A Ripping Mystery That Stands the Test of Time

This book was the first in what would eventually become the eleven book "Ellery Queen, Jr." series. Nine of those books, including this one, featured Djuna, the Romany gypsy orphan boy who was adopted by Inspector Queen and played the role of jack-of-all-trades in the Queen household. The Djuna series of juvenile mysteries was originally published between 1942 and 1966. A number of writers produced books for the series under the house name "Ellery Queen, Jr.", and it appears that this particular volume, from 1942, is the first of the six series books written by Samuel (Duff) McCoy, (a novelist, biographer and author who won a Pulitzer in 1922 as an investigative journalist).

I mention all of this for a reason. If you recall having read this, or any, Djuna book as a kid, well, nostalgia is never a bad excuse for rereading something and you don't need any reviews to bring back your memories. But, if you've never read any Ellery Queen, Jr. books, this book is a wonderful representative of 1940's American Boys Own mystery/adventure and an excellent example of the Ellery Queen "fair play" mystery style reimagined at a juvenile adventure level. And, the book is well written. Grammar, syntax, vocabulary, and so on is sharp and top drawer. These books were not carelessly written, and their authors treated even young readers with respect. The books don't aim for great literary heft; there are no hidden deep messages. But they are honest and well-crafted. (For what it's worth this is also one of the few kids books from the 40's that has a "colored man" character who isn't written or described in a way that makes you cringe. Well, not too much.)

NO SPOILERS HERE, but we have a robbery and chases, odd characters, suspicious doings, gangsters, escapes, obvious and not-so-obvious clues, adventure and detection and deduction. And more chases. and some sneaking around. And peril. This is all handled in a very underplayed and matter-of-fact, but still engaging, fashion by our hero Djuna. (Think Sherlock Homes meets Tom Sawyer, with a sparky canine companion.)

Bear in mind that this was written in 1942. It's very Mayberry. Djuna's home, Edenboro, has about ten houses and everyone knows everyone. It's all bicycles and fishing and talking about the case with pals, (candy eating Tommy and sharp as a tack Clarabelle). Lots of "for Pete's sake" and "gee whiz", and it never occurred to the author to slip in any teen drama or angst. But this bucolic setting is deceptive. The book is reasonably fast paced and skulking around cornfields and peering into sheds almost seems exotic now. And the finish is socko.

So, the upshot is that this is a well written, well plotted, appealing, fair and professionally crafted example of golden age kids' adventure/mystery thrillers. It's nice to see it back and readily available.

Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.

What one might call a "ripping yarn" or "boys own adventure" which., despite being written in the 1940s, is engaging til the very last page. This is the first in a series of mystery books that centre around an adopted Gypsy boy caled Djuna, who lives close to the US and Canadian border in the 40s. Djuna has a sharp mind, brilliant powers of observation and a friendly, confident nature. It never mentions how old he is but I would hazard a guess that he is between 12 and 15. Together with his scottish terrier Champ and best mate Tommy , Djuna witnesses a bank robbery in a nearby town and then a whole string of strange occurences that lead him to try and figure out what is happening in the area around his tiny country town. As the book was written so long ago, the references to africian-american characters have slightly politically incorrect overtones and language, but they are seen in a positive, non condescending way which is rather refreshing in a book of its time. I had to keep reminding myself that it was a children's book when the bad guys all talk like stereotypical gangsters and the main criminal outlines his entire plan within earshot of our hero! Nevertheless, i think that boys in the year 6 to year 9 bracket would find enough intrigue and action to keep them enthralled, and adults will enjoy the way it transports you to a simpler time when the bad guys were obviously bad, and evryone else was either good or too proud to listen to a " meddling kid"!

A really enjoyable mystery full of historical atmosphere. The sense of place and time really added to the whole story and I would definitely want to read more of the series.

Readers who enjoy classic mystery stories such as Nancy Drew,the Hardy Boys, or the Bobbsey Twins will enjoy this young detective and his spunky little dog. Djuna lives in a small town called Edenboro. He and his dog, Champ, are free to explore the woods and fields around town, fish in Lost Pond, and spend time with his friends Tommy and Mr. Boots. If he wants, he can even hang out with Clarabelle, Mr. Pindler's niece. Picture a sleepy little town, even quieter than Mayberry, and you might come close to envisioning Edenboro. But things don't stay quiet for long. Mr. Boots gets a letter in the mail and suddenly changes from a pleasant and friendly to nervous and grumpy. When Tommy and Djuna get a ride into nearby Clinton to buy some fish hooks, they see a bank robbery and Champ is almost shot by the robbers for chasing their getaway car. Clarabelle hears a truck driving around town in the middle of the night when everyone should be in bed. Someone breaks into the shop where Mr. Boots keeps his carpentry and house-painting supplies and steals over a dozen cans of paint. What in the world has gotten into everyone? And why can't the police find the robbers when they have a description of their car and know they were headed up the highway to Canada? It's all very strange and Djuna's mind can't help turning the facts over and over, trying to make sense of everything.

If you know a young mystery lover who doesn't mind a story set in the 1940s, you should have them try out this first in the adventures of Djuna and his friends. And who wouldn't love a story where a trusty little Scottie grabs a bank robber by the ankle and chases him out of town?