The Yellow Warning

A Connie Blair Mystery #7

by Betsy Allen

Connie's suggestion of taking photographs of fur coats modeled in front of their living and breathing counterparts at the Philadelphia Zoo sounded, to the executives of Reid and Renshaw, like a very good idea. But who could have foreseen an escaped gorilla . . . and the theft of an expensive mink coat?

Connie certainly didn't . . . but since the coat at the time of its loss was in her care she feels responsible, and is determined either to find the coat or make good the loss. But when innocent Henry Colt, last seen holding the coat, is jailed as a suspect, Connie wastes no time in setting a trap for the real thief – a trap that backfires, placing her in mortal danger! How Connie's deductions and expert sleuthing solve the mystery of the missing mink is sure to keep all of her readers gasping

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1951

About the author

Betsy 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.

Reviews

[Gina House · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another entertaining Connie Blair mystery!

I can't believe I'm already on book 7 of the series. There hasn't been a single book I didn't like and I hope this streak continues. I wish I had known about this series when I was younger—it's just so fun!

It was strange to read about models wearing and coveting animal fur jackets, but I can understand how (at the time) this was a normal thing.

Even though I figured out right from the start who was probably the "bad guy", it was still a really interesting mystery and I was invested from the very start.

Betsy Allen (aka Betty Cavanna, a favorite YA author of mine) writes so well and convincingly that you almost forget you're reading a vintage chapter book. The covers in this series are really charming, too!

I can't wait to read the next book and it's (at the moment), my all-time favorite vintage mystery girls' series. (Are those words in the right order??) Highly recommended!

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. The story is more simple than the others I have read in the series but it is an ok story.

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read the first 7 of this series and this is the weakest one so far. One thing I really enjoy about the Connie Blair books is that the culprit doesn't immediately give in when they're caught and tell the whole story and admit to all their crimes like in Nancy Drew books. However this is the first book where the culprit does that. I felt like there was too many chapters set at the zoo which got boring and I wish that there wasn't a new love interest introduced. I liked the character Larry Stewart from the first book. He made a small appearance in the 2nd and mention in book 6. I was hoping he would be in the whole series but so far he's not. There's also a part where they're forced into a walk in freezer and assume they're locked in without trying to open the door. Of course after a lot of time they find out the door opens. That was some what annoying. Add to that the fact that the culprit was obvious and you've got a pretty sub-par book. Hope the next is better. Also a fun tidbit, the expensive mink in the story that cost $15,000 would cost $145551.68 today.

[Alexandra]

Connie Blair Mystery #7

[Megan]

Not first reading (date below)

[Donnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

The lesson in this book? All the types of fur coats women lusted for circa 1950. Let me count the ways: seal, leopard, raccoon, mink (of course)--and muskrat!

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A new client is a furrier, and Connie comes up with the idea to photograph the furs at the zoo. But, when a gorilla escapes his cage, pandemonium ensues, and an expensive mink coat disappears. Naturally Connie investigates, and (of course) solves the mystery.

Two little quibbles — this story is very much of its time; the wearing of furs is now politically incorrect. And one of the zookeepers tells Connie that the animals are better off in the zoo since in the wild they have to spend all their time hunting for food!