The Secret of the Kashmir Shawl

Melody Lane Mysteries #8

by Lilian C. Garis

(The Melody Lane Mystery Stories, Book 8).

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1939

About the author

Lilian C. Garis , born Lilian C. McNamara (1873-14 April 1954), was an American author who wrote hundreds of books of juvenile fiction between around 1915 and the early 1940's. Prior to this, she was a reporter for the Newark Evening News in New Jersey.

For the Stratemeyer Syndicate, she wrote under the pseudonyms Margaret Penrose and Laura Lee Hope, with her works including some of the earliest books in the Bobbsey Twins series as well as the Dorothy Dale series.

Mrs. Garis also wrote books under her own name. Her husband, Howard Roger Garis, was also a Syndicate writer and DJ on WNJR. Her children, Roger and Cleo, also wrote juvenile fiction.

Reviews

[Benedicta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cece is overjoyed to find a job over her summer holiday, even if it is working for a mysterious old lady who seems to be a recluse and who lives a considerable distance from Cece's home and even though her father and sister, Carol, object. She discovers immediately that all is not right in this household. There is a strange antagonistic foreign maid, threatening visitors, and the old lady herself seems tense and watchful. A mystery unfurls involving Egypt and an old antique shawl. All the makings of a great atmospheric YA mystery are present, but it doesn't exactly pan out. The introduction of a character from a previous book about half way through changes the tone drastically. This is the first and only book I have read from this series (#8); maybe if I had read The Wild Warning (#4), the book this is suppose to be a sequel to, I would have felt differently, to some extent. As it is, I felt this character, Sylvia's, concerns distracted greatly from the mystery and that the ending seemed hurried to make up for all the pages spent on her problems. It wasn't bad but could easily have been so much better. I don't feel inclined to/ probably won't continue with this series or writer.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book even though there wasn't as much adventure or historical touches as the other books in this series.