A Three-Cornered Mystery

Dana Girls Mystery #4

by Carolyn Keene

Louise and Jean Dana's new friend, Edith Darrow, invites them to stay at her home for the weekend. While the girls are touring the property, they discover a hidden stash of objects in the barn which appear to be linked to Ed Carillo, a man wanted for swindling a real estate agent. Louise and Jean spend the night in the barn, hoping to discover who left the items in the barn. During their vigil, an injured man stumbles into the barn. The girls go to the main house for help and discover that Edith has disappeared and the house has been ransacked! What could have happened?

The mystery takes several more strange turns when the girls meet another person swindled by Carillo and then meet Carillo's mother, a nice person who is unaware that her son is a swindler. The girls work diligently on their complicated mystery, hoping to find Carillo, help the injured man, restore the stolen property to the rightful owners, and spare Mrs. Carillo the hurtful truth about her son.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult, Crime

217 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1935

About the author

Carolyn Keene is a writer pen name that was used by many different people- both men and women- over the years. The company that was the creator of the Nancy Drew series, the Stratemeyer Syndicate, hired a variety of writers. For Nancy Drew, the writers used the pseudonym Carolyn Keene to assure anonymity of the creator.

Edna and Harriet Stratemeyer inherited the company from their father Edward Stratemeyer. Edna contributed 10 plot outlines before passing the reins to her sister Harriet. It was Mildred Benson (aka: Mildred A. Wirt), who breathed such a feisty spirit into Nancy's character. Mildred wrote 23 of the original 30 Nancy Drew Mystery Stories®, including the first three. It was her characterization that helped make Nancy an instant hit. The Stratemeyer Syndicate's devotion to the series over the years under the reins of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams helped to keep the series alive and on store shelves for each succeeding generation of girls and boys. In 1959, Harriet, along with several writers, began a 25-year project to revise the earlier Carolyn Keene novels. The Nancy Drew books were condensed, racial stereotypes were removed, and the language was updated. In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.

Other writers of Nancy Drew volumes include Harriet herself, she wrote most of the series after Mildred quit writing for the Syndicate and in 1959 began a revision of the first 34 texts. The role of the writer of "Carolyn Keene" passed temporarily to Walter Karig who wrote three novels during the Great Depression. Also contributing to Nancy Drew's prolific existence were Leslie McFarlane, James Duncan Lawrence, Nancy Axelrod, Priscilla Doll, Charles Strong, Alma Sasse, Wilhelmina Rankin, George Waller Jr., and Margaret Scherf.

Reviews

[Gerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the fourth of the Dana Girls Mysteries published under the name of Carolyn Keene. Its author, and also of the first three volumes in the series, was Leslie MacFarlane and this was to be the final title he wrote for the series. The reason for this is that he had an antipathy for writing about girls under a female pseudonym and he only agreed to write this one after he demanded a higher fee than normal. He stated at the time 'starvation seemed preferable' to continuing!

But let us take nothing away from him as a writer, for he captures the thrills and excitement of the two girls', Jane and Louise Dana, adventures admirably, keeping the tension going all the way through.

The Dana family live in Oak Falls and the girls attend Starhurst School for Girls but they are on holiday when this story begins. And it begins when Taylor Lott, a local real estate dealer is trying to track down a crook, a Ed Carillo who has swindled money from him. The Dana girls get involved in the investigation and it takes them around the area as they try, and finally succeed, where others had failed, to locate him.

Three is excitement at every turn they take and it is only with great endeavour and determination that they manage to finally find Carillo, the reason for his criminality and his links to others in the immediate vicinity. And the three-cornered part of the mystery is that two of the properties involved have the word 'Corner' as an appendage and the fugitive is finally cornered!

As rivals to the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, Jane and Louise Dana are worthy contenders.

[itchy · Rating 5 out of 5]

eponymous sentence:
p141: The Three-Cornered Mystery had been solved at last.

Capital! This is the most exciting yet. The naysayers do not know what they're missing.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable Dana Girls mystery book. This time it starts off with the girls at a restaurant in the mountain. They have gone horseback riding. They see a guy named Ed Carrillo who is a crook. To make things interesting, their foes Lettie and Ina are also there.

Carrillo steals some papers from a Mr. Lott. Lettie tries to pull another of her pranks. There's also another theme about a spy. As usual, the girls end up untangling the mystery in a most interesting way. A good addition to the series.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really reached back into my childhood reading with this book. I don't think it is widely known that Carolyn Keene also wrote a mystery series with two Sisters as the heroines. There are not many books in this series and the copyright of the book I read reaches back to 1932. The Dana girls are a little younger than Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys, but just as enjoyable a read for a intermediate reader.

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

Another Jean and Louise Dana adventure. This time they solve a mystery while at their friend Edith's home.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The usual. Teens solving ridic mysteries. While being so 1930s/40s.

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this series of books that I read back in junior high. They are from the same syndicate that wrote the Nancy Drew books and the Hardy Boys, but I much preferred the Dana Girls.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 4th mystery in the Dana Girls series by Carolyn Keene

[Nattie · Rating 1 out of 5]

A total who cares entry into the series.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 4th Dana Girls book had a more mysterious story line. The whole mystery was enjoyable while they tracked a crook who bilked people in Oak Falls out of money when working for a realtor. The title comes from the fact that as they follow the clues they find people they are searching for in several towns that have "Corner" in their name. The girls also help bring lovers back together. They are staying with a woman and her daughter, hiding in the barn as they look for the thief. When they go into the house the woman and her daughter have disappeared. This is part of the mystery that baffled me. Of course, at the end, all is resolved.

[Trent Clegg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intrigue! Suspense! Violence! This installment of the Dana Girls Mystery Stories has its share of thrills and chills. Someone even gets run over by a car! While, as in the first three volumes, the two main characters are basically avatars for the reader to ride through the story on, the plot was solid and the guest characters were interesting.

This is the fourth and final volume penned by noted Hardy Boys author Leslie McFarlane. Out of the four, I rank this one second, just barely behind By the Light of the Study Lamp. Of the remaining two, In the Shadow of the Tower has a great plot but suffers from some glaring racism, and The Secret at Lone Tree Cottage is insipid and dull.

[Rex Libris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A real estate con man embezzles money from his employer. An international spy is running stealing state secrets. No, they are not the same person. But who would ever thought they would share the same apartment? It is a good thing Jean Louise were on the case!

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My niece gave me this for Christmas. I love that it's the old binding, but have to say that I do prefer Nancy Drew. I don't think it's anything against the Dana Sisters, themselves, but rather their nemesis Lettie who is over the top as the mean girl.

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little mystery.

[Mikayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not the strongest of the series, but I did enjoy it. The mystery was well set up!