott, pointing to something in the water. The couple are being watched by someone crouched behind a rock.
A line drawing variation of this art is used on the back cover of the picture cover editions for the series.
September 26, 2014
You MUST read this in historical context or you'll be driven batty I'm sure. I have no difficulty separating the attitudes toward 'negros' and their speech in the book - this is part of our history and who we were in the late 1940s. That said...I loved the book.
Romantic setting, puzzling mystery, hints of danger, exciting career...really this book has it all. AND also keeping in mind historical context - don't you love how women are depicted in exciting careers (here in advertising) doing amazing things? Yes, the strong woman existed back then, and became the role models for the young women who went on to do great things in the decades after. Mind boggling, isn't it?
I wish these books weren't so difficult to track down. I'd love to read all of them. Honestly, I'd say they're more exciting than Nancy Drew or Cherry Ames.
Romantic setting, puzzling mystery, hints of danger, exciting career...really this book has it all. AND also keeping in mind historical context - don't you love how women are depicted in exciting careers (here in advertising) doing amazing things? Yes, the strong woman existed back then, and became the role models for the young women who went on to do great things in the decades after. Mind boggling, isn't it?
I wish these books weren't so difficult to track down. I'd love to read all of them. Honestly, I'd say they're more exciting than Nancy Drew or Cherry Ames.
April 21, 2014
One of my favorites- especially love that her boss - after remaining a career gal- finds love and a spectacularly wealthy husband! In Bermuda! Classic mid-century about following your dreams and all will work out for the best!
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February 22, 2008Connie Blair Mystery #5
February 20, 2025
These straightforward mysteries in interesting settings are well told with just enough detail for realism yielding clever, unexpected solutions, although in this one, I did peg the culprit well before Connie. Neither the mystery nor the level of danger is ever too far out. Having been to Bermuda twice, once via ship like Connie and Miss Cameron, I easily pictured the setting.
“Blue Treasure: The Mystery of Tamarind Court” by Helen Girvan is another good mystery set in Bermuda in the days of the railroad (now a rail trail that runs half the length of the islands). As they ponder the benefits of living there, they overlook the disadvantages—the feeling of confinement living in a 20 square mile archipelago and mold due to a tropical climate and no indoor heating.
“Blue Treasure: The Mystery of Tamarind Court” by Helen Girvan is another good mystery set in Bermuda in the days of the railroad (now a rail trail that runs half the length of the islands). As they ponder the benefits of living there, they overlook the disadvantages—the feeling of confinement living in a 20 square mile archipelago and mold due to a tropical climate and no indoor heating.
October 30, 2021
This book ended a bit differently than I remember when I first read it. I remember that Georgia Cameron, Connie's co-worker and Reid & Renshaw gets engaged and then I thought she stayed behind in Bermuda. However, the book ended with Georgia Cameron still getting engaged, but that she would be getting married in two months and then return to Bermuda to live with her fiancee, Phillip Treemont. Georgia flies back to Philadelphia with Connie at the end of the book.
December 16, 2022
3.5 stars. When Connie accompanies Georgia Cameron to Bermuda to work on an advertising campaign, she does not expect to find another mystery. But aboard ship she meets young David Scott, whose aunt, a famous mystery writer, recently died, leaving him her house on Bermuda. But the second half of her latest manuscript is missing, so Connie and David are determined to discover what could have happened to it.
April 27, 2023
Wait, if the Tremonts live in some huge mansion, why did Connie and Georgia have to share a room? 🤨
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews