Friday, January 17, 2020

Ten novels that evoke a childhood of curiosity & sleuthing

Laura Elliot was born in Dublin, Ireland. She lives in Malahide, a picturesque, coastal town on the north side of Dublin. Writing as June Considine, she has twelve books for children and young adults. Her short stories have appeared in a number of teenage anthologies and have also been broadcast on the radio. She has also worked as a journalist and magazine editor. Elliot's novels include, most recently, The Wife Before Me and The Thorn Girl.

At CrimeReads she tagged ten novels that evoke a childhood of curiosity and sleuthing, including:
The Mardi Gras Mystery by Carolyn Keene

This book still shares space on my bookshelf. Somehow, it has escaped my necessary book cullings, and has been read by my daughters and granddaughters. Unlike Judie Bolton, the Nancy Drew series was written by several people over time under the Carolyn Keene penname. To my unspoiled Irish eyes, Nancy personified glamour. A sleuth who drove her own car, lazed around a swimming pool and had a steady boyfriend, she still had enough time to bring robbers and kidnappers to heel. She had a slick allure that was a stark contrast to Enid Blyton’s more innocent Secret Seven.
Read about another entry on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue