Robin Kane: The Candle Shop Mystery

Robin Kane #4

by Eileen Hill

Robin and friends visit an old friends only to findout someone wants to take down the candle shop.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult

188 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

A pseudonym used by Nicolete Meredith Stack.

Stack 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.

Reviews

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable (if not quite believable) quick-paced story. When a friend from Los Angeles invites Robin, her brother, and their friends Mindy and Michael to visit, they quickly become involved in a mystery near Pilar's family's cafe. Robin quickly discovers a clue and the friends follow up, while also enjoying a pre-Christmas holiday.

[Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in the Robin Kane mystery series, though the second I've read. Much like a Nancy Drew mystery, though Robin is a few years younger. However she is just as plucky as Nancy and had the usual gang of family and friends to help her. Like many Nancy Drew books, this one has an 'exotic' setting: the old Spanish neighborhood of LA. It's not very racist, especially given the era (early 60's). The mystery should be interesting enough for young readers. There is a bit of violence, with young Robin even getting involved with subduing a bad guy, but otherwise it's pretty tame.

[Amanda Arkebauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the few series books with a Holiday Theme. It is set at Christmas time on Olvera Street in down town Los Angeles. We learn of many Mexican Christmas traditions, particularly, the Las Posadas procession. The mystery concerns counterfeited pottery. I really enjoyed it.

[Dina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished 9/28/08 while in the Smoky Mountains :)

[Rea K]

I. I couldn't not get this book. Two bucks, secondhand and vintage, thrift shop find. Wouldn't have gotten such a steal at the used bookstore.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

During Christmas break Robin, her brother Kevin, and friends Mindy & Michael visit an old Spanish neighborhood in Los Angeles at the behest of Mindy's friend Pilar. Something strange is going on at the local candle shop--long owned by Senor Garcia and now operated on his behalf by the Lodato family. At first the family was very friendly and open, but now they have banished Senor Garcia from his own backroom and act very suspicious and afraid. Pilar is sure that the son, Ramon, wants to confide in her but he's too afraid. When she visits Mindy and hears stories about the mysteries that Robin has solved in the past, she asks her new friends to come to Olvera Street and help find out what's wrong at the candle shop. There is a small fire in the shop and a mysterious man with a pin-striped suit hanging around--not to mention his friend with the eyepatch. When Robin finds a shard of pottery in the ashes from the fire, she's more than half-way to finding the solution.

My first Robin Kane story. She's made in the standard girl detective mode and a little bit younger than Nancy Drew. Somewhere between Nancy and Trixie Belden--Mindy's father is wealthy enough to purchase a hydroplane of his own and the story opens with Robin helping her mother make curtains. I get a bit of a Trixie/Honey vibe with a charming mystery from the late '60s. Not an intricate plot, but fun and with a little bit of danger/action--just enough to make it adventurous for young readers, but not too violent. It also provides a look at some Spanish/Mexican Christmas traditions that lets us see how others celebrate the season. It was a nice low-key read for the holiday season.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth in a six part series about the Californian sleuth Robin and her group of friends.
In this one, she is invited to Los Angeles to solve a mystery involving a family who take over a candle shop on the historic Mexican pedestrian Olvera Street. The once friendly family have turned inward and a strange rude man is involved somehow. A fire occurs in the shop and Robin finds a piece of pottery in the ashes. It appears to be Greek or is it? She and her troupe work to uncover the truth during the week of the Spanish traditional Las Posadas where the locals reenact Mary and Joseph seeking a place to stay.
The book shows the cultural charm of this popular tourist destination. I discovered we were close to this oldest part of Los Angeles when we were visitors. I am sorry we missed it with its shops, restaurants, and its central historic monument of a cross.

[Linda Famous · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up a hardcopy of this book at a yardsale. It's reminiscent of Nancy Drew. I enjoyed it more for the look back at how things used to be (what $10 could buy you in 1967) than for the mystery itself. But the writing was fine and the characters were developed enough for the young adult book that it was at the time.

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is strictly nostalgia. It's not great literature and the mystery might be contrived, but it takes me back to a time in my formative years and I relive those moments and those stories. Also, these books capture a simpler time in our culture: a kinder time, a more innocent time, a longed-for time.

[Meg · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my second Robin Kane mystery. Although I enjoyed the characters, I found the plot a bit dull.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This one had the best mystery out of the first four books in the series.